Guitarists That Played Weird Signature Guitars

Glen Campbell on Shindig!

April 22nd would have been Glen Campbell's 84th birthday. Glen was an amazing guitarist, a member of the Wrecking Crew, and went on to become one of the biggest musical stars of our time. The first time I saw him was on a television show called Shindig! (The title had an explanation mark in it.)

Early in his career Glen was playing an unusual guitar, and what stood out was the elliptical hole in that guitars body and headstock.

Glen Campbell on Shindig!

I was only 13 and not aware of the myriad of guitars available, but this one didn’t seem quite right. It turns out Campbell was playing a Teisco Model T-60 that was made in Japan.

Teisco T-60

I never knew why he chose that instrument or where he purchased that guitar. I do know that most members of The Wrecking Crew were playing Fender or Gibson instruments,

Glen used his 3 pickup Teisco guitar on many hit recordings.

Campbell in The Champs

Prior to becoming a session musician, Campbell played a Fender Telecaster and a Jazzmaster in some Country bands.


Thinking about this lead me to wondering about other guitarists that chose unusual guitars as their signature instruments.

I can only imagine that a lack of money is the reason that most of these players chose their instruments. Although there are some notable exceptions.

Campbell started his own career as a singer, began with his recording of the John Hartford song, “Gentle On My Mind”. By 1968 Campbell hosted The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, a weekly television variety show.

Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour

Around this time he was approached by Charles Kaman who had created The Ovation Guitar company, and offered him an instrument. Campbell loved this guitars ease of playing, its light weight, and the built-in piezo pickup system. Kaman supplied him with guitars, and Ovations were in use for other musicians during the shows segment called “the picking pit”, which featured Glen performing songs with other artists. Ovation eventualy created a Glen Campbell model for the star.

Campbell with Ovation 1233-4
Thunderhead Guitar

Glen also played a hollow body electric guitar made by Ovation that resembled a Gibson ES-335. The body, single coil pickups, and parts were made by Framus. The neck and tuning machines were made by Ovation.

Hound Dog Taylor Kawai guitar

Some Blues guitars played unusual guitars. Such is the case with Hound Dog Taylor. He first played piano, but when he was in his 20's he purchased a cheap Kawai S180 four pickup guitar that he purchased through a Sears catalog.

Kawai S180

Interestingly, the Kawai company purchased Teisco in 1967. 

Taylor with a Kingston SD-40

Taylor also played a Kingston SD-40, which was another four pickup Teisco guitar that had a slightly different shape. 

Taylor with Teisco Spectrum 5

Later in his career Hound Dog Taylor played Teisco's best model; the Teisco Spectrum 5, which had three split "z" coil pickups, 5 two way switches, and a vibrato bar. This was a stereo guitar that could be played through two separate amplifiers.

Albert KIng with 1958 Flying Vee

Left handed bluesman Albert King started out playing a 1958 Flying Vee. Somehow it was lost or stolen. The Gibson Company replaced it for him with a 1966 model.

King with Dan Erliwin Vee

In 1972 luthier Dan Erliwine built a left handed model out of a 125 year old piece of Walnut. The headstock on this guitar was shaped like a Les Paul.

King's Prokopow Vee

He had one more guitar built in 1980 by luthier Radley Prokopow. He used both of these instruments for the remainder of his career. He named all of his guitars Lucy.

Bo Diddley

Another Blues/Rock player, and interesting character, that played an unique guitar was Elias McDaniel Bates, known to the world as Bo Diddley.

Diddley Bow

As a young boy he built a one sting instrument out of a cigar box and a broom handle called a diddley bow. He named himself after that instrument.

Bo Diddley with a 1956
Gretsch Jet Firebird Guitar

During his rise to fame, Diddley played a number of guitars including a Gibson L-5. But his raucous stage behavior required a smaller, more durable instrument. Bates/Diddley began playing Gretsch guitars and developed a relationship with the company.

Bo Diddley with
The Twang Machine

In 1958 he convinced a company designer to create the Gretsch G6138 which had a rectangular body, two high sensitivity Filtertron pickups. He named this guitar The Twang Machine. Diddley used this guitar throughout his life time, but had some similar instruments that he made, or had someone build for him.

