EKO Ranger VI

Product: Mid 70's EKO Ranger VI
Price Paid: ??100 used.


Chunky 6 string acoustic, bolt on neck, fairly wide fretboard, height adjustable bridge.

Love it! Tune it right and the box comes alive. Rich tones, good note-bridging sustain and it's quite sublime if played fairly gently.
Detune it and you can get some nice bluesy tones from it.
Tune it so the box hums with reasonance, capo the 3rd fret and play Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. The hairs on the back of your neck will stand on end.
Big box makes plenty of noise if thrashed but loses some of it's sound quality and can seem a little harsh. Bass doesn't quite keep up with the brighter tones. Great for pub drinking songs though.

My only grumble with the guitar is that the bridge was fitted about 5mm off center resulting in a slight mis-alignment of bridge/neck and the top e string slipping of the end of the fret from the 9th fret onwards. Shaving a little wood from the neck of the box and re-aligning the neck has mostly cured this.

Everything else is very good.
Bearing in mind this is a 30 odd year old guitar, the satin finish still looks great and has a beautiful yellowed patina to it. Its had some knocks and there are small dents all around the box but none of them have broken the granite-like finish.

The neck is super-smooth and perfectly straight and hasn't needed any adjustment. Fretboard is wearing well. Lovely to play.

It stays in tune and the intonation is very good.

I've got it set up for very low action and if I use a capo beyond the 8th fret it can buzz but the action can be raised at the bridge to compensate.

Even with the neck mis-alignment I'm still giving it 10.

Indestructable old thing. Doesn't snap strings and only ever needs a mild tweak to the tuning if I haven't used it for a week or so.

Didn't they go bust decades ago?

Cost me a hundred quid and came with a well travelled hard case.

Had it for over two years now and never tire of it. Definitely a keeper.

Would be upset if it got lost or broken.

my eko is a dreadnought style 6-string accoustic. frets are a dark wood, a dont think rosewood. the neck is fatter than my yamaha, but i prefer it that way. it was bought in the late 60s its handmade but there seems to be like a stripe of yellow going all the up the neck, looks great.

its brilliant for playing chords, fingerpicking, lead but nothing past the 10th fret or u get a pingy nose instead of the note. i think its the frets to blamb cause i changed the strings a couple of times and theres no really been any difference. that the most dissapointing thing about it. i dont tie myself to any one style so im learning a bit of everything to be well rounded though picking and lead is probably my favourite. its not got as much volume as my yamaha but its has a very bright sound with light heavy strings

the action is perfect one of my favourite things about it. the tuning heads had to be replaced but that was because they were neglected its a shame because they were the old kind u might see them on spanish guitars.

this guitar could withstand a bar brawl even if u hit every guy in the face with it, the thing is solid and with ekos its heavy which when i go to play any other accoustic it doesn't feel right somehow it feels light and flimsey and like a toy more than an instrument if anyone knows what guitar is new and like the eko let me know.

no

1973 Italy

Jumbo eko ranger iv 1780L model L/Handed 21 frets brought s/h ??40 bolt on neck with trussrod
you can lower the action on these guitars with ease
mahogany back and sides (douglas) a type of pine) top
on the older rangers the bridge lifts from the top alittle 1mm or 2mm on the newer models they fixed this problem by putting in a differant shaped bridge with a extra holding stud

love the sound of these old ekos rich tone
my style is blues but I play other styles too
everyone should aleast have owned one in there lives and most older players from the late 60s to 70s have played one

Ajustable saddle so great action
my ekos a good one but I have seen some with cracked finishes on the top below the bridge but there 25- 30 years old

I own 2 Eko Rangers and left and a right handed
great work horses quite heavy solid guitars
played one last nite at a small gig 8th Dec 2006 sounded great had no back up guitar either

never needed to have it repaired as yet
dont make them any more now
you can ownly buy them second hand

you can adjust the action easy at the saddle by turning two screws

made in italy so were cheaper than some other top brand names
but sounded just as good in some cases better

Italy 1974 - nicely matched veneers in this laminated machine. Laminated neck probably helped it survive the knocks and stay straight and in tune.

Others have described it and mine is the same. nly thing is the lacquer looks a bit heavy and "orange" now - probably yellowing with age.

I needed something bullet proof to take to sea for 3 chord tricking for sing-songs with kids and that I could let some one "have a go" with and not feel too frightened if it took a knock. It needed sufficient volume to belt it out a bit with a pick across a campfire at a beach! After messing around with strings it seems to sound best across its range with PHOSPHOR Bronze strings in the .53-.12 range. (Light or Medium - depends what country you come from!)

