Rocky "Electric Guitar", 70's Japanese shortscale. Pics!
- Ceylon
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Rocky "Electric Guitar", 70's Japanese shortscale. Pics!
This oddity is for sale quite cheap close to me. I've never seen anything like it (well, except for a G&L Sabre and a Gibson Grabber) but it seems to be your average Japanese/Korean 70's or 80's cheap thin-piece-of-plywood-bodied guitar, Teisco or Harmony or something.
But then that bridge looks totally new, and I can't find a picture of a guitar with that Grabber-type pickguard online, and plastic-covered humbuckers on one of those guitars? The brand is Rocky, and I also can't find anything about Rocky instruments, unless it's the same Rocky that was Sundown's budget brand.
I had to enhance the image quite a bit to make the guitar clear, so sorry for the Instagram-look.
But then that bridge looks totally new, and I can't find a picture of a guitar with that Grabber-type pickguard online, and plastic-covered humbuckers on one of those guitars? The brand is Rocky, and I also can't find anything about Rocky instruments, unless it's the same Rocky that was Sundown's budget brand.
I had to enhance the image quite a bit to make the guitar clear, so sorry for the Instagram-look.
Last edited by Ceylon on Fri Apr 14, 2017 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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- raphaël
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
It is a japanese badged guitar.
I saw them quite often here in France branded as Paul Beuscher.
It's for sale quite cheap...because it is !!!
They usually go for 50 to 80 euros here.
I saw them quite often here in France branded as Paul Beuscher.
It's for sale quite cheap...because it is !!!
They usually go for 50 to 80 euros here.
- Ceylon
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
Bingo! That's the one. Paul Beuscher sounds like a boutique brand or a luthier or somethingraphaël wrote:It is a japanese badged guitar.
I saw them quite often here in France branded as Paul Beuscher.
It's for sale quite cheap...because it is !!!
They usually go for 50 to 80 euros here.
The guy wants 50€ for this one as well. I guess it's not worth buying it to flip for profit or so? Do they sound and play OK?
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- Pacafeliz
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
That bridge looks massive!!! For €50 I'd take the chance!
(even if it isn't an offset)
(even if it isn't an offset)
i love delay SO much ...that i procrastinate all the time.
- Ceylon
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
Right? Weirdly enough the bridge is what has me the most intrigued too. And there's always the off chance that it has nice pickups.Pacafeliz wrote:That bridge looks massive!!! For €50 I'd take the chance!
(even if it isn't an offset)
I think I'll offer him 40...
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- Pacafeliz
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
I'm pretty sure I've seen such Ripper-a-likes with the early Ibanez logos, too.
Let us know if you get it!
Let us know if you get it!
i love delay SO much ...that i procrastinate all the time.
- Ceylon
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
I got a few more pictures and the bridge mystery deepens. It is definitely non-original, meaning some other things might be too, like that switch for example.
But the bridge puzzles me, it looks like a vibrato but bolted through the body?
But the bridge puzzles me, it looks like a vibrato but bolted through the body?
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- PorkyPrimeCut
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
Have you seen these pics? Might be the original, unmolested guitar. I can't get the pics any clearer, unfortunately...
Different decal though.
Different decal though.
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- Ceylon
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
Indeed, PorkyPrimeCut. I think that's exactly the one. No clue if this one still has the same pickups as it did from the beginning, but judging from the screw holes it had the same or a similar tailpiece at least.
I got it, by the way, so I'll report back once I pick it up.
I got it, by the way, so I'll report back once I pick it up.
Science Friction burns my fingers
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- Pacafeliz
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
SO cool!!!
i love delay SO much ...that i procrastinate all the time.
- Ceylon
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
So, I got it. Man, it's an odd bird. The bridge really seems to be the moving part of a Kahler-like vibrato that has just been bolted through the body. The saddles have tiny fine-tuners and you can see the hinges on which it would have rocked. A ground wire is clumsily attached to a screw on the back of the whole thing. The tiny screws that would have held the original vibrato in place are still there, too.
The fretboard is of the type that has been painted black and you can see where it has been worn through. It seems to have been played quite a bit, and despite feeling a bit cramped the neck is nicer than I would have thought. It feels like a really nice piece of wood was used for it, which is odd in itself, and the thick layer of clear over it makes it feel like the nice Eko guitar a friend has. Not bad at all. It seems to be some odd kind of short scale too, but I'll have to wait until I get home to compare it to my other guitars. The tuners are crap, 6 on a strip classic cheapos.
The body is rather thin, most certainly plywood with something like a mahogany veneer. All the screws are different, meaning it must have been screwed apart and together at least once. A 3-way mini-switch has been added, presumably as a pickup selector seeing as the originals seemed not ho have had those, and the tone control is busted. Right now I'm hoping that the pickups are cool.
