Restoring A Vintage Guitar | Teisco "Tulip" ET-200 | How To
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- Опубліковано 24 чер 2021
- I breakdown this mid 1960's Teisco "Tulip" ET-200 for restoration. I clean and restore all of the parts and walk you through my step by step process. I start by disassembling the whole guitar
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I sold one of those for a friend. As you know, the pickups are screwed directly into the body, with no routing underneath or height adjustment. I had to insert some foam under the bridge pickup to raise it up higher, in order to have decent neck/bridge pickup volume balance. That's a MUCH better bridge than I see on many Japanese guitars of that era. Most are just folded-over pieces of sheet aluminum.
Yup, those old Teiscos sure do sound kewl! I've been a big fan of them for about 30 years or so, since I found out that Ry Cooder used a Teisco Gold Foil pickup on one of his famed Coodercasters, along with an old Supro lap steel pickup installed at the bridge. Anyway, like Ry, (and Dr Frankenstein) I opted for harvesting these old pickups out of fairly beat up (basically un-restorable) examples of the guitars and rather than doing the whole refurb job I just routed out various Fender Strat and Tele bodies and installed the old Teisco, Guyatone, Dano, and Ric pickups. I love the playability and feel of the Fenders, but the unique tone of these old vintage pickups, which are often described as having a 'scooped' character in their EQ/tone; yielding a more detailed, 'HiFi' type of tone with a bit less midrange than typical modern pickups. Perhaps my best example of this 'Franken-caster' is my Bari-Tele, which is a Thinline mahogany Tele body with a 60s Teisco Gold Foil at the neck, a 50s Ric horseshoe-magnet lap steel pickup at the bridge, a Bigsby, and a 27" baritone Fender Tele neck, which I tune B to B, and literally sounds like a "Tele on Steroids". ;)
I've even mounted Teisco Gold Foils into the soundholes of small body acoustic parlor guitars; if you want to hear an amazing early 50s blues tone, try this out into a small tube amp. Because of the small body, the Teisco pickups don't feed-back too much, (it's very controllable) and because they are also usually somewhat microphonic, they give an incredibly 'earthy' overdriven blues tone that is hard to beat with even the best solid body electric guitar. (Think Lightning Hopkins tone...)
BTW, did you know that TEISCO stands for Tokyo Electronic Instrument & Sound CO?
Another interesting detail about these old pickups is that the Teisco Gold Foils (and others) use an unusual rubberized magnet (similar to fridge magnets!) which is said to have an effect on the sound/tone quality of the pickups. Several companies (Lollar, GFS) are now making updated copies of Teisco Gold Foils; I wonder if they are using the rubberized magnets?
Anyway, great job on the restoration; I'd love to play one that actually had good frets and a decent set-up. It would probably make me think twice about harvesting their 'organs' for transplant into Fenders! ;)
Woah! This is some awesome info! Thank you for sharing all of that. I had no clue that Teisco was an acronym, so cool! Yeah I'd be curious about the magnets they are using in the reissue type of pickups now too. I'm sure they are probably cheap overseas magnets, which is about the same as what they were originally. Yeah when the guitar is refretted and set up properly, they are really enjoyable to play and sound great! Thanks for checking out my video!
Teiscos are my favorite retro guitars.
Great video! Very comprehensive and educational and the pacing is pretty ideal.
I enjoyed this video very much. I like to fix/mod/update old stuff and make it work better. If I found an old Japanese or Italian 60's guitar I would, but they want too much money for them. Great job you did, cheers!
Awesome jobM8 ! Glad you checked the action and covered the electronic wiring & parts replacement.
Thanks!
Thanks for plenty of good advices. I have a similar Harmony H-802, will repeat most of what you did.
I love the sound of that guitar! Great job on the restoration!!!
Thanks! This was a fun one!
With the method youre using to tie the strings to the tuning machines you can actually get away with almost no slack on the string. This helps with tuning stability on guitars with a tremolo.
Great content! Feeler gauges are my tools of choice for neck relief. My eyes always play tricks on me so I need the feel. Subscribed
Excellent video...a very fast 27 minutes!
I just got a Kay Tulip off Marketplace...normally I hesitate doing self-refurb, but have confidence and am looking forward to it thanks to this!
Thanks! That's awesome, good luck with your refurb!
Awesome video!
