All about Soviet guitars

True fans of stringed instruments would like to know everything about Soviet guitars - models, cost, and the beginning of production. There were not many of them, but the instruments for music lovers were "worth their weight in gold."

Soviet acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass guitars were first produced in 1964 in Leningrad. The choice was not wide, you could buy a musical instrument on the shelves of 1-2 music stores. Cheap, "handicraft" guitars did not differ in quality, classical (acoustics) could be bought for 50 rubles, however, they were produced "on stream". Imported models of musical instruments in those days cost "crazy" money, and they began to be imported only in the 70s.

Among the features of the guitars of that time are:

• in most cases, the instrument was inconvenient, you could take no more than 5 frets;

• deck - the main part of the instrument, was made in 90% of cases from solid spruce;

• satisfactory build.

Soviet guitars are a relic, they can be assembled from modern parts, slightly supplemented, and get a "usable" instrument. Otherwise, they are of value to collectors and as historical artifacts.

There were no more than 10 factories in those days, they opened and closed again. The largest number of stringed musical instruments was produced in the GDR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, only Hungary lagged behind the Soviet Union. Guitars of that period can be combined into a list with a description of all characteristics in the order of appearance of factories for their production.

The very first, old and primitive "masterpiece" of musical art in the USSR was a series of guitars "Accord", which was made at the plant. Lunacharsky in Leningrad (modern St. Petersburg). Then in 1964, the electric guitar "Tonika" with a solid body was made on it, it cost 180 rubles, which exceeded the salary of an average-income engineer. By the end of the 60s, the model was upgraded to EGS-650, a bass guitar appeared soon, and after 6 years the production was stopped.

Electric guitars, in addition to the Leningrad one, were produced at once by 3 factories in different cities:

• Sverdlovsk;

• Rostov;

• Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz).

Plant in Leningrad named after Lunacharsky, in addition to the well-known "Tonika", also produced other samples of semi-acoustic and "classics".

• Twelve-string - was considered elite in comparison with other Soviet musical instruments.

• Series of models "Maria" - was represented by instruments with several options of strings (6 pcs., 3 pcs., 12 pcs.) And a bass guitar. The body material is plastic, it was empty inside, thus sounding at low notes was achieved. Sunburst was considered a popular color for models.

• Alpha series - continued the manufacture of stringed instruments at the plant after the collapse of the USSR, but soon the production of electric guitars was stopped.

Each manufacturer has contributed to the design of the stringed instrument. Leningrad decorated the deck surface in the form of a firebird, Sverdlovsk - designer dots on the neck, Rostov made a border in front, and 2 white stripes along the neck, the plant in Ordzhonikidze left anonymity when performing a neckplate or applied an image of a bear.

In the early 70s, the company was renamed, removing the word "button accordion" from the name due to the low demand for keyboard instruments among musicians.

Over the entire period of its existence, the plant has produced 3 production models:

• steel guitar, the thickness of the strings of which made it possible to achieve a bright bass sound, the metal for them was steel;

• two-variable electric guitar "Elgava" - produced with vibrato ("Elgava-V") and without it, it combined Spanish and steel guitar, for which it was only necessary to raise the strings with a special bolt (though few knew about this) ;

• bass guitar "Rodin".

And in 1972 he was lucky to become the only holder of a diploma at the exhibition "Achievements of the national economy in the USSR". In addition to strings, the Moscow Plant produced pedals for guitars and other musical instruments.

Glory came to the plant with the beginning of the production of guitars of the Ural series, although the main direction was the manufacture of keyboards and keyboard-wind musical instruments. After the factories ceased to comprehensively produce their version of "Tonika", the production in Sverdlovsk developed new models of guitars - 650 and 650 A. There was also a model with a low sounding - a bass guitar 510 L. But the name "Ural" "clung" to them firmly and forever. In fact, that was the name of the plant itself.

The appearance of the models was very bright and distinguished by originality, this is what set the "fashion" for all other stringed instruments of the Soviet era.

Educational institutions supported young performers and allowed this model to be used at school concerts, if the musicians were not accused of being "Westernized."

Other manufacturing factories also operated, the models of which were known throughout the Soviet Union. Here is a small list of manufacturers and their offspring.

• Factory of keyboard instruments "Rostov-Don". It was part of the Kavkaz association, just like the plant in Ordzhonikidze, but it was distinguished by better quality compared to the tools made by colleagues in the shop.During the 70s, the factory produced 2 models - "Aelita" and its "brother" "Bass". In 1979 they were modernized. The design of the tremolo with a tailpiece was flimsy, and the tuners and prongs often deteriorated. The Stella stereo model has become a real "masterpiece", with 4 pickups and a lot of electronic "chips", and most importantly, it was convenient.

• Ordzhonikidze. The second component of the Kavkaz plant became known thanks to the early releases of the Tonika electric guitar. They differed significantly in appearance and quality from their Rostov "brothers".

• Plant "Oxide". He was in Novosibirsk, and his only model was the Elektronika electric guitar. Its appearance was quite presentable, but none of the copies reached the times of modern times in their original form. The cost in the USSR was 220 rubles, which was equivalent to the average salary in double the amount.

Plants in Lvov, Odessa (Ukraine), Borisov (Belarus), Yerevan (Armenia), and also in Yelets were of secondary importance in terms of fame and quality.

In the period from the 70s to the 80s of the XX century, the "influx" of stringed musical instruments from foreign countries increased in the Soviet Union. The most popular and popular were the tools of several manufacturers.

• Musima. Country of origin - East Germany, Markneukirchen. The plant consisted of 19 popular models, which were exported to 53 countries for 50 years, in 2004 the plant was declared bankrupt. These were bass, solos, rhythm guitars.

• Jolana. The Resonet plant was located in the Czech Republic and had 40 models on its account. The Jolana brand was reborn in 2001, 12 years later.

• Orfeus and Cremona. Produced in Bulgaria, their quality was average.

• Defil. Production - Poland. Electric guitars were distinguished by extravagant shapes and striking soundboard designs.

The cost of guitars of Soviet and foreign production in the distant 70-80s was simply "fabulous". If in the USSR, a domestic instrument cost in the range from 130 to 230 rubles, then the price of imported ones exceeded 250 rubles. It was simply impossible to buy them, not only because of the high price, but also because of the lack of stores on the shelves.

Today the Soviet guitar is considered a rarity, prices and demand for them and spare parts for string instruments are growing every year. In Russia, there are already suppliers of guitars to the rest of Europe. But in general, guitars from the USSR have always been uncomfortable in shape and with a "wooden" sound.