Would like to know more about this Pink Paisley Tele-/Partscaster with P/W-Bender

Hi!

I just bought this guitar at eBay from the U.S. of A. and wonder whether anyone can tell me something about it's origin. It's a Pink Paisley Tele/Parts with a - genuine? - P/W-Bender (short throw) skillfully built in. The cover plate of the bender isn't transparent, but white and wears the Gene Parsons "String-Bender" logo. The neck is a Warmoth and someone put a decal on the headstock to make it look like a genuine Fender. The neck is quite new and the frets aren't worn at all. The neck must have been mounted to another guitar before, as non-matching mounting holes have been fixed with wood pins and new ones were drilled. The body is in used but - after some cleaning - good and beautiful condition and has some minor bumps and scratches. The pickups have been replaced by EMG active pickups. Everything works fine on this guitar, the sound is good but not great, the neck plays perfectly (for me) and I am already very much in love with this instrument.

Billy Earhart seems to have given an autograph on the back plate, and another autograph starts with what I read as "To Rick".

http://img25.imagevenue.com/loc923/th_62664_a3fa_1_122_923lo.JPG (http://img25.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=62664_a3fa_1_122_923lo.JPG)
http://img223.imagevenue.com/loc458/th_62690_aca3_1_122_458lo.JPG (http://img223.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=62690_aca3_1_122_458lo.JPG)
http://img219.imagevenue.com/loc64/th_62704_b63c_1_122_64lo.JPG (http://img219.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=62704_b63c_1_122_64lo.JPG)http://img134.imagevenue.com/loc1194/th_62705_ba58_1_122_1194lo.JPG (http://img134.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=62705_ba58_1_122_1194lo.JPG)

Does anyone have an idea or can tell me something about this guitar?

Thank you and Greetings -
Luther

That's actually a P/G bender, a P/W is quite a bit different. Cool guitar though. How much did you pay for it?

Thank you for the reply, Twangcaster1!

I have paid 1523 $ (plus around 175 $ import taxes) for this, which may have been too much, as I was already in love with it when I saw it the first time. I don't regret the trade though, it's a lovely guitar.

Btw: At least one fellow bidder was almost as crazy as me, as I won this auction with being 22 $ ahead of her/him!

This was the auction:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=230244424955&_trksid=p3984.cWON.m313.lVI

Are you sure about the bender being a P/G? The string is fixed to and bent by a turning knob, whereas my P/G bender guitar has a small "tower"/lever within a round hole which bends the string (Fender Nashville B-Bender). Also the bender parts are mounted to the inside of the body here, whilst in my Fender Nashville they are mounted to the steel back plate.

Greetings -
Luther

every Parsons/Green bender I've ever seen is mounted onto a metal plate and the actuator which you hook your strap to comes from behind the guitar and is bent around the side of the instrument. This guitar has the slot right into the body and all the mechanism is installed right into the routed cavity. A P/W has a "puller" that pulls the string straight back and not one of the pieces which turns to pull the string. this one looks like it turns. Also you can see the opening on top of the guitar to tune the bender, on a P/G there's a "wheel" which comes out of the back through the plate which you can just use your finger or thumb to tune it......JH in Va.

Thank you for the reply! That's what I thought, as the string is bent by a turning knob. Pity the photos are too small to display this.

Better ones:

Turning bender knob:
[img=http://img24.imagevenue.com/loc891/th_67627_20080404_001_122_891lo.jpg] (http://img24.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=67627_20080404_001_122_891lo.jpg)

Tuning screw (left) and strap lever:
[img=http://img161.imagevenue.com/loc1114/th_67640_20080404_002_122_1114lo.jpg] (http://img161.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=67640_20080404_002_122_1114lo.jpg)

Gene Parsons logo on back cover plate:
[img=http://img182.imagevenue.com/loc61/th_67660_20080404_003_122_61lo.jpg] (http://img182.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=67660_20080404_003_122_61lo.jpg)

Greetings -
Luther

That is clearly a Parsons White bender..not a Parsons Green. With the logo on the coverplate I'd guess it might be one of his earlier installs but I dont know when/if Gene stopped using it.

Good score!

Thank you for your reply and the info, Don!

Edit, 2008-05-10:
Have done some web research and found out that my new darling has possibly one of the Tokai bodies the Tokai Gakki Company and Gene Parsons in conjunction equipped with his benders back then.

Here is a photo of my partscaster (right). The Paisley pattern matches ***exactly*** the pattern I found in a Tokai catalogue from 1985/86 (left). Furthermore two of the pickguard screws are not at their usual Fender-positions (at least not compared with my Teles). The left one is closer to the neck and the right one lower and farther away from the pickguard edge than on my genuine Teles. This issue is also visible in the shown catalogue picture and in several other pictures of Tokai Teles (but not in all).
http://img218.imagevenue.com/loc193/th_34888_Vergleichsbild_Small_122_193lo.jpg (http://img218.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=34888_Vergleichsbild_Small_122_193lo .jpg)

Larger version:
[img=http://img218.imagevenue.com/loc193/th_34888_Vergleichsbild_Small_122_193lo.jpg] (http://img218.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=34888_Vergleichsbild_Small_122_193lo .jpg)

Greetings -
Luther

Hi all,

That is a Tokai body, It is without doubt a PW bender but isnt one of the ones fitted in the late 70's for the Tokai factory. I know this cos I used to have one.

an ex owner probably had it fitted

Still a very cool guitar, I was watching it myself.

Enjoy it

Thank you for your reply and the info, Gunslinger!

Greetings -
Luther

You scored a nice looking guitar!

Thank you! I am very happy with it, even with the EMG pickups sound. Just had to get a little bit used to it.

Greetings -
Luther