Teisco PE-8

FANTASTIC TOBACCO FLAMED PATTTERN TOP - GREAT PATINA - but JUST DONT GET GAFFA STUCK ON IT AS THE FINISH PEELS OFF REAL EASILY AFTER 46 YEARS
1961 TEISCO PE-8 GUITAR, LES PAUL STYLE HOLLOW BODY, F-HOLE, ARCH TOP (ONLY SMALLER). POSSIBLY NO TRUSS ROD IN NECK (like some other TEISCO's) BUT DEFINITELY NOT ADJUSTABLE SO CAN YOU ONLY PUT ON STRINGS UP TO 049-10. WITHOUT SOME NECK BEND. 19 FRET - TEISCO LABELLED ON HEADSTOCK - BLACK "TEISCO" SINGLE NECK PICK UP. ORIGINAL TUNERS REPLACED WITH SEPARATE OPEN TUNERS (before my purchase). WOODEN ARCH TOP FLOATING BRIDGE (with height adjustment only) and original tailpiece. but have added a custom made ALUMINIUM NON ADJUSTABLE BRIDGE - INTONATION IS FINE. SINGLE BLACK "TEISCO" PICKUP at NECK POSITION (passive - is there any other than a natural electric sound). VOLUME AND SINGLE TONE CONTROL KNOBS have been replaced They are identical in shape only slightly smaller than the old style TV or bakelite radio knobs on the factory issue. Wooden scratch plate. Sort of V-shape neck with quite a narrow fretboard. The guitar is "Very light" - great for hanging round the neck at a gig

I play Chicago and Delta blues, normal tuning and slide! so how does it suit? - being an arch top it has a relatively short sustain. I use jazz strings on this guitar through a fender princeton solid state/with valve preamp and spring reverb on 3-4 and it sound fantastic. It also records faithfully in direct recording - so much so that the typical chicago blues tones from some 60's blues seem quite authentic - I was pleasantly shocked to hear this ( a sound I've been trying to achieve for years. Warm clear sound (negligible hum) with a slight break up provided by the preamp. Ideal for Jazz Blues and some Blues-Rock. Pick-ups are bright enough to cut through in a full band situtation.
Like all hollow bodies can start to feed back a little at higher volumes in small venue. But - You gotta hear it - blues heaven.

This guitar has knocked around for years - so there is some dints in the bodywork and the fret inlay is worn. I did the new set-up and the intonation is fine. (no fret dressing has been done since its birth) and a couple of buzzes can occur near the 12th fret,

After 46 years it hold together real well - so its withstood live gigs - the strap button has been relocated to the back of the neck (pulle out of the body plywood).

Is only temperamental in changing gig conditions - It needs a little time to settle down in a cold or hot outside gig before the tune holds - but when set its right for a good gig.

Time warp stuff really - - no company support after 46 years - but still guaranteed to sound good.

Playing since 1970 but picked this guitar up only 3 years ago after convincing the owner to part with it - who didn't play it saw it 5 years earlier and decided it needed a good home.
What is it about old wound pickups in old Japanese guitars that sound so incredibly good. I've got another teisco 1963 solid body (sort of strat style) - which has DeArmond pickup on it just like RY Cooder uses - a mellow warm strat with tons of character and works just as great - the Japanese produced some fine sounding guitars in the early 1960's. I play both regularly and its always hard to decide whether i want that jazz blues sound of the mellow fender style. The PE-8 is just great. - I did see one on eBay in Canada last year 2006 - check out the picture of the guitar on the cover of my album "providence gully" on www.myspace.com/daveaustinblues

hi,from what little info i could find the one pickup pe-8 hollow body was only made in 1961. i've never seen another on ebay or anywhere else for that matter!its a very unique instrument in that its a smaller [les paul] shape,fully hollow archtop but thick! a little over 3 1/2 '' deep.
one black plastic pickup that says teisco in gold letters. set neck,solid top looks like spruce,body looks maple? with an antique tobacco sunburst.
http://www.teiscotwangers.com/ for a pic. one volume one tone,harp tailpiece.

now the good part! i believe the pickup is a single coil but its not noisey at all. it sounds amazing,from george benson/charlie christian warm jazz to biteing rockabilly with the well voiced tone control.
fretwork is nothing special and it has a ''zero'' fret but it plays fine with no buzzing.feedback is an issue live due to the deep body,but sounds great direct through the board and monitors,or my 12 watt fender musicmaster bass amps running in stereo. oh yeah,the set neck is the thickest,club of a baseball bat. really cool! feels like an old pre-war stella.this thing has a vibe and mojo! and its the only guitar i could ever affored that was made a year before i was! like i said,i've never seen another for sale anywhere,ever, so they either didnt make many in 61' or not many survived.
probably both!

as with most teiscos,the original tuners probably sucked[mine were replaced in the 70's with ping tuners. i kept the original wood archtop bridge but installed a gotoh tuneomatic archtop bridge for great intonation all the way up its 19 frets.
another cool thing is the aging and checking this thing has accumulated.looks 1940's but there's no structural cracks.
again,i cant say enough about the pickup,it was the first thing i thought would need replacing.boy was i wrong!

46 years old and counting. when i bought it it came in its original chipboard case that had some military captains address in the antarctic written on it, so this thing is a survivor!

im afraid youd need a time machine for warranty work!
i'd like to shake the hand of the japanese luthier that made mine,even though its a budget teisco,somebody took pride in building it.

this guitar begs me to pick it up and play almost daily. i own strats and a classical but this guitar has that something special that cant really be described.rockabilly,blues,bebeop,swing,jazz all captured authentically. you own one?or is mine the only living example? post a review so i can see if you agree.