I am so happy! My life is now complete. Fender has just brought back a limited edition Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster for it's 50th Anniversary. It is the dawn of a new era!!
For those that are not aware Hello Kitty was a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and is owned by the Japanese manufacturing company Sanrio. The character was designed to sell sandals and vinyl coin purses.
Though Hello Kitty may look like a kitten the character is purportedly a little girl named Kitty White or in Japanese, Kiti Howaito. She lives in a London suburb with her sister Mimmy and must be doing well as London property is expensive.
She came on the scene around 1975 and became popular due to a trend called Kawaii or “cute culture”. (Silly me. I thought Kawaii was a piano.)
By 2010 Hello Kitty was a marketing sensation, with comics, music, video games, magazines, clothing, and even theme parks.
In 2005 Fender created the Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster which was marketed to preteen girls. At that time the guitar sold new for around $225.
The original instrument’s body was made of a Agathis wood, a soft wood harvested in India. The Hello Kitty guitar had a single pickup with one volume control.
The 2005 guitar's neck was Maple with a plain headstock. This instrument had a budget hardtail adjustable bridge saddle. The originals had Hello Kitty face adorning the pink body. Fender’s original run was around 7,000 instruments.
The funny thing is a number well-known artists were seen using Hello Kitty guitars on stage. These included Dave Navarro, Slash, Courtney Love, Amy Lee, and John 5.
The new limited-edition models have a suggested retail price of $579. The body is made of Okume wood, a hardwood harvested in central Africa.
The guitar’s C-shaped neck and fretboard are maple wood with red fret markers. The guitar has a single Fender designed Alnico pickup and the jack is placed on the instrument’s lower side.
The most popular body has a pink finish with a matching pink headstock. The Squier Hello Kitty models are also available with a pearl white and black finish. The guitar's back feature's Hello Kitty written in script.
Apparently I missed the boat on the pink model that was released in 2024. But the 2025 white and black models are readily available.
The plastic pickguard is an image of Hello Kitty’s face. The instrument comes with a matching Hello Kitty gig bag.
But wait there is more! For an additional $125 you can purchase a Hello Kitty Fuzztone. The Hello Kitty 10-foot pink and white woven guitar cable is $37.99. The polyester Hello Kitty guitar strap is $35, a box of 18 Hello Kitty guitar picks sells for only $20, while a Fender Hello Kitty crew neck sweatshirt is $59.99 (although sadly they don’t come in my size).
I am ordering mine right now!
UniqueGuitar Publications (text only) 2025
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When I was a young fellow it was a real treat to visit my Grandma. She lived in an apartment above an old residence with an amazing staircase that today would be considered antique. In fact the entire house was antique. The home belonged to my cousin's grandparents during the 1940's and '50's. The Bellevue, KY house is still there.
At the first level of the staircase there was a circular window. I imagined it to be like a port hole on a ship. Grandma's living area had a sitting room which contained a small TV, a small couch, and her favorite rocking chair. Her bedroom had this fascinating treadle sewing machine, her kitchen had an an old fashion wooden sink and an antique gas stove.
The door behind her kitchen contained a large room that may have been a bedroom at one time, but it was converted into a bathroom. This was common in older homes when the outdoor privies were replaced by indoor plumbing. On the other side of the bathroom was a mystery door that I was not allowed to open.
Her huge bathtub had claw feet. The ceramic sink was set on a pedestal, but the most fascinating object to a child of my age was her toilet seat. It had pearl-like chips of back, gray, and white embedded in it. The boring one we had at home was just plain pink.
This same pearl-like design showed up later on some electric and electric steel guitars. Due to the popularity of its use on potty seats of the 1950’s it was nicknamed “mother of toilet seat” or MOTS.
I thought about Grandma and her wonderful toilet seat when I recently received a Facebook post from The Bemis Manufacturing Company. This was an old company from Sheboygan Wisconsin founded in 1858. By 1901 they were best known for manufacturing bathroom fixtures that include sinks, tubs, along with quality toilet seats. Due to the shortage of metal during WWII the company invented the molded plastic toilet seat.
Often times I think it ironic when I go to a public restroom and notice that the words “Bemis Seat” is embedded in blue letters on the ‘throne’ where I am about to place my keister. Bemis Seat has a similar sounding name to the elevated platform and raised chair that was a place of judgement for Jews and Christians and known as The Bema Seat.
This Face Book post from the Bemis Manufacturing company was a reminder that at one time the Gibson Guitar Company had contracted with Bemis Manufacturing to produce guitar bodies. Yep, it is hard to believe, but it is true. Gibson actually made a TOILET SEAT guitar.
In 1965 the guitar market was flooded with Japanese imported inexpensive electric guitars because every kid not just the United States, but I dare say much of the world, wanting to be a Beatle.
