Galanti Panther Guitar (3 pickups)

Italian brand Galanti has its roots more than 100 years ago. The Galanti accordion factory was cranking out accordions into the late 1950’s, then for a few shorts year included a shift to electric guitars. In the 1970’s they moved into making electric organs. Look closely, are those accordion switches?

Although not very popular in North America, I have owned many Galanti guitars over the years. I guess very few came over from Europe in the 1960’s, so the brand just never found a following here and consequently the vintage guitar market price remains low. Many of these guitars were also produced under the GOYA brand name, and there were a surprisingly wide variety of models available. In my opinion, they are really a hidden gem.

Why? The necks are fabulous! I would put the Galanti and Goya necks up against many vintage Fenders, but at 1/50th the cost. Also, great tremolo and pretty good bridge. The downside? The electronics were weak. Pickups are simply uninspiring. Too bad. Here are some photos of two – a 2 pickup and a 3 pickup model.

Back Catalog Memories: Galanti Panther Guitar from MyRareGuitars.com

1960’s Ampeg AUB Bass Guitar

Although better known for their monster SVT amps from the late 1960’s, Ampeg made a family of electric basses that were quite unusual and advanced for the time from 1966 through 1969. There were four basic models, each of which was available in fretted and fretless versions.

The model designations are:

• AEB-1
• AUB-1
• ASB-1
• AUSB-1
• AMB-1
• AMUB-1
• SSB
• SSUB

The letters seem to follow the following pattern – “AEB” means Ampeg Electric Bass. The “U” means Unfretted, the “M” probably means Magnetic pickup, and the SSB is the Short Scale Bass. In the late 2000’s, Canada’s Eastwood Guitars began to reissue two of these models, naming them EEB-1 (Eastwood Electric Bass) and EUB-1 (Eastwood Unfretted Bass). However, the re-issue simplified the headstock somewhat.

Here is a nice example of the original AUB-1. This one has had been modified with a modern bridge.

Back Catalog Memories: Ampeg AUB Bass from MyRareGuitars.com

Kawai Moonsault Guitar (circa 1980s)

One of the most unconventional and impractical body shapes from the electric guitar world, this Kawai Moonsault was a big hit in Japan. Really. The initial production was 1982 and the build quality was superb as Japanese guitar manufacturing had hit its stride in the early 1980’s, many producing better quality guitar than those in USA. It was available in two models, both with master volume and two tone controls. The tone pots were push/pull for coil splitting, and the other model (pictured below) had additional switches for phase switching and active electronics. I am not sure of the date of this guitar as they continued production into the 1990’s, but very few made their way to North America.

It is a surprisingly lightweight guitar (good, because you’ll have to be standing to play it) that has a fabulous neck profile and Mother of Pearl binding on the headstock for an exotic look. They even had the different phases of the moon depicted in the fretboard inlays. The huge array of tonal options are a highlight to this monster of a guitar, as you can move from single coils to humbuckers with alternate phase for each pickup configuration, then add a 9v battery active boost to all those and you’ve got one versatile player. But remember to stay on your feet!

Back Catalog Memories: Kawai Moonsault Guitar from MyRareGuitars.com