TE120 "Arabesque Model"

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Sigmania

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I discovered in translating the Spring 1982 catalog that the TE120 is also referred to as the "Arabesque Model", and that it has the cashew finish.

Just hoping to find more info if anyone else knows anything about them.
 
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This is my 1981 TE120 that I got from fellow member Cliff back in 2014?

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Translation from Spring 1982 catalog.

TOKAI ORIGINAL MODEL TE120YSR ¥ 120,000

Brilliant custom binding in abalone pearl-TE120 with arabesque specifications. It is the lead TE model that inherits the form of the old Tele. High-grade specifications such as carefully selected materials, special-spec hardware, and cashew finish. A high quality model acclaimed by super artists around the world, including Joe Walsh.


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From the Spring '82 catalog.

"The favorite guitar that finally appeared. With the Rosewood Tele TE200 in the center, '48 the power of the Broadcaster model, and Tokai original model (Arabesque) is amazing."


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https://www.gbase.com/gear/tokai-es-150-1959-es-335-red Here's another cashew lacquered model with a useful explanation of the process.
 
8) a very good explanation about the cashew finish here in japanese. translate please mr.sigmania!

カシュー塗料はおつまみなんかでよく食べられるカシューナッツから採れる油を原料としています。

カシュー塗装に使用されるカシュー油とラッカー塗装に使用されるラッカー(漆)は分子構造がそっくりなため、「塗膜を薄くできる」、「適度な柔軟性を持つ」などラッカー塗料とよく似た特徴を持っています。

しかしながら両者にもいくつか違いがありますので、「ラッカー塗装と比べてどうか」という視点でカシュー塗料の特徴を紹介していきます。

 

1.コストが安い
ラッカー塗料が特別高額というわけではありませんが、カシュー塗料はラッカー塗料のおよそ3分の1程度のコストで塗装することができます。

塗装業界では「廉価版ラッカー」なんて言われることも。

 

2.ゴムや紫外線に強い
ラッカー塗装は長時間紫外線に晒したりゴム製のギタースタンドに立てかけたりしていると変質してしまいますが、カシュー塗料には紫外線に強く、耐ゴム性があるためその心配は無用。

白化の心配もないため保管の際にそれほど注意を払う必要はありません。

しかし耐摩擦性や傷のつきにくさ等ではラッカー塗装に分があります。

 

3.塗装の深みではラッカーに劣る
これは感覚的な話になってしまうんですが、ラッカー塗装と比べてカシュー塗料は塗膜の表面の粒子が凹形状のためそう見えると言われています。

ただこれは両者を並べて比べないとわからないような違いですのでそれほど気にする必要はないのかもしれません。
 
Translation:

Cashew paint is made from oil from cashew nuts, which is often eaten as a snack. The cashew oil used for cashew painting and the lacquer (lacquer) used for lacquer painting have similar molecular structures, so they are very similar to lacquer paints, such as "thinning the paint film" and "having moderate flexibility".

However, there are some differences between the two, so I will introduce the characteristics of cashew paint from the perspective of "how does it compare to lacquer painting?"

1. Low cost Lacquer paint is not particularly expensive, but cashew paint can be applied at about one-third the cost of lacquer paint. In the painting industry, it is sometimes called "cheap lacquer".

2. Rubber and UV resistant lacquer coating will deteriorate if exposed to UV light for a long time or leaning against a rubber guitar stand, but cashew paint is UV resistant and rubber resistant, so that is the reason. Don't worry. You don't have to worry about bleaching, so you don't have to pay much attention to storage. However, lacquer coating has some advantages in terms of abrasion resistance and scratch resistance.

3. Inferior to lacquer in the depth of painting This is a sensuous story, but it is said that cashew paint looks like that because the particles on the surface of the paint film are concave compared to lacquer painting. However, this is a difference that can only be understood by comparing the two side by side, so it may not be necessary to worry too much.
 
CliffsComicWorld said:
I’ve sold a few of these TE-120’s and currently have (2) in stock.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147832065@N08/albums



Cliff, do you have a picture of the jack on these? The one I got from you had its jack replaced at some point and then reversed to the original style it seems. Just wondering which one is correct for this guitar?
 
Sigmania said:
CliffsComicWorld said:
I’ve sold a few of these TE-120’s and currently have (2) in stock.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147832065@N08/albums



Cliff, do you have a picture of the jack on these? The one I got from you had its jack replaced at some point and then reversed to the original style it seems. Just wondering which one is correct for this guitar?


I sure would like that TE-120 back that’s for sure…

I uploaded both 1980 TE-120’s input jack pictures to my Fliker page.
 
Thanks Cliff! Here is your picture. I appreciate it.

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Here is the jack on mine, obviously changed to a 4 hole plate then back to the cup style escutcheon.:

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And I hear you. I’ll let you know if I ever want to part with it.
 
