Teisco EP-9T

This guitar was made by Teisco in Japan back in the late 1960s. I believe my particular EP-9T was made in 1966. It's a hollow-body electric with two f-holes, two humbucker pickups, a tremolo, and pots for volume on both pickups and for tone. There is also a three-position switch. The neck is bolted to the body. It's not a Gibson or Gretsch, but the quality and workmanship are pretty darned good in my opinion (especially given the price I paid for it in a pawn shop).

The sound is very smooth and mellow. The guitar has excellent tone and notes really sustain. This is my first hollow-body electric and I very much prefer its sound to the "twangy" and metallic sound of my strat-style solid-body electric. The notes resonate like an acoustic, have incredible depth and character, and the guitar can be played to good effect either amplified or not. I'd heard bad things about vintage Japanese guitars in the past, and some of those stories may well have had some merit, but the way this guitar sounds my thinking is that at least some of those stories were based mostly on the snob appeal of some of the more expensive guitars. This Teisco is one heck of a nice guitar.

The fit and finish of the guitar are good to very good. Even after 30 years, this guitar is together and looking very good. The neck is bolted to the body, which to some may be a ding, but to me is not a problem. I actually prefer it bolted, as its easier to change if I ever had the inclination to do so. The finish could be a bit better, but I don't generally sweat the extreme details. An example of something that I wouldn't expect to see on a Gibson or Gretsch, but that I see on my Teisco, is a bit of skimping on the varnish. Bare wood is exposed on the inside corners of the F-holes, as if the top of the body was coated but the f-holes were skipped. This, though, is an incredible minor complaint, and dollar-for-dollar (what I paid, anyway) I think this guitar is miles better than anything on the new market today.

This guitar is really built like a tank. It doesn't look that way, but it can really take a beating. Nothing has failed yet, and the guitar shows some wear from 30 years of prior play. There is a slight amount of pitting or corrosion on some of the chromed pieces, but this is to be expected given the guitar's age. Reliability, at least on my Teisco, rates a solid 10.

I don't think Teisco exists anymore, and I haven't been able to find any information anywhere. Not even on usenet.

Even with the little details and complete lack of support (lack of the company itself actually), I still rate this guitar a ten. For $75 this guitar blows the pots off any other hollow-body guitar I've played. Sure, a $2000 Gibson or Gretsch would have better fit and finish and perhaps a better sound, but $2000 is $2000 and $75 is $75. In my neck of the woods, for $75 I'd be lucky to find a Gibson pick guard and machine heads. I'd take my Teisco any day. And I'd pay three times what I paid and still be happy at that.