The Epiphone Wilshire

At 349.00 dollars, this vintage guitar reissue could be considered an upper-end beginner guitar. It has an interesting take on the double-cutaway silhoutte, deviating from the commonly-replicated strat style headstock with a "bat wing" headstock that has a section which is colored the same as the body. Like most Epiphones, the neck ends when it meets the headstock, with a total of 22 frets, giving you 2 octaves per string.

 Jimi Hendrix played this guitar during the early stages of his career. It certainly has a vintage vibe to it, with the wider and less pronounced wings and the Rickenbacker-esque pickguard. The block inlays on the rosewood fretboard look excellent, and is unified with the Alnico Classic Plus 4 humbuckers with chrome covers, and of course, the stop tail bridge. The extended controls allow for more options to tailor your tone.

There are several different colorways, including sunburst, pelham blue, alpine white, and ebony with gloss finishes. Although it is a Chinese-made guitar (and consequently cheaper than Epiphone's higher-end Wilshire), it is exceptionally faithful to the original and an overall good guitar for the money.

Epiphone Wilshire at MusiciansFriend.com

Buzzard Bass Guitars

Here's a nice version of Little Wing. The original song was written by Jimi Hendrix, but this version takes an interesting take on it with stunning vocals and Duane Allman (from The Allman Brothers) on slide guitar. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLPHz8KT9No

This undoubtedly one of the most interesting and eccentric basses I've ever seen. It's definitely characterized by the carbon-fiber finish and the distinctive headstock, not to mention the roman numeral inlays. The active electronics for the humbucking pickups give it an edgy sound. Just look at all the controls...

It's only fitting that one of the most original bassists to grace rock with his rumbling basslines designed it. 

John Entwistle is also known for his explorer-styled bass. 

The natural finish with gold hardware is quite aesthetic, but like the custom Alembic Dragon's Wing.

Alembic is well-known for their meticulous, handmade custom basses. 

I think it's a crime not to give those thru-bodies natural finishes... the "racing stripes" look excellent.