At that time Gibson’s student guitar was The Melody Maker. This instrument was of a much higher quality than any of the imports. The Gibson Melody Maker was first launched in 1959 and in 1971 was discontinued. In 1964 a single pickup Gibson Melody Maker had a suggested retail price of $127.50. The median annual income that year was only $4600.
The Melody Maker guitar had a thin slab-style solid mahogany body and a one-piece set in mahogany neck. To keep assembly costs down all the electronics, from the small single-coil pickups to the cable jack and controls, were assembled on the pickguard and installed in a rout in the front of the body. The strings ran from a straight-sided simplification of the traditional Gibson headstock at one end to a wraparound bridge/tailpiece unit at the other. Some more expensive models came with two pickups and a budget vibrato unit.
From 1959 until 1961, the Melody Maker had a single cutaway slab body style similar to the early Les Paul Junior model but thinner. Then in 1961 the body style changed to a symmetrical double cutaway.
By 1966 the body style was changed to a style similar to the Gibson SG guitar, with pointed "horns", a large white pickguard, and white pickup covers instead of black.
In 1959 the original retail price for a Gibson Melody Maker was $99.50. By 1960 the price for a twin pickup model was $135.50. By 1966 the same Melody Maker price was increased to $149.50 and had a $10 price increase each subsequent year.
But in 1965 many Japanese electric guitars were selling for around the $50 to $100 price range. Another competitor was Danelectro/Silvertone who offered electric guitars as cheap as $39.95. It would be very difficult for a lot of families to afford an American made instrument for their budding rock star.
This competition from imports forced Gibson management to look into developing a low cost guitar. To do this they turned to the Bemis Manufacturing to compression mold a guitar body. Yep, the same company that was best known for manufacturing toiled seats.
The core of the guitars body was comprised of MDF or medium density fiberboard (Masonite) which, like the toilet seats, was coated with molded thermoplastic material.
Until this time all Gibson guitars were made of solid wood, though some electric models also had solid veneer tops. Gibson had never made guitars of composite materials. So involving a company that specialized in Masonite just made practical business sense.
Gibson already had the Epiphone brand which it used to market a line of guitars. They had acquired the
Epiphone brand name in 1957. and in those days were also built at their Kalamazoo facility as a sister project. Epiphone would not become the budget guitar brand that was manufactured offshore until 1970.
Gibson desired something truly affordable and profitable. The company had retired the Kalamazoo brand name in 1942 due to the war production. So in 1965 Gibson decided to revived the Kalamazoo brand for this line of budget electric guitars.
The Kalamazoo electric guitars all had bolt-on necks (something that Gibson, up until this point had never done), and a rosewood fingerboard. The bass guitar was a short scale instrument. A decal proclaimed Kalamazoo "USA" on the six tuners on a side headstock, to set it apart from cheaper, imported guitars.
These guitar had two subtly different headstock shapes, the first has a characteristic 'beak' shape, and is almost identical to that of the non-reverse Thunderbird. The body resembled of Fender Mustang.
The second headstock style, appearing on the SG-shaped bases is more like that of a Fender, though a little more rounded. The Kalamazoo logo is engraved on the headstock. The necks were actually pretty well made and are highly playable.
The first design, manufactured from 1965 to 1966, was pretty much a copy of the Fender Mustang. The second design, made from 1967 to 1969, resembled Gibson's SG design.
Expense was also saved on the pickguard which was a single sheet of unlaminated plastic, and like the Melody Maker all the electronics were mounted in the pickguard and then placed on the body's routed area. The tuners were inexpensive open back types.
The Kalamazoo Bass was introduced in 1966 and like the guitar model had two body styles resembling the Mustang and next the SG. The earlier headstocks were, again, reminiscent of Fender models. Later headstocks bore a resemblance to that of the Gibson Thunderbird bass guitar.
Several standard Gibson components were used in the KB, namely a typical EB series humbucker pickup that was used in many Epiphone basses.
Sales were initially good, and during 1966-67 this was by far the best selling bass made at the Gibson plant. Production of the KB ceased in 1969. Gibson sales records show that 23,994 KG models were manufactured from 1965 through 1969 and 6287 KB basses sold from 1966 to 1969. The KB bass retailed at $119.50.
As stated in the 1967 the body design for the Kalamazoo line of guitars and basses changed to the SG shape. So the later pickguards were cut differently to reflect the newer body design. The bridge on the KB-1 was slightly modified as an improvement.
For years I knew the Kalamazoo electric guitars bodies were made of compressed fiberboard, but it was not until I recently read a Facebook post discussion revealing this Gibson product used bodies that were produced by a toilet seat manufacturing firm.
There is also literature suggesting that the bodies were made by a factory that specialized in molded medium density fiberboard for commode seats, The Bemis Manufacturing Company has it's headquarters in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
By 1970 Gibson contracted with the Matsumoka factory in Japan, which had been building guitars under the Aria brand name. Gibson first used this company to build inexpensive copies under the Epiphone brand name. So the Kalamazoo electrics were eliminated in 1969.
G&L Guitars quietly shut it’s doors and went out of business earlier this month. The Fullerton California facility ceased operation in late September, and the employees were laid off. There was no press statement or announcement.
G&L is an American guitar manufacturing company founded by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt in the late 1970s after Leo Fender’s non-compete clause from selling the Fender Guitar Company to CBS had ended. . The G&L stood for George (Fullerton) and Leo (Fender).
G&L produced some fantastic electric guitars and basses with designs based on some classic Fender instruments. The company also produced effects units for a short while such as the G&L Double Barrel Vari-Boost[3] and the G&L Buckshot Overdrive.
The future of the brand is uncertain; production could potentially resume under new ownership or in a different location. G&L made a variety of guitars including the S-Type “Legacy”, and the T-Type “ASAT”, as well as more unique designs such as the Comanche.
Leo called these “the best instruments I have ever made”. Leo Fender took his innovative approach to guitar development to G&L with several innovations including the “Magnetic Field Design” pickups, Dual-Fulcrum Vibrato, and Saddle-Lock bridge.
Both Leo Fender and George Fullerton passed away decades ago. The current CEO is Dave McLaren.
G&L Tribute series guitars are manufactured by Cor-Tek (Cort) in Indonesia. They are the largest guitar makers in the world, and produce instruments for many companies.
So far there has been no announcement if another brand may take over the G&L trademark. Based on the discussions in the two videos I have attached, G&L was a small company that may of experienced some management issues. They had a great product, and their overseas production exceeded sales of their USA made instruments. I certainly wish them the best.
UPDATE: As of October 31st it was announced that the Fender Musical Instrument Company acquired the assets and brand name of G&L guitars. This will allow them to once again use the image of Leo Fender.
In 1995 Fender started to acquire troubled competing companies when they purchased Guild Guitars. They then purchased Sunn Amplification, and the Washington State based Tacoma Guitar Company.
Fender purchased the rights to Bigsby and DeArmond Products that were based in Ohio which made pickups, and other guitar related products. Fender acquired that brand name and produced some guitars using that brand.
Sadly Sunn, Tacoma, DeArmond, EVH, SWR, and Brand X were put out to pasture never to be seen again. Ovation, Gretsch, Guild and some others were sold to different companies. I suspect G&L guitars, including their Indonesian made Tribute Series will also be discontinued.
As a kid my Saturday mornings were filled with eating cereal while watching TV shows. The cartoons were great, but my favorites were the Western serials that came on later in the morning. These included Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Hopalong Cassidy.
Both Gene and Roy sang and played guitar. Perhaps this was my first exposure to my fascination with the six-stringed instrument.
Gene Autry was the first singing cowboy. By 1929 Autry had already recorded songs and were working on WLS radio as The Oklahoma Yodeling Cowboy on the popular radio show the National Barn Dance. Autry’s record sales flourished during these days.
His first big hit record was That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine. He then topped the charts with his version of a Ray Whitley song called Back in the Saddle Again. He also scored hit records with Here Come's Santa Claus, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty The Snow Man, and Here Comes Peter Cottontail.
Gene began his film career in 1934 with his partner and sidekick, Smiley Burnette (Burnette was one of the engineers on Petticoat Junction).
During WWII Gene Autry enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. His studio, Republic Pictures, were promoting Roy Rogers as King of The Cowboys, but to keep Autry’s name in the public they reissued old Autry Westerns.
During Gene Autry’s earlier years as a recording artist, he needed a “flashy” special guitar. Gene owned and played a few different top of the line instruments. He asked C.F. Martin Guitars for a special instrument. In 1933 they obliged by creating the first Martin D-45.
The C.F. Martin company made a limited number of these 12 fret D-45 guitars, but Gene Autry's was the very first one and it was built in 1933. In 1934 one more was created. Then two were built in 1936. There were only 91 D-45’s made by Martin prior to WWII. Production ceased in 1942 as factories geared up for war production.
The D-45's were the fanciest instruments that Martin produced. Gene’s guitar certainly had plenty of “bling” with it’s slope-shouldered extended dreadnought body that helped define the voice of American acoustic music.
The back and sides were constructed from the finest Brazilian Rosewood. The sound board featured tight-grained Sitka Spruce top. The 12-fret neck was crafted from solid mahogany and carved into a comfortable C profile, topped with an ebony fingerboard that boasts custom “Gene Autry” mother-of-pearl inlays and side dots for performance-ready orientation.
