Teisco 1960s Kingston Kawai Single Pickup Electric Guitar w/ Period Case

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

This 1960s Teisco-made single-pickup electric is a short-scale student guitar built on a maple body and maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The 23-5/8" scale and 1-5/8" nut width make it genuinely comfortable for smaller hands or players who prefer a compact feel. Maple-on-maple construction in a thin, semi-slab body style produces a bright, snappy tone with modest low-end and good note-to-note clarity — characteristics reinforced by the single Teisco/Kawai single-coil pickup. Original wiring and pots are intact, and the guitar comes in excellent overall condition. Action is set at 2/32" on the first string and 3/32" on the sixth at the 12th fret with 10-46s.  The pictures show a nut missing on the back of the headstock that holds the string tree on the headstock.  We put a generic replacement nut on the guitar in place of the missing original part.

Teisco produced guitars throughout the 1960s for a number of house brands sold through US importers, including Kingston and Kawai-branded models. These instruments were among the first electrics for a generation of American players in the 1960s and early 1970s. The single-pickup configurations are the most stripped-down of the range — straightforward, no-frills instruments with fixed bridges, chrome pickguards, and minimal electronics. Collectibility centers on their period-correct originality and their role in the broader Japanese vintage guitar market, which has appreciated steadily. This example retains original finish, pickguard, tuners, bridge, tailpiece, wiring, pots, output jack, and knobs — a high degree of originality for a guitar of this age and price point.

The body rates very good, the neck and fretboard rate excellent, frets rate excellent with no repairs noted. The nut has been shimmed and reset; whether it is the original nut is unknown. A non-original generic case is included in good condition. No other issues, repairs, or anomalies are noted.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Color: sunburst
• Finish Original: yes
• Finish Condition: good
• Weight: 6lbs 4oz
• Overall Length: 37-7/8"
• Nut Width: 1-5/8"
• String Spacing At Bridge: 2"
• Scale Length: 23-5/8"
• Action 1st String At 12th Fret: 2/32"
• Action 6th String At 12th Fret: 3/32"
• Neck Profile: C
• Neck Material: maple
• Inlay: Pearloid dot
• Neck Thickness At 1st Fret: .87"
• Neck Plate Color: chrome
• Neck Plate Material: metal
• Neck Plate Original: yes
• Neck Screws Original: yes
• Neck Condition: excellent
• Neck Repairs: none
• Neck Finish Original: yes
• Tuner Brand And Model: Teisco/Kawai
• Tuners Original: yes
• Changes To Headstock For Tuners: none
• Tuner Condition: excellent
• Tuner Markings: none
• Tuner Screws Original: yes
• Truss Rod Cover: none
• Nut Material: bone
• Nut Repairs: shimmed and reset
• Fretboard Radius: 7.25"
• Fretboard Material: rosewood
• Fretboard Condition: excellent
• Fretboard Repairs: none
• Fret Condition: excellent
• Fret Repairs: none
• Fret Count: 20
• Body Material: maple
• Body Condition: very good
• Body Repairs: none
• Body Binding: none
• Body Length: 14-1/2"
• Lower Bout: 11-3/4"
• Waist: 8"
• Upper Bout: 10-1/8"
• Body Depth/Thickness: 1-3/8"
• Bridge Brand: Kawai
• Tremolo Or Fixed Bridge: fixed
• Bridge Original: yes
• Bridge And Saddle Screws Original: yes
• Bridge Condition: very good
• Saddle Material: metal
• Saddles Original: yes
• Pickguard Color: chrome
• Pickguard Original: yes
• Pickguard Condition: excellent
• Pickguard Screws Original: yes
• Neck Pickup Brand: Teisco/Kawai single coil
• Neck Pickup Original: yes
• Neck Pickup Markings: none
• Neck Pickup Condition: excellent
• Neck Pickup Screws Original: yes
• Neck Pickup Cover Color: chrome
• Solders Original: yes
• Wiring Original: yes
• Potentiometer Count: 2
• Potentiometers Original: yes
• Potentiometer Condition: excellent
• Output Jack Original: yes
• Tailpiece Brand: Teisco/Kawai
• Tailpiece Color: chrome
• Tailpiece Condition: excellent
• Tailpiece Original: yes
• Knob Color: black
• Knob Count: 2
• Knobs Original: yes
• Knob Condition: excellent
• Case Brand: generic
• Case Original: no
• Case Condition: good
• Case Smells: none
• Documentation: none
• Accessories Included: none
• String Gauge: 10-46
• Smells: none
• Neck Thickness At 12th Fret: .91"
• Nut Original: ?

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By completing your purchase you are agreeing to this shipping policy. Shipments require signature on delivery, no exceptions. Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely. If there is damage, retain all packing materials intact, photograph them immediately, and send the photos to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com.

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