All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. This article originally appeared in Vintage Guitar Classics No. As the ’70s dawned, the emphasis shifted to copying successful American instruments and consolidating market share.
The Spectrum 5 – along with a few other collectible guitars like the Yamaha SG series – reflect the end of the first era of Japanese guitar making. There are photographs of Nils Lofgren playing one of these, and the intrepid David Lindley plays a Spectrum 4 (with four pickups, typical Japanese vibrato, and mono-only output). The pickups have some wear but sounds awesome All the other hardware is in great condition. The first frets have some minor wear and the rest of the frets are like new. In ’66, at least in the United States – the world’s dominant guitar market – anything “made in Japan” carried a negative connotation no matter how well-executed. This guitar is 100 original and in good condition. For stereo output – bass through one channel, treble through the other – two jacks were used.Īs lovely as the Spectrum 5 was, it hardly caught on. The name of this guitar derived from the switches’ ability to produce five tonal colors – a “spectrum of sound” – which could be used alone or in any combination. There are few instruments as iconic as Paul. The vibrato had an integral bridge that moved with the assembly to eliminate friction and wear on the strings. Gear Acquisition Syndrome Part 1: The Teisco Del Rey Violin Bass. te dejamos el link para ver todos los capitulos de El rey del ganado. Some Spectrums had natural-faced headstocks, others had matching colors. Disfruta de la telenovela El rey del ganado Capítulo 4 completamente gratis online y en HD emitido por tu web preferida de onlinetelenovelas y recuerda que este episodio 4 de la novela El rey del ganado, la emision fue en alta calidad de audio y video. The four-and-two tuner arrangement on the headstock was used on other Teiscos, but the plastic faceplate adds a tasteful touch. 1960'S TEISCO MADE LAFEYETTE MJ2 OR V-100. The Spectrum 5 was a part of a larger Spectrum series that shared the same elegant styling however, it’s the 5 that’s special.Īs the ’66 Teisco Del Rey catalog boasts, the Spectrum 5 “has unique features which no other guitar in the world can match.” While the mahogany body with Mosrite-inspired German-carve edge, the seven layer, hand-rubbed lacquer finish, and Kay-influenced fretboard inlays were standard for the Spectrum series, the staggered pickups with stereo/mono output and a five-ply ebony neck were unique to the 5. Teisco ET-440 Spectrum 4 Pickup Del Rey Made in Japan 1960s MIJ + Hard Case. It’s also one of the most sought-after import guitars – with good reason.ĭebuting circa 1966 and lasting only a few years, the Spectrum 5 was the top of the line for the Tokyo Electronics Company in the psychedelic late ‘60s, when suppliers could not keep up with demand for guitars.
Joining playful mid-’60s cultural icons such as the Ford Mustang, NBC’s “The Monkees,” the Beatles’ “Nowhere Man” and Cassius Clay, the Teisco Del Rey Spectrum 5 was the high-water mark of original Japanese design from the era.