Blade Guitars

[spudmunkey]

Shortly after I started playing guitar, probably around 1988-ish, I remember falling in lust for the first time, for an out-of-budget guitar. It was a strat-alike made by Blade. They were the "high end" models sold at my local store, Hartford Music Center in Wisconsin. This wasn't a high-end store, at all (for example, their highest-end non-marshall was a Crate Blue Voodoo). They have since closed.

I'll admit that I was too new of a guitar player to have any insight, or memory, on if they were actually good guitars....but man, oh, man, did I ever love the look of 'em. The only other strats I had seen in person were solid paint, or at beast, a standard classic burst of some sort. The Blade guitars seemed like a Ferrari or something, in comparison.

I saw another guitar recently from a different company that had a similar aesthetic to the one in that little store that I lusted after. I hadn't thought of that company in a long time, and it inspired me to look up Blade to see if they were still around.

Sure enough, they are: https://www.bladeguitars.com/

Does anybody have any experiences or info on Blade Guitars? Either from decades past, or recent?

It looks like they have at least two quality tiers of sub$1000 guitars and then $2K+, based on only a few minutes of googling, so I have no idea how accurate that is...

Their Falcon double-block trem sounds interesting. Allows pull-back even with the trem resting on the body, apparently.

It's hard to tell, but the pickgauard is a sort of brass-y colored "sepia mirror" material.

 

[eaeolian]

The older ones I played were fine guitars. I haven't played one in years, but they seem to still be well-regarded.

 

[spudmunkey]

With a little more digging it seems the originals were either made in Switzerland, In Japan, or with Japanese necks, assembled in Switzerland (there seems to be some unclarity here) ...and then they started making them in Korea, and keeping a small Swiss custom shop...but no idea how they are set up these days, as the founder isn't really with the company anymore.

That Falcon Trem and adjustable string tree both seems like really interesting innovations. At least they seem like they are, having never used them, anyway...

 

[SnoozyWyrm]

I've played 2-3 different RH-4 models (the expensive ones). I'd say fender american strat level. There is also some active electronic f*ckery involved, I think again something like the Fender TBX system, but with 2 presets.

 

[Zado]

I played an RH4 model extensively. Not vintage sounding by ANY means, but great overall guitar.