Tiesco lap steel???

Joel Newman · Post by **Joel Newman** » 6 Apr 2005 7:48 pm

My very 1st guitar was a Tiesco,it was a terrible piece of crap, but of course I loved it at the time, I mean heck, it had a faux bigsby,(pull up on it the slightest bit and the spring falls out and rolls under the couch) . . .So I stumbled across this on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=621&item=7313552092&rd=1
I was rather shocked at the price,why would you spend. . .I mean who would ask for. ..??? Is there something I'm missing here? Could it possibly be the missing link of laps?

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 6 Apr 2005 9:18 pm

Ah, Joel, Teisco is very dear to my heart!
I own two of them from the early '50's.

The e bay guitar is grossly over priced.
I don't believe any of their models are worth that.

The workmanship on Teisco steel guitars is mediocre. Still, they don't sound bad.

In fact I really like the tone of my 1953 Double Neck.
My first guitar was also a Teisco and recently I purchased a beater of the same model on e bay.
It took a rebuild to get it going but it plays fine now.
However, it is only a 19" scale. Pretty small guitar and not much sustain in the upper registers.
There are some floating around the states.
I think most were brought back by the military.
Have never seen any evidence that the steel guitars were actually imported to the states.
Blake

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 7 Apr 2005 12:07 am

I adore Teisco guitars, they have a sound all their own and though they weren't exactly high quality instruments they have a personality to them, for sure. I never played a lap steel from them, but that one looks like a lot of fun- too bad the seller is completely insane. I'd pay about $250.

Joel Newman · Post by **Joel Newman** » 7 Apr 2005 6:41 am

ok, Tanx gents . . it's good to know I'm not the crazy one . . .(although I guess that's debatable)

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 7 Apr 2005 7:04 am

Yep, Keith,
That's about the right price.

Blake

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 7 Apr 2005 9:04 am

Here is a Teisco that I played in Korea in 1959!

www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 07 April 2005 at 10:08 AM.]

Richard Couch · Post by **Richard Couch** » 7 Apr 2005 9:57 am

I love a good bottom feeder and Teisco takes the cake...

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 7 Apr 2005 1:04 pm

LONG LIVE BOTTOM FEEDERS

Merle Kekuku made great music with his teeny Teisco 6 (a sudden neccesary buy after his steel was ripped on flight to Japan).
Billy Gibbons snags 'em when he finds 'em.

Some of them sound good, and all of them look crazy.
Good enuf for me.

After missing out on a nice and long sought after Epi 'Rocco', I'm gonna sooth that anguish by snagging THE oddest looking steel I've ever seen.
A huge long scale console Teisco dbl. 8 w/2 per neck gold metal flake PU covers and a body that is WAY melted (factory designed!).
This 'thing' looks like it has some serious sounds waiting to be unleashed. Whether that's good or bad will soon be known.

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 7 Apr 2005 3:44 pm

Gene, Good picture! I have one just like that.
I bought mine from the Teisco factory in
Tokyo, in 1953. It is model "EG-NW."

Blake

Kunihiko Suzuki · Post by **Kunihiko Suzuki** » 7 Apr 2005 6:40 pm

Here is a Teisco Lap Steel being sold in Japan. (38,000 Yen, Roughly $360) I never played Teisco Steel, I wish I could afford this one.
http://www.genu.co.jp/photos/Teiscolap.jpg

Teisco is still making guitars (but not steels.) I own one called Spectrum 5 which is truly fantastic guitar.
http://www.kawai.co.jp/teisco/top.html [This message was edited by Kunihiko Suzuki on 07 April 2005 at 07:57 PM.]

Bill Blacklock · Post by **Bill Blacklock** » 7 Apr 2005 6:41 pm

Ry Cooder has a Teisco pick up in the neck position of his 60s Strat. The same pick up (Teisco Gold Foil) sold today on e-bay for $60. US.

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 7 Apr 2005 10:11 pm

Nice to know they are still in business.
When I visited the "factory" in 1953 it was in 4 or 5 little rooms with maybe 10 employees.
Each worker could do multiple jobs and so when they made lap steels, everybody would work on them.
A few days later they might be building amps and the same workers would be assembling
the electronics.
They were located near Bando Bashi in Tokyo.
I've seen a number of different designed steels from them, rarely the same one twice.
Blake

Joel Newman · Post by **Joel Newman** » 8 Apr 2005 5:16 am

Wow! I had no idea they were still in the biz.Tanx for that link Kunihiko . . .

J J Harmon · Post by **J J Harmon** » 8 Apr 2005 5:33 am

I have a Strad-o-lyn. Is that a Tiesco? It looks like these w/same switches and has three legs. Bought it for my Dad for $100.

Kunihiko Suzuki · Post by **Kunihiko Suzuki** » 8 Apr 2005 5:08 pm

Gentlemen, thank you for your fantastic stories. I was born in 1967 when Teisco was taken over by Kawai music (that's what I learned,) so I really donft know the background of Teisco company. I've heard that Kawai is reproducing Teisco brand guitars with complete fidelity, so my understanding is that they are Teisco guitars. There is a company named Teisco Industry that is making some guitar parts, furniture, and some types of machines. I think it is a very confusing story.

David Phillips · Post by **David Phillips** » 9 Apr 2005 3:54 pm

I have a two tone gray Teisco eight string with a white fret board and serial number 59.
I really like this guitar as sounds good and looks great with an art deco design.

Richard Shatz · Post by **Richard Shatz** » 16 Apr 2005 10:35 am

Is this a Teisco?
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/r_shatz/detail?.dir=6ada&.dnm=e01c.jpg&.src=ph

Paul Arntson · Post by **Paul Arntson** » 16 Apr 2005 11:55 am

Man, it's gotta be. Nobody else did quite that thing with the chrome on the bridge!

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 16 Apr 2005 7:48 pm

I agree with Paul, from the shape and the chrome work, it sure looks like Teisco made it.
Blake

Kunihiko Suzuki · Post by **Kunihiko Suzuki** » 16 Apr 2005 8:04 pm

These pictures might give us a clue? The last one is very very Japanese, in my opinion.
http://ysfc.weblogs.jp/chronofile/images/teisco_40s02.html http://ysfc.weblogs.jp/chronofile/images/teisco54_egnl.html http://ysfc.weblogs.jp/chronofile/images/teisco_54_ega.html http://ysfc.weblogs.jp/chronofile/images/teisco54_egr.html http://ushigomepan.cool.ne.jp/photo/guitar/teisco8b/01.html http://ushigomepan.cool.ne.jp/photo/guitar/teiscotgh/01.html

Paul Arntson · Post by **Paul Arntson** » 16 Apr 2005 9:49 pm

Wonderful pictures, Suzuki-san!

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 16 Apr 2005 10:00 pm

Pretty cool alright!

------------------
55" Fender Stringmaster T8, 54" Fender Champion, Carter D-10, two Oahu laps, two National laps, and two Resonators

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 17 Apr 2005 4:43 am

Yes, very fine pictures.
The people at Teisco were certainly very creative.
They made many different models and their steels are like no other.
Blake

Kunihiko Suzuki · Post by **Kunihiko Suzuki** » 17 Apr 2005 9:07 am

They are beautiful steels indeed. The first four Teisco steels are owned by Kurita-san, and the last two are owned by Ushigome-san from Japan. How I envy them!