GENERAL VINTAGE GUITAR RESOURCES:

Vintage Guitar Magazine - this is Vintage Guitar 101 and all neophytes are advised to start here. Of course, my favorite part is Michael Wright's 'Different Strummer' column, which covers the history of all those wild, wacky off-brand instruments in elaborate detail. VG has also published several of my own articles over the years, some of which can be found on this site.

. 1976 Serial numbers 220 were also used. Begins using one set of serial numbers for guitars & mandolins. 1994-2002 Mandolins are. Welcome to the official dealer web site for Ventura Musical Products. Our product is sold only by authorized independent music retailers, and this web site is intended for the sole use of our present and prospective music dealers, with controlled access. Click on for what’s new, product details and photos, and an opportunity to contribute to. Like the CE and EG models the serial number is located on the neck plate on the back of the guitar. The following number determines the model: 8 or SA for the Swamp Ash Special, then the sequential number for that particular model. The first 200 Swamp Ash Specials were given a CE serial number. Whether you inherited your instrument or bought it at a swap meet, you're probably curious about its provenance. Most gear has a serial number, either printed on a label inside it or stamped into the headstock or neck plate. Use our dating guides below to figure out when your instrument was made and where it came from. The ones I've googled have always had the Ventura name across the headstock, and also there were serial numbers above the model number on the tag inside. This one has neither. I know she got the guitar sometime in the mid 70s but no one knows for sure when, and I'd sure like to get an approximate build date if it's at all possible.

The Blue Book - if you're serious about buying and selling used guitars, the Blue Book provides the most detailed pricing, dating and identification info. Much of it is available online for free.

GuitarHQ - a nice all-around mainstream vintage guitar site. All the standard Gibson and Fender type stuff, plus some other interesting odds and ends.

ProjectGuitar.com- where the Internet goes to work on guitars! All about guitar maintenance and repair.

MIMF - the Musical Instrument Makers Forum is a goldmine of information about materials, construction and repair techniques, including a gallery of unique custom built guitars that range from inept to incredible. If you need professional advice about repairing your old guitar, this is the place to ask.

Ventura Guitar Catalog

Stewart-McDonald - a good source for replacement guitar parts and repair tools to keep your junker running. Also check out WD and Allparts. I'm not sponsored by or affiliated with these or any other manufacturer or retailer, but I'm often asked to recommend good parts sources.Well, here you go.

Ampage - a nice info source for amp schematics and other guitar electronics.

GuitarElectronics.com - lots of wiring diagrams.

Dr. Duck's Dating Service - an excellent resource, lots of serial numbers for many brands of guitars.

OTHER 'JUNK GUITAR' SITES:

Cheesy Guitars - a true kindred spirit, Meatex Z has created a wonderful site dedicated to all those unplayable Russian and Eastern European guitars. He was also nice enough to give me credit for naming his site and helping him out with information initially. We were originally going to do this project together, but decided that two sites are better than one. Go visit Meatex and tell him Big Beat says 'hi'.

SovietGuitars.com - this cool Russian language page for fans of Soviet era instruments is rapidly becoming an important resource.

Vintaxe.com - an excellent site about some of the lesser known vintage guitars produced in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Lots of pictures and vintage catalog scans, including some of mine that I have shared with them.

My Rare Guitars - a nice collection of cheesy offbeat axes by a very hip collector and dealer. Vintage Normas, Ekos and Dominos galore, plus some great modern reissues.

Fetish Guitars - a fabulous site about Eko, Wandre, Galanti and other Italian guitars of the 60's. Both visually stunning and very informative, it is an absolute marvel.

Lordbizarre's Electric Guitar & Amp Museum - The name says it all. This collector from Belgium has put some seriously weird axes on display for your viewing pleasure.

Cheap Trashy Weird Old Guitars - cool name, and certainly the right spirit! A small but impressive collection of Egmonds, Wilsons, Musimas and even something called a Horugel.

21 Frets - I just love it when somebody takes totally trashed Hagstroms and Melody Makers and restores them from trash to flash. Wallpaper live for mac. This site chronicles some really cool restoration projects.

Gudok - a Russian site that showcases 'the weapons of the proletariat', old Soviet guitars such as the Tonika, the Formanta and the Solo-II.

Ventura Guitar Serial Number Lookup Book

Hendrix Room - a Japanese site with a neat collection of totally off-the-wall 60's guitars with names like Youngtone and Melodier.

Animal Charme - dedicated to all those pointy headstock axes of the 80's,
this is the home of the shred and heavy metal guitar!

Pointy Guitars - more 80's pointy guitar madness!

Guitare Collection - A wacky French site that showcases some totally bizarre Euro junk guitars, even including a couple from Russia.

Rockin' Hollowbody Guitars - a great forum for people of the thinline and archtop persuasion. If it's got F-holes, you'll find all about it right here.

Vintage Guitars - this Swedish dealer has a photo gallery with lots of Goyas, Hagstroms, Levins and other oddball Scandinavian beauties.

Vermona - here's a German page about those amps and synths, so familiar to professional Russian musicians of the 70's and 80's. Never mind Fender, Vox and Marshall, everyone behind the Iron curtain knew that the best amps were made by Vermona. This factory also produced the famous Weltmeister accordions and the Ionika electric organ. To many older Russians, 'Ionika' is still synonymous with 'keyboard'. See the old Vermona amps HERE and the original Ionika HERE.

VINTAGE GUITAR INFO BY BRAND:

Ampeg - Vintage Ampeg Scroll Basses
Aria - Guitar Gallery
Burns - Burns Guitar Museum
Carvin - Carvin Museum
Danelectro - Danoguitars
Egmond - Egmond Guitars
Eko - Fetish Guitars, My Rare Guitars
Framus - Vintage Framus
Futurama - Futurama Story
Grazioso - Palka.com
Galanti - Fetish Guitars
Goya - Goya Guitars
Hagstrom - Hagstrom USA, Hagstrom Canada, Hagstrom UK
Official Hagstrom Site
Harmony - Broadway Music Co., Unofficial Harmony Page, Harmony Thumbs, Hillman Guitars
Heartfield - Heartfield Central
Hofner - Guitar HQ, Hofner Club Guitars, Vintage Hofner, Hofner Hounds
Hopf - Hopf Guitars
Hoyer - Hoyer Guitars
Ibanez - Ibanez Vintage Page, Vintage Ibanez Museum, Ibanez Vintage,
Ibanez Collector's World
Jolana - Jolana Info, My Jolana
Kramer - Kramer Krazy, Kramermaniaxe, Vintage Kramer
Music Man - Unofficial Music Man Guitar Page
Ovation - Ovation Fan Club, Ovation Tribute Page
Shergold - Shergold Guitars
Silvertone - Vintage Silvertone
Starfield - Unofficial Starfield Guitar Site
Teisco - Teisco Twangers
Tel-Ray - Unofficial Tel-Ray Page
Tokai - Tokai Registry
Univox - Univox Page
Vantage - Guitar Gallery
Ventura - Unofficial Ventura Guitar Page
Vermona - Vermona
Vox - Vox Showroom
Watkins - Watkins Guitars
Westbury - Westbury Guitars
Westone - Westone Guitars

MISCELLANEOUS OTHER LINKS:

Guitars.RU - Russia's top guitar community. The place to go for information about Tonikas, Aelitas and other Eastern Bloc guitars. If you speak Russian, you can also hang out on their popular forum and socialize with other Russian guitarists. Even if you don't, many of the regulars do speak English.

Russian Rock Club of America - not really vintage guitar oriented, but these folks are my friends and associates. We keep the flame of the classic Russian rock tradition alive in our new homeland