Episode 7: Ural 650 Soviet Era Rare Guitar

When they were first produced in the late 1970s in the USSR, only 25,000 of these rare Ural 650s were built. The fact that this one made its way to our studio is pretty mind-blowing! In '70s and '80s Soviet Russia, electric guitars represented Western pop culture and rebellion much like blue jeans.
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[@MalleusImperiorum]

In Russia these guitars are known not for the quality of sound but for their durability. A Soviet product, after all. If you decide to smash it against an amp, you will need a new amp.

[@TheLocalPickup]

hahaha

[@cchavez248]

Keef no smash Soviet guitar, Soviet guitar smash Keef!

[@alexmore6091]

Всё так друг!))))

[@lukehilborn1920]

Another fact is that the early Russian punk scene was formed by mostly Russian soldiers who could get their hands on Guitars and punk cassettes in Afghanistan, bands such as Sektor Gaza were almost exclusively made up of veterans of the war in Afghanistan.

[@TheLocalPickup]

wow. thanks for this info!

[@lugerliaz]

For example, the founder of Russian punk, Egor Letov, you never know that he played in the Urals, but also used an authentic Soviet fuzz effect. So not all Punks in the USSR played native imported instruments.

[@AbrahamRomney]

The switches on the top are on/off switches for each pickup (bridge, middle, and neck). The switches on the bottom are on/off switches for the tone control for each pickup. From left to right (from the viewer's position), the knobs are volume, bridge tone, middle pickup tone, neck pickup tone.

[@TheNavalAviator]

Is it just me or do Soviet guitars have really sound design features (like the straight-stringed headstock, extensive volume control) some of which, like the built-in effects control, are ahead of their time but are poorly executed at times?

[@Olegstuff21986]

No, you're obviously wrong, the guitars were made in a Gulag by order of Stalin, hence nothing can be good about them :).

[@deutschesvaterlandfankanal]

​@@Olegstuff21986stalin's dead for 3 decades by then

[@gorod-kha]

"Ural" is not a rare guitar, but on the contrary, the most massive of all produced in the USSR. To such an extent that his name has become a household name.

[@mentalitydesignvideo]

MIDI connector is based on the same German DIN (German Industry Norm) 5-pin connector. A lot of Warsaw Bloc countries used this for audio.

[@joeykelly5642]

Great video, guys! Interesting history there.

[@TheLocalPickup]

Thanks Joey! This is definitely one of the more interesting guitars we've had in the studio. Imagine everything it's seen!

[@xfoxbeats]

I have a guitar like this and it has flat strings from the 70s, I love to play it, it has something special, a lot of people scold it for its construction, but I think it is unique.

[@northon74]

При попытки разбить эту гитару ломались доски сцены.

[@TheDenskull]

Что там доски, фундаменты концертных зданий ломались)

[@user-di8fy4rd6e]

@@TheDenskull Лес Полы тоже ломают сцену))) К слову, вес Урала 3, 5 кг , а у Стратокастеров и Лес Полов соответственно 3,7 и выше четырёх кг.

[@Русэ]

Да весь ленточный фундамент шел по пизде!

[@Roniel81]

Another "expert talk" on the dreadful Soviet "regime". It would have been great if you guys stuck to reviewing the guitar and its pros and cons instead of polishing the tongue-in-cheek antics. For your information, Mr.Broadwater, the production of electric guitar was not "secretive" and the state was not looking to "shut them down every moment" - in fact, the Soviet Ministry of Culture ordered the electric guitars to be mass-produced after guitar-based music became hugely popular in the 1970s. And there were a lot of pop, rock, jazz and even funk bands in the Soviet Union who played legally and openly and recorded albums and toured and so on. And this kind of clownery will do nothing but inspire more "in Russia you don't [any object] because [any object] does you"-kind of moronic responses in the comments.

[@aldog93]

so glad everyone in this specific thread isn't an idiot and actually knows their history. This video sucks

[@user-di8fy4rd6e]

Заколебали гандоны, которые ничего знают об СССР, кроме того, что им нашептали их местечковые пропагандисты.

[@mdjey2]

As for music, it was heavily regulated and rock bands were banned left and right.

[@user-di8fy4rd6e]

@@mdjey2 где запрещены? На официальном уровне? Ну, и что с того? Всего лишь не пускали на всесоюзное ТВ. А рок играли везде направо и налево, была куча площадок, рок-клубов, рок-фестивалей, ресторанов, кафе, на которых и в которых самовыражались рок-музыканты. "Машину времени", "Воскресенье", "Пикник" народ слушал ещё в 70-е годы. where are they banned? At the official level? Well, so what? Just not allowed on All-Union TV. And rock was played everywhere right and left, there were a lot of venues, rock clubs, rock festivals, restaurants, cafes, where rock musicians expressed themselves. People listened to" Time Machine"," Sunday"," Picnic " back in the 70s.

