The American Series is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stratocaster guitar as well, with the 50th Anniversary American Series Stratocaster guitar. For the Gibson lovers, I'd consider a '54 to '56 Les Paul Gold Top (I think you might be lucky to pick up a '57) or a Custom. If you have $5,000 or $6,000 left, then a good Fender Tweed Bassman or Twin would fit the bill nicely. A catholic choice, I know, but these guitars have consistently been in demand, and I see no change to this in the near or far-off future. Another industry standard, the Fender Jazz Bass, was released in 1960. This is the comprehensive, must-own owner's or collector's manual for any Gretsch fan. It uncovers the history of the guitars through 32 pages of color photos, hundreds of black & white photos, and forewords by Fred Gretsch, George Harrison, Randy Bachman, Brian Setzer, and Duane Eddy. The electronics consist of split-coil, hum-canceling pickup, and volume & tone controls. Johnson uses a diecast bridge with individual saddles for dialing in your action. The machine heads are modeled after vintage elephant-ear tuners, but have a 20:01 gear ratio. Key guitarists such as George Harrison, Duane Eddy and Chet Atkins. These three most famous of Gretsch players have their guitars pictured among over 70 sensational color photographs of rare and unusual instruments that help make The Gretsch Book illuminate the history of this idiosyncratic guitar maker. One of the 20th century's most innovative companies, from its owner's humble beginnings as a helicopter manufacturer to its rise as the biggest acoustic guitar maker in the U.S. Ovation guitars. All the top brands of guitar available online. The Stratocaster was first produced in early 1954 by Los Angeles engineer Leo Fender, who had tinkered with improving amplified hollow-body instruments since the 1940s. Effects Guitar Multi Pedal.