Cold-War era Soviet guitar manufacturers were pushing out a range of weird and wonderful guitars, largely devoid of any Western influence.
As the electric guitar became more popular, performers and collectors are constantly striving for individuality in both sound and aesthetic. With growing interest in Japanese vintage models and replicas, other territories have risen also. One such territory is the former Soviet Union: an interesting example of how the development of guitars and pedals could have gone with subtly different approaches.
Beyond the Iron Curtain in the 60s, reference to the ‘capitalist’ guitars that had taken prominence in our zeitgeist was forbidden. The Soviets had to make their guitars from scratch with barely any Western influence. As a result, an east-west schism evolution of the instrument developed – they looked similar, functioned similarly, but were an entirely different breed.
This experimental traverse of the guitar world – devoid of a map – was applied to the world of pedals as well. Let’s dive into some interesting Soviet guitar brands, and their take on pedals. Soviet practitioners’ focus on circuitry, in many ways, imparted a wholly different sound to what we are used to. Soviet guitars mainly used cheap woods or laminates, wacky shapes, experimental forms, and a mess of circuitry.
Tonika
The Tonika was the earliest form of a Soviet electric guitar. They were handmade, with no real specifications, so production would result in differing body and pickguard shapes from model to unit to factory.
Depending on where you got them from, your Tonika could have a variety of different bindings, headstocks, inlays, neck plates, labels, and wood types. If you are able to get your hands on one, it would certainly be a unique piece.
Though these were made in the guitar golden age of the 60s (where we are given some of the subjectively best-sounding models), the quality of sound compared to Japanese and American counterparts was reportedly lackluster. I’ve been told Russians call these ‘a circle from a toilet bowl,’ which makes the name of the next guitar interesting…
Ural 650/650A
The 650 brought electric guitars to the wider Soviet Union, being distributed in large quantities, cheaper than its predecessor, and offering a sleeker, more refined design – though still kind of wacky in looks, with a thin, trebly sound.
As the guitar was brought into secondary schools, the sound made its way into basement gigs and onto underground records. For most musicians in the Soviet Union, their first experience with an electric guitar was the 650. Thus the instrument is key in envisioning the underground of that time, and even call it the pinnacle of soviet luthiering.
Aelita and Bas
The look of these guitars is a little more streamlined visually – a bit closer to what we are used to seeing. Electronically they are not quite traditional, with varied features including four pickups, stereo output, and a range of switches.
Still, they reportedly have a nice sound, definitely brighter and more robust than the Ural and Tonika models, and with more tonal options. Some enthusiasts argue that they still don’t sound quite as good as their Japanese and American counterparts, but it could be all about perception.
Stella
One of the more hi-fi Soviet guitars to be produced, Stella instruments had range. A lot of range; to the point where you could set pickups to the lower 3 or upper 3 strings. This allowed switching between combinations of the four pickups, pan on the fly. Other features included a pretty nifty string dampener seen in the west on Jaguar/Jazzmasters. With almost more wiring than wood, the Stella sound is definitely unique.
Soviet experimentation and DIY guitars
Beyond the popular guitars, the Soviets also created a myriad of eccentric instruments that took the guitar archetype to the extreme. Multiple necks, hybrid lap steel/electric guitars, adjustable action, onboard effects, and knobs up into the ‘teens.
Have a little trawl through YouTube where collectors can show you some crazy stuff – it might inspire. The manufacture of the electric guitar in the Soviet Union was certainly an endeavor of electronics-over-playability for most.
Soviet Pedals
While the wild curiosity of the Soviets pushed them through strange combinations of transistors, circuits, diodes, switches. They loved to create strange gear, however, none of it gained too much traction outside the red borders. They were cheaply made, in masses, and would easily break.
Because of the low quality, they had to be marketed with a warranty in which you could get it fixed. Input jacks, switches didn’t last long, even without talking about build quality. Brands like Spektr, LEL, Esko, Electronika all took innovative steps in trying to make unique pedals for very cheap. This means that there’s a lot of weird sounds out there to explore.
In conclusion, if you ever come across any of these whacky electronics, don’t be shy! Whether you’re looking for a unique sound, or look, these retro pieces will have something for you.
