Jolana guitars were made in Czechoslovakia from 1959 to c. 1991. Some early (1959-1964) instruments also appeared under the Futurama brand, as marketed by Selmer in the UK. The parent company, CHSN (Czechoslovak Musical Instruments) did not survive the fall of communism in the early 1990s, but the various factories in Horovice, Krnov and Hradec Kralove that used to build Jolana guitars, still produce musical instruments today. In its heyday, Jolana had a full range of solids, hollowbodies, and basses that were extremely popular in Eastern Europe and the USSR. Today, these guitars are mostly collected for their cheesy retro appeal and quirky/innovative features, but some models are of surprisingly high quality.
Most models have the model name on the headstock instead of the Jolana brand, which appears on body or neckplate, sometimes not at all. Most guitars have a 24.8 in. (630mm) scale, most basses have a 30.4 in. (774mm) scale, unless otherwise noted. Minor details may vary, especially style and placement of logo, natural or painted headstocks, non-standard factory finishes, etc. (Source: Edward Pitt for model listings, Walter Murray for initial information).
Instruments previously produced in Czechoslovakia 1959 to circa 1991.

JOLANA Electric Guitars Models

JOLANA Star IX Image

JOLANA Star IX

- symmetrical rhomboid body, bolt-on neck, 20 fret European walnut fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, zero fret, three-per-side tuners, two single coil pickups, two-piece white pickguard, vibrato tailpiece, volume/ tone controls, four-positi...

JOLANA PEDRO Image

JOLANA PEDRO

- offset double-cutaway alder body, bolt-on 21-fret maple neck, six-on-one-side "small" (regular guitar) tuners, maple fingerboard with black dot inlay, two single coil pickups, white pickguard, chrome hardware, wooden floating br...

JOLANA Star X Image

JOLANA Star X

- offset double-cutaway body, bolt-on neck, fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, three single coil pickups, three-per-side tuners, vibrato tailpiece, volume/ tone controls, built-in fuzztone effect, chrome hardware, available in Red, Blue, or...

JOLANA PROXIMA Image

JOLANA PROXIMA

- offset double-cutaway body copy of Fender Precision, bolt-on neck, 21 fret fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, zero fret, four-on-one-side tuners, P-style pickup, fixed bridge, volume/tone controls, bass equivalent of Proxima guitar, chrome...

JOLANA STRAT Image

JOLANA STRAT

- offset double-cutaway body copy of Fender Stratocaster and actually called "Jolana Strat" on the headstock, bolt-on neck, 21-fret fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, six-on-one-side tuners, fixed bridge, white or black pickguard,...

JOLANA SUPERSTAR Image

JOLANA SUPERSTAR

- symmetrical SG-style double-cutaway body, bolt-on neck, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, zero fret, three-per-side tuners, fixed bridge, two oversized humbucking pickups, four controls (two v, two tone), three-way toggle...

JOLANA RK-BASS Image

JOLANA RK-BASS

- offset double cutaway body with scooped back, neck-through construction, 24-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, two-per-side tuners, P- and J-style pickups, fixed bridge, four controls (two v, two tone), Jolana's last bass model,...

JOLANA VIKOMT Image

JOLANA VIKOMT

- similar to the Iris, except has a fixed bridge and a single pickup, available in Red, Orange, Blue, White, or Sunburst finish, mfg. c. 1970s.

JOLANA RUBIN Image

JOLANA RUBIN

- similar to the Kolorbass, except has a bound rosewood or stained beech fingerboard, two-per-side tuners, and AlNiCo pickups, bass equivalent of Rubin guitar, available in Red or Blue finish, mfg. 1973-79.

JOLANA STUDIO Image

JOLANA STUDIO

- thinline archtop, double cutaway, bolt-on neck, 20 fret bound rosewood or stained beech fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, bound top and soundholes, four-on-one-side tuners, aluminum nut, zero fret, two single coil pickups, volume/tone con...

JOLANA SUPERSTAR Image

JOLANA SUPERSTAR

- offset double-cutaway body, bolt-on neck, 24-fret fretted or fretless rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, bound top, zero fret, two-per-side tuners, fixed bridge, two oversized humbucking pickups, three controls (two v, tone), thre...

JOLANA TYPHOON Image

JOLANA TYPHOON

- offset double-cutaway body, bolt-on maple neck, 20-fret fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, zero fret, two single coil pickups, floating bridge, black or white pickguard, four-on-one-side tuners, volume control, four flip switches, chrome h...

JOLANA VIKOMT Image

JOLANA VIKOMT

- similar to the Iris, except has one pickup and slightly different cosmetics, bass equivalent of Vikomt guitar, available in Red, Orange, Blue, White, or Sunburst finish, mfg. circa 1970s.