Mystery Encore

I wonder if any forum guitar sleuths recognise this Encore model. 
I can't find anything about it on the Internet, which is strange. I'm guessing that it would have been distributed by John Hornby Skewes; the only identification is a MOD2DR sticker on the back of the headstock and Encore on the other side. H/S/H as you can see, a locking trem and volume push/pull coil tap switch. And it's HEAVY at just under 5 kg!!! - I'd sure hate to play it standing up for more than five minutes. The build quality is pretty good and it doesn't have the 'starter' feel to it. I picked it up for £30.00 a couple of years ago with broken electrics, which took a while to fix.

https://2img.net/h/i147.photobucket.com/albums/r291/stevef_2007/EncoreMysteryGuitar001_zpseab6fbd8.jpg

https://2img.net/h/i147.photobucket.com/albums/r291/stevef_2007/EncoreMysteryGuitar002_zps4ab30c7e.jpg

'This may be a three-pipe solution, Watson.'

Looks interesting esseff.
Certainly the brand would appear to belong to JHS, but the design is something quite different from what they seem to have been promoting for the past few years. I'm wondering if it's either a limited run or perhaps a prototype?

I can remember these being advertised but not anything about them. Late 80's/early 90's if I remember correctly. It was about the time I was looking foe my "next level " guitar...I won't say it was when I bought my Ibanez RG as it'll start all the micky taking again....................oh bum! here we go......!

IBinHad?!

I have a similar one with the same shape, same hardware, but with two enclosed humbuckers and it's finished in a blue/green colour. Sadly the zinc trem block imploded on this one!

There is a gold sticker on the heel of the neck that reads "JHS-A7-2T". Not sure if that's an official model number or some sort of factory code?

I'll get some pics up tomorrow if it helps.

DAN.

Interesting comments, chordsters!
There's not much on the net about your model either, duoFuzz - I'd like to see the pics.
How do you like the neck?

I know that this is only adding to the problem, but I'm also trying to find more about one of these. Mine is exactly like the one you see if you search for  Obscure-Collectable-Guitar-A7-2T on ebay (no. this isn't my ad...)

and I'm unable to find anything about it on the net. I bought mine around '89 - '91 ish in either Chesterfield Derbyshire (UK), or from Carlsbro in Mansfield, Notts (UK). It was about £100, and though it doesn't get much action now, it always set up and played well and has always had a feel to it that belied it's cheapness. It has the skunk stripe neck, beautifully smooth, and has always had a pretty good tone to it, until muppet-head here dropped a mike stand down the front and snapped off the switch - which is what I'm now looking for!

If anyone can offer a suggestion for replacing the switch, I'd appreciate it. This does seem to be a true mystery guitar...

MrB

Sorry for such a late reply, I got a new job and have been rushed off my feet ever since! As promised over three weeks ago (), here are some pics.








The last pic shows what's left of the trem, including some of the shrapnel! The block is cast zinc and seems to deteriorate over time, it cracks around the screw holes and pulls itself apart. The only thing holding this one together was the trem arm bush. It's the second time I've seen this type of trem fall to pieces this way.

DAN.

Yikes!

Seen a few Encores with that FT-a-like bridge, if memory serves...its a direct fit for the FT.

Been lurking on this forum for a while and only registered last night...having a dig around and found this. Major coincidence because I was trying to find the origins of my old Encore a couple of months back and I found next to nothing too - they can't have made very many of them.

Mine's the same body shape and same colour as esseff's, but has a strat-type non-locking trem, no middle pickup and a different control layout, but it's basically the same guitar. Same dot inlays and headstock shape too.

I'm 99% sure the body is plywood, so that explains the ridiculous weight  

Quite nice to play for such a "budget" guitar though, although it sounds a bit thin.

Mine used to have the small round "inspected by" sticker on the back of the headstock just like esseff's, but I peeled it off years ago. Don't remember it ever having anything else to identify it.

The A7-2T was the closest I found online, but the body shape looks slightly different and it has those sharkfin inlays rather than the dots.

Maybe they're both collectible 

Collectable!!??..

even dust needs a place to lay...lol
Thats 2 - 0 on the trem front Duofuzz.
Need shares in the company if you break another one ;-)

It's definitely too much of a piece of crap to be collectable 

Please! Let us have some decorum.
The correct term is "Poo".

A rose by any other name?  

I must find time to post about my Thunders in "Members' Westones" to prove I do own a couple of decent guitars as well as the Encore...