Guyatone & Teisco

Kunihiko Suzuki · Post by **Kunihiko Suzuki** » 25 Sep 2005 6:41 pm

I would like to share Japanese steel photos, they should be rare. Again, some photos were on Yahoo Japan Auction. Please take a look. Arigatou.

Guyatone. The pickups look like Teisco Gold Foil, but I believe they are different.

Guyatone. I had never seen a single body with 4 legs.

Guyatone. Is this a pedal steel?

Made in 50s Teisco.

Made in 60s Teisco. One pickup version existed (exists.)

50s Teisco. I believe this plastic covered pickup was typical 50s Teisco and installed in both guitars and steels. Anyway, it is cool.

Unknown. The seller insisted that it was made in Japan. The pickup and metal plate look like old Guyatone. This might be a homemade steel. Does anyone know?

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 25 Sep 2005 7:07 pm

very cool lookin guitars Kunihiko. I've always liked guitars from the 50's and 60's

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

[This message was edited by Andy Sandoval on 25 September 2005 at 08:08 PM.]

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 25 Sep 2005 11:15 pm

Most GUYATONE have those nuisance rocker switches of which I tell my students to disengage them permanently. They are usually positioned wrongly and become far too easy for the picking hand to accidently set one off...literally. The guitar can go dead in the middle of a solo !

Jeff Strouse · Post by **Jeff Strouse** » 26 Sep 2005 5:20 am

Nice pictures!

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 26 Sep 2005 9:39 am

There is more than one Guyatone floating around in the world. All those switches and knobs do have a purpose and with the right settings with those doo dads, can produce a pedal steel sound.

I play mine with a 40s & 50s horn dance band and have never had a problem with the the switches hanging up on my cuffs (we have to wear a tux). The only time I have ever had a problem with no sound was malfunctioning wiring in my volume pedal and it happened right in the middle of a gig.

I have no idea what year mine is but it most certainly has a beautiful tone when it is played properly. The only thing I would change on it is a second PU on the second neck.

------------------
(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)
[This message was edited by Les Anderson on 26 September 2005 at 10:45 AM.]

Bryan Bradfield · Post by **Bryan Bradfield** » 27 Sep 2005 9:56 am

Mr. Suzuki,

I like the yellow, or mustard coloured Teisco, resting on its carton, or box. I don't think I've never seen a steel guitar with 3 pick-ups.

The amazing thing that you are showing all of us around the world is the large number of different designs of guitars available from Japan. There were, and are, I suppose, many choices for the guitarist.[This message was edited by Bryan Bradfield on 27 September 2005 at 10:56 AM.]

Kunihiko Suzuki · Post by **Kunihiko Suzuki** » 27 Sep 2005 10:08 am

Here is an old Guyatone ad. Steel guitars must have been yet mainstream.

Late 70s Guyatone catalog still showed steels, but it seems that those steels were not well advertised anymore. By the way Supro-like electric guitar is called LG-880, it is considered a semi-legendary electric guitar in Japan.

Guyatone was making limited number of steels during 90s, but they finished making them. I guess a few stores that have the steels in stock are still selling them.

Thanks all!