anyone know what this is?

[brad barron]

Hey guys - i usually post over in the acoustic build area but have an electric question. I am generally a solid body idiot so lots of people smarter than me here - hopefully you can help.

i just picked up a cheap guitar and amp to play on vacation this summer at the beach. I'm hoping somebody can help me identify what it is. Not looking to sell - just curious.

The guitar is a baseball neck single pickup guitar with no branding. The only marking on it is Japan" on the bolt on neck and also inside where someone wrote "Boobie" on the cavity and pickup - i guess to keep from getting stolen. There is also a quality control stamp on the inside of the pickguard. Has open 6 in line tuners. The bridge is a weird wooden tuneomatic type deal - never seen something like that before. The guy in the shop didn't know much about it except it is a "japan guitar" from "like the 60s or 70s man ..."

In any case, it sounds great. It actually sounds like i have a reverb pedal too but I just have a micro terror Orange amp here at the beach. (very fun basic tube amp btw).

I posted pics at this link. Take a look and let me know if you know anything about it.

thx!

Brad

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30443412@N08/

[Art Davila]

I think the stamp shows the date of manufacture
40.10.8

But that seems wrong as the style looks more 60ish.

[Greg Robinson]

I would guess Teisco, could also be early Ibanez, but there were all sorts of different un-branded guitars coming out of Japan in the 60's and 70's, a lot from the same factory's under different labels. I've worked on some very similar un-branded guitars. They can be a pain to get setup nicely, but they can be great instruments once you do. Nice score!

[Greg Robinson]

A lot of guitars with that headstock and string retainer were branded as "Saturn", but as to who the OEM was (it was a re-brand), that's up for speculation.
I've also seen similar ones labeled Silvertone, Guyatone, Tulip, Kay... the list goes on.

[brad barron]

I would guess Teisco, could also be early Ibanez, but there were all sorts of different un-branded guitars coming out of Japan in the 60's and 70's, a lot from the same factory's under different labels. I've worked on some very similar un-branded guitars. They can be a pain to get setup nicely, but they can be great instruments once you do. Nice score!

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm lucky that the setup was pretty good as is. Really didn't have to do anything to it. At $125 out the door - I lucked out!

[Ben Castellana]

A quick internet search suggests that this is a Kawai S-70, circa 1963. Here is an image link: http://www.steinhauer-gitarren.de/gitarren.html

[Bob Francis]

Nice find Ben

[brad barron]

A quick internet search suggests that this is a Kawai S-70, circa 1963. Here is an image link: http://www.steinhauer-gitarren.de/gitarren.html

Wow! You guys are awesome. Thanks!

[Ed Gerber]

The manufacture date is according to Japanese years = Showa 40, 10th month, 8th day. Showa 40 = 1965.

Ed