ACOUSTIC CONTROL CORPORATION · BLACK WIDOW · 1970s GUITAR & BASS
Acoustic
Acoustic Control Corporation is famous for powerful solid-state amplifiers, especially the 360 / 361 bass system—but for a short period it also sold a striking guitar and bass called the Black Widow. Vintage Guitar dates the production model to 1972 and describes it as Acoustic’s only guitar / bass design. If the headstock says Acoustic, do not assume it is an acoustic guitar brand: the Black Widow belongs to the early-1970s electric-guitar story of an amplifier company.
MODEL SEARCH
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OVERVIEW
What to know quickly
Production history needs careful wording. Sources agree that Japanese manufacture was important, while Semie Moseley later said he built the final 200. Treat factory claims as evidence to verify on the individual instrument rather than a shortcut from the logo.
IDENTIFY YOUR GUITAR
Which Acoustic do you have?
Confirm that you actually have a Black Widow, then document construction before assigning an origin.
- Look for the Black Widow body. The production instrument uses a distinctive black double-cutaway form rather than a conventional acoustic-guitar outline.
- Photograph the back pad and hardware. Original examples are associated with a removable rear pad carrying the black-widow motif; missing parts affect completeness.
- Separate guitar from bass. The matching bass is a different instrument and should be compared with bass sales only.
- Document the neck joint and serial. Construction details may help place Japanese versus claimed later U.S. production.
- Do not confuse an Acoustic amp model number with a guitar model. 360, 361, 270 and similar numbers belong primarily to the amplifier catalog.
SERIES & MARKET GUIDE
A tiny guitar catalog makes condition and provenance unusually important
Black Widows trade infrequently enough that one unusual sale can distort expectations. Use multiple dated examples and compare guitar to guitar, bass to bass, with originality documented.
USED VALUE GUIDE
Rarity makes exact comparables more important than broad price rules
The Black Widow market is thin. A complete, correctly identified instrument with original hardware can command serious interest, but asking prices are not the same as sales and production details remain important.
- Verify that the sale is really an Acoustic Black Widow. Bartell-related instruments and later descriptions can blur the naming.
- Check the neck joint and hardware. These details are useful when researching production source.
- Inspect the rear pad and original parts. Completeness matters on a guitar whose visual identity includes unusual hardware.
- Test pickups and controls. Scarce does not mean easy to repair; undocumented replacements can affect value.
- Use a wide date range of comparables. The market is too thin for one recent asking price to define value.
CURRENT USED MARKET
See what the market is doing now
Search “Acoustic Control Corporation Black Widow,” not merely “Acoustic guitar.” The generic word acoustic will bury the instrument under unrelated results.
COMPARE
What else lives in this neighborhood?
Use comparisons to understand construction and market position—not to assume two brands share a factory, specification or value.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Before you buy—or price—one
- Generic-search confusion. “Acoustic guitar” is almost useless as a search phrase for this brand.
- Production-origin certainty. Japanese production is well reported, but claims about specific later U.S. instruments should be tied to physical evidence.
- Missing back pad or hardware. Unusual original parts are part of the appeal and can be difficult to replace.
- Amp-history spillover. Famous Acoustic amplifier users do not automatically establish guitar use.
- Thin-market pricing. Scarcity creates fewer good comparables—not automatic unlimited value.
HISTORY & COMMENTARY
The amplifier company that briefly built a guitar worth remembering
Acoustic’s reputation was built on high-powered solid-state amplification. The 360 / 361 bass system and other large-stage amplifiers made the logo familiar long before most players knew there had been an Acoustic guitar.
The Black Widow is therefore a perfect Guitar Search instrument: the badge can send a beginner toward the wrong category entirely. Once identified, the guitar opens a short but fascinating branch involving Paul Barth’s design influence, Japanese production and Semie Moseley’s later account of U.S.-built examples.
WHAT PLAYERS LIKE
Why an Acoustic Black Widow can be worth picking up
- Unusual history. It is the guitar detour of a company remembered primarily for amplifiers.
- Distinctive design. The black double-cutaway form and rear spider motif are difficult to confuse once learned.
- Scarcity. The short production window keeps clean examples from appearing constantly.
- Research value. Neck joints, serials and hardware reward careful documentation.
- Great directory lesson. The word on the headstock means something completely different from the generic instrument category “acoustic.”
CURRENT RETAIL & REFERENCE
Because the market and documentation are thin, treat factory attribution and exact production count as research questions unless the individual instrument supplies supporting evidence.