1963 Guild Duane Eddy Jr

In the early 1960s, pioneering guitarist Duane Eddy worked with Guild guitars to produce one of the very first signature guitar models. In time, Guild would produce two different models for Eddy, the DE-400 and DE-500. But before these model names were finalised, Guild built a small number of what would become the DE-400 under the name ‘Duane Eddy Jr’. The guitar featured today, listed by Andy De Looze at Really Great Guitars, is one of these rare early instruments and ranks as one of the most desirable vintage Guild guitars on the market.

Before striking a deal with Guild, Eddy mainly played Gretsch guitars and has continued to do so today. In an interview with Reverb and Guitarist writer Tony Bacon, Eddy recalled that he “…really thought that Gretsch might have wanted to do a Duane Eddy guitar, but they were all Chet Atkins Gretsches, so I guess maybe Chet didn’t want it or maybe they didn’t want it.”

Whatever the reason for signing with Guild over other makers, the result was the classic thinline archtop electric you see here. De Looze cites the vibrant Sunburst finish, DeArmond pickups, thin 60s neck taper, and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with white abalone inlays as just some of the elements that make this guitar so spectacular. Its pedigree as a world-traveller with plenty of stories left to tell only adds to the mystique of this stunning instrument.

To find the full listing, head to: http://bit.ly/ReverbGuild