Teisco World
Serial Number / Date
Chart Project (By Jimmy Noise / Aug 2012)
What is the Teisco Serial Number / Date Chart?
The chart is a list of model numbers going down the page and a
list of serial numbers going across the page. Guitar models have their
corresponding serial numbers marked on the chart. Above the serial numbers is
the estimated production dates for those serial.
What Can the Chart Tell Us?
The chart can provide a lot of information, such as the
following;
·
Determine
when your Teisco was made based on the serial number;
·
Identify
what other guitars models were made when your guitar was made;
·
Determine
how many of each model was made;
·
See
how often each guitar was made;
·
Determine
which models are rare and which are common;
·
Identify
the sequence of when guitars were constructed;
·
Estimate
the production output of Teisco factory during the serial number era;
·
Determine
the total number of Teisco guitars that were made during the serial number
plate era.
There are some interruptions in the data for some of the above,
but the accuracy is probably the best that will ever surface. The chart will be
revised and expand as more information is discovered and confirmed.
The chart also gives us a direction on how to start to study each
model and a reference between other models. Hence trends in production
techniques and hardware used can be compared. A lot of information on this web
site has been discovered from the trends in this chart.
How the Chart Came Into Existence
The Teisco serial chart was reconstructed from serial numbers off
Teisco guitars that have surfaced on the internet since 2007. The numbers were
recorded from as many possible sources that could be found.
It all begun with an eBay listing that stated “There might have
been only 500 Spectrum 5 guitars ever made. Could be as many as 2000. No one
really knows.” Someone wanted to know really badly. (And at that time they
didn't even have a Spectrum 5.) So what if someone recorded every spectrum 5
serial number they could find and see if it linked up?
So the Teisco Serial / Date Chart
project was started and several months of
research later it became evident that some things did not link
up. The numbers were all over the place. From that point it was decided
that all serials numbers from all the models needed to be collected.
Then perhaps it could finally be determined exactly how many were made.
Several searches were done on the internet to determine a complete list of
Teisco models. The problem is that a lot of the models did not have any
pictures. It was determined that some of the model numbers were not even Teisco
models on those original lists. This project took years of research just
to determine what was or was not a Teisco, and also, what each
model looked like. As time went by, missing models were added and non
Teisco models were removed. Hence the most accurate and complete list of Teisco
models was developed.
As the Teisco models were being recorded the serial numbers were
archived in such a way that they could be recalled later to enter them into the
chart. These numbers were slowly all mapped onto the chart. The scale was
determined by limitations of excel and a size that could be viewed on the
screen, such that any patterns could be observed. So the guitars were
grouped in blocks of 10,000. Then if required, all the guitars in a given block
could be viewed in the archived files that were logged. (Note the archived
files will not published.)
As the chart started to take shape, patterns started forming very
early on. It became very apparent that Teisco was actually very diligent with
there serial numbers and model numbers. In fact the serial numbers flowed very
consistently and changed the way that Teisco guitars were considered to be
built. The original claim,
that Teisco would simply use any parts on hand when
building guitars in their factory has now been proven wrong.
The chart clearly showed when models were manufactured in relation
to other models. By looking at a group of serial numbers of a model, it was
determined how the evolution of the model occurred. (ie The hardware changes
etc.)
The information provided from the chart is something that no
vintage guitar collector ever thought would be possible to obtain. A large part
of the hidden history of Teisco is in that chart. It has enabled us to study
and understand what the company produced and what changes happened in its
production history. This is information that has been lost for decades. To
date, it has provided the most accurate insight into the history of one of the
largest guitar manufactures of it’s time. This information is more than any
other guitar researcher / writer has been able to produce in the last 30 years
on Teisco guitars.
Anyway back to that beginning question. Well we have a pretty good
idea of many Teisco Spectrum 5’s were made. We want to be very accurate, but we
need more serial numbers to narrow the spaces between the serial numbers we
have. With time, these gaps will be filled in to such a point that the chart
can be recalculated in increments of 1,000 instead of 10,000. It will
then be possible to accurately estimate how many of each model was made. But
till then, keep sending in your model and serial numbers. If you have a Teisco,
you can help. See Help Re-Discover
Teisco.
How Dates Were Linked to the Serial Numbers
The initial unpublished chart was undated and was useful to
construct a map of when models were made in relation to each other. It was not
able to establish a link between when each guitar was manufactured, based on
the serial number.
At first, dates from original owners were recorded when they
bought or received a new Teisco guitar. But this seemed inconsistent. Mainly
because people forget when they got the guitar and who knows how long it was in
a shop before it was sold. There were too many unknowns when working with these
dates. But it did provide a good reference point later as these serial numbers
needed to be manufactured before these dates. So these became checks points
later on.
So then some Bennet Bros catalogues were cross referenced to try and
determine when particular models were made and when they were featured in
catalogue. Again the chart and this data did not match. Guitars models appeared
in catalogues for many years after they were built, due to low sales or over
purchasing of certain models. There was not a clear link to production. A lot
of these catalogues used stock photos. Hence a slight hardware change may have
occurred but the photos in the catalogues stayed the same. This prevented an
exact link between actual serial numbers and these catalogues.
Finally one WMI catalogue surfaced and these were very good.
Firstly these catalogues were dated with the month they were printed. These
were also printed in
The chart dates were then checked against dates provided by owners
and other printed catalogues, to ensure that the first batch of any model
didn’t post date the relevant catalogue. This confirmed the link between the
serial numbers and the catalogue dates were very close to accurate.
However, there is one inaccuracy in the dating method. This being
the time between when the last guitar was ready to be featured in the
catalogue, and when the catalogue was actually printed. There could have been a
slight delay for artwork design and actual printing time. This time is
unknown and has been assumed as zero for the moment.
So Where is the Chart?
The chart is about 80% to 90% complete. There has not been a lot
of support or information come through on the Help Re-Discover Teisco site, so
at this time the chart will not be published.
However information from the chart is being used to prepare this web
site.
If you wish to help the Teisco serial chart project please visit
the Help Re-discover
Teisco page.
Anyone with a Teisco can help.
This site has been visited times.
(Last Revised: 4h Nov 2012)