Awesome! I would used a sonic bath to clean those old parts
Wow that was a fantastic rebuild. I have NEVER played guitar and love to learn. I have my late fathers-in-law Teisco (EG 408 T2) that he could make sound amazing! I would love to rebuild his as it's had some damage over the years. The pickguard has broken and would need to be replaced. My guess is that the internals would need to be replaced as well. I have talked to many shops in the Dallas Tx area, and I just have not found anyone that seems to know half as much as you have shown here. That could be my fault too. I am just not seeking out the right shops... Thanks again for an amazing video. This has been very insightful.
fantastic you serviced the tuning pegs..thats exactly what I need to see for my old kawai. Wirebrush on the dremel is a great tip. i plan on keeping the electronics stock but pretty sure i need to reflow the the solder and flush out the pots and switches with contact cleaner..hoping that will be enough. if not will rewatch this vid :) my trem/whammy is pretty flacid..basically useless..looks cool but its just for show as I don't really use them. So glad i found this channel..liked and subbed
It lives!
You don’t have to make the zero fret taller than the other frets for it to work correctly. As long as the neck is straight and has the correct amount of relief, the zero fret will work just like any other fret.
Just got this exact guitar today. Was in pretty good shape. I didn’t want anything to look new on it but obviously be functional. I used deoxit on tuners and cleaned them enough to move smoothly then lubed them with sewing machine oil. The frets had probably been leveled etc in the past as there was no real fret wear but they are fair low. Since I’m stringing it with 17-60 and baritone tuning with moderately high action, the frets just needed a polishing with some gorgomyte pads. The on off switches were crackling and not working correctly. Easily fixed with some deoxit spray fortunately. The pots were Korean pots so had been changed at some point and a orange drop cap put in. Soldering looked solid so didn’t need to change anything. The biggest thing it may still need is better tuners. Other than that it’s a cool cheap 60s guitar.
That roller bridge is sweet
Nice job!!
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing so much of your process. I picked up a used tulip several months ago. Works okay as is, but would love to style it out like this one day 🔥
That's awesome! Yeah they're fun guitars which you can definitely fix up on the cheap using ebay for parts!
awesome job! Tiesco looks like it would fit in with the indie crowd now a days....
Just bought one of these last weekend for $35.
All it needed was spring for the tremelo. A Bigsby spring works perfect, New tuning pegs and I need to make the pickups look better
Woah, that's an excellent deal!
@@VanHoutenBuilds , its odd. Looks like it had never been played. The worst part of the guitar is the plastic pickup covers. I have $50 in it, the original switches and pots work great after cleaning them. I just wish there was a way to date them. The headstock on mine is blonde, and nothing on it mentions Teisco. I do know that the company that produced these made guitars for resellers to re brand. Kind of like Eko in Italy made some of the most famous "Vox" guitars. This has a great grungy tone that falls in between a fender and a P90. Thanks for the video!
@@2gr82b4gotn It's a mystery guitar! Haha. That's pretty cool though. Yeah the pickups on these guitars sound great! Love that rock n' roll crunchy tone you can get when they're overdriven.
really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really good 🎉😊
Interesting stuff. Its looking kinda like polish defils
I bought a second-hand ET200 as my first electric guitar in 1980 for £45, including a practice amp. I had played a lot of classical guitar before, so I thought an electric would be easy. But the ET200 ripped my fingers up after 30 minutes of playing. I couldn't play it much, because it took 2 days for my hands to heal and recover. It was unbranded, had just one central pickup, and the tremolo arm was missing. Obviously no case, either. So I didn't like it very much, but it is great that you are able to restore and improve an old beginner's instrument, because if you can get it sounding good, then your skills will work on any plank.
Thank you! Yes, it's definitely a very cheaply made guitar, but like you said, I was able to improve it and make it enjoyable and playable! It sounds really good too!
My dad has one that I’m working on
That would sound nice on my '66 Kalamazoo Model 2.
Way back in Flintstones times, those guitars got a lot of disrespect. Almost as much as the little 00 size Stella acoustics. People used to set them on fire and smash them, or just leave them to rot in the shed or basement until the kids got hold of them and destroyed them. When they were cheap and plentiful, it never occurred to me to rehab one the way you just did. By the time I got around to thinking it might be a good idea, they were priceless collectors items.
.......too soon old, too late smart.
Having said all that, my hat is off to your for doing a fine job on this one. The clean tone, no pedals sound was surprisingly good. I have suspected that there was a good sounding guitar just waiting to be brought out.
Ever since the Flintstones days.
Definitely! I love bringing old things back to life. Most of those old guitars just need a little facelift and a proper setup to sound and play well! Thank you for watching!
