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History of Soviet guitars

There are many guitar manufacturers in the world: Fender, Gibson, ESP, LTD, Jackson, Yamaha, and many other foreign brands. The key word is «foreign» for a Soviet citizen in the 50s.

And what is happening at this time with the production of guitars in a country with an «Iron Curtain» and a ban on everything Western - in the USSR?

Everything western of USSR borders was called the West, including the US and Canada. Already in the 30s, the first working prototypes of guitars with pickups appeared in the West, and in the 50s their large-scale production was launched.

Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, the production of guitars was in the hands of local craftsmen who produced guitars in single copies, which is why the presence of a guitar in the house of a Soviet citizen was very rare and was considered almost a luxury item.

However, in the early 50s, industrial production of acoustic guitars was created. This is how the first «Cremona LIGNATONE» appears. In the early 60s, acoustic guitars with installed pickups were already being produced.

In the mid-70s, the Leningrad Musical Instruments Factory produced the first electric guitar - «Tonika EGS-650».

Around the same time, the world-famous Soviet guitar «Ural» and later the guitar «Aelita» appeared. The multitude of switches on the guitar gave rise to an equal number of jokes and legends because the switches had virtually no effect on the sound. However, guitar makers of that time brought guitars to an acceptable condition with the help of a soldering iron and ingenuity :)

The guitar industry continued to develop, and production quality, design, and sound improved. New brands «Roden» and «Formanta» appeared, which had quite great prospects not only in the Soviet Union but throughout the world.

I enjoy finding a new home for vintage, rare, and historically valuable musical instruments. Over 9 years of work, my team and I have helped a lot of people around the world collect big collections of vintage guitars with a large history. Today, musicians perform their concerts using guitars from our store, and great connoisseurs open exhibitions and museums in the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany.

We offer worldwide shipping and a large selection of musical instruments, as well as help in finding those special vintage guitars from the USSR, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria and etc. Every week, more rare and unique items appear in our collections on the website. In order not to miss new items, subscribe to our social networks.