can anyone help id my unknown strat

[rmac1267]

hi hope someone can tell me where this guitar was made and hopefully the model
if i was to have a guess id say japanese prob early 70s
the only name as such is what can be seen on the headstock which says jazz, i have reserched a bit but all i can find is jazzmaster which is a bass
but nothing for a 6 string strat
i can tell you it all solid body no ply the bridge and saddle look like some ive seen on other jap guitars
its got the sweetest pickups ive heard in a long time everything original thats why id love to put a name to it
any info would be greatly appreciated

http://s1021.photobucket.com/albums/af337/rmac1267/

[mrblanche]

It screams "Teisco" to me...

Now watch how quickly I'm shot down!

[VintAxe]

Hi all.

I wouldn't presume to shoot you down mrblanche but the strat doesn't look like the Teisco branded strat we looked at a few months ago.

Here is that old thread:


The trem setup really seems out of place on this guitar. That trem unit style was used on Kawai's and Kay's in the mid 1960's. The bridge is also very primitive compared to the typical Japanese strat copy.

So, rmac1267, I agree with you that the guitar was likely built before 1975 but I still have no clue who built it. I'll look around a bit more when I get some time and see if I can find any Japanese builders using that trem unit in the 1970's.

[Bassassin]

This is interesting, it's very similar to some of the "Satellite" branded Strat copies that come up in the UK - these have the same authentically-copied body/headstock shape & pickups, and also similar primitive-looking 60s type hardware. Annoyingly I can't find a picture of one!

Anyway I seem to remember these having sunburst bodies, probably plywood, rather than the timber this one has. I can't be certain, having never had my hands on one in the flesh, but if they're like other Satellites I've owned or worked on, they are Korean-built.

The Korean guitar industry seemed to be about 5 years behind Japan in the 70s, so it's fairly common to see quite dated-looking hardware & design on mid 70s Korean instruments. Does this guitar have Made In Japan on the neckplate? If not, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what it is.

Jon.

[rmac1267]

thanks for your input guys, i have removed the scratchplate to see if i could get any name or some sort of id but no luck
also regarding the neck backplate theres no name or stamp to be found
it looks like its still a mystery for now hopefully with a bit more research
i might get lucky with a makers name
either way its still a cool sounding guitar

[daan]

The bridge/tremolo makes me think of those "GI or Servicemen guitars", the fake Fender products sold to dudes during Vietnam (info here) http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... f=9&t=1397
and http://www.jimshine.com/phillipino/viet ... copies.htm
My Dad bought a guitar in the late 60s that had a really cheesy bridge like the one above, we took it apart to try and fix it back in the 80s when I started trying to play and figured out the body was made from about 90 pieces of mystery wood glued together like a "butcher block" table.

[rmac1267]

thanks daan some interesting info there but i dont think this is made by the same people, granted it does have the cheesy bridge and strange looking tremolo cover but this is a solid unit.
the body is 3 piece solid ash as well as neck and fingerboard, the pickguard is the proper 3 layer plastic just my thought anyway

[DeMontGuitars.com]