@@VanHoutenBuilds The ironic part is the factories that made those things were in ballistic slam dunk mode to keep costs down. Most of the problems that they had are just the result of not finishing the job to the same extent that Fender would have done.
( this is especially true of the small body Stellas) all we have to do is to spend a little more time than the factory could afford to, and these "cheap" instruments get way better very quickly.
I have 4 of them that I have massaged in such manner, and they're all very cool.
@@jpalberthoward9 Absolutely!
Where did you get that replacement temolo from? Just got an ET-210
What size of fret wire did you use?
I really hope stew mac is kicking you back some dough
I wish! They really should endorse me with how much business I've given them over the years hahaha
how much did this project cost in total?
Is there a guitar restoration 'kit' that one can buy, that includes the fret smoothers and polishing compounds and such? I do have a Dremel set, from a friend.
There may be one on ebay or something, but I can't speak to the quality. I would check Stewmac first!
Great video. Where did you get the on/off switches for the pickups, I got a similar Teisco but the on/off switch’s are no good anymore.
I think I found them on ebay!
this video "works really, really well"
As I already said, you ‘ve made a great job.
Do you have any idea where could I find those white buttons next to tone and volume?
Thanks! The only place I was able to find them was on ebay.
Hey!Awesome content my man,especially the relicing videos.Could you make a video about buffing and polishing finish on a neck?
Thanks Bruno! Yeah I'll try and make a video showing that!
@@VanHoutenBuilds Thanks, I sprayed a maple fretboard today and its kind of lumpy and uneven.I know I should sand it and then buff it somehow, but I dont have buffing machine.I did however, buy a pad of wool for a buffing machine and im thinking about just rubbing it with that by hand until it gets shiny.Any suggestions what I should do before making a huge mistake?
@@brunokertesz2908 If the finish is lumpy I would sand it down with 400 grit and get it as smooth and flat as you can, then hit is again with a light coat. Feeling a lumpy finish on a guitar neck makes it not as enjoyable to play. After you get it flatter, you can sand with 600 grit up to 2000 grit and then hand buff it with the wool pad and some car polish.
And the key is to do a bunch of very light spray passes on it and slowly build up the finish to avoid the lumpiness and drips.
@@VanHoutenBuildsThanks for the tips!Im wondering that after sanding, could I just do a light coat as you said to get a gloss instead of buffing?
I have a really beat up E 110 that my uncle gave me a year ago. It has a lot of rusty and chewed up hardware. I bought some parts for it on eBay to potentially restore it. However, I noticed recently the fretboard is starting to come off the neck on the upper frets like the glue has loosened. I dont know if it's worth restoring now because of that.
Yes, you can still restore it! That is not that hard of a fix. I would recommend taking a damp towel and an Iron on medium steam and sitting it on the fretboard and slowly moving it down the fretboard while taking a thin paint scraper and moving it in between the fretboard and the neck. Just be patient and take your time with it. Once it's off you can scrape off all of the old glue, clean up the wood, and re-glue it! Side note, don't worry if some of the frets pop out while steaming the neck, you can just apply a little super glue and gently hammer them back in. I want to do a video on this, but I haven't had any come into the shop that need it done lately.
Great video I just dug out mine yesterday that I had bought at Thrifty Drugstore back around 1975. I was always embarrassed about it but thought it was cool looking now that I see it after all these decades. I think the plastic amplifier thought I bought with it might be in my storage locker.
Mine was unbranded and a musician friend said that it might be a Teisco, which led me here. Exact same guitar except no logo on the headstock and I have custom masking tape on the upper edge where it started to delaminate.
It has a triangular hole at the input jack that I hope to repair. I also removed the whammy bar mechanism as the spring kept popping out. I was going to try to find it but I like what you did. Where did you get the replacement tremolo?
That's awesome! Great story! I found the replacement trem system on ebay for like $20-$30. It only took a little modification like drilling out a few new screw holes. It was totally worth it.
@@VanHoutenBuilds I forgot to mention my bridge is just a curved bar with 3 perpendicular lines per string position for saddles. No wonder I was always breaking E strings.
Just fixed the hole in the pickguard. I used the superglue and baking soda trick. Taped the hole underneath, then used a mix of baking soda and black embossing powder. It worked really well. I first filled the hole halfway with just the glue/soda, then I made a salt and pepper looking mix of soda and embossing powder, more pepper than salt, then used that with the superglue for the final fill. I could have used the mix for the whole repair, but I didn't have any pigment powder when I started. Embossing powder was all I could find in black at the store.
