Teisco ET-100

Made in 1964 in Japan. Serial number ET10055. Has 23 frets on a Strat-like neck. Teisco Del Rey emblem with white background, "Teisco" in red, siver/blue crown, and silver "Del Rey" located in center of headstock. Solid body, single large chrome-covered pickup, black plastic pick guard. White volume and tone control knobs. Sunburst finish. Both neck and body appear to be mahogany. Neck has rosewood frets with markers along the side. Has the horrible Teisco tremolo tailpiece that ensured an out of tune condition if used.

This guitar provides the quintessential 1960s early rock and roll sound. I played everything from Ventures to Beatles on it. Can't even count how many times I played "Louie Louie" or "Hang On Sloopy" on that guitar. Paired with a 1964 Fender Vibro Champ amp, I played countless hours on this axe. Tone control provides a full range from dull bass through bright treble.

Factory setup sucked. Action was never very good because if I set it low, I got some fret buzz at the mid to upper frets. Was too naive back then to know that I should have taken it in to have a pro set it up. Pickup sensitivity was set by raising/lowering 6 screws on the top of the pickup. As mentioned above, the tremolo tailpiece was the pits. The finish was beautiful, a classic brown/sunburst.

Used this guitar for live gigs from 1964 through 1974. After years of use, the neck bolts started stripping out of the holes in the body, requiring repair. Nut and frets are worn down and are in need of replacement. Finish is still very good after all these years. Straps buttons are solid. Volume control is a bit noisy and needs cleaning or replacement. If I restored the frets and didn't use the tremolo bar, I'd use it for a gig, at least as one of several guitars I'd bring.

Never needed warranty service. Never needed professional repair while I was actively using the guitar.

This was the first electric guitar I ever purchased, in 1964. It still lives in the original chipboard case I bought with it. I wish I had bought the ET-200 dual pickup model, but I happily used this guitar as my main axe for 10 years. I am currently collecting old Teiscos and am proud to still have my first one. I have another ET-100 that is in playable condition, and am actively looking for good deals on all Teisco models. Got one in your attic?

I don't really know what year this thing was made, but I know it was made in Japan, I think during the mid to late 60's. It has a twenty-one very small frets in a rosewood fretboard. It has two big, square, metal-covered teisco single-coil pickups, each with an on/off switch, and single volume and tone controls. The controls crackle a little bit when used, but hey, the thing is thirty-five years old, and at least they all still work fine. The body is one of their tulip-shaped ones, with the outward-pointing upper horns. It's finished in a cool sunburst. The original tremolo bridge and tuners were both pretty funky, and it didn't stay in tune, so I replaced them with modern generic tuners and a tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece. This arrangement keeps the guitar in tune perfectly, and the intonation is much better. I would recommend these modifications to anyone who regards their Teisco as a player's guitar and not a collector's piece.

This thing is ideal for my style. I play it through my Marshall JCM 900 2x12 combo with an Ibanez Tube Screamer, DOD phaser, Crybaby Wah, Danelectro Cool Cat (chorus), and Boss Tremolo and Delay/Reverb pedals. This thing is a terrific rhythm guitar - sounds ranging anywhere from bright and twangy to thick and chimey on the dual pickup setting. There's not much sustain, because the body is so thin, but the resonance of the guitar is great (and puting a stop tailpiece on only improved it). It has almost an electric-acoustic quality, probably in large part because of the rather microphonic pickups. They buzz a bit, but no more than any strat I've played. They also pick it up if you hit the body of the guitar with anything, which can be bad, but it can also be used to make some interesting atmospheric sounds. You can get really cool feedback with these things when you want it, but you can easily control the feedback, even at high distortion levels. And this thing sounds way cool with distortion, especially for Radiohead/Blur inspired chime or feedback violence. It's definitely not a guitar for blazing solos, but its a terrific alt-rock/indie/pop guitar. It's not right for everything I play - it can't do sustain or huge high-gain chunk, but that's why I have my American Tele. However, I love this guitar just as much. I've played major gigs with this thing, and its never let me down.

I got this guitar strung with nine-guage strings, a funky 60's whammy bar, and cheapo tuners. It played like crap. However, after a little work, it plays pretty well. I strung it up with beefier 11-52 strings, and as I said, replaced the bridge and tuners. Now the intonation is as good as my american Tele. Bending is admittedly pretty tough, because of the heavy strings and small frets, but for regular chording, the guitar is very comfortable. The neck is chunky and very comfortable. Unfortunately, because of the thin body, the guitar is pretty neck-heavy. It's still so light, however, that it's quite comfortable to strap on. All in all, it plays pretty well for a thirty-five year old guitar, decent by today's standards.

The overall reliability of this thing is undoubtedly solid. I would definitely gig with this thing without a backup if (God forbid) anything happened to my beloved tele. The hardware is rock solid after the work I've done on it, and the finish has made it almost unharmed for three and a half decades. This guitar looks great onstage, and I can always count on it to deliver funky, colorfull sounds.

The customer service is great. For a company that has been defunct since the 70's. That had its headquarters three thousand miles away from my house. If you want customer service for a guitar like this, you're out of your mind. Chances are either you bought this thing from someone who had it in their attic, like I did, or you found it in a pawnshop. What do you expect?

I've been playing for five years, and I've been gigging for three and a half, and I also have my aforementioned American Custom Telecaster. That is my main guitar. However, as a color guitar, to relieve boredom or just provide different sounds, the Teisco is wonderful. If this thing were stolen, I would be heartbroken - I love this thing. However, it could be replaced for only $100 to $150 :-). I love the vibe, and the sound is way cool. Admittedly, I've made a few changes to this guitar, but now I wouldn't change a thing about it. For the price I paid, this thing is a steal, and quite useful, at least for me. You'll never see a shredder strapping on a Teisco, but for funky indie-rock personality it's hard to beat.