Super 70s

Compared to the hallowed 50s or the swingin’ 60s, when it comes to guitars, the 1970s has long suffered from an image problem.

- Tony Bacon & Jamie Dickson

The music might have been stellar but the era’s electrics have languished under a reputation for being heavier than depleted uranium, not to mention of doubtful quality and built to maximise corporate profits rather than player satisfaction. But recently, a more sympathetic perspective on 70s guitars has been emerging.

As the price of guitars from the 50s and 60s climbs far beyond reach of everyday players, many have been taking a second look at 70s guitars – and finding, to their surprise, that excellent instruments can be found, especially from the earlier years of the decade. The key to finding a good one is to understand that the 70s was, above all else, a decade of seismic change for major American guitar brands as they struggled to meet exploding demand for guitars and fight off the rising challenge from emerging Japanese guitar-makers.

In the following pages, we join historian Tony Bacon to chart the turbulent, inconsistent but often inspired story of guitar-making in the 70s – and talk to vintage guitar dealers and players who have found diamonds in the rough of a delinquent decade...

In 1972, when Pete Townshend had been playing SGs for a few years and was about to shift to Les Paul Deluxes, he talked to Michael Brooks at