After altering the set-up (see below) it seems quite capable of a bit of fingerpicking, some bluesy noise and some respectable bending.

I currently have a Seymour Duncan pickup in it playing through a Fender Blues Junior (the pickup I messed around to get one to work with the amp - which was a given so no choice). Some fingerpicking and blues. It's OK but a little missing in the middle. Not the guitar's fault at this point - without a pickup - it is all there - it is the current electric setup that is the issue.

Given the original intended use this rates 10 for its ability to belt it out and not lose it.

This guitar cost me ?30 used in about 1985. It was all to hell and needed a sort out. The neck was bent, the action high, the truss rod was stuck but DID free up and the pegs were corroded but kind of worked. But theessentials were clearly there from the past and it could be worked on.

I completely dismantled the guitar (bolt on neck), switched the pegs out for something newer - I have no idea what they are now - but they were the best I could afford at the time and were better made and tuned smoother than the originals. Made a new nut and saddle (old one was chipped) after settling on the string size and put it all back together. Used Pieter Fillet's DIY Guitar Repair booklet and carefully followed his methodology. The guitar was about 1000% better to play

Rating based on ability to fix the setup

OK - Remember - this guitar has 150,000 sea miles on it in a bouncing sailboat in a solid case. It has fallen out more stowages (in case) than I would care to remember, suffered wild humidity swings, got splashed in boats, gritted with beach sand and got knocked around by well intended but clumsy kids who I let "have a go".

As noted - I switched out the tuning pegs early on and reworked the nut to suit new string sizes - but otherwise 30 years on - it is time to refinish the original deeply cracked laquer and refret it. But the wood is still good and the braces are still in place. The neck has a hairline crack in a bad bit of grain that I filled with crazy glue and clamped one night at sea. Never given trouble. It is heavy for what it is but I attribute this to its ability to stay in tune across wild humidity changes. I'm about to retire it into the shop for a refret and refinish of the lacquer.

For what it cost used and what it has survived - this guitar owes me nothing and is rated fo rdurability from that viewpoint - 9

Repairs - did it myself - so no opinion

I've been three chord tricking sing songs and finger picking a very few "specials" kept for the occasion for 20 years. If I wanted to do it all over again then I would probably buy it again.

I'm actually getting time to sit down these days and develop my playing so it is now too heavy (weight) and takes just a little too much effort to make it go despite getting the action down. I'll rework it this winter to refinish and refret it and try bringing the action down a hair. It could come down more with lighter strings but then its heavy construction won't make any sound so there really is not much room in that department. After refinishig it I will try and keep it in a reasonable humidty (fond hope in this colonial wood house with RH swinig from 30 to 95% RH) as the "house spare" for people to play with in the music room

So rating is based on original purpose and not current needs - 9

This guitar was made between 1970-1974 in Italy. It is hard to tell because there is no serial number, as, I have heard, is common with these guitars. It has 21 frets and a laminated top. I believe the top is spruce with mahogany sides... but I'm no wood/Eko guitar expert. This guitar came with a very retro and very cool plaid gig bag that was half fallen apart. My only complaint is that after years of climate hopping (most recently, Dallas, TX, to Camden, ME) the frets have began to rise and occasionaly will get a fingertip caught in them.

The guitar made me change genres. I was very into rock music, and after playing this guitar my focus has changed more to classic folk (think Bob Dylan). This guitar has one sound... which is obvious considering that most acoustic guitars do.

All answers in this category is very biased. This guitar is 30 years old and has jumped around the coutry for several years and experienced extreme cold to extreme heat. The frets have started to rise up from the fretboard, and there is a crack in the brige (between the tuning pegs). These do not affect sound, however. When I recieved this guitar, it was missing a straplock from the bottom, and I had one lying around. so after an hour and a half of messing around, the problem was solved.

This guitar is solid. I'll need to change out the tuners at some point because some are bent and some have bent gears. As I've said already, this guitar is over 30 years old and over that time (and dozens of moves) it has barely got even a scratch. I would most definitely rely on this guitar at a gig without any sort of backup.

I've never had to get it repaired. Neither has the previous owner. I believe that the Eko company is out of business though.

I've been playing for about 4 years, and have played everything from a rogue to a martin. This guitar was free, so I didn't ask any questions, and I didn't compare it to anything. I only wish that these guitars were built with set-necks instead of bolt-on.

