Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Any Tiesco experts here? (warning, guitar content)


leschirons
 Share

Recommended Posts

Got this not too long ago. It would seem to be a Tiesco EG1 however, the headstock suggests another model called a Montaya but I can't find anything with the same trem.

 

So, if anyone has any ideas as to what it actually is (I've been through 100s of images on Google) I'd appreciate ant ideas. And it's strung for a leftie I know.

 

Thanks,

20210930_215944.jpg

Edited by leschirons
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

@Bassassin should be along with all the info you need.

 

However it looks like a "Woolies Special" to me.

I agree, the pickup looks just the same as the pair on my first guitar - an 'Audition' which cost £19.00 new from the local Woolworths.  Several other parts of it are also the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

@leschirons it may be an optical illusion, but does you guitar have both a truss-rod cover at the head and an adjustment wheel at the base of the neck?

Hi,

No, not an optical illusion, but also not a truss-rod cover. It's an aluminium sticker that says "Steel reinforced adjustable neck"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IIRC the Teisco connection is entirely wishful thinking on the part of people with these guitars to sell.

 

Back in the early 70s when Woolworths was selling the "Audition" branded versions of this guitar they were priced at £19.99 and TBH that was a bit overpriced. I think they are only rare today because despite being manufactured in huge quantities most of them ended up in the bin when their owners either moved on a decent guitar, or gave up because they were so unplayable.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine was subject to the usual brutal treatment a teenager is likely to submit a guitar to, but ended up in the hands of a school friend who was a far better guitarist than I was, and he managed to get it sounding pretty good. I'll have to ask if he still has it (or any bits of it).

I think mine was bought from Woolies late 1973 or thereabouts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, BigRedX said:

@Bassassin should be along with all the info you need.

 

However it looks like a "Woolies Special" to me.

I have very scant knowledge of 60s era MIJ guitars other than what I've picked up peripherally, or from Frank Meyers' excellent History Of Japanese Electric Guitars book. However I know enough to be very confident it's not a Teisco - apart from in the sense that somehow every wonky little 60s/70s starter guitar's somehow a Teisco...

 

3 hours ago, leschirons said:

Someone has just sent me this. It seems it's called a Tiesco Norma EG300

Tiesco Norma EG300.jpg


Norma maybe, Teisco, nah. A bit of digging uncovered this, apparently from 1972:

image.thumb.png.0087ac0f2a01f581b6ba2b403475f9c2.png

 

The 'National' bass second from the right is a Sakai - and after consulting the aforementioned Big Frank's Useful Book, so, it would seem, is the wonky little guitar next to it.

 

So yes - despite knowing borderline bugger-all about old tat like this, a bit of detectiving estabishes the guitar in question appears to be a Sakai. Norma's a US brand name & as it's unbranded, it seems reasonable to call it a Sakai EG300, as Sakai Mokko was a manufacturer. Unless...

 

Curiously, there are several versions of the Sakai bass design, some of which are Korean, not Japanese. It's not unrealistic to assume versions of the guitar were also made in Korea or elsewhere - there are minor differences (the pickup being one) from the one in the catalogue. This type of guitar continued to be made in Korean & Taiwanese factories through the 70s & into the 80s.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone for the interesting input. 

 

I got this to use for slide so I'll definitely carry on sorting it out for that purpose. It actually has quite a nice dirty tone to it so, for the £3 it cost at the council tip shop, result.

 

Was just interested to find out what it actually was, so thanks

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Given it's origins it would almost certainly sported an "Audition" logo when new.

 

To be fair apart from the missing vibrato arm and the broken tone tone knob it looks in pretty good condition - certainly compared to all the ones I was able to find photographs of. So unless the back is suffering from major buckle rash it might be worth looking for proper parts to replace the missing and broken ones and keeping it in close to "original" condition.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Holy random angles Batman!! 😁

 

Looks to be the same pickup (albeit with a black cover rather than white) that was in Robert Smiths first guitar, a Woolworths Top 20. He liked the tone so much that when convinced to buy a Fender Jazzmaster, he installed the pickup from the Top 20 in it between the two original pickups. 

 

It should be great as a slide guitar. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...