Actually the whole thing is damn cool somehow in all it's mutt-ness, but I doubt I'll keep it for very long.
The fretboard is of the type that has been painted black and you can see where it has been worn through. It seems to have been played quite a bit, and despite feeling a bit cramped the neck is nicer than I would have thought. It feels like a really nice piece of wood was used for it, which is odd in itself, and the thick layer of clear over it makes it feel like the nice Eko guitar a friend has. Not bad at all. It seems to be some odd kind of short scale too, but I'll have to wait until I get home to compare it to my other guitars. The tuners are crap, 6 on a strip classic cheapos.
The body is rather thin, most certainly plywood with something like a mahogany veneer. All the screws are different, meaning it must have been screwed apart and together at least once. A 3-way mini-switch has been added, presumably as a pickup selector seeing as the originals seemed not ho have had those, and the tone control is busted. Right now I'm hoping that the pickups are cool.
Actually the whole thing is damn cool somehow in all it's mutt-ness, but I doubt I'll keep it for very long.
Science Friction burns my fingers
Electricity still lingers
Electricity still lingers
- Ceylon
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Re: Here's one. Help me identify this one.
The mystery deepens. The bridge pickup is just one of those single coils that you can find disguised as humbuckers on old japanese guitars, one coil wrapped around a rectangular plastic frame with a separate magnets and a folded piece of metal holding the pole pieces that just sort of drops into it.
The neck pickup is two of those, stuffed into the same cover and seemingly wired together to work as a humbucker by someone.
If it works, that one might sound pretty good I reckon. But there must be an incredible volume drop when you switch from the neck to the bridge.
The neck pickup is two of those, stuffed into the same cover and seemingly wired together to work as a humbucker by someone.
If it works, that one might sound pretty good I reckon. But there must be an incredible volume drop when you switch from the neck to the bridge.
Science Friction burns my fingers
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- AWSchmit
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Re: Rocky "Electric Guitar", 70's Japanese shortscale. Pics!
Originally had no pickup selector? I wonder if the idea was to just turn down or up the independent volume knobs? I'd love to play this thing for a bit. Looks like a fun lay around the house guitar.
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- Mad-Mike
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Re: Rocky "Electric Guitar", 70's Japanese shortscale. Pics!
Hi, I know that bridge, it IS a PART of a Vibrato unit that used to be sold on 80's metal shred guitar copies from Korea called the Accutune II vibrato unit, it's a Kahler rip-off vibrato made of cheap metal.
Some of the old Applause electric guitars had them. They are cast magnesium and had this problem of the spring retainer at the front breaking off. I had one on an Explorer mutt I built that had a Hondo Deluxe Series 780 body on it, I put a Harmony strat intertia block on it and it actually worked better than it did stock. LOL. This guitar seen below from one of my grainy old youtubes....I think the "bridge" was another one of those Accutune II units where the spring mount got ripped off because of the cheap pot metal frame.
Some of the old Applause electric guitars had them. They are cast magnesium and had this problem of the spring retainer at the front breaking off. I had one on an Explorer mutt I built that had a Hondo Deluxe Series 780 body on it, I put a Harmony strat intertia block on it and it actually worked better than it did stock. LOL. This guitar seen below from one of my grainy old youtubes....I think the "bridge" was another one of those Accutune II units where the spring mount got ripped off because of the cheap pot metal frame.
- Ceylon
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Re: Rocky "Electric Guitar", 70's Japanese shortscale. Pics!
Ah shit, I knew someone here would know where it came from. Thanks! It's been a lot of fun tracking it's mutty heritage and I think this is the last piece.Mad-Mike wrote:Hi, I know that bridge, it IS a PART of a Vibrato unit that used to be sold on 80's metal shred guitar copies from Korea called the Accutune II vibrato unit, it's a Kahler rip-off vibrato made of cheap metal.
Some of the old Applause electric guitars had them. They are cast magnesium and had this problem of the spring retainer at the front breaking off. I had one on an Explorer mutt I built that had a Hondo Deluxe Series 780 body on it, I put a Harmony strat intertia block on it and it actually worked better than it did stock. LOL. This guitar seen below from one of my grainy old youtubes....I think the "bridge" was another one of those Accutune II units where the spring mount got ripped off because of the cheap pot metal frame.
I managed to find the guy who owned it originally too, bought it in the early 80's for his first guitar and doesn't clearly remember modding it. I'm gonna sell it on, mostly because I have too many guitars in a small room already, but it was fun to have it for a while
Science Friction burns my fingers
Electricity still lingers
Electricity still lingers