Wizard of Odd
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Wizard of Odd: 1969 Aria 2000T
June 19, 2019
Escape the ordinary with this rare take on Leo Fender’s classic solidbody.
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Wizard of Odd: 1965 Inter-Mark Cipher Valor
May 16, 2019
Learn the history—and hype—behind the flagship guitar of the Cipher line.
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Wizard of Odd: 1965 Zenon Zemi
April 8, 2019
Angular lines, sweeping curves, bright tones, and mysterious origins. What more can you ask for from a super-rare Japanese electric?
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Wizard of Odd: ’60s Excelsior Jamaica III
February 12, 2019
What do polka, beer, accordions, and hot mini-humbuckers have in common?
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Wizard of Odd: Resetting the Neck on a ’50s Stella Electric
January 9, 2019
When a guitar looks the part, but isn’t really playable, it’s time to call the pros.
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Wizard of Odd: Stella—A Story of Strange Solidbodies
December 9, 2018
You may know that Charley Patton, Lead Belly, and Doc Watson played Stella acoustics built in New Jersey in the 1930s, but these oddball post-WWII electrics hail from Tokyo.
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Wizard of Odd: The Enigmatic ’60s Lux
November 7, 2018
How I almost passed on a rare Italian beauty—and why I didn’t.
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Wizard of Odd: Surf’s Up! The Story Behind Late-’60s 700-Series Kents
October 21, 2018
What do you get when ’60s California car and beach culture collide with a young Japanese guitar designer?
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Wizard of Odd: Late-’60s TeleStar Doubleneck
September 21, 2018
Here’s another beautiful weirdo from the Kawai Enshu factory.
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Wizard of Odd: ’60s Tombo 6-String Ukulet
July 25, 2018
What do you get when you cross a ukulele with a transistor radio?
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Wizard of Odd: Ripe for Slide—Mid-’60s Kawai SD Electrics
July 6, 2018
What do you get when a piano manufacturer turns to making electric guitars? Perhaps something resembling a serious piece of furniture.
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Wizard of Odd: Early-’60s Welson Kinton
May 29, 2018
What’s better than a cool mini-humbucker? Four of them, of course! And don’t forget that “all on” blower switch.
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Wizard of Odd: The Weird and Wonderful FujiGen PP Electrics
May 22, 2018
In a world awash with Tele and Strat remakes, it’s fun to stumble across quirky outliers.
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Wizard of Odd: The Incredible Tale of a Mid-’60s Aria Diamond 1402T
March 28, 2018
Sometimes, against all odds, you find yourself reunited with a long-lost friend.
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Wizard of Odd: The Mystery of Calculon 6
March 8, 2018
One big question remains about this intriguing piece of folk art. Perhaps someone, somewhere has the answer.
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Wizard of Odd: “Tiki Mask” Prestige Electrics
February 5, 2018
What was up with instrument design in 1968? Far-out, dude.
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Wizard of Odd: 1960s Zerosette JG SAD 2
December 27, 2017
How do you say “flower power” in Italian?
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Wizard of Odd: 1964 Supro Dual Tone
December 11, 2017
Who needs tonewood? We’ve got fiberglass, baby!
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Wizard of Odd: Tracking the Elusive Humming Bird
October 30, 2017
What happens when a Mosrite Ventures model makes its way to Japan? You can bet it’s something extreme.
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Wizard of Odd: A 1963 Marvel EJ2 Returns Home
September 28, 2017
In his PG column debut, Frank Meyers tells the tale of trekking to Matsumoto, Japan, to unravel the mystery of his very first guitar.
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