Jack White with his Airline Guitar

Jack White, of The White Stripes, is famous for playing a 1964 Montgomery Ward JB Hutto Airline Guitar. The guitar was originally manufactured by the Valco Guitar and Amplifier Company and its body is made of two pieces of fiberglass that was baked in an oven. Valco referred to this material as Res-O-Glas.

Airline 59 2P 

This twin single coil pickup red guitar had a white pickguard and a white gasket around the joint in the body. The JB Hutto nickname was given to the instrument because Bluesman J.B. Hutto played the same guitar in the 1960's. 

Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show

Hofner guitars of Germany still produces some fabulous instruments, but their reputation was sealed when Beatle Paul McCartney appeared on stage on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 playing his left handed Hofner 500/1 bass guitar.

McCartney with original Hofner bass

His original bass was purchased in Germany in 1961. It had a neck pickup, and a pickup in the center position. He received another Hofner 500/1 in 1964, which is the one he used on the Ed Sullivan show.  That bass had a neck and a bridge pickup. Both Hofner basses were short scale instruments.

Wyman with Framus Bass

I can remember when The Rolling Stones first appeared on the scene, singing their updated version of the Buddy Holiday song Not Fade Away. On Shindig!, and The Ed Sullivan Show, bassist Bill Wyman can be seen playing a 1964 hollow body 51/50 Framus Star bass, which was made by another German company.

Framus 51/50 Star Bass Deluxe

Sometimes Wyman played this bass in the style of an upright bass player, holding its neck up to his neck. This bass had two single coil pickups in the neck and bridge position, and a single Florentine cutaway. The laminated top on the instruments body had a flame to it. Wyman said that it resembled humbug, a British candy, so he named the bass Humbug.

Wyman 1964 Framus Star Bass

He also owned another sunburst Framus Star bass with a single pickup in the neck position. He auctioned that off years ago and donated the proceeds to the MS Foundation.

One thing I recall about those old Framus basses is their skinny neck. It was only 1 and 3/8" wide.

Stookey playing 'Sebastian'

Noel "Paul" Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary plays an unusual 12 string instrument that was built for him by luthier Nick Apollonio of Maine. Back around 1970 Noel and Nick happened to be at a folk music get together and were listening to Gordon Bok perform one of his songs on a 12 string.

Noel commented to the guy seated next to him ow great that guitar sounded, and Nick replied, "I built that for Gordon". Stookey asked Nick if he would build him a similar instrument.

Luthier Nick Apollonio
with Cittern body

Stookey's instrument was built in 1971 and shipped to his home. Nick named it Sebastian, and attached a note between the strings. Stookey wrote a song about the guitar and included it on his LP called Paul and...


He also played this same instrument on the iconic 'Wedding Song' which was written for band mate Peter Yarrow's wedding, but has since become a song played at countless weddings.

Apollonio Bell Cittern

This 'guitar' is actually a cittern and has a bell shape for the deep body. Apollonio builds fantastic five course citterns in this style, but modified it for the 12 strings six courses. It is a beautiful instrument, especially when tuned down one or two steps. BTW, if you would like Apollonio to build you one, email me.

Jimmy Page with a Giannini Craviola

Jimmy Page is mainly know for using his 1959 Gibson Les Paul and the Gibson double neck EDS-1275. But on the Led Zeppelin acoustic song, Tangerine, he played a 12 string Giannini Craviola.

1970 Giannini Craviola

This guitar was built in Sao Paulo, Brazil by the country's largest stringed instrument manufacturer. This unique instruments body shape is best described as a lima bean. Page's instrument was made in 1970.

The groups most famous song, Stairway to Heaven, was recorded on a Fender XII electric 12 string guitar.

Ian Hunter with Harvey Thomas guitar

In 1966 a group of British Rocker started a band that eventually was called Mott The Hoople. The band's lead singer was Ian Hunter, and their most popular song was called, "All The Young Dudes".

Harvey Thomas Maltese Cross Guitar

Hunter played a very unique guitar, that was built by one of the 1960's most eccentric builders; Harvey Thomas of Kent, Washington.

Pages from the 1967 Thomas catalog

Though he never gained the fame he deserved, for a few brief years Harvey Thomas built some very unique instruments from his home in Kent, Washington. 

Click on the links under the pictures for sources. Click on the links in the text for further information.
©UniqueGuitar Publications 2020 (text only)