IDOL GUITARS (Written by Jimmy Noise / April 2012)
Idol was a band name used on guitar manufactured by “Nihon Ompa
Kabushiki” which translates to “Japan Soundwave Company”. The trading name of
the company was “Idol Instruments”. The company formed in
It was stated by Mr Matsuda, a former president of Teisco Co
Ltd. He started Idol Instruments after
leaving Teisco Shoji in 1967. It’s believed that he and some of his employees
were unhappy with the new Kawai management. These employees followed their
leader to start a new guitar company. It’s believed that the location of the
factory was in Kumagaya.
The company can be confirmed to be making guitars in 1968 and
possibly into 1969. Sometime in 1969 the company went bankrupt due to the
slumping guitar market in the
The guitars can be difficult to identify,
mainly because they used a symbol as the logo, (as seen above) instead of text
style logo. A lot of the models only have this logo and there is no reference
to Idol, making it difficult to identify it with a brand. Some models have Idol on the pickguard while
others don’t. The models with IDOL pickguards have “PLAY SERIERS No. XX”, under
the word Idol. The XX being the two numbers from the model number.
Guitar and Bass Models
Electric guitar and bass models that are currently known include
the following;
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PA-10 |
PA-10T |
PA-13 |
PA-18 Version 1 |
PA-18 Version 2 |
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PA-23 |
PA-25 |
PA-26 |
PB-26 |
PA-28 |
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PL-13 |
PL-24 |
Unknown |
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Please note that some of the guitars above are not pictured in
their 100% original condition. Because of the rarity of Idol guitars, it is
difficult to find photos of ones in original and complete condition.
Alternative Brands (US Import
Models)
Idol guitars were available in
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Marlin:
The Marlin brand was used on Idol made guitars that were shipped to the
The Marlin brand was also used in the 1970’s on lawsuit era
guitars. These were not made by Idol.
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PA-10T |
PA-23 |
PA-25 |
PB-26 |
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Del Rey: Idol also made some Del Rey models that had this logo. These were also imported by WMI Corporation.
Note WMI Corporation used the Del Rey brand on several guitars from different
manufacturing companies in
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ET-200 |
EB-240 |
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Guitar & Bass Hardware
Hardware used by Idol was a modified version of what Teisco was
using at the time. Generally the same
parts but modified with a slight design twist to give them a more classy and
unique look. These would have been
supplied by the same contractor as Teisco used.
For example, the PB-26 pickup (Pictured
Left) is the same pickup used in the Teisco May Queen, but a single bar magnet
is used.
The pickup for the PA-18 (picture left) is
the same size and shape as the EP-8T, but with a large opening and black
plastic infill.
The roller bridge used multiple grove
rollers to enable adjust to the string spacing. The ends had closed rounded
tops. The base plate of the bridge was longer than other manufactures and had
rounded ends.
The tremolo bars were upgraded and have a
more slick and fancy feel to them that put them into a class of their own. Same
with the tail pieces used. A few extra curves were added to the design, compared
to other manufactures. (Note: non original bridge pickup in the picture) The
cut-out shape at the rear of the tail tremolo unit also is unique to Idol
guitars.
The neck plate design was the same one
used on the later version of the Teisco EP-10T. It had a plastic cover with a
smaller rectangular neck plate underneath. The metal neck plate was recessed in
a cavity. This allowed for the standard length screws to be used on a thicker
body guitar. The only guitar not to use this method was the ET-220, which used
a normal metal neck plate. The ET-200
also had no stampings on its neck plate, unlike other Del Rey guitars by other
manufactures.
Other aspects that were continued from the Teisco days, was the
use of a zero fret. They also used the same knobs as Teisco. But many other
manufactures used these knobs as well.
As seen above most hardware found on Idol guitars is similar to
Teisco but modified. It is for this reasons Idol guitars are often thought to
be made by Teisco. Most of the hardware on Idol guitars is unique and is very
difficult to replace if missing.
One of the key ways to identify you guitar
is made by Idol, is to look at the model / serial number tag. Like Teisco
guitars, Idol guitars had a metal plate with the model number and the serial
number on them. There are two differences between the tags. Idol used a
rectangular plate verses Teisco’s plate which had a curved bottom. Idol usually
used screws to secure the tag, as apposed to nails or glue. However there are
some early Idol guitars that did use glue to attach the model plate. Any guitar
with this rectangular tag was made by Idol.
