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Though many weird and different guitar body styles exist, we only count production models in this list. Some of these are merely interesting, while others are entirely bizarre.
These are, without a doubt, the most different guitar body styles we’ve found!
Don’t forget to check out the top 10 electric guitar body styles!
Gibson Flying V
The Gibson Flying V stands out for its atypical design. The radical design, with sharp angles and futuristic aesthetics, challenged conventional guitar norms. Introduced in 1958, it was initially met with skepticism and suffered from poor sales.
While it’s one of the most iconic electric guitars of all time, its shape isn’t what comes to mind when one thinks about them.
Specifications of the Gibson Flying V
This instrument typically features a mahogany body and neck, offering a rich and resonant tonal foundation. Equipped with dual humbucking pickups, the Flying V delivers powerful and punchy tones.
This unique and different guitar body style is a favorite among rock and metal guitarists. The 22-fret fingerboard is typically made from rosewood or ebony, ensuring smooth playability and a comfortable fretting experience.
Famous Players
The guitar gained immense popularity after it graced stages with legends like Jimi Hendrix and Albert King. Other famous players known for mastering the Gibson Flying V include Lenny Kravitz and Michael Schenker. Hendrix’s iconic performance with a Flying V at the 1969 Woodstock Festival has solidified the guitar’s place in rock history.
If you want to know about the evolution of guitar body styles, check out this blog!!
Gibson Explorer
Yet another Gibson guitar design that stands out from the norm, the Gibson Explorer, was released in 1958 alongside the Flying V. Like the Flying V, it was also not really successful at first.
It was discontinued in 1963 before it gained popularity later. Despite all, The Explorer has a unique body style with its elongated and angular silhouette.
Specifications of the Gibson Explorer
Typically, it features a solid body instrument made of mahogany, a mahogany neck, and a rosewood fingerboard, contributing to its rich, resonant tone.
The Explorer is usually equipped with high-output humbucking pickups, such as the 496R and 500T, delivering massive sustain and distortion capabilities.
Famous Players
Notably, guitarists like James Hetfield of Metallica, Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and The Edge of U2 have all embraced the Gibson Explorer, showcasing its versatility across various music genres and its iconic, cutting-edge appearance.
Strandberg Boden
The Boden by Strandberg is a guitar optimized for comfort. Every part of it stands out from other guitars, whether the headless neck design or the deep double cutaways, along with two leg rest grooves on the bottom of the guitar.
This asymmetrical body ensured the player would be comfortable playing at any position. Being headless, these guitars are also really lightweight. Even the heaviest of them come under five pounds.
Specifications of the Strandberg Boden Series
The Boden series typically incorporates high-quality materials like solid wood bodies and roasted maple necks, contributing to its resonant and articulate tone. Popular models often come equipped with top-tier pickups from renowned manufacturers like Fishman, Seymour Duncan, or EMG, further enhancing tonal versatility.
The diagonal frets were designed for the best possible scale length for heavy music.
Famous Players
The Strandberg Boden’s unique design and exceptional playability have earned it favor among various artists, including Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry, Plini, and Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders.
Relish Trinity
At first glance, the Trinity doesn’t seem like it belongs here. While the teardrop shape with the cutout differs from the norm, it’s not that different from standard electric guitar bodies.
Not when you compare it to the other guitar models on this list. What truly sets it apart is its patented pickup-swapping system. Its pickups are held in place by strong magnets on a solderless frame.
As a result, if you want to change from single coil pickups to humbucking pickups or vice versa, you have to flip the guitar over, grab the pickup, pull it out, and then drop the new one in. This feature is what makes this guitar genuinely unique.
Specifications of the Relish Trinity
The model includes a solid aluminum frame with a sandwich construction for the body, resulting in exceptional resonance and sustain. Equipped with three specially designed Relish Bucker XV humbucking pickups, the Trinity delivers a wide tonal range from crystal-clear cleans to soaring overdriven tones.
The Trinity offers a carefully crafted set neck design with stainless steel frets for ultimate comfort and durability
B.C. Rich Warlock
An iconic guitar associated with the heavy metal scene, The B.C. Rich Warlock was first designed in 1969 by company founder Bernardo Chavez Rico. It was the only guitar he developed at a drafting table, using straight edges and French curves.
He thought it was the ugliest guitar he’d ever designed but was prompted into manufacturing it by guitarist Spencer Sercombe of the band Shark Island. It gained popularity within the heavy metal scene very soon after its introduction in 1981, beginning in B.C. Rich’s rise to iconic status in heavy metal.
Specifications of the Warlock
It typically features a solid mahogany body with a striking “warlock” shape, offering a dark, powerful tone with substantial sustain. The guitar often includes dual humbucking pickups, contributing to a bold, high-output sound suitable for genres like heavy metal and hard rock.
With its 24.75-inch scale length and comfortable neck, the Warlock ensures smooth playability for players seeking style and substance.
Famous Players
Over the years, this iconic guitar has been favored by prominent musicians, including Kerry King of Slayer, Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe, and Lita Ford. This showcases its versatility and appeal across a wide range of musical genres.
Bender Distortocaster
Looking like a Stratocaster as designed by Salvador Dali, this guitar was handmade by artist/luthier Brian Eastwood from the UK in 1994.
Due to so few being made, it isn’t easy to find a model. Despite how it looks, it’s surprisingly easy and comfortable to use. The guitar sounds great as well. You can see it in action in this video.
Specifications of the Bender Distortocaster
The body is constructed from synthetic molded halves bonded to a full-length central core of obeche. This method provides strength, reduces weight, and ensures manufacturing consistency.
The all-maple neck incorporates a fully adjustable truss rod and, in addition to the various optical distortions, features a lateral twist to aid string bending in the higher positions. Armstrong ‘Vintage’ single-coils are fitted as standard, ensuring a faithful reproduction of the real thing.
Most weird and different guitar body styles are the product of the aesthetic choice of people who wish to stand out. While it’s safe to say they’ll never find a way into the mainstream, there will always be some people who choose those models. If you’re one of them, kudos to you! Check out acoustic guitar body styles.
Weird and different Guitar body styles FAQ
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