Tuesday, July 28, 2009

1970's Japanese Ranger Electric with Goldfoil pickup

I acquired this guitar in July 2009 and it is a unknown Ranger model single pickup Electric Guitar from the 1970's I believe. The guitar is in nice condition and all original as far as I can tell except for the missing nut. Nice straight neck with a huge headstock that is seen on many guitars from the 1960's and 1970's. It reminds me a lot of the Telestar guitars from the 1960's which were made by Kawai. The great thing about this guitar is the goldfoil pickup which were found on some of the 1960's and 1970's Japanese guitars. I have also come across another almost identical model that was labeled Crestline but I'm sure they were made in the same Japanese factory.

283165265_o
283165195_o
283165155_o 283165240_o
283164974_o
283165038_o


Crestline guitars were built in Japan from the mid to late 1970s and distributed by the Grossman Music Corporation of Cleveland, OH. They are entry level to intermediate solid body guitars featured designs based on classic American favorites. Crestline offered a wide range of stringed instruments, including classical, folk, dreadnought, and twelve-string acoustics; solid body electric guitars and basses; amplifiers; banjos, mandolins, and ukuleles. Considering the amount of instruments available, the Crestline trademark was probably used on guitars built by one of the bigger Japanese guitar producers and rebranded for the U.S. market. One model reviewed at a vintage guitar show was based on Gibson's Les Paul design, and had Grover tuners, two Japanese covered humbuckers, and decent wood.

11 comments:

bertram said...

hello guitar hunter,

I have here a guitar that looks quite like the one you show, with no brand, number or mark at all > http://www.flickr.com/photos/55547256@N00/3832645469/sizes/o/

can you identity it?

Aree Bettermenn said...

Nice guitar...

Guitar Hunter said...

There are several guitars I've owned that look almost identical to this one. It's really hard to identify some of them since almost every department store chain had their own version. One of the first thing that comes up missing on these guitars is the headstock logo.

the_guitar_collector said...

Hay, how are you?
I had a Ranger electric guitar back in early 90's. Got it brand new from a music store for $120AUD as a project guitar. It was another re-branded pile of doo-do. I hunted high and low to find some info on Ranger but could find nothing. What you have got is a real jem. I bet the two guitars have no relationship apart from the name. You will have to show some pics when you get it up and going. I asume by now its a go-er!!!! lol
Going Cheap (Electric Guitars)

Guitar Hunter said...

I would love to see a picture of your Australian Ranger guitar.

richie said...

i have that exact guitar in my home in Georgia. but the ranger name is different. same stock number and everything. i have a stainless steel pickguard and a goldfoil pick up

richie said...

i have that exact guitar at my home in Georgia. well mine has a stainless steel pick guard or plate. whatever that thing is. do you know anything at all about the prices of these guitars?

mae said...

i just bought a ranger on ebay for $79 for my guitar restoration class... i'm going to totally redo it, but it's cool to find SOME info about this guitar! you were the only one i could find with any info up http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&hash=item33636f91f5&item=220711588341&nma=true&pt=Guitar&rt=nc&si=xpwcJ1iXpv3hfH2SF4yZ%252Fkwmgj8%253D

Unknown said...

i have the same guitar but it has everything on it. it doesnt have the american flag sticker and ranger is written on the head stock. does anyone know what they are worth? ment condition

z1bleemc said...

I just bought one of these in very great condition. It has been stored away with the strings on it and it came with a little solid state Capri amp. It still has the strings on it. The guy I bought it from got it when he was 12, which determined it was from 1968. It has the original "leather" cover with it too. Its close to perfect, except where the screws go in to the various parts. It has caused some finish cracks.

BWayne1980 said...

I have a Crestline very very similar to this. Its a different pickup though.

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails