Can anyone identify this long lost guitar? It was my first electric, one my dad bought me in Durban, somewhere around '66-'69 or so....and the brand/model completely eludes me.
I know I had wanted a Strat but they were way expensive.......so I reluctantly asked my dad to get me an Aria Diamond.....and from memory this was because the rounded shape of the cutaways......was more like either the Epiphone's and maybe Gibson 335's that the Beatles and others used. Also, quite a few players in Durban had these Aria's....folks who also could not afford a Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, Gretsch etc etc. The Aria was still a little more expensive than other off-brand models like Gallo etc though. So I ended up with the one my pop's bought me.
But what was it? Driven me nuts for years. I remember the guitar name on the headstock was a plaque type emblem rather than a decal under lacquer like most guitars had. I pulled the two pin fasteners holding it on and ditched that sucker fast because it was not a recognizable name and certainly not a big brand. Also because I did not like the fact it was raised. Looked like something on a car trunk/boot at the time.
From memory the original nameplate on the headstock was President.
It had a paper label stuck to the inside of the back face of the guitar......which was visible through the top F-hole. I later made my own label, on which I had written something or other as a joke.......like it was something else.....and glued it over the original label. I cut the letters for the word PEACE out of white electrical tape and stuck it on the headstock.
In the depths of my foggy brain.......I always thought it was an Ibanez model President but I suspect it was a President guitar that may have come out of the Ibanez (or Teisco) factory and branded President for South Africa.
Features:
Thin body semi-acoustic
Tobacco Sunburst
2 pickups....chrome covers with a white plastic top where the pole pieces are and black plastic surrounds.
Bigsby type tremolo
Roller saddle bridge
Cutaways were sharp like a Gibson Trini Lopez model. However, they were not symmetrical like the Gibson.....the lower cutaway was slightly different....it kinda 'stuck out' more, ever so slightly.
It had the toggle pickup selector switch on the lower bout.
There was a sliding switch on the pickguard placed horizontally.
Two knobs/pots......Volume and Tone
Gibson style headstock
Bolt on neck.
