The Teisco SD4L is designed with a thick metal plate that attaches the pickups to the body.
I learned about Iwase through my American book publisher, Ron Middlebrook, who has known a bunch of excellent pedal-steel guitar players all over the world. In Japan, he knew a fine player named Kiyoshi Kobayashi, otherwise known as “Lion.” Lion referred to Iwase as the “maestro,” and in a few months, arranged for us to meet in Tokyo. So imagine this, good reader: Here I am, about the size of a refrigerator, and I’m ambling into this old jazz club to meet all 5'4″ of Iwase-san, smiling as wide as the moon! One of the first things he said to everyone was to the effect of, “No wonder Japan lost the war, because of the size of Americans!” He had an excellent sense of humor and an excellent memory, and provided me with so much of the early guitar history of Japan, and I am forever grateful.
Iwase-san had left the original Teisco Company in the early ’60s, so I wanted to highlight one of the guitars he helped to design and produce during his tenure at the first factory. The uber-strange Teisco SD4L was introduced to the guitar-playing world in the spring of 1962, and was apparently inspired by an old Italian electric guitar of the time. Perhaps a Wandre? Iwase wasn’t quite sure.
Yukichi Iwase, who passed away earlier this year, was one of the early innovators of Japanese instrument making.
The SD4L features an offset body design with extreme and abrupt lines. I believe this was the only truly made Teisco to feature a plywood body. Made with a lot of thin veneers, the guitar is on the heavy side, and at the time of its design, the thought was that a plywood construction of this sort would survive the climate changes of players outside the Japanese mainland. To be honest, not many of these left Japanese shores.
But the coolest feature of this model is the hard kitchen formica covering on the front and back. Simply glued on and formed to the shape of the plywood body, this guitar has a tendency to dig into your body in unpleasant ways, but who cares! It’s like something straight out of an old American diner! Iwase described the material as what was found on “kotatsu” tables, which were like coffee tables, but heated.
“Here I am, about the size of a refrigerator, and I’m ambling into this old jazz club to meet all 5'4″ of Iwase-san, smiling as wide as the moon!”
The cutout on the headstock was another Iwase original, as was the electronics layout. This earlier model features four pickups that were taken direct from the lap-steel guitars that Teisco was producing at the same time. Later editions of this model have the very first, and now famous, Teisco gold-foil pickups that became popular with all sorts of American players, including Ry Cooder.
Each pickup has an on/off switch, two volumes, and preset tone controls for rhythm and solo settings. The sound of these early SD4L guitars can get a little destructive since the pickups can be a little microphonic, but they are controllable in the hands of a capable player. There is a nice hint of resonance that tends to come from all the guitars that were designed with a thick metal plate attaching the pickups to the body. It’s subtle, but cool.
I have all my interviews taped, and I went back to watch all the times that Iwase and I met. Of course, we had to have translators, but we were able to enjoy our time together, and I am extremely happy to have known him. I remember that he was surprised that someone from outside of Japan had an interest in him, as are most of the older people I have interviewed over the years. He was humble and creative and kind, and I will miss him dearly.
1962 Teisco SD4L Guitar Demo
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It’s hard to believe this instrument is nearly 20 years old now, but time flies when you’re playing guitar. I have a Washburn acoustic-electric, serial number S9201XXX, that I absolutely love to play. I’m wondering if you could tell me a little about it and what it’s worth. Also, the Equis electronics no longer work, and I’m hoping you have some advice on how to get it fixed. Thanks so much!
David
Bloomington, Illinois
Hey David,
Cool guitar—I actually have one just like it! This was my first acoustic, and it was a great guitar to learn on. It’s easy to play, sounds good, and the design is always a conversation starter.
Washburn History
The Washburn brand was introduced in the late 1880s by Lyon & Healy to produce quality stringed instruments for the ever-expanding distributor. Demand grew rapidly, and during the 1900s the company was producing up to 100 Washburn instruments per day. Lyon & Healy—along with Washburn— was eventually overtaken by the Tonk Bros. Company in the 1920s, and by the late 1940s the Washburn name was discontinued.