[@TheChadPad]

I heard in another video done by Erik Wallen, those buttons actually control the pickups. The top row is the on/off switch for each pickup, and the bottom row is either a high pass filter or a low pass for each pickup, in order respectively. The neck pickup has an extra dark resistor (capacitor maybe, but he calls it a resistor) in it, like the Fender Esquire did, that gives it that jazzy tone. If you hit the button for the neck tone, it'll go to a more normal pickup sound

[@mikhailwp]

Non of these pots and buttons supposed to control external equipment. Who told you that? Top row of buttons are on/off switches for each pickup. Buttons at the bottom are filters for each pickup. All potentiometers are volumes - one master volume and individual volume knobs for each pickup.

[@bmansk8520]

Do u happen to have a source? I would love to find out the "truth" about thia guitar. Seems really cool.

[@mikhailwp]

@@bmansk8520, what truth do you want to know? I own one and put a lot of work into it. So I can tell quite a lot from my personal experience.

[@sovietgrim1950]

@@mikhailwp like "show him" type of proof dumbass get him a picture of you holding it

[@TheChadPad]

@@bmansk8520 look up the video by Erik Wallen where he shows his Ural, and he can demonstrate that

[@TheChadPad]

@@sovietgrim1950 There's a video by Erik Wallen where he explains exactly that

[@thornydig]

How good is it off-road?

[@tuderytumba4192]

Take care of her because it's a legend

[@ColoneloftheCorn]

Of course it comes in red

[@AlexKapri]

The USSR is super!

[@ginlizer]

Made of a whole forest compressed.

[@xdef1ne]

I want one soo badly. I think they’re incredible & so much cooler than western made guitars.

[@kadekiger276]

And of course it’s red

[@muhleeek]

Underrated

[@StreekMusic]

Love you videos man! So how is the 1970s Ural 650 now? Still plays good? Im thinking of buying one...

[@superbeegaming3751]

is it powered by vodka instead of electricity?

[@AbrahamRomney]

any tips on resetting the neck? I have on of these, and the action is a bit high.

[@Olegstuff21986]

Russia did have a guitar-making tradition though because fo the 7-string guitar.

[@bubbamike4743]

My god that’s awesome

[@fixedguitar47]

Ural makes guitars as well? Did not know that.

[@user-di8fy4rd6e]

Мотоцикл Урал к гитаре не имеет никакого отношения. Так же, как Телекастер к телефонам:)))The Ural motorcycle has nothing to do with the guitar. Just like Telecaster to phones:)))

[@bubu89136]

I enjoyed your video even if the "politburo" has some issues with your characterizations. Of course, I am glad they have chimed in because they do have you on a few issues. I actually own two compilation Cds of Soviet surf and instrumental music. The guitar is super cool and I found some of your light banter amusing. You should have gotten one of those green Russian Big Muffs to go along with the review. And I agree, Uncle Joe probably did think the Ural was super cool.

[@denboe2894]

Russians were ahead of their time with the laser glitter. Sure, these guitars were terribly made if a Teisco Del Rey guitar was terribly made.

[@Empty_Robot]

it's a shame that the USSR was toppled. :'(

[@alkoenig85]

In what way? Stalin was a great guy eh?

[@bmansk8520]

You should do a episode about charvette. I have 2 matching black ones. One with all singles and one with 2 singles and humbucker in the bridge. Man they are awesome!

[@synysterbullett4166]

So look at the profile picture. Now anyone else know what album looks nearly EXACTLY like that??

[@Jeeyoa]

Origin of Symmetry?

[@willm200]

o7 comrade, this guitar deserves the order of Lenin

[@lugerliaz]

1:57 The author says that these Urals were a sign of Western culture? These Urals were given out to almost all beginners by the school orchestra. Seriously. You could arrange an orchestra or a band, and apply to the House of Culture or the Palace of Pioneers, and you could be given this electric guitar for use. And about the Urals. It's just a stereotype that they were terribly made. The terrible operating conditions of these guitars literally killed them. They all came out of the factory with high quality. And the Sverdlovsk keyboard instrument company, which produced Ural electric guitars, made instruments for quality. And about the lag - how can an electric guitar be modern at all? And as for the buttons on the front panel of this electric guitar, everything is much simpler. The top 3 buttons turned the pickups on and off. And the bottom 3 buttons were responsible for filters to the pickups. There was no midi on the electric guitar. So you messed with it yourself, and then you wonder about it yourself. Rock and Roll did not help overthrow the Soviet Union. And in any case, as a resident of the Russian Federation, I do not consider this an achievement.

[@TheEasterBasket0432]

Anuuuu Cheeki breeki iv damki!

[@mEDIUMGap]

A nu cheeki breeki i v damki

[@jamahlrawls3520]

This is dope! I wonder if I cn find 1 n my area 🤔

[@TheLocalPickup]

There's usually a few on Reverb. But keep in mind, this one was not playable when we got it. The neck was set terribly so the strings were so high it was impossible to play, and other issues.

