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Teisco - Gotta Love 'Em!
by Chuck R.
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Learn To Play Guitar...
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The guitars were first made in Japan in the late 1940’s by the Aoi Onpa Kenkyujo company. Hawaiian guitarist, Atswo Kaneko, and engineer, Doryu Matsuda, were the masterminds behind this guitar company.
Though the brand name Teisco came into use in the 1940's, the guitar company itself, first known as the Aoi Onpa Kenkyujo Company, then later renamed the Nippon Onpa Kogy Company, Ltd., finally became the Teisco Company around 1964.
Teisco made amps, mics, and lap steel guitars in its early years. The first standard Teisco guitars had a 3/3 headstock. There is some disagreement between vintage guitar website editors on this, so we'll just say this Teisco may have been lightly influenced by the Gibson. Whether it was or wasn't remains up for debate.
At one time all homes had outhouses, and it wasn’t until the invention of the toilet that people made bathrooms a certain way. This 3/3 headstock standard of the day is very similar to outhouses in that it was probably one of the only designs even heard of or used at the time.
The first solid-body electric Teisco was released in the 1950’s when electric guitars were coming into vogue. In the 1960’s, which may even be coined Teisco’s golden decade, Teisco released the innovative amp-in-a-guitar. This may sound like a starter kit for a beginning rock star - that's because it was. Although most people who bought them did not become rock stars. Go figure.
During the first half of the 20th century, Americans were overall, die-hard "Buy American"s. Typically, only items that were not available domestically, such as caviar and French perfume, were imported in those days. Hence, Teisco guitars didn't appear in the United States until the early 60's when they were imported by the Jack Westheimer/WMI corporation in Chicago. Some of the other early imports were made for the Bugeleisen and Jacobson Company in New York.
In 1967, Teisco Company was bought out by Kawai. Historically, Teisco would put any name a buyer wanted on the guitar as long as he purchased enough units. Kawai continued this tradition. Teisco-made guitars bore names such as Kent, Heit Deluxe, Kingston, Kimberly, AOL Ultra Deluxe 68, etc... and many still had the Del Rey labels as well. Oh, the variety!
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Chuck M. Rossi can be reached at kramer_and_george@yahoo.com
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