Not that softwood is completely unheard of on solid body electrics but it usually found in laminate tops like on some Les Pauls or similar. You usually don't see it used as the main body wood. Coniferous wood is also usually much less expensive and more freely available than deciduous, often a concern for home crafters.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Hi again collinsml: hey, that's a good catch. For starters, you're right: the one in the photo looks so similar it immediately gives yours a different kind of credibility. I happily take back what I said before: however small the maker I guess it isn't actually homemade after all.

Second: Brandoni is indeed fairly well-known here in the UK. He's based in North London and his adverts can be found in the guitar press, such as Guitarist magazine. He specialises in all kinds of odd things, like Vox guitars rebuilt from leftover parts from the '60s Italian factory, Eko guitars and banjos, all manner of weird and wonderful necks, bodies and hardware and other strange delights. Well worth a glance around his unusual website:

www.brandoniguitars.co.uk

If I remember right, Forum user Nikininja knows Roberto Brandoni, or at least has done some sort of business with him.

Anyhow. Nice detective work!

Cheers - C

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I found a cool site, but it is in Italian! Has guitars that look very similar to mine though... See what I mean:


Here is the link: http://www.fetishguitars.com/portfolio/eko-camac/#lightbox%5Bgroup-0%5D/19/

Getting closer to an answer... BW, this guitar sounds really nice, hot humbuckers... Neck is wider than I prefer...may end up flipping on eBay once I figure out what it is.... I really am a strat guy anyway...

Mr. Brandoni was kind enough to reply to my inquiry. Here's what he said:

"This is an original Eko Michael - may well have been assembled by us - in the 80's with schaller machineheads - Eko pickups and most of the parts too - hope this helps - Roberto"

Ah-ha! Well, that's a uniquely useful piece of information.

Unique, in as much as now we know what to search for - it still doesn't help!

Googling "Eko Michael" produced all kinds of unexpected things... none of which was a guitar like yours. That is not a widely know instrument.

So. Good detective work. In a month of Sundays none of us would have been able to ID this guitar. You have achieved a result you could not have got any other way.

Thanks for the update.

Cheers - C

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Too funny, Ceri. My first name is Michael. Mr. Brandoni forgot some punctuation in his reply. Should have been something like "It is an EKO, Michael..."

Hahahahaha - well then certainly a wasted couple of minutes on Google Images!

Punctuation: now we know what it exists for...

Anyhow. Enjoy that geet!

Cheers - C

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Looks like a copy of a 70's Ibanez to me.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

I'd guess that the "6381" on the bottom of the pots means either March 6th, 1981, or June 3rd, 1981. Could be wrong, but people seem to think this is from the late 70's/early 80's.

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1973 Fender Stratocaster - Sunburst

1984 Ibanez Roadstar II - Natural Re-Fin

1996 Fender Stratocaster - Sonic Blue

1997 Squier Precision Bass - Fire Engine Red

2006 Squier Fretless Jazz Bass - Sunburst