[@juanvaldez5422]

@@TheLocalPickup yeah, I was about to say they are usually listed in terrible condition.

[@oneeyeddog6127]

Dont do it i bought one for cheap and i spent so much on upgrades to make it almost not suck

[@jamahlrawls3520]

Thanks for the heads up, y’all. I make alt R&B, so I’m hopin I’d b able to process it enough to get away w/ it . But r they really usually that unplayable? I don’t mind doin some work on it (as long as the wood’s good). I live n Florida, so I’m just wonderin if I could chance buyin online since there may not b many around here. What I’m really wondering is what r the chances the on board electronics will work if I can swap out that weird output jack?

[@oneeyeddog6127]

@@jamahlrawls3520 when i bought mine all the wiring worked.i did replace thr input which was a little disturbing considering the rats nest of a wiring harness they put on it.you can make it playable but you will need to fashion a new nut clean up electronics change out the saddle so it can have some decent intonation.and after all that i was very disappointed.the neck has a very large radius probably the biggest neck ive every played.i could gripe about this guitar for days haha maybe im just a hater who knows

[@MdickieFilms]

Imagine stalin playing that guitar

[@MarkGrinevich]

ural pronounces "ooral"

[@TheLocalPickup]

Wow. I never knew that, but that makes total sense. thanks!

[@TimMaxShift]

@@TheLocalPickup I confirm this. but the stress is on the last vowel. oorAl

[@rayolson7475]

The guy with the guitar needs to stop riffing while the other speaks. It’s distracting and rude to all.

[@TheLocalPickup]

Thanks for the feedback, Ray! We'll definitely keep this in mind in the future.

[@juanvaldez5422]

Calm down ray. If you dont like the vid, I'm sure this guy will gladly refund the money you payed to see it, oh.. wait...

[@rayolson7475]

Juan Valdez that’s how little you understand language.....oh,wait

[@juanvaldez5422]

@@rayolson7475 nice try, lame comeback

[@rayolson7475]

Juan Valdez I was serious. Learn comprehension.

[@edgardargotte3280]

USSR. made in japan teisco!

[@ARONHALLAM]

I don't think they were many good euro Guitars really. I had a Burns for example, I didn't like it. We Made good amps and speakers in England and a few pedals... What a shame that nobody has the entire guitar DIN input with correct amplifier to hear all the effects of that monster!! I hear America now has more censorship that Brezhnev era ussr, funny how times change.

[@ZeroWolf-oz3xn]

Ну и дурь же вы несёте!) Эта гитара никогда не управляла внешними эффектами так же, как и не помогла сделать никакую революцию. Откуда вы это всё взяли?

[@Maxim89Il]

Do you know how many jokes there are about Russian guitars? They're the worst guitars in human history. Those guitars were made as weapons! You break it on stage - goodbye stage. They were made to put people off rock 'n' roll. They were used instead of hammers to put nails in the wall. These guitars were so shit that professional musicians never actually used them. They're the reason why in Russian rock, which I love, the rhythm guitar used to be acoustic (think DDT, Aquarium, Kino, and many other amazing Russian 80s bands. Even later legends, like Splin, still used a lot of acoustic). When electric guitars were used, it was usually the East German Musima or the Czech Jolana, which were at least payable. I'm sorry you had to experience it. Basically, if communism was a musical instrument - that was it.

[@oneeyeddog6127]

Nice video.i would not recommend these guitars to anyone.they are completely awful, neat to look at maybe

[@yerrrrr2787]

Alex Davidson I like them more for the history they portray but they double as an albeit shitty instrument

[@oneeyeddog6127]

They look so cool id love to have the 60s yamaha version that ural copied.

[@barrybbensonx5613]

In Russia you don’t play the Soviet guitar, the guitar plays you

[@TimMaxShift]

Russia is an ordinary capitalist country. And it is starting to resemble the United States more and more. The countries of Europe at the moment differ from America more than the Russian Federation. when someone in this way tries to joke about the USSR, then its inhabitants treat them with understanding, because most people in the West are very poorly guided in the history of the Soviet Union. Their knowledge usually consists of children's horror stories about evil communists, bans and executions.This is the main reason why every film made in the West about the USSR and positioned as a drama is perceived in the Russian Federation as a comedy. They are so far from reality that there is even a special word in the language for Western films of the USSR and the Russian Federation: Cranberry. This word is so often used in this very sense that people begin to forget that originally this word meant a berry. But when people joke about Russia in this way, it is completely strange

[@elonmust7470]

Is this ad supposed to get me to want to join antifa or something?

[@ccda3324]

huh?

[@StopFear]

It definitely does sound like the electric guitar sound which we heard in movies and music in the 80s when the culture was allowed to open up. I heard it and I still think it sounds like crap.

[@av.punk.801]

Man, I just want one to PLAY and hammer on like my Les Paul. Nothing cooler than a 40 year old guitar slamming out new music... I just keep talking myself into buying one of these for a restoration project lmao