NGD How I Joined The Revolution

[mapka]

Today I have received the finest in Soviet electric guitar manufacturing! I had a customer in Moldova who contacted me and I made a barter deal with him. I got a Ural guitar for my part of the bargain. This thing is absolutely perfect! It looks like it just came out of the closet. It even came with the original soft case (vinyl) and strap (patent vinyl). The only problems I can see is that the strap button on the bottom is broken and some of the tuners were replaced. I know that these guitars are notorious for having broken tuners.

Now the Candid Photographs:

Here is the guitar in the motherland still

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6986077886_c89dba98c3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/6986077886/)
88421463 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/6986077886/) by mapka2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/62003436@N05/), on Flickr

The back

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7304560704_eacf71c5ff_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304560704/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304560704/) by mapka2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/62003436@N05/), on Flickr

close up of the data plate

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7304564480_e2164c121d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304564480/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304564480/) by mapka2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/62003436@N05/), on Flickr

pickups

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7304579398_f215993a42_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304579398/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304579398/) by mapka2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/62003436@N05/), on Flickr

headstock (you can see the different tuners)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7304583144_bed3094d9c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304583144/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304583144/) by mapka2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/62003436@N05/), on Flickr

case and strap

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7088/7304572266_6ca727c64b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304572266/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62003436@N05/7304572266/) by mapka2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/62003436@N05/), on Flickr


It still has the 5 pin DIN connector that the Soviets used so I cannot check out how it sounds, but from what I have been told they do not sound great and are hard to play, but when was the last time you saw one!?

[Ch0jin]

That is AWESOME!! Man, what a score. I'd love to have something like that in the collection.

[mapka]

That is AWESOME!! Man, what a score. I'd love to have something like that in the collection.

I couldn't believe how clean it was. I seen some of these on EBay and they are all pretty bad. As a musician who lives in Ukraine told me, "The only thing they are good for is to beat the audience with". Needless to say most were abused.

[Robert]

Dobre Utra,

That looks KILLER!

Maladez!

[Tig]

I like it. Very original for us Westerners.

Be warned...
http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/17259568.jpg

[FrankenFretter]

Very nice, comrade! How does it play and sound?

Those tuners look painful to use. I want to take Advil just looking at them. I'm sure they aren't actually painful, are they?

Seriously, that is a really cool looking guitar, Mark. I'm a bit envious.

[mapka]

Very nice, comrade! How does it play and sound?

Those tuners look painful to use. I want to take Advil just looking at them. I'm sure they aren't actually painful, are they?

Seriously, that is a really cool looking guitar, Mark. I'm a bit envious.


Tuners on these are known to be very fragile so I have not fiddled with them yet. I doubt it will get much playing time and as I said above, according to Ukrainian musician I talked to they are better clubs then guitars. :D I cannot try it for myself because the proletariat decided to use a 5 pin DIN connector rather then a 1/4 plug. It is better to have 5 pins of equal importance then one controlling all. :D I need to build a cable or buy one off Ebay.

[Katastrophe]

I am totally diggin' the vibrato unit... and the zero fret on that guitar, along with the pickup covers. Pretty cool find!

[Ch0jin]

I notice a very cool looking 4 pickup stereo version on ebay right now. Looks like someone has taken off the name from the head stock, lost the coolest part (the Cyrillic neck plate) and removed the DIN and replace with a 1/4" jack. Asking 310GBP which is too much for novelty value when you add shipping to Oz though. Looks like I should have been checking out guitar shops instead of camera shops when I was in Russia.

[Brian Krashpad]

Congrats, Tovarich!

[mapka]

I am totally diggin' the vibrato unit... and the zero fret on that guitar, along with the pickup covers. Pretty cool find!

Aparrently they used the same bridge for all the Urals. Some came with the vibrato arm and some didn't. Mine does not have it, but if I can find one it will!


I notice a very cool looking 4 pickup stereo version on ebay right now. Looks like someone has taken off the name from the head stock, lost the coolest part (the Cyrillic neck plate) and removed the DIN and replace with a 1/4" jack. Asking 310GBP which is too much for novelty value when you add shipping to Oz though. Looks like I should have been checking out guitar shops instead of camera shops when I was in Russia.

That sounds like a "Stella". As far as I can tell there were two major manufactures during this period. The one that made the Ural and the other made the Aelita and Stella. I have to admit their camera's are way cool also! Not many of them have any name on the headstock and the data plates are being reproduced. Seen them on EBay.


Congrats, Tovarich!

Splasibo Tavarich! How is the record coming? Any pressings yet?

[duhvoodooman]

Now THERE'S a guitar you don't see every day! Cool pick-up, Mark!

[sunvalleylaw]

Nice!!!