Private | |
Founded | 1959 |
---|---|
Founder | Oliviero Pigini |
Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Website | eko.it |
Eko is an Italian manufacturer of electric guitars, acoustic guitars and similar instruments, catering to professional level and manufacturing largely for export. It is located in Recanati, Marche.
Eko manufactured guitars in Recanati, Italy throughout the 1960s and into the 80s. It produced guitars under it's own name, but also specifically for other companies, most notably Vox; JMI were still producing Vox guitars in the UK, but the majority of teardrops and phantoms for sale in the United States were made in Italy. Shaftesbury was another, this time copies of Fender, Gibson. The Eko 100 was produced in the acoustic or in the electric version, with one or two pick-ups. When Eko stopped giving numeric names, this guitar took three different names each for a different type of finish. Mascot, the cheap two-tone burst (Medallion in USA). Commander, the redburst; Escort, the natural. Serial numbers tend to be stamped or written somewhere on the headstock or neck joint of the guitar. On some acoustic guitars, the serial number is on the inside of the sound hole. Serial numbers are often at least four digits long, and they sometimes include letters. Search the area around the serial number for a date stamp. Suddenly, electric guitars were #1 on every kids Christmas list. Companies that had been manufacturing Accordions for 2. EKO was at the forefront, and within 2 years they were shipping over 1. For most North American kids, including myself, their first guitar was an EKO or some Japanese import.
Eko Guitar Serial Number Search Engine
Products[edit]
Guitars[edit]
Their products include classical guitars, 12-string guitars, arch top guitars, electric guitars and acoustic bass guitars.
Eko guitars gained high popularity during the rock'n'roll craze of the 1960s, becoming the largest guitar exporter in Europe. Their electric models were often highly ornamented with pearl, featured 3 or 4 pickups and recognizable 'rocker' switches for pickup selection. The acoustic models were popular in country and folk rock bands of the late '60s. The best-known models of the '60s include:
Eko 400-4V Ekomaster (1960-1962)
Eko 500 (1962-1965)
Eko Ranger 12 string
Eston bass, fretless but with markers (1980s)
- Eko 400 Ekomaster (Fender Jaguar shape with flat-top, Hagström-style control panel),
- Eko 500 (Fender Jaguar lookalike),
- Eko 700 (original triple-cutaway design with 'hockey stick' head),
- Eko 290 (also known as Eko Barracuda, semi-hollow flat-top electric),
- Eko Rokes (rocket-shaped electric, made popular by an Italian pop band of the same name, The Rokes)
- Eko Kadett ('67 original double cutaway with characteristic long 'horns') and
- Eko Ranger (the best-selling Eko product, acoustic in 6 and 12-string version).
- Eko 995 (violin bodied 4 string bass wildly popular in the late 60's)
Eko teardrop, Vox Mark, and Vox Phantom (Wunjo Guitars, London)
Vox Ultrasonic (1968)
Eko also produced guitars for Vox in the '60s, in the USA they were distributed through LoDuca brothers of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In the UK the instruments were imported by Rose-Morris, London.
In Australia their instruments were imported by Rose Music and often, but not always, branded with their house brandEston.
Eko Guitar Serial Number Search Tool
Eko guitar has been manufacturing guitars since the early 60's and continue to through present day.
As of 2015, Eko Guitars were imported and distributed in the United States by Kelley Distribution located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Other musical instruments[edit]
- EKO Tiger combo organ[1]
- EKO Micky combo organ[2]
- EKO Bass Pedal K1 (1970s)
- EKO ComputeRhythm (1972)[3]
- EKO Viscount amp head (top)
- EKO equalizer 10-band graphic eq.
- EKO Strepitoso wah pedal (top)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'EKO Tiger/Tigermate'. Combo Organ Heaven (combo-organ.com).
- ^'Orange Organs'. Combo Organ Heaven (combo-organ.com).
- ^'EKO Computerhythm'. synthemaster.de.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eko. |
Eko Guitar Serial Number Search Database
- Official sites
- Eko Music Group (Italy)
- Eko guitars (Italy)
Eko Guitars Models
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