Terada Guitar Fan Club

[Foxstein]

Hi Whooper san,
I was wondering if you could help me with my Terada, as you might know I have a FW 502, but it doesn't have a serial number printed on it. All it has is 502 stamped inside near the heel. I have posted pictures of it previously ( page 3) . It is very similar to the one you dated for Alfiesim recently, but mine has a zero fret and a slightly different head.
Do you know why mine hasn't got a serial number, or when and for how long they produced theFW 502's ?
Your help on this would be very much appreciated
Mick

[NeilAplin]

Hi All

I have previously posted pics of my beautiful Terada FW952 12-string (see page 5) but reading some recent posts about serial numbers inside the sound-hole at the neck end I have discovered '14 44' printed on the inside of the back of the guitar. Does this mean anything?

If you want to see my guitar in action, here's a link to a video it appeared in!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Si5NcXAVg&feature=plcp

Would love to know more about my guitar.

Thanks so much

Neil

[NeilAplin]

Ooops - just realised my guitar doesn't make an appearance until about 2.20 in the video - worth waiting for though!

Thanks again

Neil

[simonsimk]

Hi Guys,
I have a Terada FW 505, but the tuning peg has broken off. I dont know a great deal about acoustic guitars. I was wondering if any one had any advice. Shall i just replace the whole lot.

[GeoffB]

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum. Could I invite you to introduce yourself here?

Geoff

[Littlebourne]

Hi, Have just aquired a Terada guitar and found your club and wondered if you could help me. I would like to, if possible, find age and model of the guitar (she is called Yumiko). There is a model number on a paper label of 3193 and a number on the inside near the neck of 024025. Please can anyone help?

[George Crocket]

Hello Littlebourne.

Welcome to the Delcamp classical guitar forum.

If you have not already done so, please have a look at our welcome page for more information about the forum and its rules, then please introduce yourself here for a proper welcome.

[pogmoor]

This thread has a new home in The Cafe as it seems that forum members wish to include references to steel string Terada guitars. M. Delcamp's view is that the main part of the forum should be for discussions relating to the classical guitar and some related instruments, but The Cafe is a place where a broader range of subjects can be discussed. Hence the move.

[NeilAplin]

Oops! - looks like we've been chatting in the wrong place - sorry chaps!

Nothing seems to have been posted since Littlebourne's question about his Yumiko in July, or am I in the wrong place again?

Thanks

Neil

[Seth]

I am very interested in finding out more about the link between the Terada factory and El Degas guitars (a related brand seems to have been marketed also under the name El Torres, the resemblance of which to El Degas is very strong [see, for example, here: http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-l ... brand.html]). Till I came across the information provided by Whooper here, it was a bit of a mystery where exactly they were made as little information on them is available. The eldegas.com site is a very useful resource for proud owners of the guitar like me but, apart from providing a few interesting tidbits of information and pictures, it does not do much to solve the mystery of their origin.

Is Whooper still on the forum? It would be wonderful if he might be able to provide some further information.

Here is what I know so far about El Degas: El Degas was a so-called white label import sold mostly, as far as I can tell, in Canada (where most of the remaining copies are located on the second hand market) where it was distributed by the Canadian branch of the then well-known but now defunct New York-based company Bugeleisen and Jacobson (1901-1975). The Canadian branch still exists and is know today as B&J (http://www.bjmusic.ca/); it was bought by Kaman Musical Corporation in 1994 which subsequently incorporated into Fender in 2004. The ones made in the 70s and early 80s were produced in Japan and were of excellent quality though little / no information on serial numbers, origin, etc. seems to have been kept or, at least, is still available today (if Whooper can fill this gap, I would be glad). It is very likely that they were made in one of the well-known OEM factories (some believe Matsumoku or Fujigen or, as Whooper has suggested here, Terada) where, as is well known, Les Paul copies and other models were produced en masse for various companies which then placed their own labels, headstocks, etc. on them (e.g. Aria or Ibanez). This was the era of the so-called 'law-suit' guitars which, as is also well known, were most often of very good and in many cases better quality than the originals made at that time by US companies like Gibson, many of which were going through a bit of a low. In the eighties, the production of most such guitars, including El Degas, seems to have shifted to factories in Korea with resulting slippages in quality.

