As luck would have it for me, however, Eastwood Guitars, a company that also copies classic Res-O-Glas guitars (albeit in shape, not in materials), was beginning to take off, and was selling their excess Res-O-Glas necks f on eBay. Shortly after my purchase, Guitar Kits USA went out of business.
My purchase from Guitar Kits USA came with the plastic shell for the guitar, a maple block for the center, and some smaller wooden blocks to connect the back to. In hindsight, I think that Guitar Kits USA understated the skill required to complete the kits. The kits were advertised as requiring a “moderate skill level” to put together. I discovered that a company called “Guitar Kits USA” had recently acquired the patent that would enable it to produce the plastic Res-O-Glas frames. What Drew Me to Res-O-Glas GuitarsĪlready being inspired by the anti-purist nature of the Res-O-Glas guitars, I decided to research whether it would be possible to make one of my own. While the classic Res-O-Glas guitars are not made out of exotic rainforest trees, they have a unique and wonderful sound. These days, one would be lucky to find an original for less than $5,000. The guitars were sold with “Airline” on the headstock, and retailed for $99 in 1964. For a brief period in the 1960s, the Valco Guitar and Amplifier Company produced a line of guitars made out of a material that they called “ Res-O-Glas.” These fiberglass instruments are essentially hollow, held together with screws covering a hard strip of maple running down the center of the body. While guitar afficionados argue about which tree produces the best guitars, Jack White takes the stage with a plastic guitar. Opinionated guitarists with resources can be very particular about their instruments – spending upwards of $40,000 for guitars sourced from a single tree in the Honduran rain forest. Anyone who has partaken of the guitar community is familiar with the internet debates about which kinds of guitars sound best and which guitar-building materials are preferred. Guitarists are often prone to purist sentiments. White revives classic folk and blues standards, I thought the materials for this guitar were perfect for a home build. I chose to build a guitar inspired by Jack White’s famous Airline guitar for a number of reasons. How I Came to Build My Airline Res-O-Glas Copy Similar to every other time I finished work on the guitar and closed it up, I vowed that this time would be the last. Content that it wouldn’t move, I screwed the guitar back up. I replaced the strap button, found a new screw, and soldered the wire in place. I also realized that the wire that connects to the screw could be loose. It occurred to me that the strap buttons, while metal looking, could easily be some sort alloy, or even plastic, and not very conductive. The screw that holds the strap button on this guitar is the only access to something metal that evenly touches the strings. Traditional guitars are usually grounded to the bridge, but since the bridge on this guitar quite literally “floats,” it requires a different set-up. Its grounding wire is attached to a screw that holds the strap button to the tail piece. My Airline Res-O-Glas guitar copy is peculiar.
This guitar is the first guitar I ever built (or rather technically assembled, as I personally did not cut any of the components). I only say “started construction” because, with the frequency I have needed to make revisions, I can hardly call it complete. I see no reason this strap should not last a good long time.I started construction of my Airline Res-O-Glas guitar copy in 2013. The leather is of good quality and I do not see any of the stitching problems another reviewer brought up. However, when you see the buckle in person as opposed to in a picture it just doesn t seem to fit the look of the strap. And, the adjustment buckle is very plain looking plastic.not that I expected it to be made of anything else. I will say I am not too crazy about the shape at the ends. I would have given it a higher rating here but, it's a fairly plain strap. The length is easily adjusted while on the guitar which is nice.
#Airline guitar strap plus#
The length is a plus as it is longer than most other leather straps so it's good for tall people.
Nice wide strap to help distribute the weight of your guitar over a larger area so as to avoid sore shoulder and neck. If you want a long strap this is the longest I have found (though I am not saying there aren t longer ones available, only that I haven t seen any). It looks good and is just the ticket if you want a wide strap for a heavy instrument or if you have neck and shoulder issues.