A 1960s Japanese-made Zen-on plank

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Isn't it bizarre that many of us can look at an old "junkshop" guitar like this 1960s Japanese-made Zen-on and feel not only nostalgic but also a sense of longing, when really in our hearts we know that these guitars feel awkward to play, are impossible to set up and keep in tune, and generally play like a dog? It's even more remarkable that there are people selling these for quite respectable sums of money, and that other people are parting with good wadges of cash for them.

I hear a lot of younger people complaining about entry-level, budget guitars and even some mid-price instruments as being "pieces of shit" but these guys just don't know they are born. They never had to put up with terrible planks like this Zen-on. There are so many very playable good quality cheap guitars being offered today that we would've given our right arms for when I was a kid.

But despite all that, I still LIKE the Zen-on. I can't really think why. (Let's face it, that bridge is never going to intonate properly). Maybe it could re-create that garage band sound.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $449.99.

G L Wilson

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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More vintage Japanese solidbody wackiness: Zenon ZES-170

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I have no idea how this 1960s Japanese-made Zenon ZES-170 guitar might sound, but aesthetically it's a triumph ... that is, so long as you appreciate such retro wackiness.

I'd like to see a small company like Eastwood or our friends at Pure Salem, someone who specialises in producing retro guitar designs with modern playability, get to grips with a guitar design like this. Note also the curious textured finish on this Zenon. I'm reminded of the finish Ovation used on some of their Breadwinners.

Currently listed on eBay UK with a starting price of £125.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

El Daga one-of-a-kind "art guitar" looks surprisingly familiar...

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This oddly-shaped and very brightly coloured "one-of-a-kind El Daga art guitar" does indeed look very familiar. Never mind the very peculiar outline defining the shape of the body, the reflective (vinyl?) affixed to the surfaces or the metallic plastic trim used as binding, the real give-away is the sweeping wave-shaped pickguard.

Could it be that the El Dega is really a re-modelled and tarted-up 1960s Japanese Zenon guitar? Popularly believed to have been made by Teisco, this model appeared under various brand names.

I think I prefer the non-carved up version.

El Daga Art Guitar: Buy It Now for $1,295.

1960s Japanese Zenon guitar: currently being auctioned on eBay with bidding at $48 at the time of writing and just over a day left.

Thanks to Vince Gotera who spotted these items on eBay. Also, many thanks to Bertram who has been ensuring that we have a daily blog post here on Guitarz whilst I've been in my sickbed since last weekend.

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

1968 Zen-On Morales ESP-290 Black Bison

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An hollow-body guitar with Bison Style horns, who could dream of a cooler guitar? This Zen-On Morales ESP-290 Black Bison is a beauty (the pickguard is not original) and I wonder why pointy horns are so rare on this kind of guitars (there is an other example with the Barney Kessel models - a.o. this one by Gibson).

Like many 60s Japanese guitar companies, Zen-On is a blur entity. It is spelled either Zen-On or Zenon - that is very different - before shifting to Morales (why this one is a Zen-On Morales I don't know), but has been labeled also Futurama, while producing a few Jaguaresque original models (remarkable for their contoured pickguards) , but also Mosrite or Teisco clones... And it seems that in the 70s they shifted to acoustic guitars but without a FetishGuitars.com website for Japanese vintage guitars, it's hard to tell.

bertram


Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!