Jolana
Encyclopedia
Jolana was a Czechoslovakian brand, producing electric guitar
s and basses
from 1953 to 1989. Especially during the 1960s it supposedly gained popularity in the UK
and George Harrison
, Jimmy Page
as well as Eric Clapton
are said to have used the Futurama model. When the quality of Czech Guitars steadily decreased, the marketing increasingly concentrated on countries within the Eastern bloc
. In spite of their rather negative reputation, Jolana guitars are still appreciated among collectors
and nostalgics
.
of their neck and the specific hardware
.
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s and basses
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
from 1953 to 1989. Especially during the 1960s it supposedly gained popularity in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
as well as Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
are said to have used the Futurama model. When the quality of Czech Guitars steadily decreased, the marketing increasingly concentrated on countries within the Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
. In spite of their rather negative reputation, Jolana guitars are still appreciated among collectors
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
and nostalgics
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
.
Models
A peculiarity of some models is that the same body was used for guitar and bass, which reduced production costs. Nevertheless, the two versions differ in scaleScale (ratio)
The scale ratio of some sort of model which represents an original proportionally is the ratio of a linear dimension of the model to the same dimension of the original. Examples include a 3-dimensional scale model of a building or the scale drawings of the elevations or plans of a building. In such...
of their neck and the specific hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
.
- Chord
- Basso V
- Neoton
- Marina
- Basora
- Alexandra
- Alexis II
- Basso IV
- Pedro
- Star VII
- Sirius
- Star
- Big Beat
- Hurricane
- Diskant
- Alfa
- Star IX
- Basso IX
- Basso X
- Tornado
- Graziela special II
- Special
- Rubin : Guitar + Bass
- Kolorbas
- Studio : Guitar + Bass
- Diamant : Guitar + Bass
- Onyx
- Vikomt : Guitar + Bass
- Iris : Guitar + Bass
- Altro
- Superstar : Guitar + Bass
- Disko : Guitar + Bass
- Galaxis : Guitar + Bass
- Jantar : Guitar + Bass
- D Bass
- Strat
- Proxima : Guitar + Bass
- RK120
- RK140
- RK Bass
External links
- CheesyGuitars - information and pictures regarding Jolana guitars, basses
- Jolana.info - Czech page on Jolana
- Jolana.cz - Another Czech page on Jolana
- Jolana 1953-1986 - listing of electric guitars und -basses by Jolana