Lindert Guitars
Encyclopedia
Lindert Guitars was a hand-made electric guitar
manufacturing company founded in 1986 in Chelan Falls in Wenatchee, Washington. Production of guitars was moved to Korea
and the company shut down shortly afterwards, with the last guitars created around 2002. Most of their guitars were named following a railway theme, with names including Conductor, Diesel and Loco-Motive.
These unusual guitars were hand made and featured semi-hollow, machined MDF
bodies with cloth or tweed
insets that resembled those found on vintage radio
s. They are also known for the "escape velocity" neck profile - ergonomically designed to be half rounded and half vee for faster playing action and less hand fatigue, which is regarded as one of their strongest features. All Lindert guitars also featured a headstock which resembles a hand giving a "thumbs up", a design patented by Charles Lindert himself. The maker was supposedly so pleased with the design of his guitar body that he gave himself a mental thumbs-up, and then decided to fashion the headstock to resemble one. Some models included the "Missing Link" switch, which allowed several pickup combinations not available on other guitars, including neck/bridge and using all three pickups at once.
Lindert guitars have become highly sought by collectors due to their quirky and unusual designs, quality construction, good sound and scarcity.
The guitars made in Korea can be distinguished from the US-made versions in several ways:
Guitars manufactured included:
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...
manufacturing company founded in 1986 in Chelan Falls in Wenatchee, Washington. Production of guitars was moved to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and the company shut down shortly afterwards, with the last guitars created around 2002. Most of their guitars were named following a railway theme, with names including Conductor, Diesel and Loco-Motive.
These unusual guitars were hand made and featured semi-hollow, machined MDF
Medium-density fibreboard
Medium-density fiberboard is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure...
bodies with cloth or tweed
Tweed (cloth)
Tweed is a rough, unfinished woolen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is made in either plain or twill weave and may have a check or herringbone pattern...
insets that resembled those found on vintage radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
s. They are also known for the "escape velocity" neck profile - ergonomically designed to be half rounded and half vee for faster playing action and less hand fatigue, which is regarded as one of their strongest features. All Lindert guitars also featured a headstock which resembles a hand giving a "thumbs up", a design patented by Charles Lindert himself. The maker was supposedly so pleased with the design of his guitar body that he gave himself a mental thumbs-up, and then decided to fashion the headstock to resemble one. Some models included the "Missing Link" switch, which allowed several pickup combinations not available on other guitars, including neck/bridge and using all three pickups at once.
Lindert guitars have become highly sought by collectors due to their quirky and unusual designs, quality construction, good sound and scarcity.
The guitars made in Korea can be distinguished from the US-made versions in several ways:
- a smooth finish
- smaller headstock with a decal that runs parallel to the strings
- no screws beneath the bridge on the front of the body
- a truss rod adjustment at the headstock
- a neckplate with a serial number stamped on it, usually starting with a "9"
Guitars manufactured included:
- Lindert Conductor
- Lindert Diesel S
- Lindert John Henry
- Lindert Locomotive S
- Lindert Locomotive S Baritone
- Lindert Locomotive T HH
- Lindert Locomotive T Series
- Lindert Skyliner
- Lindert Twister
- Lindert Franklin HH