NGD - Eko J56 12-string Acoustic....

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I might look into ways of matching them up slightly (but will avoid submerging the neck in warm coffee!!)

Brown boot polish might do it. Leave on for a while (if you can bear to stop playing it) then wipe off.

The bridge saddle looks like it could be sanded down a fair bit to lower the action. Maybe a job for a luthier who's good with acoustics though - any time I've attempted that I've ended up with a wedge shape.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

I might look into ways of matching them up slightly (but will avoid submerging the neck in warm coffee!!)

Brown boot polish might do it. Leave on for a while (if you can bear to stop playing it) then wipe off.

The bridge saddle looks like it could be sanded down a fair bit to lower the action. Maybe a job for a luthier who's good with acoustics though - any time I've attempted that I've ended up with a wedge shape.

Yeah, Mr Brandoni actually said it could maybe do with having a bit sanded off the base. This was without seeing it installed too.
I guess he deals with bridge saddles all the time. He was really focusing on quickly getting the top into shape though.

It looks like it's a pretty easy job. Just tape down a sheet of fine sandpaper, mark a line in pencil & rub the base on it back & forth until the lines reached.
Saying that, you probably know what a pain in the arse it is stringing these fuckers up. I don't know if I have the patience to go through all that again.

If I notice any odd intonation issues or problems fretting in tune higher up the neck & might try'n tackle it.

[paula]

Hi guys. First time on a forum so I'm not sure how it works. I have a 12 string eko ranger with the same batwing scratch plate with the cowboy on it. It has a pickup on it which looks like it has been customised. Other than that it seems to be in good condition and has a nice feel to it . It doesn't do it justice when amplified but sounds great acoustic. Part of the number is illegible as the ink is very dark so it look like J.53 or 56 or 58.I cant work it out. The cereal number on the plate is 321600. I was already aware of the factory burning as I had read this before but was keen to know more on the dates and the cowboy scratch plate. Any info would be great guys.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Hi Paula. Welcome to the forum.

Posting pictures would be the simplest way of seeing what you have. If you've never done that it'll take a bit of figuring out but it's easy when you know how. Find a website like Photobucket or Imageshack to upload a photo, then copy the link code over to here.

In the meantime, does the guitar have block inlays on the neck? Also, is the bridge aluminium, cream plastic or black plastic?

Dating old Ekos isn't very easy but we'll be able to get it down to a year, I reckon. I'm guessing yours is a '67.

[Tellyz]

Hidi Ho friends and neighbours.

Just had this old Eko J56 gifted to me by some friends. They know I dabble in some basic repairs and resto's of acoustic guitars, heard I was looking for an old 12 string, rang me and said come round and get it if it's something you're after. Absolutely, I'll be there in 15 min....

They bought it second hand in the 60's and apparently other than the odd strum it has never been used. It wasn't stored in a case so consequently it is a bit rough cosmetically. Structually it needs some love too, a lot of love, but I'm looking forward to redeeming this oldie...

The little bit of reading I've done, I only got it yesterday, there are a few minor differences with these guitars. It's labeled a J56. Serial no. on the neck plate is 233114. As you can see it has the plain 4 lined rosette decal, steel saddle slot, black saddle, dot position markers and the plain Eko decal on the headstock. I thought maye the raised Eko badge on the headstock as seen on some models may have fallen off but there is no sign of anything having been there.

Any idea on the date of this guitar would be appreciated.

The bridge is lifting, also dipping at the front/buldging at the back, so that's going to have to come off, cleaned and glued back on. Looks like it's going to need a bridge doctor to level out that top. The neck will need to come off and re-set. Any tips relevent to this model for the neck re-set will be gratefully received. The tuners look different to anything else I've seen so far and appear to be just about shot so I'll be looking for a replacement for those. The screw nuts from the small bolts going through the bridge look like they are trying to pull through the bridge plate so that will need some attention. I was thinking some small washers behind the nuts? How do those screws come out of the top of the bridge? Cosmetically the clear finish has a lot of cracking in it which to me looks good on a 60's guitar so thats fine by me. The pick guard is almost off. It seems like a big bodacious thing so I may keep this aside and replace it with a custom one from a sheet of pick guard material. There's a bit of shinkage in the top inner bout. I was thinking get some glue in there and some acrylic filling material?

I aim to get this in good playable condition again so thanks in advance for any tips to get that happening.

Here's some pics.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Interesting.

Looks like a first generation J56 but with a new rosette. Are there any laquer cracks on the top? They tend to look pretty thick & unsightly (these things were notorious for being heavily coated in poly laquer) & the only way to get the old rosette off would've been to sand right through the laquer first.

Take a close look at the bottom tip of the pickguard. Is there any remains of the white emblem (a cowboy)?

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I think the new rosette theory seems highly unlikely; it's more probable that they were just inconsistent in much the same way as Japanese manufacturers from roughly the same era were. Remember that Eko outsourced to E-Ros for a while - maybe that would account for rosette and other minor differences.

