Anyone know anything about 1960s Teisco Guitars?

[Brow]

Hey guys.

My girlfriends Dad bought the guitar below new in the 60s and has asked me to try and find out more about it.

The only identifying marks on it that I can see is the Teisco logo on the headstock, I've not found anything else.

I've tried a few Google searches and haven't come up with too much specific info; just that Teisco manufactured guitars under many different brand names and the same guitar could be called different model names depending on which particular brand it was sold as.

Thought I'd post it here incase anyone can shed any light on it









Thanks for any info anyone can offer.

Craig

[JJretroTONEGOD]

It is without doubt a Teisco TG-64 manufactured in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. I got the info from wikipedia and then checking your photos against google images, it has a really distinctive headstock, I love the look of the guitar. link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teisco

the teisco catalogue from 64' http://web.archive.org/web/20110710232711/http://teiscotone.web.fc2.com/shiryoukan/catalogue/teisco1964.html

The company seemed to go bust and are apparently collectable.

I've got to admit I hadn't heard of them before your post.

[Philly Q]

I remember reading quite a lot about wacky '60s Japanese guitars in old issues of Guitar Player, there was a particular guy (Dan Forte, aka "Teisco Del Rey") who used to write a regular column about them, shame it ended.

Here's an interesting looking site:

http://www.mark-cole.co.uk/teisco/

Anyway, it's a very cool find.  I always loved that headstock shape, I think I even tried to design a custom guitar once using something similar.  And of course the "monkey grip" predates the Ibanez Jem by 20-odd years.  :D

[Dave Sloven]

The headstock shape reminds me of the ones on those Doraemon guitars with the on-board amp and speaker that they sell in Japan!

Now we know where Ibanez got that idea from for the Jem!

[Kiichi]

The headstock shape reminds me of the ones on those Doraemon guitars with the on-board amp and speaker that they sell in Japan!

Now we know where Ibanez got that idea from for the Jem!

I think the Jem monkeygrip came from Vai, not Ibanez, no?

Anyhow, strange guitar, but has an interresting vibe about it.

[Andrew W]

Vintage Guitar magazine is always a good source of properly scholarly articles on the old and the weird. They did a two part history of Teisco:

http://www.vintageguitar.com/1745/teisco-guitars-part-i/

http://www.vintageguitar.com/1746/teisco-guitars-part-ii/

By the way, I love that guitar of your girlfriend's dad's, really really cool.

[Philly Q]

None of us has asked:  How does it play and sound, if indeed it works at all?

[Brow]

Thanks for all the info guys.

I had come across the model names of TG-64/Del Ray ET-320 during my google searches, but they all seemed to look different to each other with controls in different places etc that I wasn't sure if it was 1 of those or not  :lol:

None of us has asked:  How does it play and sound, if indeed it works at all?

It plays awfully, and the electronics barely work due to dust as it's just been left in lofts and cupboards for the best part of 50 years since he bought it new, so not really fair to judge it's sound either really. I might take the scratchplate off and give all of the electronics a really good clean out so I know what it actually sounds like.

About 6 or 7 years ago he re-discovered it again in the loft whilst having a clear out and I re-strung it for him and gave it a clean. His plan was that he was going to play it a bit whilst he was at home off work with cancer, but I don't think he ever bothered and it's just sat in a wardrobe until yesterday when I dug it out for the pics  :lol:

I think he might be thinking about selling it, I can't really think of any other reason he'd out of the blue ask me to dig some info up on it.

[WezV]

Thanks for all the info guys.

I had come across the model names of TG-64/Del Ray ET-320 during my google searches, but they all seemed to look different to each other with controls in different places etc that I wasn't sure if it was 1 of those or not  :lol:

they do vary massively, even body shape on things that are supposedly the same model - almost like they were making it all up as they went along. break a template. no worries, reshape it slightly and start again

they are not worth much.   ones with gold foil pickups tend to go for a bit more

I sued to have a few ncluding the original version of this - which was a top of the line teisco
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Teisco-Kawai-SPB200-Spectrum-Bass-Reissue-/300930685657?pt=Guitar&hash=item4610dddad9

and a pair of these, one badged as top twenty, the other with no logo
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-1960s-Guyatone-LG-65t-Old-Electric-Guitar-project-teisco-m-i-j-/181171844972?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2a2eaef76c


the spectrum bass was pretty nicely built but the others were terrible.

[Elliot]

Here's one in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGa8cg_ABIc