EKOs of the Past 50th Anniversary Edition

While hitting booth after booth at the 2010 NAMM show, we came across EKO Guitars.

EKO, an Italian company, puts out some really nice guitars with bodies that look like fine art. The best artisans in Europe build them with the finest materials and they come up with some really amazing results. It is like holding onto the guitar version of a Lamborghini or Ferrari: flawless in playability.

Click through to hear the Eko!

Usually when we are reviewing a guitar, I have to choose my words wisely about things I don’t like about a particular model. I want to tell the objective truth but I don’t want to run a guitar down because of my particular quirks.

Yes, I love 335s, but some suck. I love Strats, but some suck. I love $15 brand-new guitars from T.J., but they ALL suck. Ever seen a new guitar smashed on the side of I-5 northbound when coming back from Mexico? That was me. What? It slipped out of my hands as I threw it. Besides, they are biodegradable! Gotta stay focused…

Back to the EKO… the neck has to feel just right. I hate fat guitar necks. And for some reason I like or dislike a fret board for many traits, which I can’t explain. I just have to have it in my hands, and play it.

The Model 700 was one of a handful of EKO guitars I played that day.  I couldn’t find anything to whine about. The one in the video just happened to be the 50th Anniversary reissue of the vintage “Shark bite” Model 700 in Red Sparkle. From the tailpiece to the tuners, it was sweet. Some guitars feel like a chore to play. Not this beauty. It felt like I had been playing it for years. It’s not like shoes. You don’t break them in. A guitar fits or it doesn’t. This one “fit.”

They had nice acoustic guitars and basses too.  As it turned out, I ran into a guy that can tear it up on the bass, my friend “Goose” Jordan. I came across him where he was doing his thing at the Warwick booth.  We jammed a few tunes at EKO, then ended up at the Guitar Geek Festival down the street that evening, watching HoneyBoy Edwards play “Catfish Blues."  94 years old and still gigging more than me.  Note to self: fire my promoter guy… I lost my train of thought… oh yeah, EKO guitars…

I handled a lot – no make that a LOT – of guitars at that show.  An EKO was what I wanted to leave with that day. They are very, very cool.