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Pricing and availability
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Description
The Zemaitis Custom Guitar is a masterpiece for musicians who value both aesthetics and sound quality. This solid body electric guitar is renowned for its distinctive craftsmanship and engraved metal front, a signature of Zemaitis design that sets it apart from any other guitar in its class. Built with precision, it offers a smooth playability that caters to both seasoned performers and aspiring musicians alike. The mahogany body and neck provide a warm, resonant tone, while the rosewood fingerboard ensures a comfortable grip for extended practice or performance sessions.
Equipped with premium hardware, the Zemaitis Custom Guitar boasts specially designed pickups that deliver a rich, articulate sound suitable for a variety of genres—from rock and blues to jazz and pop. The guitar's unique tonal palette is further enhanced by its meticulous wiring and electronics. With a versatile control layout, guitarists can easily shape their sound to their preference, whether it's on stage or in the studio.
This instrument not only performs exceptionally well but also makes a striking visual statement. Its innovative design and attention to detail make it a prized possession for any guitar enthusiast looking to elevate their musical journey.
Key Features:
- Solid mahogany body and neck for enhanced resonance
- Rosewood fingerboard for comfortable playability
- Engraved metal front, a hallmark of Zemaitis design
- Custom-designed pickups for versatile sound output
- High-quality hardware for reliable performance
- Unique control layout for easy sound shaping
Videos
Darrell Braun Guitar
This Guitar is a BEAUTIFUL Work of ART! - Zemaitis Guitars
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Zemaitis Custom Guitar.
Build quality
Setup and maintenance
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Factory action is set low at 3/64th inch, offering significant room for further adjustment to suit personal playing preferences.
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Features and functionality
Comparisons
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Owners compare its playability favorably to high-end models like the PRS CE24 and Fujigen Illiad, indicating its premium feel.
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Use cases and applications
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Although high-output, the guitar is versatile enough to handle both high-gain and clean tones effectively.
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Value and pricing
Based on 0 Reviews and 0 Ratings
Artist usage
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This shows Ronnie using one of his Custom built Zemaitis for the “Some Girls” tour with the Rolling Stones, the guitar is currently on show at the Museum of Metropolitan Art.
According to this Guitar Geek rig diagram, Doug Aldrich plays a custom-built Zemaitis guitar.
Don Felder uses a Zemaitis Custom Guitar, specifically the MF-101-BK model, for the song "Victim of Love." This is confirmed by an Instagram post from his official account, where he invites fans to guess the song he is playing on this guitar, emphasizing its unique appearance on stage.
"Clarke’s “holy grail” guitar is this ’94 Zemaitis Custom Deluxe Silver Top. “Tony made it for me in ’94 and it’s the best guitar I’ve ever owned,” he said. “Danny O’Brien did the engraving, it has Seymour Duncan ’59 pickups, an ebony fretboard with medium LP-style frets. Tony used the logo from a GnR pic I left for him to engrave the tailpiece, and I played it when GnR was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Ron Wood came up afterward and told me, ‘Nice guitar!’ It completes me.”"
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l868eJDGV9w) At minute 18:30 in the video, Shigenobu Suzuki picks up the Zemaitis Custom Guitar, as shown in the referenced image from Imgur.
According to this August 1997 Vintage Guitar article, the first metal-front Zemaitis guitar ever made was built for McPhee. It is attested by the following sources:
Top of the Pops, April 22, 1971 (dated according to Martin Charles Strong's The Great Rock Discography) (three extant stills: one by Chris Walter dated November 30, 1971, another posted to The Groundhogs' official Facebook page on October 20, 2014, and another posted by McPhee to Facebook on March 16, 2016)
Melody Maker, June 5, 1971, pg. 34, Any Questions?
I use two other guitars, a Gibson SG which I've had for ten years, and recently I bought a Zemaitis, which I used on Top Of The Pops. This guitar was custom built for me by Tony Zemaitis and has an engraved metal front. It has one Fender and one Gibson pick-up but any could be fitted. Cost of similar guitar would be around £250 from Tony at 19 Laitwood Road, Balham, London SW12 (01-675 1342). [...] I sang to a pre-recorded backing track on Top Of The Pops, but it would have been a lot easier to have done the whole thing live!
Zemaitis Guitar
INSTRUMENTS: Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster, Zemaitis, Yamaha, Harmony Acoustics, H/H Amplification, ARP 2600 synthesizer and EMS Sequencer
- Beat, March 1976, "Tony McPhee: The Hogs Return" by Chris Simmons, pg. 25
"[...] Actually, I also have a Zemaitis fitted out with humbucking pick ups so that it's quite close to the Gibson sound, but have never really found it fits."
- Beat Instrumental, June 1978, "Don't Mention the Gr**ndh*gs! says Tony 'T.S.' McPhee. Peter Douglas apologises" by Peter Douglas, pg. 18
"I thought what I needed was a total change all round. I used to use the SG almost totally, and I've still got the Zemaitis — it's hanging up on the wall, been there for years! The trouble was that the metal front tended to oxidise with the sweat, and I thought it was just going to get ruined. I thought I'd rather wait until I could get some sort of coating put on it. I've been trying to figure that out. Nobody's come up with a good answer.
- July 19, 1987 photograph of McPhee performing at The Mardi Gras, Nottingham, posted to The Groundhogs' official Facebook page on May 18, 2015 with the following caption:
OK last one for tonight, Tony McPhee from 19/7/1987 at The Mardi Gras, Nottingham, in the days when he used to take his Zemaitis round as a spare....!
- Vintage Guitar, August 1997, "Zemaitis Guitar: Tony Z and the Cult of the Zemaitis Guitar" by Adrian Ingram (posted online on March 2, 2004)
The first metal-front Zemaitis guitar was made for Tony McPhee, of the Groundhogs, in the late ’60s.
Facebook, Tony McPhee, September 27, 2011 (which includes the following comment)
My Zemaitis I asked Tony Z to make me an electric & this was his 1st metal-front he said if I didn't like it he'd make me another 'straight' style. I said I'd have this one!!
Facebook, Tony McPhee, September 29, 2011
Here it is in all it's beauty!!!
Facebook, Tony McPhee, September 30, 2011
Here I am sitting on my Plastic Pig (Reliant Regal) with my Z outside Foel Studios. Circa 1987.
- Andrew Liles, 10 Questions, "Tony (TS) McPhee" (March 2, 2015)
6.) OTHER THAN FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHAT IS YOUR MOST CHERISHED POSSESSION?
My Zemaitis metal front guitar.
Facebook, Tony McPhee, February 6, 2016
This is me atop my 1st plastic pig, a Reliant Regal, holding my Zemaitis , sporting a '70s Stosh at Foel Studios waiting for Dave Anderson!
Facebook, Tony McPhee, March 16, 2016
On the set of Top of the Pops with my newly acquired Zemaitis & beard which I grew after seeing Andy Sneddons,bass player in East of Eden shared a flat upstairs to mine in South Kensington at the time, beard didn't last long, too itchy!
Album Usage
The Zemaitis Custom Guitar has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Zemaitis Custom Guitar, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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