Gaban Electrics (1973 Tokai Catalogue)

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ian

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Here?s something slightly interesting ? single page advert from 1973, for "Gaban" guitars ? see the earliest Tokai Catalogue in our registry 1973 ? model is shown there as ?FLG-DX750G?, appears to be pretty accurate Les Paul copy with set neck & mini-hums (just like the 1973 Gibson LP Deluxe). http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7300612239&fromMakeTrack=true :-? .

Ian.
 
I have an old Belgian newspaper to sell. It was just used once to peel the potatoes. There's an advert for a vacuum cleaner on it! :D

20$ ??
 
Hi Sneaky ... interesting that they show up Japanese sites ... I've checked many times on US/UK eBay and never seen one ... are they any good do you know, ever tried one? :-?

Ian.
 
Gabans I've seen are not set neck if memory serves me well.I would compare them to early Ibanezes.Not my cake.There could be some set neck ones too just like Ibanez models.
 
The interest was of course the early connection to Tokai in 1973, ie 3 to 4 years before the Tokai branded headstock (on electrics).

Luis - the one on that advert is set-neck, and cost 75,000Yen in 1973 :-? .

Ian.
 
I have some photos in a Japanese book showing two Gaban Les Paul deluxe copies. Both have glued in necks and actually have Les Paul in exact gibson script on the headstock. I believe the Gaban was chosen because it looks just like Gibson.....same G same n at the end. One even has a flamed maple top. They look like fantastic copies......but you have to wonder why they copied the Deluxe model right down to the pancake body!!!!
If anyone knows what factory they were actually made in let him speak up now!!
 
Ah, now this becomes interesting (thanks Bluebrush) & it's reason for posting that advert in first place of course .... at risk of starting a completely spurious Old Wives Tale - AFAIK there was/is suggestion that Gaban or Goban were actually made by Tokai & were in fact Tokai?s first electrics, hence their appearance in the 1973 Catalogue. The ?fact? that Bluebrush says they appear very exact copies of the 73 Gibson LP Deluxe might also lead us think of Tokai rather than other Japanese makers. Also interesting that Bluebrush says they have ?Les Paul? screened on the H-stock, and makes me wonder if this is in fact the origin of the rumor about first Tokais being called ?Les Paul Model? (ie before Les Paul Reborn in 1978). All speculation of course :-? .

Ian.
 
:) Harmony Central has one review of a Gaban Strat that sounds like a Silver Star with the big headstock etc...The owner thinks it was made between 70' and 75'. :eek: Before the vintage think took off the first replicas from Japan where current models of the LP and Strat :-? Interesting! 8) TG
 
I had never seen that 73 catalog before. I see exactly what you are saying Ian....the Gaban was in all probability the forerunner of the Tokai.
I dont know whether it is the same factory though as the FLG-650 looks awfully like a '73 Ibanez. It has those Ibanez style pickups and even throws a custom style headstock, rectangular inlays on a sunburst flamed maple top.

Had another look at the FLG-DX750R photos. It is an exact early 70's Deluxe clone right down to the pancake body and three piece neck....but it has a two piece flame maple top. Now if that model was 75000 yen the FLG-1000 at 100000 yen must have been a killer. I am assuming that would be a 59 style std!! The book also showed the EB-3L gibson bass with a bolt on neck.
 
There's a Gaban sg to sell on Yahoo auction, it's a bolt-on neck. State is really poor.But it means that Gaban has a wide range of models to offer :wink/
 
I was the one tokaiguy was talking about who reviewed
a Gaban Strat in harmony central...

i will post the pictures here tommorrow...
baceuse i really like to know... the history of this guitar...
if it were really made by tokai... please help....
 
In early to mid 70s it seemed that exact copying of Gibson of that time was done by several Japanese manufacuters. There are 70s Grecos that also have pancake body & three-piece maple necks. Maybe they did that because thes considered the current Gibson models as "the state of the art" back then ... the 50s Les Paul hype was to start then ...
 
theskywolf- What you say may be true, I have an Aria pro LP Deluxe and it has a pancake body and a three piece set neck with a volute, just like the two early 70's Glibson Deluxe that I owned. The guy I bought it from said it was made in 1976 but I don't know for sure.
 
This is what I've been talking about in Harmony central,
the ONLY Gaban review.

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_Body_2.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_Head1.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_Head2.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_Head3.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_Neck.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_Pickups.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_Picups2.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_Steel_Trem.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/Gaban_Strat_body.jpg

Thanks for Viewing!!!

Hope you'll help in finding the history of my guitar....
thanks!!!
 
http://www.digimart.net/guitar/inst_detail.do?instrument_id=DS01677528

Set neck pancake, deluxe rings, Les Paul script, pretty cool
 
And yet another Gaban "Les Paul" Deluxe model

http://www.digimart.net/cat01/shop2160/DS01567519/
 

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