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GALLERY: Gear Ads of the 1980s

GALLERY: Gear Ads of the 1980s

Take a trip back in time to see the gear, hair, and clothes that made the '80s most excellent—party on, dudes!


We're pretty sure the barely legal vixen in this Vester ad went on to great fame playing the cheerleader who kisses Mikey in the Broadway production of The Goonies. Vester subsequently went on to great fame...um, in this roast of '80s ads.

Ibanez 540S Series

Happily, Alex Skolnick was soon moved to the Evolution exhibit, though his hairstyle was left in the Endangered Species wing. (Note that spandex was in the correct wing, but on the wrong side of the glass.)

Gibson

While there's no arguing with the longevity of the Gibson brand, it's hard to look back at this ad and not see some heavy irony. That's all we're going to say...

Dean Markley SLP Strings

Dean Markley's follow up to the rockin' grandpa ad pushed the needle just a little too close to the disturbing side.

DiMarzio Fred Humbucker

Many people forget that the working title for Surfing With the Alien was Surfing with the Sideburns.

Kawai GB-1 Session Trainer

Seriously, Kawai? Wow. Just...wow....

Celestion Vintage 30s

Exhibit 2 in making the case that not everything from the '80s had a short shelf life.

Martin Stinger

The guitar that solidified Martin's leading role in the über-crowded crackle-finish "super-Strat" market: the Stinger. Judging by its logo, it...er, goes both ways?

Washburn Stephen's Extended Cutaway Electrics

What could've extended the Stephen's Extended Cutaway's lifespan a few years (or at least months)? Maybe a look that was more distinctive than the Martin Stinger's trademark finish we're thinking something like blood spatters or a kamikaze theme.

Carvin FET Series

Gratuitous Mullet Joke #1: With all due respect to Carvin and Bob Bradshaw—for both surely deserve tons—but this mullet may be the single biggest reason why the FET has since played second fiddle to the vacuum tube.

Tom Anderson Guitarworks

Things would be so much different for Tom Anderson Guitarworks today if only they'd been able to coax Val Kilmer into a coordinated media blitz based on his 1984 breakout comedy hit, Top Secret.

Marshall BluesBreaker, DriveMaster, and ShredMaster

Whadya know? The same three words describe how we feel about this ad a couple decades after the fact.

Dean Markley SLP Strings

Luckily, this ad from Dean Markley was more funny than disturbing. (As media folks, we're pretty impressed with the analog photoshopping—although we do take umbrage with the subject-verb disagreement.) However, as luck would have it...

The Whirlwind Leader

The single trend of the '80s that must be resurrected immediately: cable companies giving away Porsches.

Rocktron Hush IIC

Gratuitous Mullet Joke #2: Rocktron wisely hid Bob Bradshaw's FET-killing mullet behind its HUSH units. On the downside, they upped the ante with Steve Lukather's a Hairnet-teased, Sun In-treated 'do. Apparently the HUSH survived due to confusion over whether Luke's killing shoulder-pad jacket was included.

Pefect Pitch

We've witnessed this undead ad campaign shuffle onward, feasting on our collective brains for what seems like an eternity now. And trust us, Mr. Perfect Pitch guy, we've laughed at a LOT more than your secret.

A/DA Amplification Systems

As Michael J. Fox's character found out in the Night Ranger-scored (and tragically Oscar-scorned) The Secret of My Success, 128 patches of preamp-tube distortion are the surest bet when reaching for that golden ring. (What's that? Yeah, yeah, we know Secret is the one '80s movie Fox DIDN'T play guitar in...but it worked here, all right?)

Spandex Clothes

Guitar mags of the '80s offered information on ALL the essential tools for mastering guitar.

Boss RV-2

Exhibit 1 in making the case that not everything from the '80s had a short shelf life.

Ernie Ball Music Man Eddie Van Halen Guitar

Ok, so Eddie designed the guitar. It's cool, we understand the switch. The only thing better would be having your own brand, but that's crazy talk...

Kramer Guitars

Anyone who thinks Eddie switched endorsements a lot clearly hasn't seen this ad. Look how loyal he looks, raising the Kramer president's hand in triumph. He'd NEVER...

Aria Pro II Knight Warrior

Ahhh...the golden years of Neanderthalic sexual objectification. Once you had the guitar, the only thing standing in the way of claiming your swooning prize was securing some badass spandex. Luckily...

[Updated 10/28/21]


Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today announces the launch of the Player II Modified — a bold expansion of its Player II series. Featuring select electric guitar and bass models enhanced with performance-driven upgrades, Player II Modified offers modern players refined tone, performance, and style straight out of the box. As an extension of the best-selling guitar series in Fender’s nearly 80-year history, Player II Modified builds on this legacy with expanded tonal versatility, elevated playability, and modern enhancements that meet the needs of a new generation of players.

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- YouTube

A fine-tuned, well-worn feel, noiseless pickups, and a broad tone vocabulary made possible by clever switching mark real refinement in Player II Modified versions of Fullerton’s foundational designs.

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Fabulous neck with just-right fatness. Distinctive tone profile. Smooth, stable vibrato. Ice blue metallic and aluminum look delish together.

Higher output pickups could turn off Fender-geared traditionalists.

$939

Eastman FullerTone DC’62

eastmanguitars.com

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4.5
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An affordable version of Eastman’s U.S.-made solidbody rolls with unique, well-executed features—at a price and quality level that rivals very tough competition.

Eastman’s instruments regularly impress in terms ofquality and performance. A few left my PG colleagues downright smitten. But if Eastman isn’t a household name among guitarists, it might be a case of consumer psychology: Relative to most instruments built in China, Eastmans are expensive. So, if you spend your life longing for a Gibson 335 and a comparable (if superficially fancier) Eastman costs just 20 percent less than the least expensive version of the real deal, why not save up for a bit longer and get the guitar of your dreams?

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Advanced

Intermediate

  • Learn how to incorporate open strings all the way up the fretboard.
  • Build velocity in your playing without practicing speed exercises.
  • Discover an easy way to steal licks from the pros using YouTube.
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It’s universally known in the guitar community that Brad Paisley isn’t just some guy that strums a guitar and sings country songs. He’s widely respected as one of the best players in the country music scene and takes an unusual approach to achieve the sonic insanity that spills out of his guitar. From Telecasters, G-benders, and cranked Dr. Z amps to instrumental records and wild guitar solos getting mainstream country radio airtime, Paisley has solidified his place in the discussion of all-time greats, and not just in the country world. In this lesson, we’ll dive into one of the cornerstones of Brad’s playing that makes him so unique: open strings.

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