@@tgrum3316 That's awesome! I've used the super glue and baking soda trick for a bunch of stuff, but never thought about using embossing powder! That's a great idea. Glad it worked!
Would you know where I could find a replacement pickguard? Was my first electric guitar and I have had the exact guitar for 40 years.
Hi Robert, I'm not sure where you could find one. Ebay may be the best place to find one?
Nice job! But why did you replace the original tremolo unit? It seemed to be functional still.
Because the customer asked for it to be replaced.
Does it matter if you crown frets first or round the edges first?
I always crown the frets first, then round. The reason for this is that if you round then crown, it could potentially remove your rounded edge.
I have something similar to the whammy bar plate it looks kinda frosted looking but how can I get it to shine ✨ it’s shiny on the bottom
Use an automotive chrome or metal polish and 0000 steel wool!
Hello friend!
Amazing job!
Do you have a schematic diagram to send me?
Also could you tell me what is the name of the five-degree wooden wedge that you used for alignment
of the neck?
Thank you in advance
I don't have a wiring diagram. You can just google whatever you pickup and potentiometer combination is and you should be able to find a diagram online. The wedge that I used is called a shim and you can get them from Stewmac! They carry different degrees for more or less pitch in the neck pocket angle.
@@VanHoutenBuilds Thank you very much
Hey there! Great video, I’m actually restoring a few Teiscos myself at the moment, but for the life of me can’t seem to find any on off switches for the pickups. Where did you find the ones that you used in this video? Thanks!
I can't remember, but I think it may have been ebay?
@@VanHoutenBuilds Killer! Thanks for the quick reply too!
Don't understand taping off the 12th fret; how does that help with fall-away'twist?
The tape helps to raise the drop angle of the sanding. That way it's not flat.
Do ya still have the old tremolo laying around? Id be interested in buying it from ya to use for a patina build im doing
Unfortunately not. I gave it to the original owner.
anybody know what the bridge he used as a replacement was? I can't seem to find info on
I think I found it on ebay. Just a generic roller MIC bridge that had the proper measurements.
Great project - loved the way you cleaned it up! Also enjoyed seeing the progress on your drywall in the background.
What vibrato did you use to replace the original one?
Thanks! Yeah I have a shop build out video coming in the future. I used a vibrola style vibrato that I found on ebay.
@@VanHoutenBuilds I'm putting one on a Squier affinity jazzmaster hh. With a mustang style bridge I'm installing
So. Let me see. You couldn't clean the rust/corrosion on tremolo unit, but you COULD on the bridge. Amazing.
Awesome! Where did you get the replacement trem? I've got three of these, all of which have missing or broken terms...
If I tell you, you'll buy them all! J/K! Haha I get them off of ebay. They are actually better quality than the originals.
@@VanHoutenBuilds I promise I'll save some for you! Several of my builds pay homage to these cheap-o Japanese guitars, but I've used Mastery trems...
Where did you get that tremolo bridge? What part#?
I bought it off of ebay!
If your Teisco has Super Glue in the frets it has been re-fretted. Super glue did not exist when those guitars were made. I know, I was there and mine was new in 1964. Not everyone in the '60s was playing a Tele, Strat or LP.
Hey! I found a vintage teisco ET-100 and I know nothing about her and don’t know how to fix her, possibly to contact you?
Thanks for reaching out and asking, but I'm not taking on any repair/restoration work right now. I hope you are able to find someone to help you out with your guitar! I am more than happy to answer any questions for you when it comes to fixing it up.
Would you say that 9.5 would be the standard radii on this guitar model's fretboard? (I have the identical guitar you worked on in this video.)
Yeah I would say it may be close to a 9.5 radius. You can always re-redius the fretboard.
Was there a specific type of fretwire that you purchased for this job? (One that fit the slots with a decent amount of tension?) Also, does the low viscosity glue migrate sufficiently through the slot from one side, or did you apply to both sides of the fret?
@@sloblues4u It's the stewmac medium jumbo wire. It's what I use on all of my builds. Not sure which number it is exactly. It was easy to hammer in. When I glue in frets I glue from each fret end, just adding a couple of small drops, and it works its way down very easily with gravity. I try not to glue each fret side to avoid getting glue on the fretboard.
Are the E-100s always sunburst? I have one but its been painted...and not even a cool color like seafoam green
Yeah, unfortunately I think most of them are burst. Personally I'm not the biggest burst fan, so I'm always for painting!
