John Backlund’s guitar designs are pretty distinctive. One quote describes them as the guitars robots would play while driving their flying cars. They have an over-the-top-retro-futuristic design that is truly unique. A good example is their flagship model, the JBD-400 and the Zebra wood JBD-100 below it.
These guitars have always been handmade by J.Backlunds master luthier – Bruce Bennett . And would usually cost you $3500-$7000. But now they are attempting to bring their designs to the masses. A KickStarter project is underway to guage interest and raise money for the tooling to do an initial run of a design they’ve dubbed the “Retronix R-800”.
Ultimately, these guitars will retail for $1000-$1200 and will also include a Bass model. But during the KickStarter, you can pre-order one for a mere $500. There are also other levels of contribution, including some for dealers wanting to distribute these guitars.
It will be interesting to see how this project does. I think the design is really cool, but a lot of guitarists are stuck in the traditionalist mindset, and won’t look past the big “F” and “G” brands.
Check out the video below and visit the Kickstarter page for more info.
How do I participate in this project or obtain a J Backlund or Retronix guitar(s). I am especially interested in the 400 series. I have been trying to find a way to afford one of your guitars since I first learned of them a couple of years ago. I appreciate your assistance in advance.
Jay Frank
62 Cliff Drive
Riverton, WY 82501
(307)856-7986