Monday 4 August 2014

Guyatone LG-70/Star GT-70


Guyatone LG-70/Star GT-70

The confusion over guitar branding began as early as 1959, as demonstrated by this Guyatone GT-70, also marketed in Britain as a Star LG-70. The Star is identical in all respects to the Guyatone, with the exception of the headstock logo which looks like the one below. 


From the mid to late'50s, Guyatone were not only increasing their production, they were shipping out their guitars all over the world, in an attempt to corner the mid price guitar market in countries like Britain, the U.S.A. and Australia, catering for the teenager's insatiable thirst for an electric guitar, as rock and roll or beat music hit the airwaves. 

The Star brand guitars were merely Guyatones re-branded for the European and American market. In Britain, they were distributed by James T. Coppock (Leeds) Ltd., who had already introduced Guyatone under the Antoria brand, the name they owned and which dates back at least to 1950, when it appeared in an advertisement in the journal Trade Show. These Guyatone built Antoria guitars were also importd by Charles Summerfield Ltd. of Gateshead. 

Along with their Guyatone counterparts, Star branded guitars were available in musical instrument retailers across Britain, including Bell Musical Instruments of Surbiton in Surrey. 






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