10 Airline Guitars That'll Inspire You
If you're looking for an awesome new guitar this Christmas (or whenever!) then check our Top 10 Airline Guitars with some sort of artist connection... a sure way to feel inspired! Which one would you choose?
1) AIRLINE 59 2P: THE "JACK WHITE" GUITAR
Perfect for: Jack White wannabes; fans or retro-tastic guitars; practitioners of garage rock.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that one of our most popular models is the Airline 59 2P in red... inspired by the Montgomery Ward "JB Hutto" Airline played by Jack White. There's no doubt that one of the main reason's Jack White picked this model was because some great bluesmen such as Jimmy Reed and JB Hutto also played one.
Though some purists might prefer the (now very expensive) original Res-O-Glass models, but if you feel inspired by The White Stripes, you'll probably be happier with the tone-chambered body of the new ones, which also feature upgraded electronics & hardware. A perfect mix of classic design with modern playability.
As you can see, the new ones still have a LOT of mojo! The perfect guitar if you want to make some dirty, garage rock'n'roll! VIEW MORE
2) AIRLINE 59 3P: PJ HARVEY'S 'LET ENGLAND SHAKE' GUITAR
Perfect for: Alternative types; indie rock; players who want a distinctive instrument to show they are different; those who like Airline shape but don't want to seem to be copying mr. Jack White.
PJ Harvey traded her usual Gibson Firebird for a vintage Res-O-Glass with 3 pickups. Our current Airline 59 3P DLX (with Bigsby) is as close as it gets and one of our most popular models - stunning!
Since then, PJ has become an Eastwood customer too - yet another player who couldn't resist the Warren Ellis Tenor! VIEW MORE
3) AIRLINE 59 3P DLX 'RIPLEY': THE PSYCH SOUNDS OF WOODEN SHJIPS/ MOON DUO GUITAR HERO RIPLEY JOHNSON
Perfect for: Alternative rock; psych; players who want to break on through to the other side with the help of an extra "kick".
This Airline 59 series "signature" model was designed with Ripley Johnson from the amazing Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo. Both of his bands are leading names in the current psych scene, and massive inspirations for countless musicians worldwide.
Whether you're inspired by his far-out psych sounds, or simply fancy an Airline with an extra something, then you'll love the Airline 59 3p DLX Ripley, which features our Transwarp Drive treble boost switch!
Totally rocking! Inspired, yet? Well you should! VIEW MORE
4) AIRLINE TOWN & COUNTRY: THE "STEADY AS SHE GOES" GUITAR
Perfect for: dirty blues rock and rock'n'roll.
Here's another model that Jack White helped to popularise! White used a vintage 1961 Airline Town & Country on the video for the single that launched The Raconteurs, 'Steady As She Goes'.
Jack White has actually not been seen that much with this guitar - but it was enough to bring it back to the spotlight!
Our new models (both the Town & Country STD and the Bigsby version) are still very popular... but that's no surprise - it looks and sounds amazing, equipped with a pair of vintage-style single coils (humbucker-sized) and one hot alnico humbucker in the middle. Tone! VIEW MORE
5) AIRLINE H78: TRIBUTE TO DAN AUERBACH'S HARMONY H78 GUITAR
Perfect for: As an alternative to more common (& more expensive) semi-acoustics from other brands; fans of Blues, jazz players, indie or psych.
When it comes to vintage guitars, few guitarists have such a great taste as The Black Key's Dan Auerbach, who's responsible for introducing some great, forgotten models to new generations of players - such as his Harmony H78!
Besides Dan Auerbach, other players have been seen using one, such as Anton Newcombe and Matt Hollywood from The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
This model has been re-created by us as the Airline H78 semi-acoustic which some players think is even better than the original.
This is a superb semi-acoustic full of great vintage mojo, and ideal for any fan of dirty, swampy, garage blues rock. Oh, but the jazz crowd will love it too... VIEW MORE
6) AIRLINE TWIN TONE: DAVID BOWIE'S A REALITY TOUR GUITAR
Perfect for: David Bowie fans who want a guitar like that of their hero; Link Wray fans; 50's style rock'n'roll; punk rockers.
David Bowie wasn't known as a guitar hero, of course, but he was a good guitarist and had a very particular taste for vintage models. The Supro Dual Tone (as seen on the cover of his last live album, A Reality Tour) was his favourite guitar during his last tour in 2003.
