Electric guitar "Ural": photos and reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Electric guitar "Ural" - the most popular model among similar Soviet products. Made in Sverdlovsk, it is an entry-level instrument that loses in many respects to professional foreign analogues. The main guideline is to provide chord accompaniment. It is worth noting that the guitar is durable, but it has a rather complicated and inconvenient register switching system. Consider its characteristics and features.

Body part

Electric guitar "Ural" is equipped with a beech beam body up to 120 mm wide in the center of the soundboard. Variations were produced both with a glued element and in a holistic design. On the sides there are details of coniferous species. The top and bottom of the deck are covered with plywood, the top lug is much larger than the bottom (the overall shape is reminiscent of the Strat brand). The space under the plastic panel with electronic equipment is no more than half full.

In fact, the instrument in question is more like a semi-acoustic version. This is due to the fact that the case material also playsa significant role in the formation of sound, giving it a certain tonality and loudness. Due to the design features, the Ural electric guitar produces a rather weak sound, characterized by saturation of high medium tones and low sustain. The presence of voids contributes to the fact that the neck outweighs the soundboard, and this is not very comfortable for the musician.

About the fretboard

This piece is made from beech, although maple is the most commonly used. The pad has a border of white plastic strips around the edges. According to the reviews of the owners, the neck often deforms over time under the tension of the strings. Anker helps a little in fixing this problem. As a result, considerable effort is required to play music beyond the first nine frets.

The neck of the Soviet electric guitar "Ural" is rather narrow and thick. The strings are placed close to each other, which makes it difficult to play with solo parts. The head of the element has a low angle of inclination, the tension of the strings is provided by a retainer (a steel plate on a special screw). The part is fixed on the body with four screws, there is a zero fret. The element rises almost a centimeter above the base, which also creates some inconvenience (often a bridge has to be used as a support for the left hand).

Tremolo, bridge, frets

Electric guitar "Ural" is equipped with all kinds of screws, screws and clamps. Unlike many foreign counterparts, the design is powered not by stretching, but by compression of one powerful spring. This feature often leadsto the failure of the mood of the guitar and is not designed for high-speed playing.

Because the design is overloaded with details, the interaction of the strings and the body remains negligible, and this further worsens the sustain. There are options for changing in the form of a machine stopper, however, it should be borne in mind that the sound of this instrument is created in conjunction with a speaker and an amplifier that receives a signal from an electronic mechanism.

Bridge includes saddle and tremolo. On some models, the first element is made in a roller version, although in practice this does not bring much benefit. Often, when playing music, rattling sounds are heard, which is associated with a loose fit of the base of the nut or strings.

The Ural electric guitar, the photo of which is available above, is equipped with standard frets. They are made of brass alloy, they have no special note. It is worth noting that when wooden fingerboards dry out, their ends may rise, causing the strings to start ringing.

Pingers and electronics

The instrument in question is equipped with single closed tuning pegs, which are attached to the neck with special caps. The elements are made of zinc alloy, have good casting properties. The disadvantages of this material include fragility and the impossibility of soldering. With active use, the tuning pegs wear out rather quickly, which is reflected when tuning the strings by dropping almost one tone.

The device of the electric guitar "Ural" includes electronics, consisting of the following elements:

• Three singles.
• Tone block.
• Standard pickups (steel base part with magnet).

The top has a core with six screws. The whole mechanism is covered with a decorative plastic cover. The output of the "sounds" is about 70 mV. A reasonable question arises: "How to shield the pickup on the Ural electric guitar?" Specialists solve this problem by installing updated Korean or Chinese-made electronics. However, the relevance of such manipulation is now very doubtful, since it is easy to find well-developed and affordable analogues on the market.

Modifications

Several models of the instrument in question have been released:

1. "Art-422". The legendary electric guitar, about which a lot of myths and legends are composed. It embodies all the features inherent in the first Soviet products of this category. Only at the Sverdlovsk plant, more than one hundred thousand copies were produced. In addition, they were produced in Rostov, Ordzhonikidze and Borisov. For comparison - the famous company Fender has released about the same number of stratocasters.
2. "Art-422 R". This model occupies an average step in relation to others. The tool is the ancestor of the entire series under consideration, is considered the standard in its category.
3. Electric guitar "Ural 650 Art-422". The release of this modification is dated 1977 and timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution. The tool is made in a strictly regulated externaldesign, the body is made of red and black wood, there is an image of the legendary cruiser Aurora above the sound pickups.
4. 650 A. This guitar is rare and was produced in parallel with other versions. The instrument features a more comfortable neck and a different tremolo system. At the same time, the electrical circuit remained unchanged.

Benefits

Despite the existing complex of shortcomings, the Ural guitar also has certain advantages. Firstly, it cost an order of magnitude cheaper than scarce foreign counterparts. The price of one copy was about 200 rubles, while the cost of Lidstar and Fender on the black market was estimated at 1-3 thousand Soviet rubles. Secondly, all owners note the incredible vitality of the instrument. There are cases when the guitar was beaten with all its might on the floor, and it did not even scratch. The popularity of Ural was largely due to the shortage of more worthy analogues at that time.

Electric guitar "Ural": reviews

Owners do not give laudatory praises in relation to this instrument. They note that the guitar is too oversaturated with all sorts of controls and switches. There is an opinion that in order to figure out the thief of all the “gadgets”, you need to have supernatural talent and patience.

Users also emphasize that the tool is quite heavy, because it is made of wood under repeated pressing. This provides him with a legendarystrength. Be that as it may, in the days of the USSR, Ural was popular among numerous aspiring rock bands and VIA.

Finally

Now the Ural electric guitar will fit only for beginner musicians who do not have the opportunity to purchase an alternative. As experts advise, even on an inexpensive Korean analogue, the difference in sound becomes immediately noticeable. Alternatively, the tool can add to your collection. Craftsmen can try to redraw it in their own way. And over time, this rarity, perhaps, will bring a good income if it is sold at auction.

In the history of the USSR, many things were done with an eye not on the consumer, but according to some other principles. Guitar "Ural" - one of the representatives of this formation. Nevertheless, many musicians started with this particular instrument, were able to develop their talent and demonstrate it to the general public.