Decca Guitar Questions

[sonicdeath]

A couple years back I purchased this deccca on ebay for 30 bones. Ive tried doing research on the guitar and it seems to not exist. I only know it was made in Japan. I dont know when, but I do understand that Decca Records made them to cash in on the cheap guitar market like silvertone did.

Does anyone know where i can find out more info on the guitars? I love this thing to death. Its a total piece of shit, but its just one of those pieces of shit that sounds like no other.


If something should happen, to this.. Is there any places that specialize in replacing parts for vintage japanese instruments?

Thanks in advance.
Sonicdeath

[sunset_gun]

Is your name really sonicdeath, sonicdeath?

[lemur68]

My dad had one that's older than me, and I think it's still lying around his place somewhere.

[sonicdeath]

Is your name really sunset_gun, sunset_gun?

Lemur68.... Do you think you can ask your dad about the guitar if you find the time.. also If its a copy of mine.. see if he is interested in selling it.

Thanks

[Benny]

there are several threads about no-name japanese guitars from the 60/70s.. try a search in the tech room.

[ubercat]

I've been collecting and restoring 1950s-1960s japanese guitars. Decca is from the same plant as Norma, Teisco, etc. The parts are mix and match. Chances are you'll find only a few hundred of your guitar on the planet, and not all of them will have the same parts. If the guitar is Japanese and made before 1967 it's probably a Matsumoku guitar. Matsumoku guitar plant was known for making copies of just about everything - then 'devolving' into mutant frankenstein surf and blues guitars. Matsumoko is also known for not keeping company records, which makes identifying a Matsumoku built guitar difficult to impossible.

If you look for Decca guitars online you'll immediately find a bunch of Teisco guitars with Decca badges. The most obvious is the Teisco E110 - the tulip shaped guitars.

So, iffin' you want to know more about that beautiful guitar you have, look over the Teisco website (www.teiscotwangers.com) and do research on the Matsumoku guitar plant. Or, if you don't want to go through the trouble, sell me the guitar. :)

[sonicdeath]

Thanks for the info. Ive been looking and looking and have yet to find another guitar like this. It has a very cool sound and plays well. Thanks for the offer to sell, but I have no idea of its value, and really value is not that important, unless I should insure it.

I would like to find a wammy bar for it. It looks as if it did come with one. But Im not sure what the hell it would do to the tuning.

Im going to keep looking. And thanks a ton

[ubercat]

Like I said, the parts for these guitars are often not consistent in the guitar line itself. You'll find the same guitar but it can have many differing pieces, which give them almost a mix and match feel.

As far as the trem bar - it looks like you have a jm tail (copy). Any jm copy would probably be ok. If you want just a bar, you can find jm bars on ebay for a good price. If you need the spring or plate or anything like that, just by an entire replacement tail.

GL killer. Oh, and post your live tracks this week. We wanna know how the recording project is going.

[sonicdeath]

I found out some facts on the guitar.

It was made by Teisco.
It was In a Decca Catalog in 1966
selling price was $89.95

The Model Is a: BMI 203
Mahogany Body
Maple neck
rosewood fingerboard

How many made: I have no clue.

I will be opening it up soon to do a pot cleaning. I will post pics if anyone is interested.

[a. james]

on the subject of japanese guitars, i've always been jealous of jon spencer's zimgar.

that thing sounds like the devil.

[ubercat]

You'll never know how many of those are made.

If I were you I'd look over ebay once a week for decca guitars. Lots of parts there, project guitars, etc. I buy a lot of Teisco/Norma guitars for 20-50 bucks a pop, 15-35 bucks shipping. There's so many up now - the market seems to be glutted with `em. That won't last long. I guess I buy a new Teisco once a month at the least. I took last month off and bought a bass. I'm looking for another Norma this week...

I have a bad case of guitar acquisition syndrome.

[mattmurdock]

I recently purchased a guitar on E-bay. It looks much like the Decca DMI 226 I have seen in some vintage catalog pictures. Mine says Epiphone on the head stock, Nutone on the body ond has a pickup in the sound hole with tone, volume knobs and of course output jack. Anyone have an idea what it is? There is no manufacturer sticker inside.

[Maurice]

Ubercat has your back here. (Good job, 'cat!) Yeah, I'd be interested in seeing the guts of this one. You're planning on using DeOxit, right?

Sonic, if you post a better pic of the tailpiece/vib, I might be able to point you to some resources. I should in all fairness point out, though, that any vibrato arm will most likely be a magical go-out-of-tune-instantly feature. You might be able to cheese around that by lubing the bridge and nut with graphite from a pencil, and by using the heaviest strings you can. I've had decent results with that on Univox instruments (Jazzmaster and Bigsby ripoff vibs), but very bad results on the Gibson/Kalamazoo "Maestro" vibrola. From the pic, it looks like your vib might be sort of like the Jazz, but it's a bit of a crapshoot.

Good luck!

[ubercat]

Yeah, I'd be interested in seeing the guts of this one.

I'm pretty sure you are going to find three matched pus in there. :) Just priced similar pus at about 40/55 bucks each...

[alex maiolo]

I found out some facts on the guitar.

It was made by Teisco.
It was In a Decca Catalog in 1966
selling price was $89.95 .

It cracks me up that in 1966, you could buy a cheap piece of shit guitar for $90.
40 years later, after massive cost of living increases - cars and houses being about 10 times as much as they were back then, at least - you can still buy a starter guitar for about 100 bucks.

Thanks to our future Chinese overlords, for they allow the kids to play the rock music!

-A

[Benny]

Thanks to our future Chinese overlords, for they allow the kids to play the rock music!

-A

i will definately not see a band called Future Chinese Overlords.

[eliya]

Thanks to our future Chinese overlords, for they allow the kids to play the rock music!

-A

i will definately not see a band called Future Chinese Overlords.

and Future Chinese Overloads? or just Chinese Overlords?

[sonicdeath]

I agree. Im looking for a Bass now.

The Bitch is that the guitars are cheap, but finding the amps are not. I saw a Decca amp on ebay for $500 bucks.

I wonder who made the amps? Was it Teisco also?

[ubercat]

I agree. Im looking for a Bass now.

The Bitch is that the guitars are cheap, but finding the amps are not. I saw a Decca amp on ebay for $500 bucks.

I wonder who made the amps? Was it Teisco also?

Anything with Decca on it is a Teisco re-brand. The amps (for the most part) are the same.

Imagine an amp made by the same work force as your guitar...

...a slave workforce that used mix and match parts.

I wouldn't buy a Teisco/Decca amp unless you want an amp that sits in one space for fear that it will break if you move it. Sure, they sound really good, but they are far more troubles then they're worth if you want to play gigs, etc. If you want a studio amp, there's plenty other amps out there that would cost less and not be so freaky fragile.

That guitar would sound great through just about any tube amp.

[sonicdeath]

Yea, It sounds so fuzztastic when played with my micro synth. The weird thing is that for some reason I have to play it in an alternative tunning such as " D D# A# D# G G "

I Would love getting a nice Bad Cat amp. The price of those are insane though.