This is the same model played by Link Wray on classics such as 'Rumble', and has been re-created as our very own Airline Twin Tone guitar, one of our best-sellers!
The Airline Twin Tone DLX comes with a Bigsby, just like Bowie's Supro. VIEW MORE
7) AIRLINE H44: TRIBUTE TO THE HARMONY STRATOTONE AS USED BY MARC RIBOT
Perfect for: fans of Marc Ribot, No Wave, Blues, Slide, Jazz, Rock'n'Roll
Marc Ribot is perhaps the most famous guitarist closely associated with the vintage Harmony Stratotone H44, so fans of his work will certainly be interested in the Airline H44, our tribute to that model, which is also available with dual pickup - the Stratotone H44 DLX.
Of course, not just fans of Ribot-style avant-garde jazz will appreciate the H44 - it's a superb guitar for blues & slide!
Again, these new Airlines are an improvement on the original - with better pickups and better neck stability. VIEW MORE
8) AIRLINE MAP DLX: FROM GOTH TO BLUES...
Perfect for: Goth rockers; psychobilly; Blues rock
The National "MAP"-style guitars are quite rare and collectibe, and some famous players have gravitated towards them, including Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys and Robert Smith from The Cure.
Smith is without a doubt one of the ultimate "goth" guitarists. He pretty much helped to forge what is known as goth, by using sounds which became associated with the style, such as flanger and chorus effect. And one of his favorite guitars during the late 80's-early 90's was a National Newport Val-Pro 88.
Our Airline MAP DLX is not an exact copy (our discontinued Airline Newport was closer to it) but it's very similar and is perfect for that same kind of vibe - plus with added Bigsby! If black is your happy color, you can't go wrong with this one...
But, of course, it's not the Goth rockers who'll enjoy the Airline MAP - which is available in a few different colors other than black! The MAP is a superb rock'n'roller, with a growl that's just perfect for playing blues. Dan Auerbach has used a MAP-style National Westwood, which again, is slightly different than our current MAP model:
The Airline MAP, just like our other tribute models, is an updated version of those rare MAP-style models, but with better playability and equipped with a pair of Alnico Hot-10 Humbuckers - which means these are the guitars to choose if you want to give your Les Paul a run for their money! VIEW MORE
9) AIRLINE H59: ROLLIN' SHAKIN' BLUES GUITAR
Perfect for: fans of early-Rolling Stones; fans of Alabama Shakes; blues; 50's rock'n'roll
This guitar has some very interesting artist connections - but not directly. The Airline H59 is inspired by the vintage Harmony H59 'Rocket' guitar, and the Chicago-based brand had (has!) some great Blues mojo.
Keith Richards used to play a similar Harmony semi-acoustic (the Harmony Meteor) on the first Rolling Stones records; decades later, a double cut version of the Harmony H54 'Rocket' was one of the weapons of choice for Brittany Howard, singer/ guitarist with blues revivalists Alabama Shakes.
Dave Davies also used a Harmony in the early days of The Kinks, and, more recently, Courtney Barnett could be seen playing a vintage H59:
Our new H59 carries on with the tradition and looks of the original - plug it to a vintage Vox for that early British Invasion blues sound, or crank up a dirty valve amp for some great bluesy tones... whatever you do, this is one hell of a guitar!
One thing is for certain - you can't help but feeling inspired when you play this beautiful guitar! VIEW MORE
10) AIRLINE JUPITER: ANOTHER BLUES-ROCK FAVOURITE
Perfect for: Blues, rock'n'roll, indie
The current Airline Jupiter is inspired by the original Harmony / Silvertone Jupiters, which sounded great. As an old Guitar Player article says, those guitars were "The weapon of choice for myriad blues artists back in the day, Harmony and Silvertone models much like this one (or cousins to it) were also hoisted by many legendary rockers, including both Keith Richards and Brian Jones, Pete Townshend, Mike Campbell, Ronnie Lane, and others, and have lately proved popular with alternative guitarists such as Dan Auerbach and John Butler."
And indeed, this is the vibe you'll get when choosing our Airline Jupiter - great tone and vintage style looks that'll transport you straight to another, simpler era in music.
If you don't feel inspired by this guitar... you'd better check your pulse! VIEW MORE