Guitar & Bass Colour Chart
The guitars were available in the following colours;
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Sunburst |
Cherry Burst |
Green Bust |
Red Bust |
Black |
Guitars - Hollow Bodies |
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PA-10 |
X |
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X |
PA-10T |
X |
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X |
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PA-10T (Marlin) |
X |
X |
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PA-13 |
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X |
PA-18 |
X |
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X |
X |
PA-23 |
X |
X |
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X |
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PA-23 (Marlin) |
X |
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PA-25 |
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X |
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X |
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PA-25 (Marlin) |
X |
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PA-26 |
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X |
PA-28 |
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X |
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Unknown (1) |
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X |
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Guitars – Solid Bodies |
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PL-13 |
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PL-24 |
X |
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ET-200 (Del Rey) |
X |
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Bass – Hollow Bodies |
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PB-26 |
X |
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X |
PB-26 (Marlin ) |
X |
X |
X |
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EB-240 (Del Rey) |
X |
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It is not known if all models were available in all colours, but
the above reflects the information currently documented.
Guitar & Bass Production
Numbers
We can estimate the production numbers of Idol Guitars by using their
serial numbers. The serial numbers are very linear with the production of the
guitars. There is currently only a small number of serial numbers available and
this has affected the estimated quantities. With more serial numbers we can
update the chart and obtain a more accurate result. Based on the serial numbers
currently obtained, it has been estimated that the company made approximately
8,000 guitars in total. As more serial numbers surface, the actual number can
be estimated with more accuracy.
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0 |
1,000 |
2,000 |
3,000 |
4,000 |
5,000 |
6,000 |
7,000 |
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Estimated Production |
to |
to |
to |
to |
to |
to |
to |
to |
999 |
1999 |
3999 |
3999 |
4999 |
5999 |
6999 |
7999 |
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Guitars -
Hollow Body |
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PA-10 |
800 |
X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
PA-10T |
800 |
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X |
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X |
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X |
PA-10T (Marlin) |
500 |
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X |
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X |
PA-13 |
200 |
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PA-18 |
1500 |
X |
X |
X |
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PA-23 |
200 |
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X |
PA-23 (Marlin) |
200 |
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X |
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PA-25 |
200 |
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PA-25 (Marlin) |
200 |
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X |
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PA-26 |
200 |
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PA-28 |
300 |
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X |
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Unknown (1) |
200 |
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Guitars -
Solid Body |
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PL-13 |
500 |
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X |
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PL-24 |
200 |
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ET-200 (Del
Rey) |
300 |
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X |
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Bass Hollow
Body |
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PB-26 |
300 |
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X |
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PB-26 (Marlin) |
700 |
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X |
X |
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EB-240 (Del
Rey) |
700 |
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X |
X |
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Because Idol was only in operation for approximately two years we
can assume the serial numbers between 0 and 3,999 were made in 1967. Serial numbers above 4,000 would be made in 1968.
This is only an estimate, but is as close as we will probably get to an actual
dating method.
Amplifiers
Idol also produced a range of amplifiers. It is not known if they
were out sourced to a different manufacturer and the Idol logo add, or if they
were built by Idol. Given that Teisco built amplifiers, it is highly likely
that the company’s founders had the skills to build their own amplifiers.
Currently known amplifier models include the following;
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Idol
007
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Hobby
10
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Hobby
12
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Hobby
45
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Hobby
100
Idol 007 |
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Hobby 10 |
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Accessories
Idol also had some accessories. Currently
we have only been able to find a guitar strap, but may have also included cords
and strings.
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Idol Guitar Strap |
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Catalogues
There is little documentation on the Idol
guitars available, but an extensive search on the web found the following pages
from either a flyer or catalogue.
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The picture to the left is from an unknown catalogue or an
advertisement in
Collectability
Idol guitars don’t really have a big following and have slipped
under the radar of serious vintage collectors. Therefore there values are
rather low. This is because the guitars were mainly sold in
Help Rediscover Idol Guitars
This is the part were we ask you to help contribute, to
expand this page. We are currently looking for photos of Idol / Marlin / Del
Rey guitars. If you have a guitar, we would love a couple of photos. We also
need the serial numbers. With these we can expand the above charts to determine
what colours each model was available in, how many of each model was made, how
often they were made and what sequence they were manufactured.
If you have any additional information relating to the company
history, sales / distribution in the
We are contactable at:
Please note any information provide may be published,
unless you specifically request otherwise.
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Made in Japan 1960’s Guitars Main Page
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(Last Revised: 4th of Oct 2014.)
©
2012 MAI Music Publications