Galanti Panther Guitar (3 pickups)
Italian brand Galanti has its roots more than 100 years ago. The Galanti accordion factory was cranking out accordions into the late 1950’s, then for a few shorts year included a shift to electric guitars. In the 1970’s they moved into making electric organs. Look closely, are those accordion switches?
Although not very popular in North America, I have owned many Galanti guitars over the years. I guess very few came over from Europe in the 1960’s, so the brand just never found a following here and consequently the vintage guitar market price remains low. Many of these guitars were also produced under the GOYA brand name, and there were a surprisingly wide variety of models available. In my opinion, they are really a hidden gem.
Why? The necks are fabulous! I would put the Galanti and Goya necks up against many vintage Fenders, but at 1/50th the cost. Also, great tremolo and pretty good bridge. The downside? The electronics were weak. Pickups are simply uninspiring. Too bad. Here are some photos of two – a 2 pickup and a 3 pickup model.
I have a two pickup Sano that has many features like this guitar. The pickups look similar, but they have a black, sort of open screen top on them. The tremelo is almost identical, as is the push-button switching system. However, on the Sano the switches and all the electronics are mounted on the the one-piece pickguard, so the entire assembly can be lifted out as one. One difference is the zero-fret wide neck on the Sano, which appears to be laminated, and it is bound with white plastic along the edges, matching the huge inlay blocks. The tuning pegs and beefy nut are almost exactly the same though. have you ever seen such a guitar? I have never found any info on Sano guitars.
It sounds a bit thin, but with a powerful amp gives Ennio Morricone twang for miles!
I’ve owned two 3 pickup Gran Prix models. The one I have now has the black insert pups, and they sound great! The first had solid chrome covers, and was very weak. I’ve heard some of them have output reducing resistors wired in. The pickguards are super brittle! Always thought Eastwood could do a reissue, but I suppose the pushbuttons would be impossible to do.
I have this guitar is in need of some serious work