Interestingly, in the 60s, B&J marketed Japanese imports under the name Winston (cheaper) and Kent (better quality) made by Guyatone. It is possible that some El Degas guitars might have been made by Guyatone, although the Terada connection may have superseded that possibility. Another interesting point to note is that B&J seems to have sought to give the brand some musical 'cachet' by labelling it with a name of Spanish origin. This seems to have been a trend at the time: B&J's brands were competing with rival Japanese imports with equally Spanish-sounding names such as Ibanez, Greco, El Maya, and so on. To boot, the Goya brand of acoustics (made in fact by several Swedish companies, Hagstrom, Carlsson-Levin, Bjarton) was distributed by B&J's great rival the Hershman Musical Instrument Company, also of New York, in response to which B&J marketed its own brand of acoustic under the name Espana (which was also made by Hagstrom and later by a Finnish manufacturer, Landola).

Any further information would be gratefully received.

[Foxstein]

Seeing as this is the only place on the internet that has anything to do with Terada guitars I don't mind where it ends up, as long as it can be googled.
Postings can be very sporadic on here and it seems that Whooper is the main source of information and knowledge about Terada.
I know that if anyone googles Terada (other search engines are available ) most of the stuff is out of date or of little use, so this is at the moment the no.1 site for Terada and let's hope it stays that way.

[Dr.Roof]

Hi to all here at the Terada Guitar Fan Club!

My name is Darryl. This is my second post at Classical Guitar Delcamp, my first one being in the introduce yourself section. Awaiting moderation, of course.

I just today purchased a Terada acoustic 12 string guitar. I saw it on Craig's List here (Panama City, Florida). I had never heard of them. The kid was heading off to boot camp and needed some quick cash, so he sold this Terada for $165.00 US dollars, which is not bad, considering our money isn't worth much anymore, right?

Anyway, about the Terada... it is a Model TR 1012. The claim is that it is a 1973 model. The serial number is 828074...... or I guess that is the serial number. It's stamped up where the neck joins the body, with the number 924 just below that. It is in nice condition. It has a few scratches, and a little ding in the front, but other than that and some discoloration/yellowing in the clear coat on the back, I was surprised to see it in this good shape. It has a missing screw in the adjustable bridge, and was just plain filthy, with ancient strings on it. I removed the strings, and gave it a good scrubbing and rubbed some oil into the very dry wood, which helped it to look much better.

It appears as if this particular guitar hasn't been played very much. The fret board has almost no wear on it, as you would expect to see on a nearly 40 year old guitar.
The action is pretty low, and I look forward to getting the new strings on her and seeing how she sounds.
I realy love the way a 12 string guitar sounds... it just fills a room with sound. I am no guitarist... I just like to play and sing for my own enjoyment. It gives me pleasure, and with the world being what it is.... that is a nice thing.

So.... I hope that this purchase qualifies me for the Terada Guitar Fan Club. I will post some pics when I get her cleaned up and strung.

[Foxstein]

Hi Dr.Roof
your guitar sounds bery nice indeed and rare, look forward to seeing the pictures when you get them done.

[Guitar-ded]

Hi Dr.Roof and welcome to Delcamp.
Reading your post I wonder if the date of your guitar is actually 28th August 1974 and the number that day 924?
It seems a bit coincidental with the date and serial being so close but 924 on one day seems high but some factories do churn 'em out.
Best of luck with the guitar and let's see some pics when you get around to it.

[Dr.Roof]

Y'all can just call me Darryl.
Dr. Roof is a handle I came up with for my business, as I am a roofing contractor

Got the old girl cleaned up quite a bit, and a set of new strings on. I like Martin strings. These are ultra lights.

Guitar-ded, you may very well be correct about the date. I do not know enough about them to know for sure. Let's see if I can post these photos.

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This 12 string has a completely different sound than my other 12 string, which is a Washburn. This one has a much more subdued sound. It also has an adjustable bridge. I reckon I can use that to adjust the string buzz out of it. I do like the sound of it.