Eko acoustic guitar "Ranger VI, Made in Italy". Early 70's model (possibly '74). Laminated top (spruce), sides and back (mahogany), rosewood fretboard and bridge. Bolt-on neck (joins the body at the 14th fret). Adjustable saddle (2 screws on either side of the saddle). 'Western/Dreadnaught' style body (square shoulders), back has a slight 'bowl'. The top is a 'tan/orange' finish with 'painted' concentric rings around the soundhole. Black 'Batwing' type scratch-plate. Headstock is Black, with the 'Eko' logo in goldleaf, covered by a transparent-perspex-type thick layer. Fretboard inlays are plastic 'dot' markings (no markings on side of fretboard). Machine heads are 'open' type with white plastic oval buttons.
The overall finish is Eko's "non scratchable laquer" a cross between gloss and satin. The grain on the top and the back are well matched. In fact the back has some small 'bird's eye' type speckles, and looks like the sort of finish one might find on an 'antique mahogany' piece of furniture. The body is edge-bound in white. The '3 piece' neck has an ajustable truss-rod. The neck is very 'chunky' and feels almost as wide as a 12 string!
As far as features are concerned, I think this guitar has all the 'standards' that one could expect in a guitar of this type and price in its 'day'.

I play ALL kinds of styles; from spanish classical to death-thrash-metal. But I have quite a few guitars that I can use for any particular type of sound I'm looking for.
At the moment I've got some "Dean Markley Lights" (0.11-0.46) and the sound is best describled as "shimmering" when strummed (With light strings it's very similar to a 12 string 'sound'). Despite the 'laminated' woods it gives a beautiful 'ring' which is remeniscent of my Gibson '69 Hummingbird and my '74 Dove. In fact the sound lies somewhere between the two!
(A 'medium guage' set of strings will probably give it a 'deeper' tone).
Great for strumming and 'picking' the odd note with a pick (I prefer one of my Martins or my Blueridges for 'finger-picking'). Certainly 'hold's it's own' against my Gibson '87 J200, but unlike the J200 - not so 'boomy'

I've tried the guitar with an LR Baggs M1 Active, straight through a Trace-Elliot acoustic amp, and also through a Mesa Boogie Road King.
This would make angels cry in heaven! Sounds incredible! Quite a lot of variation depending on pick speed and strength.

I recently bought this guitar on eBay from a guy in Germany! who told me that he was selling it on behalf of a friend who had it hung-up on the wall (in a pub) since the early 80's. Subsequently the only thing that the guitar had suffered is a lack of 'wood-care'. The strings that came with it were a 'half used' set but still sounded 'DOA'. I took them off and gave the whole guitar a good clean and put on a fresh set: concert-pitch tuned and left the guitar for a few days on a guitar stand (with a 'guitar humidifier' attached) in my front room to let it 'a-climatize' itself (The climate in Madrid is hot-dry-hot!). The tuning pegs still worked well but had also oxidized a bit (but with some duraglit & steel/chrome-solvo-autosol and a bit of patience they'll soon be back to their former glory!).
After giving it a good clean and some fresh strings it really is a different monster!
The action is High. I've adjusted the saddle as low as it will go, and the action at the 12th fret is still 0.5cms! BUT it plays well and has no fret-buzz anywhere. The guitar really needs a full-pro set-up and a change of saddle would do no harm. The Nut is original (black plastic) but it has a 'zero-fret' (nice) which, along with all the frets show very moderate use. Because of the age the fretboard has 'shrunken' and when playing, one can 'notice' the fret edges (although I'm being very 'picky' about this. The edges of the frets probably 'stick-out' about 0.01mm. I'm used to having my guitars set-up feeling like velvet!). Both the fretboard and bridge were in dire need of 'replenishment'. After a giving them a good clean and basic restoration they're 'sweet' again.

I couldn't ever imagine taking this guitar on tour with me - I already have my 'tour gear' pretty much sorted out (I play professionally and do about 100 gigs a year), and anyway, my guitar-tech takes care of my stage stuff - I actually only see my stage stuff at sound-check and during the gigs!

I think the guy that sold me this guitar really didn't know what he had! It obviously hadn't been used or abused. By the look of how it has survived thes past 30+ years, it will no doubt survive twice as long!

I don't think CS exists for these guitars now. I've been trying to find out as much as I can about these guitars on the net. I'm suddenly suffering from "Eko G.A.S." LOL

The only reason I bought this guitar was that it was the first 'image' of a steel-string acoustic that I had when I was a little boy and all I knew was that I wanted to play one of those! I'm 43 now, I've got some time on my hands, and while searching for something else on ebay, I suddenly came across an 'Eko' - I didn't buy that one but I kept my 'eye out' for one and got this one! I don't know why it took me so long to look for one (probably moving to Spain, having a family, and being in a band constantly touring has something to do with it!). I'm now on the 'hunt' for a few others. I have an 'acoustic/electric' model on the way, and I'm negotiating for a 12 string model also!

