What is this? Teisco?

[agentkri]

Hi!

I recently bought this awesome electric guitar, made in Japan. It is still playable, and sounds very good, but it needs some repair work (pickups aren't wired up properly, neck needs some work). The guy who sold it told me it was a Teisco, but wasn't 100% sure. I don't have a clue about the model, haven't seen this one before on the internet...

Can anyone help me identify my new (old) guitar?

Here she is:




Uploaded with

[VintAxe]

Hey agentkri.

Your guitar was built by Kawai after they merged with Teisco in 1967. I generally refer to these instruments as Teisco/Kawai although yours has more Kawai elements than Teisco.

Here is a quick overview of the merger if you are interested:


Based on the pickups, slider switches and clamshell tremolo unit I would say it was built in the late 1960's.

[Spud1950]

Looks like a Kawai/Teisco merger model to me also, or as someone on another forum recently referred to them, a Kaweisco.

[agentkri]

Thanks for the response, much appreciated!

Is there any model designation, or are there no official model numbers or names available for the Teisco/Kawai guitars of this era?

Another question: the pickups only transmit sounds in full volume when i touch them with my finger. When I touch the pickups, without playing, they produce a very loud buzzing sound. It seems like the guitar only work properly when my body forms a connection between the pups and strings. What could be the reason for this? Faulty wiring? Malfunctioning input jack?

[mrblanche]

Bad grounds, probably.

Start by checking the output jack to be sure that there are two wires attached to it, and that the output signal is going to the contact on the tip of the plug. Reversed wires there can lead to a weak signal with a lot of buzz.

Then be sure all the wires are properly connected to the volume and tone controls and the pickup selector switch. A missing ground in any step can cause a real problem.

And lastly, the strings should all be grounded through the bridge, which should have a ground wire to one of the grounds on the pots or selector switch.

[DeMontGuitars.com]

[linutisp]

I have something similar in excellent condition.