Teisco on CL

[unworthy]

Teiscos from this era can really suck, but this sure looks cool.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/2067618059.html

Check out that laminated neck!

 

D

[GomezAddams1]

I learned to play on the cheap version of that model (one pickup, no whammy).

 

It was pretty bad.

[bluesnapper]

Looks cool. I love odd guitars. Are you thinking about getting it? Even if it plays like ass, it's one to hang on the wall and look at!

[mrbrown49]

I have almost that same guitar. It's the same shape, color, and hardware, but the knobs, switchs and pickgaurd are a different.

 

Really fun surf sounds. I actually really dig the sound of those pickups. Through a tube amp with lush verb and light trem it's a great sound. But those necks are god aweful and the truss rod is really weak. If it's far out of whack it may be difficult to impossible to correct. I've had the project to make a new neck for it in the back of my mind but haven't gotten around to it.

[WRGKMC]

I got one of those two my drummer picked up in a pawn shop for $10. Those were toy beginner guitars when they were sold out of catalogs in the 60/70s and time hasnt made them any better. Sears sold the one pickup for $19, the two pickup for $29 and the whopping three pickup for $39. That was very expensive for a toy guitar in the mid 60s, but I can say I wanted one of those bad back then. A year later I wound up buying a vintage Vox semi hollobody for $30 used. There was no comparison in quality especially since the Xox had all the onboard electronics in it which was super cool.

 

The neck on the Teisco i have is fine, but to play the thing it just feels super cheezy, because it is cheezy as hell. Some may get a kick outta that, I dont know. I know theres guys who have whole websites on them. Teisco also branded their guitar Pam and Heit all made by Teisco. When you consider a beginners squier made today, there is no comparison in quality. Those teiscos are what originally gave the japaneese a bad name in instrument building. They have some cooler designs for sure, but they're all junk/toys in my book. I'm surprised they get what they do for them now. Guess all the good vintage stuff is so hard to get now, it makes the toy guitar market go up in cost.

[mrbrown49]

 

I got one of those two my drummer picked up in a pawn shop for $10. Those were toy beginner guitars when they were sold out of catalogs in the 60/70s and time hasnt made them any better. The neck on mine if fine, but to play the thing it just feels cheezy as hell, because it is cheezy as hell. Some may get a kick outta that, but when you consider a beginners squier made today, there is no comparison in quality. Those teiscos are what originally gave the japaneese a bad name in instrument building. They have some cooler designs for sure, but they're all junk/toys in my book. I'm surprised they get what they do for them now. Guess all the good vintage stuff is so hard to get now, it makes the toy guitar market go up in cost.

 

 

Spot on, but I don't know of any modern pickups that have the sound of some of those teisco pups. That is THE reason to get one IMO but only if you really dig the lofi, low output quality those things have.

 

Everything else is garbage. Bad pots and switches, tuners are terrible, the body is the thinnest guitar I've ever seen, and the necks are pretty bad. Sure some have been kept playable but most i've come across aren't.

 

Like I said before, I love having it and love the sound but I need to make a neck for it and upgrade the tuners and electronics (sands pups) before it's really worth playing. I actually like the tiny, thin, light body so I'll probably work with that. As a way of practicing guitar body making I think I want to try and clone that too, but out of nicer wood, and a bit thicker. Then mount the old pups on it just to see the results. Be a long while before i get around to that.

[d_dave_c]

That's in really good shape for one of those, but it still might play like {censored}.

 

Shame how he ranks his kids, but I guess it's good to have a backup.

[WRGKMC]

 

Spot on, but I don't know of any modern pickups that have the sound of some of those teisco pups. That is THE reason to get one IMO but only if you really dig the lofi, low output quality those things have. Everything else is garbage. Bad pots and switches, tuners are terrible, the body is the thinnest guitar I've ever seen, and the necks are pretty bad. Sure some have been kept playable but most i've come across aren't. Like I said before, I love having it and love the sound but I need to make a neck for it and upgrade the tuners and electronics (sands pups) before it's really worth playing. I actually like the tiny, thin, light body so I'll probably work with that. As a way of practicing guitar body making I think I want to try and clone that too, but out of nicer wood, and a bit thicker. Then mount the old pups on it just to see the results. Be a long while before i get around to that.

 

 

They're making the foil replacements here and there now. Find them on Ebay all the time. Its a simple single coil design and really a garbage build when you open them up. I dont think the pups have a very unique sound at all.

 

You could put just about any single coil in there and its going to sound close. I dont buy into all the hype seller stick out there about those pups being really cool and special, its all bullcrap. If anything Its more like the only good selling point they have to sell the thing with and people just go along with it not wanting to challange the fact that its junk.

 

Its surely not the laminated neck or the great fretwork, or the way the neck sticks up above the body by an inch and a half because the body is too thin, or the thing wont sit in a stand right so you have to hang it, or the high quality tuners, or world class name, in fact maybe those cheezy pups are real good in comparison to every thing else, or maybe its how everyone laughs when you strap one on.

 

To me though its like saying a Yugo was a great car because it had good tires. Doesnt matter if you can jog faster then the car will roll. The tires are great looking and can really take those high speed turns at 5 Mph.

 

I guess saying its just luckey the pickups can make sound is a better way of putting it. And having it make sound back then was just what it was all about for a young kid.

 

 

One thing for sure they sure sold a buttload of them cause the sears and ward catalogs were the only game in town for many who lived outside a major city.

 

 

Sorry for being sarcastic here and no offence to teisco owners, Like I said I have one too, but I tend see things for what they're worth. Its a toy guitar thats all. A good christmas present for a niece or nephue who wants to learn to play. For adults who think theyre great, I'll hold of my suggestions, I've said enough.

