It's a 24.75" scale thin neck with a zero fret which was common on many Kawai made guitars at the time. This method had been adopted after Kawai bought out Shinko Gakki in '66 which was the factory that made Pleasant guitars this way. The neck is multi laminated maple as used by many Kawai made guitars of the time with a rosewood fretboard. The V2 was also available as a guitar or two pickup bass version in the BL2 as was the Vamper.
This simple little R2 was available in guitar or bass (BR1 and BR2 for pickups respectively) versions until the early seventies. The V2 (more on them later) also had a bound headstock and trussrod adjustment at the headstock end. The V2 was the slightly more upmarket model with a thicker body and carve top and back. It has a "contour" to give a German carve feel and is actually closer to a Mosrite Combo/Joe Maphis shape than a Ventures which is commonly referred to. The RS was the simple, small body version of this shape. Later Teisco branded (Kawai made) ones had top mounted more gold foil style pickups and very few had the bar magnet style as used on the similar V2. This one here is the first version with the great square pole piece pickups. This shape was introduced by Teisco in late '67 and came in a few different models introduced after the Kawai takeover. Teisco was no stranger to Mosrite inspired guitars and this offset "the wrong way" became very popular in Japan during the mid to late sixties. This one definitely falls in the Mosrite inspired category as it shares very little with an actual Mosrite, except of course the aesthetic. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.I've written a lot about Teiscos and Mosrite copies and inspired guitars so this one should be no surprise to any of you. 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.
MOSRITE TEISCO GUITAR SERIES
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). 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. 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. The vibrato had an integral bridge that moved with the assembly to eliminate friction and wear on the strings.
Some Spectrums had natural-faced headstocks, others had matching colors. The four-and-two tuner arrangement on the headstock was used on other Teiscos, but the plastic faceplate adds a tasteful touch. 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. 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.
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