Can anybody identify the origin of this guitar?

m_c

This came up on the JustinGuitar forum, and belonged to the current owners grandad.
Estimated vintage is 70/80s.

There's a couple interesting features on it.
My impression is it's either homemade, or a partscaster.

It is a toggle switch on the pickguard inline with the neck pickup, and the jack was in the missing section.

So can anybody shed some light on what the source is likely to have been?

Funkfingers

It originated from trees.

The truss rod cover suggests a Japanese factory in the Sixties or Seventies. (Kay, Satellite et cetera.)

I haven't seen that sort of vibrato tailpiece for decades. The obvious Fretboarder to consult is @HarrySeven ;

Pete.R

Framus guitars had this type of 'laminated' necks back in the 70s

AK99

That looks very similar to something I was given once that originally came out of a Kays catalogue - with a brandname that I cant remember unfortunately. What was distinctive about it was the neck and headstock made of some kind of laminated ply sections - dozens of them. 

I'd say if you could see the back of the neck on that one, it'll be the same.

Kittyfrisk

Funkfingers said:

It originated from trees.

The truss rod cover suggests a Japanese factory in the Sixties or Seventies. (Kay, Satellite et cetera.)

I haven't seen that sort of vibrato tailpiece for decades. The obvious Fretboarder to consult is @HarrySeven ;;

Agree about the country & time of origin. I have a guitar with exactly the same construction detail ( but I can't be arsed to dig it out & take photo's at the moment).
In fact, the neck might not actually be wood, but laminated bamboo, so technically a grass 

ICBM

Not homemade or a partscaster - it's a Zenta, made in Japan by Tiesco, late 60s or very early 70s.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/64163755-zenta-stratocaster-1970-s-sunburst

m_c

ICBM said:

Not homemade or a partscaster - it's a Zenta, made in Japan by Tiesco, late 60s or very early 70s.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/64163755-zenta-stratocaster-1970-s-sunburst

Thanks for that.
I knew somebody on here would know.

AK99

ICBM said:

Not homemade or a partscaster - it's a Zenta, made in Japan by Tiesco, late 60s or very early 70s.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/64163755-zenta-stratocaster-1970-s-sunburst

'Kinell..that's exactly the same model and 'burst as the one I had. Pulled it apart for some reason or other a couple of years ago, got fed up with it and dumped all the bits barring the 'semi-loaded pick guard' which I still have kicking around (don't ask me why, I have no idea):



If I'd known it was such a rare Japanese instrument..I'd have..probably still dumped the POS anyway

Mine was the full ply 'maple effect' fingerboard btw, Aesthetically about as bad as it could get

HarrySeven

Funkfingers said:

It originated from trees.

The truss rod cover suggests a Japanese factory in the Sixties or Seventies. (Kay, Satellite et cetera.)

I haven't seen that sort of vibrato tailpiece for decades. The obvious Fretboarder to consult is @HarrySeven ;

Seems I’m late to the party, but yup, as @ICBM says, it’s a Zenta. 

usedtobe

Nasty..

Rusty-Strings

Another vote for Zenta. A friend from a very early band had a vaguely T shaped Zenta. He replaced the body with on made from 2 school desk lids. It looked very cool with decades of graffiti!

AK99

ICBM said:

Not homemade or a partscaster - it's a Zenta, made in Japan by Tiesco, late 60s or very early 70s.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/64163755-zenta-stratocaster-1970-s-sunburst

A propos very little..

Came across this in the shed yesterday:


All I need is a new neck and some tuners now, and I could  have a proper Zenta Partscaster

kentuckyklira

Pete.R said:

Framus guitars had this type of 'laminated' necks back in the 70s

They also had switches like that.

goldtop

AK99 said:

ICBM said:

Not homemade or a partscaster - it's a Zenta, made in Japan by Tiesco, late 60s or very early 70s.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/64163755-zenta-stratocaster-1970-s-sunburst

'Kinell..that's exactly the same model and 'burst as the one I had. Pulled it apart for some reason or other a couple of years ago, got fed up with it and dumped all the bits barring the 'semi-loaded pick guard' which I still have kicking around (don't ask me why, I have no idea):



If I'd known it was such a rare Japanese instrument..I'd have..probably still dumped the POS anyway

Mine was the full ply 'maple effect' fingerboard btw, Aesthetically about as bad as it could get

Those pickups look somehow like repurposed hearing aids.

Offset

AK99 said:

ICBM said:

Not homemade or a partscaster - it's a Zenta, made in Japan by Tiesco, late 60s or very early 70s.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/64163755-zenta-stratocaster-1970-s-sunburst

A propos very little..

Came across this in the shed yesterday:


All I need is a new neck and some tuners now, and I could  have a proper Zenta Partscaster

I must admit I'd put it back where I found it if I were you.

AK99

Tough crowd in this afternoon

ICBM

One of you needs to sell their bit to the other one! Then all you need is a neck… and a few other smaller parts.

It’s well worth saving - they’re certainly not a high quality guitar, but with a bit of care it should be like any other Tiesco, capable of being made playable, quite good-sounding and a little more interesting than the average generic modern plank.