The neck joined the body at the 12th fret, contributing to a warmer and more resonant tone, with a long 25.4″ scale length ensuring powerful string tension and sustain. The nut width was a comfortable 1.875″ and string spacing of 2.313″.
The instruments top is richly adorned with hand-inlaid abalone pearl trim and rosette, echoing the ornate detailing of Martin’s legendary pre-war style 45s. The ivoroid binding on the body, fingerboard, and headstock enhances the elegant visual framing of the instrument.
The headstock, featured a Brazilian Rosewood overlay, was finished with a traditional Torch inlay and fitted with precise Waverly tuners in nickel finish for both vintage aesthetics and reliable performance. His D-45 was finished with a thin coating of nitrocellulose lacquer.
A tortoise-style pickguard provided classic styling while protecting the top. Measuring 21 inches in body length, with an upper bout of 11.625 inches and a lower bout of 15.625 inches, this guitar also offers a dynamic presence that feels substantial and comfortable in the hands.
Depths at the heel and tail measure 4 inches and 5 inches, respectively. This instrument remains as one of Martin's finest and most iconic guitars to this day. Although the modern instrument is no longer slope shouldered and it now has a body joining the neck at the 14th fret.
While the ornate Style 45 appointments weren’t new as they had been appearing on smaller-bodied Martins since shortly after the turn of the century the first D-45's were the first time they were applied to a Dreadnought. The result was a striking fusion of Martin’s most powerful body shape with its most elegant aesthetic details.
Autry had owned other Martins before that, but with popular record sales he was making more money and was aware of Style 45's. And he wanted as much pearl and flash as he could get, It has Gene's name inlaid on the fretboard.
In 2011, a Vintage Guitar ranking of valuable guitars saw the D-45 (models made between 1936 and 1942) in first place, worth between $250,000 and $400,000. Gene Autry's original guitar is priceless.
That one-of-a-kind order set the tone for what the model would become: a guitar of exceptional quality and exclusivity, often made one at a time for individual buyers. For the first few years, production was sporadic. The early D-45s were built gradually with custom specs. Martin's system of guitar sizes is based on letters going from size O, the smallest to size D the largest.
Size D is indicative of "Dreadnought". This was the name derived from a battleship called The HMS Dreadnought, which was launched in 1906 and saw use ten years later during The Big War. The HMS Dreadnought was the British Navy's biggest and most aggressive battleship. Her design included a massive array of huge artillery and it's well built hull was designed to ram and take out the German Submarines known as U-Boats.
In an interview Chris Martin IV stated that his grandfather was an amateur historian. During the middle of WWI the elder Martin named the biggest guitar his company produced in honor of this ship, as he compared the sound and projection of this guitar to that of a cannon.
The first Martin models to be produced in the "dreadnought" size was the largest of several guitar models manufactured by Martin for the Oliver Ditson Company.
The earliest models, from 1916, were perhaps set up for Steel strings, indicated they were possibly Hawaiian style guitars. At the time they were fan braced.
The Oliver Ditson Company was a large music retailer with stores in New York and Boston (and earlier in Philadelphia), and was one of Martin's largest customers, selling guitars and other instruments, including many mandolins. Besides the "Ditson Model" Martins, a large number of regular Martin models, stamped with the C. F. Martin name only, were sold by Ditson.
A number of the regular Martin models were also sold by Ditson with the Ditson stamp on the back of the headstock and/or on the inside center strip.
By 1931 Martin began producing dreadnought guitars (sometimes also spelled "dreadnaught") under its own name, the first two models named the D-1 and D-2, with bodies made of mahogany and rosewood respectively; later that year, these 2 styles were renamed the D-18 and D-28 with "D" indicating body size, and the numbers the timbers used and degree of ornamentation as per other Martin models of the time.
In 1933 Gene Autry paid $210 for his D-45, which was a custom order that included an extra $10 for the pearl head and bridge inlay. The current factory price for a Martin D-45, with block inlays is $9800. The hard-shell case is an additional $300.
If you had a suitcase full of cash back in 1994, you could have purchased one of the limited edition Martin Gene Autry guitars for around $25,000. Only 66 of these guitars were made. On the 2025 market they are selling for $52,000 to $69,000 USD.
He chose a new sidekick, Pat Buttram (Later he became Mr. Haney from Green Acres) who also recently returned from his World War II service. Buttram would co-star with Gene Autry as his side-kick in more than 40 films and in more than 100 episodes of Autry's television show.
In 1951, Autry formed his own production company called Flying A Productions to make westerns under his own control, and Columbia continued to distribute them through 1953. He purchased a large tract of land in California for the purpose of filming Western movies.
When major league baseball announced it wanted an expansion league in Los Angeles Autry jumped at the chance to own the league. The team eventually was known as the Los Angeles Angels. Autry owned hotels, radio and TV stations.
