Post #2128348
2026-04-28 20:48 UTC
@kauzerei Looks pretty moisture-susceptible, if not for the paint. Kitchen and bathroom furniture made of particle board starts to swell along the edges as soon as there is water involved.
On the other hand, this is not the strangest material for a guitar. Somewhere back in 1970s, in Leningrad (present-day St Petersburg) they produced a series of hollow-body guitars out of polystyrene, which is the plastic used for all kinds of objects, from disposable plates to cases for home appliances.
As for the sound and usability, opinions vary. Here (https://muzeum.su/museum.files/MARIA-Lider.htm - in Russian) a former owner calls it pretty much unplayable, while on Reddit someone says it was funny, but more as a collector's item, of course (https://www.reddit.com/r/obscureguitars/comments/1d3uc1i/has_anybody_bought_one_of_these_mariya_guitars/)
Replies (1)
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@kauzerei@social.tchncs.de 2026-04-29 04:47
@al_exquemelin oh yes, it's a terrible material for pretty much anything, including guitars. The body is deformed and the finish is cracked because of the bend, and I suspect it wasn't even caused by moisture, it's probably just not strong enough to withstand string tension long term. I'm aware of soviet plastic guitars, and honestly I don't think that material is any more evil than chipboard :D. Tim Sway showed recently how to make Мария playable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2AYYro6JtI