Any idea what this used to be ?

O.K. this might not be the right forum for this, after all it has nothing to do with Westone or Matsumoku, but some of the....more....(ahem)....senior site members out there around the world might be able shed some light on THIS, which recently appeared on Fleabay UK.

As you can see the neck is clearly from a modern Squier and the owner has started making a body that suits the old hardware (not a bad effort IMHO). My question is what make of guitar are the pickguards and pick-ups where originally from ?

I love these quirky old guitars, they're so much more interesting than a straight copy of a normal guitar. I've checked around, but so far I've had no luck pin pointing any guitar or make with hardware like this. It reckon has to have been European or possibly Japanese from about early 60's?, but it is just a guess.

I think this would be amazing built up and finished properly, and a bit of a looker too. Very tempting .

So, any idea's ?

DAN.

I wouldn't even begin to guess!! Not really my thing, but what has been done seems to have been done very well and for £10, it'd be a good project...

Hi Dan

Interesting project you've found there. It's pressing a few memory buttons shape-wise but I can't help with specifics on the p/ups and scratch-plates.

Neck as you say is def. modern Tele-u-like. Body (I agree, not a bad effort) Fender Jaguar/ Mustang? The double pickguards remind me of the 60's Burns currently on a bit of a revival.

My first electric was a Burns Vista-Sonic with three Tri-Sonic p/ups (like Brian May used in the Red Special). It was well-played, needed a re-fret and a set-up (neither of which I could afford when I bought it at age 15). Sold it to pay the insurance on my first car

Hi Duofuzz,

The pickups and plates look to be Teisco or Kent in origin, made in Japan in the 60's. Bridge seems new. I would also sand down the body at the neck area.... Great project for a small price.... I like those.....

P.

Agree with Frenchy - its Teisco-ish - looks like a good deal for not much dough!!!

Thanks for the replies,

I've contacted the seller and he's under the same assumption as us, and thinks it was probably a 60's jap guitar. He added the strat type hardtail but I would imagine it would have originally had a cool, equally quirky trem.

Norfolkngood wrote:

My first electric was a Burns Vista-Sonic......Sold it to pay the insurance on my first car

Sorry for your loss mate! Man, that makes me want to cry and it wasn't even mine. Burns prices have went mental in the last 10 years.

There was an article in a magazine recently that Gibson may have painted a few Les Paul's back in '52/'53 with a two tone sunburst instead of the gold top finish, if true these could be mega rare. A guy wrote in with pic's of him holding his '52 sunburst LP he had bought back in the early 70's for £250 then sold on years later, DOH!
To add insult to injury another picture showed the Fender Nocaster he picked up for £100 and swapped for some PA gear . DOUBLE DOH!

DAN.