Mystery Guitar

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 09 2014 02:26 PM

I have guitar that I would like to have more info on, if you have any info please help me! Someone told me that it was a Harris Fandel Jet. Looking for make, model, and year?? Thank You.

Top

Badger

Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
United States

Posted on Oct 09 2014 03:45 PM

No info for you but Welcome to SG101 !

—

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Top

Sonichris

Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1894
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
United States

Posted on Oct 09 2014 06:07 PM

I've seen that model before - and it did have "Fandel" on the peghead. a member here has/had one. It's one of my favorite looking guitars for sure. A quick search here on SG101 yielded this, but the pictures are gone. I think I saved them, but not on my computer at work....

" believe the guitar may have been built by Aria

I've seen that same body shape with a Norma headstock logo and a 3-ply 1-piece black pickguard (as opposed to your 3-piece Burns-inspired pickguard) and pickups with visible polepieces and black pickup covers.
I've seen the same hardware and a VERY similar body shape on an early 70s Japanese Epiphone, too.

Aria wasn't really a manufacturer, they were a wholesaler, like most Japanese guitar "brands" - that's why you see identical guitars from the late 60s/early 70s with names like Aria, Univox, Norma, Domino, Sekova, Conrad, etc on the headstock. Generally with 60s or early 70s Japanese guitars the name on the headstock reflected where the guitar was sold rather than who made it.

To make matters confusing, the major Japanese manufacturers all sourced out hardware and electronics from the same suppliers (much like the 50s/60s "guitar boom" Chicago manufacturers Harmony, Kay & Valco) and often supplied each other with necks and bodies when production was behind and orders needed to be filled. These incestuous manufacturing practices can make pinpointing the manufacturer a daunting task.

In those days there was Hoshino Gakki - aka Teisco, Kawai, etc, which made guitars at the FujiGen Gakki plant. In addition to their own bewildering amount of brand names, they built guitars for Kanda Shokai (Ibanez, Greco, Tokai, etc) and Fender Japan. Yes your Japanese reissue Jazzmasters and Jaguars and Strats were made at the same factory as Teiscos. Don't get upset.

Then there was Matsumoko, who made guitars for Guyatone, NipponGakki (Yamaha), Aria, Univox, Westone, Norlin, Epiphone and others, as well as making some models (generally the ones that required higher level craftsmanship, such as archtops) for Hoshino Gakki and FujiGen! This is where most of the "lawsuit era" high-end set-neck Les Paul copies came from.

Those two companies built pretty much all the guitars exported to the rest of the world between the mid 60s and mid 70s, and there was quite a bit of overlap between the two."

and:
"The Harris-Fandel company was started in 1937 by two ex-employees of "Vega Guitars", Mike Harris and Bert Fandel of Boston, Mass. The partnership ended in the 1940s, and Harris ended up with company name. His son Marty was running things by the 1960s, and apparently was behind a line of imports. Some were Fandel "Rickenbacker" copies, and various other models, including the "Jet" series as pictured above. "

—

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Last edited: Oct 09, 2014 18:15:24

Top

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 09 2014 08:05 PM

Top

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 09 2014 08:11 PM

The picture above is the original one of mine, whereas the first pic was of one I found online that looked like mine, but it had no info on it. I should say was sent to me I couldn't find even a pic. of it nowhere, and I looked a lot.

Top

Noel

Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
United States

Posted on Oct 09 2014 08:29 PM

Welcome to sg101, Woodbury. Very glad you're here. Cool guitar.

—

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Top

Sonichris

Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1894
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
United States

Posted on Oct 09 2014 09:06 PM

I'm home now, and here's the pictures I saved of the Fandel.

—

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Top

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 09 2014 09:25 PM

Nice, do you know year and if its the jet model?

Top

Sonichris

Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1894
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
United States

Posted on Oct 09 2014 09:33 PM

This is the guitar from the above posts. I think he said its about a '69, and yes, it's the Jet.

—

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Top

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 10 2014 08:37 AM

Do you know why I cant find pics and info on it by typing make, model, year on google?

Top

Sonichris

Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1894
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
United States

Posted on Oct 10 2014 09:13 AM

I think they are just really rare. It looks to me like Fandel only did a few of these imports. Maybe just one order. There are lots of guitars made around that time from that same factory that have little to no information on line about them. I have a Tempo UC-2 that is about the same time, and same factory, and its the same way on line.

—

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Top

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 10 2014 02:20 PM

Can you say what approx. value on that guitar would be?

Top

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 10 2014 03:49 PM

Don't know if this is all I need or not?