Looks like you've been well and truly threadjacked, Mark.

[Tellyz]

Interesting.

Looks like a first generation J56 but with a new rosette. Are there any laquer cracks on the top? They tend to look pretty thick & unsightly (these things were notorious for being heavily coated in poly laquer) & the only way to get the old rosette off would've been to sand right through the laquer first.

Take a close look at the bottom tip of the pickguard. Is there any remains of the white emblem (a cowboy)?

Lots of laquer cracks on the top and looks like the original finish. No sign of the Cowboy. When did the cowboy appear on the pick guards?

[PorkyPrimeCut]

...it's more probable that they were just inconsistent in much the same way as Japanese manufacturers from roughly the same era were. Remember that Eko outsourced to E-Ros for a while - maybe that would account for rosette and other minor differences.

True, I'm just struggling to find any images of E-Ros or Eko 12-strings with that particular rosette. They moved onto the 4 rings later on bit they were different to the ones on this guitar.

I'd be reluctant to put too much money into fixing this one up. If you have the means to do it yourself, fine, but you'll be able to find plenty of similar era Eko 12s for around £100. They rarely seem to sell for anything near £200 which is a shame. Mine's in tip top condition but I'll still no doubt tke a hit when I sell it.

Looks like you've been well and truly threadjacked, Mark.

It's all good.

It's actually quite coincidental that this thread is resurrected as I'm in the process of photographing my J56 to sell it. I just don't play it enough.
It'll just be a shame to have a lop-sided fireplace as it's had an acoustic either side of it for years now.

No sign of the Cowboy. When did the cowboy appear on the pick guards?

Pretty early on, from what I've read, but it looked as though it rubbed off pretty easily. Your guard fits the mid 60s period as it a black/white/black one. They moved on to a dark brown a bit later on.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I just had a look through all the EKO pics I can easily access and, indeed, none of them have that particular rosette, but I'm 99.9% sure I've seen it before, probably many time over. I recently heard that the reason EKOs are so ubiquitous round my way is that they were the guitar you could cash in your cigarette coupons for at Glasgow's Kensitas shop in Cambridge St. They weren't valued highly - they were purely utilitarian items.

Old EKOs have gone up in value substantially in the last 10-20 years....on eBay, anyway. The only source of cheap ones now, as far as I can tell, is markets/car boot sales where someone who has had it since it was a cheap, undesirable guitar (or who inherited it from them) is cashing it in for a few quid. That scenario has become less and less common in the last few years as the world and his wife cite "online" prices whenever they're selling anything....NOT online.

Most of the cheap ones are riddled with faults, mind you. This (latest) one is typical - missing tuner button, bridge lift, dings/finish cracks, missing some original bridge pins, heavy corrosion/distortion of metal parts. As Mark says, investing too much time and money in it isn't that advisable unless you're doing it purely for the satisfaction a good restoration brings.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

P.S. Trying to date them by serial number is well-nigh impossible. Also the dates aren't important anyway (at this point). I've never known an EKO to fetch substantially more than whatever the going rate is at the time because it's from the original factory or from a particular year. Their value seems limited to their playability, cosmetic condition, and stock features.

[Tellyz]

I'd be reluctant to put too much money into fixing this one up. If you have the means to do it yourself, fine, but you'll be able to find plenty of similar era Eko 12s for around £100. They rarely seem to sell for anything near £200 which is a shame. Mine's in tip top condition but I'll still no doubt tke a hit when I sell it.

For me it hasn't cost me anything. Repairs I'll do myself. I think the only cost for me will be replacing the tuners. When I replace the strings on my regular 12 string I'll transfer those used ones to the Eko. I have boxes of bits and bobs to dig through for bits. I have a bridge doctor salvaged from another guitar that will go on the old Eko.

I nornmally repair and on sell as a hoby and have run out of repairs to do. I'm convalecing at home at the moment post motor vechile accident so I have the time. Just the project I'm looking for.

The plan for this is to get it going again and have an old well weathered 12 string hanging on the wall.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

P.S. Trying to date them by serial number is well-nigh impossible. Also the dates aren't important anyway (at this point). I've never known an EKO to fetch substantially more than whatever the going rate is at the time because it's from the original factory or from a particular year. Their value seems limited to their playability, cosmetic condition, and stock features.

Indeed.

Still, based on all the usual markers (black painted neck with banner & script logo, J56 stamp & thin bridge + black saddle) I'd imagine the serial number's legit & it's a 65-66 model. That's nothing but a guesstimate, based on other models I've seen & the info on the Fetishguitars.com site.

[brownman]

Hi Guys, just checking, is this thread still current? I have an early 70's Ranger 6 all original, but I've just picked up a Ranger 12 and loving it. I have a few ID questions and was hoping to get some info to help dating the 12 although I think the neck and body may be different eras? I can post up some pix.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Sure. Post the pics if you want.

Don't use Photobucket though.