Airline Guitars

Airline Guitars are a family-run electric guitar maker based in Chicago, Illinois, bringing back retrofuturism aplenty in their unique instrument catalogue. Airline initially produced guitars from the 1950s to the 1970s and these original models are highly desirable among collectors. They’re now back in their hometown under exciting new ownership, drawing inspiration from their classic creations and vintage Valco and Supro guitars.

Featuring among the current line-up is the retro chic Jetsons ’59, an angular design named after the space-age sixties family and wielded by Jack White, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and G. Love. It has some super funky features like a rubberised binding, big bold inlays, asymmetrical headstock and in-line tone and volume controls. You get a choice of models with Bigsby tailpieces and two, three pickup configurations in amazing colours.

Airline also make the Newport and MAP, which channel an art deco aesthetic with an unusual flat upper horn, striped pickguard and quarter oval inlays. The MAP has a soft lower horn that drips away from the body, while the Newport is a little more classic single cut. The Newport offers a highly versatile sound through mini humbuckers and a piezo pickup for a wild mix of fiery power and acoustic PA tone. The MAP is more of a straight-up rock ‘n’ roll machine, bearing two Airline-designed Hot-10 humbucker pickups.

Last but certainly not least is the Coronado, which pays tribute to Dan Auerbach’s vintage guitar of the same name. A single-cut with a wide waist and a sophisticated, classy dress-up thanks to bold colours and chrome hardware, these come with a Bigsby tailpiece for vibrato fun and lovely warm alnico humbuckers.

These alternative style guitars are for players after something different to the norm – a guitar to set you apart from others on stage and sound different to the regular fixtures in your song mixes.