Top

LeeVanCleef

Joined: Oct 05, 2011
Posts: 744
France
12 Map Pins

Posted on Oct 10 2014 05:38 PM

Woodbury wrote:

Can you say what approx. value on that guitar would be?

It's very hard to put a price on a guitar like this.

It's a Japanese guitar from the late sixties, which are generally considered wacky & fun guitars for playing, but are nowhere close to American models from the same era when it comes to collector value. This particular model shares a number of features with the MIJ Aria diamond 1802T (most noticeably the hardware), which is usually offered for €150-200 around here.

The Fandel seems to be a rare beast, but rare doesn't always equal valuable, especially as in this case where the guitar is so rare that there is no price reference to be found anywhere. Bottom line, it's worth what someone will want to pay for it.

—

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

Top

Thunderbolt

Joined: Sep 03, 2008
Posts: 27

Posted on Oct 19 2014 06:39 PM

The guitar Sonichris posted above is mine, lol. I still have it, and until this thread, had never seen another! Fandel Jet, c. 1968/69.

Top

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 24 2014 05:43 PM

Can you tell me more about it I would be interested in finding out more about it. How many where made, why I cant find any anywhere exept yours.?

Top

Chuckeds

Joined: Sep 02, 2014
Posts: 18
MA
United States

Posted on Oct 27 2014 07:53 PM

I have never seen another one of these either! It's good to know what it actually is, I always assumed it was an Aria. Never heard of Fandel til now, I've always called my "Klingon" guitar!

Top

Woodbury

Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Posts: 10

Posted on Oct 27 2014 09:33 PM

Any idea on value?

Top

JObeast

Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
Turkmenistan

Posted on Oct 28 2014 01:20 AM

I'd say it looks more Romulan.
Very cool, whatever alien race made it. Do they surf on Klingon?
Chuckeds wrote:

I have never seen another one of these either! It's good to know what it actually is, I always assumed it was an Aria. Never heard of Fandel til now, I've always called my "Klingon" guitar!

—

Squink Out!

Top

Chuckeds

Joined: Sep 02, 2014
Posts: 18
MA
United States

Posted on Oct 28 2014 06:50 PM

I paid $100 for it about 10 years ago, beyond that everything I know about it in this thread.

Not sure if Klingons surf, it would probably be pretty violent if they did, swinging their Fandel shaped battle axes at each other as they're shooting the curl!