If it were lost or stolen I'd definitely buy the same model again (probably after serving some sort of jail sentence for some serious GBH on the thief!) - I'm seriously contemplating starting an 'EKO collection'!!!

In fact I would like to buy another, exactly the same but this time do some 'customizing': change the bridge, saddle, machineheads and have a pick-up fitted.

Because of the size of the neck, I wouldn't recommend it to beginners unless you've got big hands/long fingers, BUT I'd certaily reccomend anyone to have one in their 'collection'!

I guess Compaired to todays array of choices it's basic, but at the time, the adjustable bridge height was a nice little plus.

Surpisingly Good. It's a lovely all rounder for many acoustic genres. It's tone and timbre really rings out, Although I'd say for it's size, it's not quite as loud as some other much higher priced brands.

The action was the reason I bought mine. The factory/shop setting was quite high but with a few turns of the Bridge screws, it was beatifull. The neck is very comfortable. The finnish is very hardy, I've not really respected mine at times, but after all these years it still comes up gleaming with a polish and is not easy to chip the many coats.

An absolute Ten. Don't worry about hard cases with felt linings.. these baby's will survive world war three when others are firewood. The only downside is, they are quite an armfull on the weight side.

N/A They stoped making them in the mid 1980's I believe.

Mine's a true left handed Ranger 6 bought new back in 1979. For some reason the Eko brand had a kind of "Amatuer tag" attached to it among proffesionals at the time. Maybe because of it's reasonable price range. But if you ever get the priviledge of playing one you'll wonder what on earth justified it. they were (and still are) a quality built lovely sounding guitar. I've never regretted buying mine.

1973 Eko Ranger 6. Wonderful feel to the neck and easy to adjust.

Still sounds good especially for the money I paid in 1973. Needs strings replacing quite quickly or it loses both brightness and volume

Can't fault it. Easy to adjust. Solid as a landrover.

Guitar would withstand anything.

Playing 35 years. I have Gibson Les Paul Custom (1979), Fender Strat(1988) Tanglewood 1000 CE, Tangelwood 170, and a Taylor Acoustics.

I would quite happily play any of my acoustics for any event.

A guitar of this quality doesn't need loads of desirable features. Usually features are just there to disguise a guitars lack of quality. This guitar has character as standard, thats enough. its just a pick up and play guitar that u can enjoy without having to bullshit on about 'sound projection technology' or anything like that. All the same, for those of you who need those things, this guitar hasnt got allot

The sound when i got wasnt great so i decided to change its set-up and strings. I put on used strings i took off my electric les paul and lowered the action. Electric guitar strings didnt seem like the best option but its in a world of its own now. its sound is incredible. try it out and you'll see what i mean.

i have no idea what the factory set up or condition was because i found this at home in the attic. my mother had it when she was young and just left it in the attic for about 30 years.

this guitar wll last forever. i took it out of its grave in the attic after 30 years, just tuned it and played away on it for bout a year till i changed its set-up. there is a hole in the side it and i dont know where that came from. it actually looks like someone shot it. one of the handles for the tuning peg was missing so i just made one from a piece of wood i picked up of the ground but it does the job and adds to its overall apearance.

this model was made in italy before 69 sometime. its a timeless classic. as for the company support, i wandered onto this site in search of the company but they seem to have went out of buisness. so i guess it doesnt deserve anything more than 1. it does add to the whole experience of being a owner of an eko guitar cause now were a select few

ive been playing this guitar for 4 years. i started off with and left it for a while when i got big into electric guitars but i realised that this guitar is to good to be replaced by any other guitar. people who never played one will assume there pieces of crap but they are actually the ultimate acoustic for unprofessional players

I bought mine from a car boot withoit full set of strings and was recommended to fit a set of Ernie Balls Super Slinkies strings. It was a disaster. So quiet I put it in storage and continued with a spanish acoustic, until 2005 when I lent it to a proper musician who was teaching a pupip who needed an instrument.

He re strung it which brought out all the magnificent sound as Eko intended.
I will never sell it now and am anxious to get it home.

I would recommend use as a first guitar for song accompaniment but to go to any public performance without any back up is asking for trouble, but another Eko would be perfect

Never needed them, I didn,t know they were still there for advice

Playing for forty two years

100 year old spanish acoustic

Left handed Japanese Fender Strat

Piano

The Ranger six is too good to let go and I would try to find another one

It really too large for me to play comfortably but it sounds too good not to try