Airline
Airline
Also known as: Airline Guitars
UnclaimedAirline is an American musical instrument brand originally introduced in 1958 by Montgomery Ward as a house label for guitars, amplifiers, and other musical gear sold through its mail-order catalog. The vintage-era instruments were built in Chicago by Valco, Kay, and Harmony, and covered a wide range of electric and acoustic guitars aimed at beginners and hobbyists. The most distinctive of thes...
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$549.00
in Lap & Pedal Steel Guitars Rank
Airline is an American musical instrument brand originally introduced in 1958 by Montgomery Ward as a house label for guitars, amplifiers, and other musical gear sold through its mail-order catalog. The vintage-era instruments were built in Chicago by Valco, Kay, and Harmony, and covered a wide range of electric and acoustic guitars aimed at beginners and hobbyists. The most distinctive of these were the Valco-made models featuring "Res-O-Glas" fiberglass bodies, including the red two-pickup guitar later associated with blues musician J.B. Hutto and, decades afterward, with Jack White of The White Stripes.
In the early 2000s, Canadian builder Eastwood Guitars revived the name and reissued several of the classic shapes — such as the "JB Hutto" Res-O-Glas style, the Map, the Town & Country, and the Jetsons — in more playable, conventionally constructed form. The Airline catalog has expanded over the years to include basses, baritones, tenor guitars, lap steels, mandolins, amplifiers, and effects pedals, all drawing on mid-century American design cues.
Airline instruments have a long association with players who favor offbeat or "pawnshop" guitars, and have been used by artists including Jack White, PJ Harvey, Calexico, The Cure, David Bowie, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The brand remains best known for the unusual body shapes, chrome-bound pickguards, and raw single-coil voicings inherited from the original Valco designs.
Airline has 63 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Solid Body Electric Guitars, Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitars, and Combo Guitar Amplifiers. Their gear is featured by 26 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Blues, and Pop. Notable users include Jack White, Bill Nelson, and Dan Auerbach. Airline's catalog spans the full price spectrum — from entry-level options to high-end flagships.
Artists Who Use Airline
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