Top

Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 09 2014 02:26 PM I have guitar that I would like to have more info on, if you have any info please help me! Someone told me that it was a Harris Fandel Jet. Looking for make, model, and year?? Thank You. Top
Badger Joined: Nov 16, 2013 Posts: 4536 Wisconsin	Posted on Oct 09 2014 03:45 PM No info for you but Welcome to SG101 ! — Wes SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices. Top
Sonichris Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1894 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies	Posted on Oct 09 2014 06:07 PM I've seen that model before - and it did have "Fandel" on the peghead. a member here has/had one. It's one of my favorite looking guitars for sure. A quick search here on SG101 yielded this, but the pictures are gone. I think I saved them, but not on my computer at work.... " believe the guitar may have been built by Aria I've seen that same body shape with a Norma headstock logo and a 3-ply 1-piece black pickguard (as opposed to your 3-piece Burns-inspired pickguard) and pickups with visible polepieces and black pickup covers. I've seen the same hardware and a VERY similar body shape on an early 70s Japanese Epiphone, too. Aria wasn't really a manufacturer, they were a wholesaler, like most Japanese guitar "brands" - that's why you see identical guitars from the late 60s/early 70s with names like Aria, Univox, Norma, Domino, Sekova, Conrad, etc on the headstock. Generally with 60s or early 70s Japanese guitars the name on the headstock reflected where the guitar was sold rather than who made it. To make matters confusing, the major Japanese manufacturers all sourced out hardware and electronics from the same suppliers (much like the 50s/60s "guitar boom" Chicago manufacturers Harmony, Kay & Valco) and often supplied each other with necks and bodies when production was behind and orders needed to be filled. These incestuous manufacturing practices can make pinpointing the manufacturer a daunting task. In those days there was Hoshino Gakki - aka Teisco, Kawai, etc, which made guitars at the FujiGen Gakki plant. In addition to their own bewildering amount of brand names, they built guitars for Kanda Shokai (Ibanez, Greco, Tokai, etc) and Fender Japan. Yes your Japanese reissue Jazzmasters and Jaguars and Strats were made at the same factory as Teiscos. Don't get upset. Then there was Matsumoko, who made guitars for Guyatone, NipponGakki (Yamaha), Aria, Univox, Westone, Norlin, Epiphone and others, as well as making some models (generally the ones that required higher level craftsmanship, such as archtops) for Hoshino Gakki and FujiGen! This is where most of the "lawsuit era" high-end set-neck Les Paul copies came from. Those two companies built pretty much all the guitars exported to the rest of the world between the mid 60s and mid 70s, and there was quite a bit of overlap between the two." and: "The Harris-Fandel company was started in 1937 by two ex-employees of "Vega Guitars", Mike Harris and Bert Fandel of Boston, Mass. The partnership ended in the 1940s, and Harris ended up with company name. His son Marty was running things by the 1960s, and apparently was behind a line of imports. Some were Fandel "Rickenbacker" copies, and various other models, including the "Jet" series as pictured above. " — "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been" Last edited: Oct 09, 2014 18:15:24 Top
Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 09 2014 08:05 PM Top
Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 09 2014 08:11 PM The picture above is the original one of mine, whereas the first pic was of one I found online that looked like mine, but it had no info on it. I should say was sent to me I couldn't find even a pic. of it nowhere, and I looked a lot. Top
Noel Joined: Mar 15, 2011 Posts: 8528 Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.	Posted on Oct 09 2014 08:29 PM Welcome to sg101, Woodbury. Very glad you're here. Cool guitar. — This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got. Top
Sonichris Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1894 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies	Posted on Oct 09 2014 09:06 PM I'm home now, and here's the pictures I saved of the Fandel. — "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been" Top
Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 09 2014 09:25 PM Nice, do you know year and if its the jet model? Top
Sonichris Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1894 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies	Posted on Oct 09 2014 09:33 PM This is the guitar from the above posts. I think he said its about a '69, and yes, it's the Jet. — "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been" Top
Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 10 2014 08:37 AM Do you know why I cant find pics and info on it by typing make, model, year on google? Top
Sonichris Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1894 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies	Posted on Oct 10 2014 09:13 AM I think they are just really rare. It looks to me like Fandel only did a few of these imports. Maybe just one order. There are lots of guitars made around that time from that same factory that have little to no information on line about them. I have a Tempo UC-2 that is about the same time, and same factory, and its the same way on line. — "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been" Top
Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 10 2014 02:20 PM Can you say what approx. value on that guitar would be? Top
Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 10 2014 03:49 PM Don't know if this is all I need or not? Top
LeeVanCleef Joined: Oct 05, 2011 Posts: 744 France	Posted on Oct 10 2014 05:38 PM Woodbury wrote: Can you say what approx. value on that guitar would be? It's very hard to put a price on a guitar like this. It's a Japanese guitar from the late sixties, which are generally considered wacky & fun guitars for playing, but are nowhere close to American models from the same era when it comes to collector value. This particular model shares a number of features with the MIJ Aria diamond 1802T (most noticeably the hardware), which is usually offered for €150-200 around here. The Fandel seems to be a rare beast, but rare doesn't always equal valuable, especially as in this case where the guitar is so rare that there is no price reference to be found anywhere. Bottom line, it's worth what someone will want to pay for it. — Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers. Top
Thunderbolt Joined: Sep 03, 2008 Posts: 27	Posted on Oct 19 2014 06:39 PM The guitar Sonichris posted above is mine, lol. I still have it, and until this thread, had never seen another! Fandel Jet, c. 1968/69. Top
Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 24 2014 05:43 PM Can you tell me more about it I would be interested in finding out more about it. How many where made, why I cant find any anywhere exept yours.? Top
Chuckeds Joined: Sep 02, 2014 Posts: 18 MA	Posted on Oct 27 2014 07:53 PM I have never seen another one of these either! It's good to know what it actually is, I always assumed it was an Aria. Never heard of Fandel til now, I've always called my "Klingon" guitar! Top
Woodbury Joined: Oct 09, 2014 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 27 2014 09:33 PM Any idea on value? Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Oct 28 2014 01:20 AM I'd say it looks more Romulan. Very cool, whatever alien race made it. Do they surf on Klingon? Chuckeds wrote: I have never seen another one of these either! It's good to know what it actually is, I always assumed it was an Aria. Never heard of Fandel til now, I've always called my "Klingon" guitar! — Squink Out! Top
Chuckeds Joined: Sep 02, 2014 Posts: 18 MA	Posted on Oct 28 2014 06:50 PM I paid $100 for it about 10 years ago, beyond that everything I know about it in this thread. Not sure if Klingons surf, it would probably be pretty violent if they did, swinging their Fandel shaped battle axes at each other as they're shooting the curl! Top

SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Mystery Guitar