Do you have any idea who made the different types of pots? Particularly the first type (YM X) seen on Goldstars and Breezys in the late 80s?

Noble pots show up on LS models in the early 80s as well.

I have them in a 1981 LS100S.

I've no idea who made the YM X, vertical lines or rubber stamp pots. Hardly surprising, a business-to-business parts suppliers wouldn't normally have any interest in communicating their brand name in a way that makes it identifiable to the end consumer. That has changed though, at least when it comes to guitars, since it became obvious that guitar owners like to tinker with their instruments. In Japanese guitars, you often see GF brand pots installed as replacements, for instance. But I think we'd need to find info from inside the business to find the suppliers of those three types, and we all know how difficult that is...

But there is Noble, of course. I've never actually searched for them before, but they were quite easy to find. It's the brand name used by Teikoku Tsushin Kogyo Co. Ltd, founded in 1944 (in the Nagano prefecture, so they were well-placed) and a global corporation these days. I guess they may have info on the codes, and being global with a partner company in the US, they might even reply... :)

Teikoku Tsushin Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Other than Noble, I've come across one more "plaintext" pot brand, Cosmos. Quite rare, so far, I've seen it in one Fresher FP-380 P-bass and two Rickenbacker 4003 copies, one a Dyna Gakki-made JooDee JRB-55 from around 1977-78, the other an unknown with a fake logo from about the same time. The Fresher's pots actually have a 2 and a 3 on the housing (1982-83 actually seems to be a likely date for the bass), the Rics just the logo with "PR-3" under it (likely a model designation, I'd say).
The company is Tokyo Cosmos Electric Co. Ltd, founded in 1957, still around and using TOCOS as a brand name these days.

Potentiometer manufacturer. Tokyo Cosmos Electric

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And to add to your vertical lines code.

I got this loaded original pickguard for a '79 Greco SE600 I was restoring years ago.

Has the vertical lines code on the pots and a different code on the pickguard that also is 1979 I believe?
Yeah, April '79 pots.

The stamp on the pickguard is basically a plaintext date, preceded by a digit of unknown meaning, so it's Sept 19th 1979 on this particular one. It's the same system (and stamp, judging by the font style) as used on Maxon (and Fujigen, they bought out Maxon's pickup operation at some point around 1980) humbuckers, so we can safely assume that the Strat pickguards were delivered complete with pickups and harness, So it might actually be Maxon (still extant) that knows who made this pot type.

The first digit is most often a 2, with 1 and 3 also seen pretty regularly, though usually in older guitars. In 1981-82, stamps beginning with 5 turn up as well, with a weird twist: the month and day numbers only make sense if you read them in reverse: 518072 would be 27th of August 1981, for instance. You see reverse dating info here and there all the time, and combined with a habit of suddenly using the traditional Imperial calendar randomly it can turn a simple date into seeming gibberish. 352141 could well mean 14th of December 1978, for instance, 53 being Showa 53, i e year 53 of emperor Hirohito's reign. I've have no idea if it's a considered attempt at being obscure, or just an effect of having a writing system traditionally read in vertical lines from top to bottom. I mean, left to to right or right to left, who cares? 😂
 
After owning this guitar for 8 years I finally opened it up to check on some things, and learned a bit about it.

First, I have no idea what pickups are in there. They are unmarked except for a paper label that fell off with a part number or serial number on it.

Definitely not marked TEA anywhere.

The catalog doesn't help much. Just says "vintage" pickups.

If anyone has a clue as to what these are, please let me know.


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One of the pots has a scorch mark.

Guessing that was from when the jack was replaced.

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Also, the body is weird in a couple of ways.

First, they apparently used a long drill bit to drill from the neck pocket to the control cavity.

I guess they had to do it this way since it's a one piece body.

Note the hole in the lower left corner of the neck pocket in this picture.

Done before staining.

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Also, note the corners of the neck pocket, how they are rounded out and there is a gap.

Shows well in this photo.

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And the notch for the truss rod adjustment.

Pickguard not original. Extra holes drilled.

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The bright spot is that the numbers match. Hallelujah!

10 = 10

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Let me know if anyone knows that the pickups are.
 
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First, I have no idea what pickups are in there. They are unmarked except for a paper label that fell off with a part number or serial number on it.

Definitely not marked TEA anywhere.

The catalog doesn't help much. Just says "vintage" pickups.

If anyone has a clue as to what these are, please let me know.

Looking at the sticker in the bridge pickup cavity, Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbuckers from mid-nineties have the same type of paper labels attached to them - the font style, the hand-written signature and the length of the serial number (eight digits).

I'm not suggesting it is Antiquity tele bridge pickup as they started producing single coil Antiquity models later on (Antiquity humbuckers were released in 1994). But I would suggest looking towards Seymour Duncan here, based on the sticker (or at least the sticker is Duncan's :) ).
 
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