In 1974, the Washburn name was revived on a line of acoustic guitars, mandolins, and banjos imported from Japan. In the late 1970s, Washburn introduced new electrics and acoustic-electrics, including the revolutionary Festival Series, which is what your model is from. Washburn is actually something of a pioneer in electrified acoustics, and their Festival Series became popular stage instruments. They featured thin bodies, sharp Florentine cutaways, a transducer built into the bridge, and onboard electronics. Interest was high in these unusual guitars, and after a few years of tweaking, several models were listed in Washburn’s catalog. In the mid 1980s, Washburn moved production from Japan to Korea.
The Festival Series’ Background
Festival Series models all start with an “EA” prefix, usually followed by a two-digit number. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the fancier the guitar’s features. The popularity of the Festival Series is evidenced by how many artists had signature “EA” guitars, including Craig Chaquico, Nuno Bettencourt, and Gregg Allman, who had a black EA20 that he called Melissa. Several other artists played EA models as well, including John Jorgenson, Robert Plant, and even David Brooks (of the band Slammin’ Gladys) is pictured playing one in an early-1990s Washburn catalog.
Festival Series guitars were designed to sound good when amplified at high volumes. In this context, their laminated tops were preferable to the solid-wood tops found in more traditional flattops. Guitarists who performed with Festival Series Washburns did so because of the electric tones they produced.
Your Guitar
Based on the serial number, your guitar is a 1992 EA36 Marquee in vintage sunburst finish. It features bookmatched bird’s-eye maple top, back, and sides, a shallow body, rosewood fretboard and bridge, and Equis II electronics. What really sets the EA36 apart from other Festival Series guitars is that, instead of an oval soundhole, it has nine “computer designed” sound channels (early models only had six) that run diagonally under the fretboard. Today, very few guitars or even components are not designed using computers, but in the early 1990s this was certainly cutting-edge technology. The EA36 came in natural, tobacco sunburst, and vintage sunburst, as well as a rare blue finish available as a special order.
While the Festival Series has been successful (these guitars are still produced today, and several models are in Washburn’s current catalog), the model name and numbers were changed, switched, and reused several times on many different instruments. Before 1992, your guitar was actually called the EA46, and, after 1996, Marquee was dropped from the name. The EA36 was discontinued in 1997, and the last retail price was $1000. Looking at pictures of your guitar, it appears to be in Low Excellent condition, with a few dings. Based on that, today it is worth between $450 and $550.
Weighing Your Equis Options
To my knowledge, Equis is no longer making electronics or pickups, and Washburn stopped using them in the early 2000s. A quick internet search provided very little information as far as replacement parts or schematics. From what I’ve seen, these systems are not terribly complicated, and if you bring it to your local guitar tech or repair shop, they should be able to diagnose the problem and hopefully fix it. If not, you can explore replacing the electronics with a newer preamp and pickup system, but keep in mind that altering the original configuration will ultimately change the value. Once you get the electronics working, this guitar will be a treasure for years to come!
Source: Washburn—Over One Hundred Years of Fine Stringed Instruments by John Teagle.
For those old enough to remember, the Ibanez instrument company hasn’t always been associated with the modern stylings of their famed RG model, Vai JEM, or Gilbert Fireman. Back in the ’70s, the company was just starting to get a firm grasp on the artistic and production techniques that would define them as a major player in the musical instrument industry. Around this time, Ibanez’s reproductions of various Gibson designs instigated one of the industry’s most notorious lawsuits. In 1977, the Norlin Corporation—which owned Gibson at the time—sent a cease-and-desist warning to Ibanez. Gibson’s lawyers felt the best plan of attack was to base their lawsuit on similarities in body style and utility. On June 28, 1977, the case of Gibson v. Elger Co. opened in Philadelphia’s Federal District Court. In early ’78, the two sides reached an agreement: Ibanez would halt production on the look-a-likes if Gibson would refrain from any more lawsuits. Not only did this suit attract major attention to the burgeoning Japanese guitar market, but it also forced Ibanez to sink or swim by developing their own designs.
Here’s an example of an Ibanez “lawsuit-era”
guitar. The 1976 Custom Agent Artist 2405 in
a transparent maroon finish is a great example
of Ibanez’s penchant for melding traditional
design with artistic flair. The maple-topped
mahogany body sports a mother-of-pearl inlay
at its lower bout, matched by equally extravagant
MOP fretboard inlays, and a headstock
shape reminiscent of their mando-design. The
pickups were originally Super 80 models, but
were replaced with double-cream DiMarzio
Super Distortions before the current owner purchased
the guitar years ago.Thanks to Dien Judge for the opportunity to feature this fine instrument.