How come no parts list for the guitar in the description only camera stuff? I have the same guitar and have been wanting to refurbish it. Found it in a house fire. Pickups are rusted, knows busted , no strings or wam bar. Every thing else can be cleaned or salvaged. I would love to know where you got all your parts and how much it cost. The step by step is very helpful thankyou
I'll add in a parts list for you! Everything is from stewmac w/ the exception of the tremolo which I got off of ebay.
@@VanHoutenBuilds thank you so much. That was a super fast response too. I really appreciate it
I have the bass version of this and I'm looking to replace the bridge with something that has adjustable saddles... Any recommendations?
I would recommend something like a Bad A$$ II bridge or something comparable to that.
@@VanHoutenBuilds is that the actual name of the bridge?
Yes, it's actually called the bada$$ bridge. haha
Without the dollar signs, but with ss
@@VanHoutenBuilds but it's not a bridge that naturally fits on the bass... I meant something that won't be to invasive to its design
PS: it's kickass bridge
My tuning peg broke off how do I fix it
I might try using some CA Glue or heavy duty super glue. THe best solution would just be to replace it with a new, or a NOS tuning peg!
@@VanHoutenBuilds thanks!
how much did this project cost in total
It did not cost too much at all, b/c I already had most of the things on hand. It just cost me my time
What does something like this cost to have done?
It just depends. I believe I charged around $425 for this. That included shipping which wasn't cheap.
What is a reasonable price to pay, for a job like this on an almost identical Teisco Tulip?
I believe I charged around $400 for this one
@@VanHoutenBuilds I would pay that in a heartbeat. Beautiful work.
Ordered a near-identical Tulip for maybe parts to transfer between, should arrive today. Looking for someone to do a passionately pro job on a sentimental guitar that will be worth only $20 to anyone else, but will always be priceless to me.
Your friend Arie? Combined with your name it's sounding particularly Dutch😃
Great work but this felt like a Stewmac promo. I can’t afford a $35 guitar ruler from Stewmac.
I know, they really should sponsor me haha. There are cheaper companies to get those tools from. Check on ebay or amazon. Also you may not even need all of those tools.
Did he even bother trying to clean the switches and pots? He could have saved himself some work.
Yes, I tried. I hit them with deoxit and still needed to replace them. Plus the new CTS pots are much more reliable and higher quality than the cheap, old ones. Especially for a guitar that was going to be on the road and heavily gigged with.
Cheap overseas replacement? The entire guitar it's made overseas.
But it's vintage cheap overseas 😂 can't ruin the mojo! In all honesty if it were me I'd put some more modern (but vintage looking) tuners of good quality and probably leave everything else original. To me part of the appeal is the weirdness and unique vibe these guitars have even if they're not "good". But tuning stability to me would override originality
While I definitely get your point, as well as understand it's a bit of a tongue-in-cheek joke, I do have to say that the difference between an "overseas" Japanese-made guitar from the 60s-80s is at a different level than modern "overseas" produced guitars.
Sure, there are not great guitars from that era also with warped necks, weak tuners, dodgy electronics, etc... but... generally speaking, they are still from an era where guitars were made mostly by hand, the wood quality ranges from pretty good to genuinely amazing and exotic even, and while a _lot_ of them were made in those decades, they overall feel more substantial, and like a "boutique" instrument in the hand compared to the bulk produced, CAD guided, lazer cut, mass machined modern "overseas" guitars.
Granted, the modern ones _do_ tend to play significantly better straight out of the box due to the aforementioned CAD/lazer guidance and more precise/consistent machining, and there is, for sure, something to be said for that. Especially for those who are just learning to play or someone who wants something cheap to jam on right away without any fuss.
So, in that sense, the modern "overseas" guitars are "better" and I would recommend those to someone just starting out because they're more likely to enjoy learning on it and will stick with it, whereas buying an older instrument that is probably going to need a bit of work before it will play smoothly would just frustrate them away from practicing.
However, when these older ones get a little love, some clean up, a bit of filing here and a touch of fitment adjusting there, a proper setup, possibly a rewire/resolder and/or some tasteful modifications like better/refreshed tuners, a new/recut nut, etc...
...well, they can play and feel just as good as any vintage big name guitar (and with some of the quality control issues that the big brands had from around 1970-1985'ish), these restos can end up sounding and playing even better.
Plus, they look incredibly cool (weird, bizarre even? lol), and also sound unique.
I wonder when will Gibson sue the makers of that guitar, now that they stole the idea from TEISCO?