1960s Teisco T-60 Sunburst Electric Guitar with Original Case

A genuine piece of Japanese electric guitar history, this Teisco T-60 from the mid-1960s carries all the wild, optimistic design DNA that made the brand a cult favorite among garage rockers, surf revivalists, and lo-fi indie players. The offset body wears a warm two-tone tobacco sunburst finish, paired with a brushed aluminum pickguard, three black-bobbin single-coil pickups stamped TEISCO, a chromed covered bridge/tailpiece, and the unmistakable open-window headstock with the round Teisco medallion. The lower bout is sculpted with a signature carved-through grip cutaway — pure 1960s space-age styling.

Teisco (Tokyo Electric Instrument & Sound Company) produced some of the most visually inventive electrics of the era, exported to the U.S. through Teisco Del Rey and W.M.I. and sold via Sears and other department stores. The original maker's plate on the back of the headstock reads TEISCO ELECTRIC GUITER MODEL T-60 — the charming misspelling is correct to the badge and a hallmark of early-period Teisco production. Comes with the original tweed-style hardshell case with gold velvet interior — a rare survivor in its own right.

Founded in Tokyo in 1946 by Hawaiian and Spanish guitarist Atswo Kaneko and electrical engineer Doryu Matsuda, Teisco built its reputation through the 1950s on lap steels and amplifiers before pivoting hard into solid-body electrics in the early 1960s. By 1964, the company was exporting tens of thousands of guitars annually to the U.S. market, where they reached a generation of teenagers who could not afford a Fender or Gibson. The brand was acquired by Kawai in 1967. Original-era Teisco instruments — particularly the three-pickup models with the open-window headstock — have become highly collectible among players seeking the distinctive jangly, microphonic single-coil voice that defined a wave of 1960s recordings.

• Teisco T-60 electric guitar
• Original hardshell case, felt-lined

CONDITION

Good and untested. Body shows light scuffs and minor surface scratches consistent with age and use; finish remains glossy with the sunburst intact. Hardware, pickups, and maker's plate are all present. Case shows heavy age-appropriate wear, soiling, rusted hinges, and broken hinges along the edges; interior velvet remains intact and supportive. Electronics not tested.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Maker: Teisco
• Model: T-60 (per headstock plate)
• Era: 1960s
• Strings: 6
• Pickups: 3 single-coil
• Finish: Two-tone tobacco sunburst
• Case Overall: 3.5" × 45" × 17.25"