Others (from West Germany)

Jazzgitarren - vintage German made archtop guitars

SHADOW Violin Guitar - violin finish



The Shadow company is well-known as the one of the top-guitar-assenbly electronics company in Guitar instrument scene. The Company was established by Josip Marinic (from and settled in Yugoslavia) in 60s. In the middle of 60s shadow started to distributing the Framus instruments to Yugoslavia, and since then 2 companies relationship become deep. Shadow developed the pick-up assenbly for the Framus. In the 70s, Shadow replaced the company to West Germany. Nowadays Shadow has top-shared company with theirPIEZO pickups, also wellknown with the Attila-Zoller signatured floarting humbacker pickup. Norbert Schnepel said, Few people know the Shadow also released the electric Guitars in their history. Yes, this is the guitar made by Shadow. The Violin-shaped solid guitar. The company built this only 80 copies in 1974 and they stopped guitar-manufacturing. Solid Mahogany body with sexy archtop and arched-back. Neck was made with Hard-ash. (but some on the same model has mahogany necks). Ebony Fingerboard, with Pearl squared inlays. Neck has truss-rod. 2 single-coil pickups made by Shadow. The escussion of PU is similer with the Zemaitis one. Vibrato-Unit (sure the Bigsby copy) was also the Shadow Original (roller units are on the tension-bar). The Body feels wider but thiner than the Les Paul model. Also the Wine-red finish was released.

SHADOW Violin Guitar - prototype



This one is also the Violin shaped solid guitar made by Shadow company in mid 70's. As you see, this version has the Three Pieces Mahogany neck and Solid mahogany body. The Shadow original humbacking pickups are installed instead of the singlecoiled pickups. I got this from Musikkeler, Norbert said to me that this very rare specs version would be the kind of PROTOTYPE model. Rest of all specs are the same with above "normal" version except - Headstock has no logos, The Bridge parts (veru similar with the one of old Mosrite guitars), and the plastic pickup-escussions (black/whote/black). The Schaller pegs (with the ebony pegheads) would be replaced newly. The sound is more brighter and chunky (than you cold imagine). I guess it came from the light weight mahogany material. (But the Shadow pickups make weaker and thiner sounds than normal GIBSON's). The Electric circuit has the unreasonable FUSE In the single-coiled version of this guitar (shown above, I don't know why), but this prototype Humbacker-versions doesn't has it. This has the Normal-Les-Paul-circuit.

SHADOW Violin Guitar - maple wood (natural)

photo courtesy of Marcel Wernli


A Man from Switzland gave me a mail with some pictures of this beautiful and amazing great guitar. He said that this guitar has belonged to the guitarist of a Famous Jazz Sextet in Swiss, Hazy Osterwald Sextet -- Now, in Japan, The reordings of the group has been becoming popular in the Japanese club oriented POP-JAZZ scene --. According to the book "Electro-Gitarren, Made In Germany", The Wood used for The SHADOW Violin Guitar was usually MAHOGANY (like above examples), but in a few instruments MAPLE". This is the one of the MAPLE example. The body is Solid 2-pieces (bookmatsched at Center) very flamy maple wood. Also the neck was made with 2 piece maple woods. Beautiful Clear finishes made the flame of woods more attractive. The parts-specks, electric circuits, machine heads are same as above Mahogany samples. Guessing from these pictures, The Weight seems to be very heavy..... right?

Jazzgitarren - vintage German made archtop guitars