[mrbrown49]

I dont think the pups have a very unique sound at all. You could put just about any single coil in there and its going to sound close. I dont buy into all the hype seller stick out there about those pups being really cool and special, its all bullcrap. If anything Its more like the only good selling point they have to sell the thing with and people just go along with it not wanting to challange the fact that its junk.

 

I don't agree at all.

[WRGKMC]

I need to make a neck for it and upgrade the tuners and electronics (sands pups) before it's really worth playing. I actually like the tiny, thin, light body so I'll probably work with that. As a way of practicing guitar body making I think I want to try and clone that too, but out of nicer wood, and a bit thicker. Then mount the old pups on it just to see the results. Be a long while before i get around to that.

 

So lets see, the neck the tuners, the body and electronics get canned. I guess you keep the strap buttons, string tree, and pickguard. Kinda sounds like everything gets replaced except the pickups? Think thats kind of the point I made in a round about way.

 

Truely the pickups arent that bad. I have a few in a drawer I pulled from a semihollobody teisco. They're an oddball size for sure. I put dog eared P90s in there instead for a casino sound. They barely fit in the holes which were quite long.

[mrbrown49]

So lets see, the neck the tuners, the body and electronics get canned. I guess you keep the strap buttons, string tree, and pickguard. Kinda sounds like everything gets replaced except the pickups? Think thats kind of the point I made in a round about way. Truely the pickups arent that bad. I have a few in a drawer I pulled from a semihollobody teisco. They're an oddball size for sure. I put dog eared P90s in there instead for a casino sound. They barely fit in the holes which were quite long.

 

Oh they definitely aren't quality. To some the pups sound like {censored}, and they actually kinda do. But it's a kind of filthy {censored} that I really like for some reason. And a rare player can be found making replacement a non issue. Given the looks of the pics in the OPs listing that one has a shot of turning out that way. I'd probably invest in a new set of tuners even if everything else was fine but it's not totally necessary. The stocks just feel stiff and have a bunch of slop and a bad ratio. I found a better set for about forty bucks that would've worked when I was researching it.

 

Unfortunately mine turned out to have neck issues, which many do. In my case since I already have it and the tools, some of the knowledge, and most of the spare parts so it's worth it for me to rebuild the thing. Partly for the learning experience, and partly because I truly enjoyed the sound. Not everyone's gonna wanna do that though so these guitars should be approached with caution. Especially considering things like the bridges, trems etc can't be easily replaced with an exact replacement.

 

I guess it boils down to this for me. When you find a good one they can be interesting and fun guitars. Even ones that look good on the surface may need some work to make playable. And a bad one probably isn't worth the time unless you are looking at doing some serious work like building a replacement neck as I'm planning.

[WRGKMC]

Yea if you pick them up for cheap they are a great guitar for practicing some modding. Mine has a good neck but It could use new frets. I may do that and then pop some big humbuckers or something in there and really punk the thing out. Make it killer for tone and then pull it out as a spoof.

 

I've done this to crap guitars before and made them appear to be a junker but its actually a stelf hot rod. Its kind of fun when you do a jam jam night and some a guys got the latest and greatest and cant play the thing, so instead of pulling out your best, you grab something cheezy that kicks ass. The crowd usually gets a kick out of it too cause you need to put alot more showmanship into playing it well.

[cratz2]

That exact guitar was my first electric. But mine didn't have that varied of a neck and had three pickups. Everything else was the same... same color, same pickguard, trem (but no bar).

 

I used to plug it into our old console stereo (tubes, even!) and play along with The Ventures and Sandy Nelson.

 

It was a horrible, horrible experience and mine only had two strings for almost a year.

 

 

Good times... well, good times that are best forgotten.

 

It's not nearly as 'cool' but I bought this guitar a few months ago as a semi throwback to my Teisco. It's a Taiwanese Harmony that plays roughly eleventy fifty and a half times better than my Teisco did.

 

[Kid Klash]

Those are truely horrible playing guitars. The dime store in my home town sold those for $49 new back in the 60's (the single pup version was $39, the triple pup version was $59). One of the worst attempts at making a trem that I've ever seen - they WILL NOT stay in tune. Great for a $10 wall decoration and that's it IMHO.

[cratz2]

 

Those are truely horrible playing guitars. The dime store in my home town sold those for $49 new back in the 60's (the single pup version was $39, the triple pup version was $59). One of the worst attempts at making a trem that I've ever seen - they WILL NOT stay in tune. Great for a $10 wall decoration and that's it IMHO.

 

 

They are going up in value and have been for a number of years.

 

I doubt he'd sell it for less than $150 in that condition.

[Kid Klash]

 

They are going up in value and have been for a number of years. I doubt he'd sell it for less than $150 in that condition.

 

 

Good luck to anyone thinking of playing it! I can't think of another guitar series that made more kids quit playing during the garage rock boom of the 60's. Truely a steaming pile amongst "vintage" japanese guitars. It might be playable as a slide guitar, as long as the trem was stabilized.

[SPONGEBOB]

cool looking, vibey, mojo etc.. However they really are unplayable crap.. I love them and have owned and sold dozens, but they are wall hangers.. A $25 used First Act from a pawn shop, is light years ahead... Take it from somebody that has a soft spot for those old MIJ beauties,, They are useless as players... bob

[tiltsta]

I never really got the love for these guitars. The few I played were pretty cruddy guitars. I guess I can get that some people dig the 60's lo fi kind of thing, but to me they just sounded bad and played poorly. Anyway, if it is your kind of thing, go for it.