Guitar Tone Tuesday: Ep 81 - 1971 Eko Ranger (A Funky Old 12 String With Cool History)!
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- Guitar Tone Tuesday: Ep 81 - 1971 Eko Ranger (A Funky Old 12 String With Cool History)!
Visually Impaired since birth, Lucas Haneman uses his ears and hands to guide him when choosing gear, writing songs and recording parts. Will you agree with his assessment? Subscribe and follow to let your voice be heard!
Lucas Haneman of the LH Express gives you experienced tips and tricks, as well as showcasing lesser known gear in this series.
In 1959 Oliviero Pigini (which was not pronounced correctly in the video), started the Eko guitar brand out of Recanati, Italy. Initially focusing on acoustic and arch top guitars in the traditional Sicilian style, the brand began to branch out with the advent of the British Invasion. The company came to make it their mission to produce both electric and acoustic guitars, basses, as well as organs of decent quality, as efficiently as possible at a good price point. With this, Eko actually became the largest exporter of musical instruments in all of Europe at the time, with models that were attainable by the everyday player.
Pigini passed away in the late 60s', but Eko continued with the "Ranger" series of guitars (the best selling guitar the company ever created) with laminate wood construction, a bolt on neck, adjustable bridge, and 6/12 string variants. Jimmy Page, Gerry Rafferty, and Mike Rutherford were all pictured with Eko acoustic guitars in the 1970s'.
Eko was revived by Oliviero's brother, and the company is back making recreations of these old instruments today.
#EkoRanger #12String #AcousticGuitar #ItalianCompany #Italy #JimmyPage #GerryRafferty #MikeRutherford #CoolGuitar #OldGuitar #LucasHaneman #Blues #Folk #Jazz #Funk
Have you ever tried an Eko guitar, and if so, what were your thoughts? Let your voice be heard in the comment section below!
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I had a Ranger 6 back in the '70s and more recently have enjoyed an old Ranger 12 which needed a little bit of work to get up to scratch. You've shown us just how good they can sound here with your lovely playing - well done!
Nice! I hope you’re still enjoying your Ranger 12 and I truly appreciate your kind words on the playing!
Wow thanks Eric for letting this fantastic guitarist showcase your guitar! I was a little kid when my big brother came home with his Eko 12 string with the cool tail piece and beautiful sound. I played it many times, but when it's time for a new home, it will deservedly go to his son.
I would love to find one just like it because it evokes so many fond memories. Now I have more information upon which to search. Thank you!!
First off thank you sincerely, for your kind words on the playing! It was fun to spend some time with this instrument. I wish you the best of luck in tracking one down!
I have one, it’s an awesome sounding guitar. Rock on 🤘
Nice! Congratulations. I hope you enjoy it for many years to come. Thanks for watching the video!
I bought my 12 string Ranger back in 1968. It cost me £43. It has had a hard life but it is still a sweet sounding guitar I'm sure my son will value it after I am gone. They don't make them like that any more
Yes indeed, these guitars are very sweet. I was surprised with how great this one sounded, especially when miced up. Sounds like quite a deal you found with your ranger, and I’m so happy it has stuck with you for this long. I’m sure your son will truly appreciate it when you pass it down. That’s the amazing thing about guitars like this, they tell a story. I wish you many more years of enjoyment with your guitar, and hope you stick around the channel to check out some more videos. All the best!
i have a mint from sane year, my pal gave it to me, the tuners need replacement, need to get round to it.
My friend has one (1970) and i want it !!
I’ve been through that before with friends who have great guitars. Sometimes it doesn’t work out but you can still play the guitar from time to time at least. Other times, if you ask nicely and offer a fair price, it might work out in time. One of my favourite guitars I Purchased off of a student after he thought about selling it to me for about 4/5 years. Eventually he saw how much I loved the guitar and it became mine. Here’s hoping for your sake that might happen :-)
Nice!
Thanks!
Wow! What an amazing guitarist and a fascinating story! Loved it.
Thanks so so much! I really appreciate your kind words. If you want to check out more please do subscribe and stay tune to the channel as there’s lots of exciting stuff coming up!
Nice video, I own both the old and new reissue Ranger 6, what I can say is that in term of construction, the newer is far ahead, great finish also... both are built like a tank, they sound very similar though the reissue is louder... they weigh about the same and have the same feeling in hand as long as identical strings are used... Those guitar will never need a neck reset as you mentioned, it's a big +...action as low as it can be.... made for strumming, they excel in that regard... cheers
Cool that you have experience with both the new and old ranger. I have never tried one of the reissue guitars as even the used ones are hard to come by here in Canada. Thanks for filling me in though on what to expect. Makes sense as in my opinion Guitar construction has generally gotten more refined overtime. Of course something special about vintage guitars though. Thank you so much for watching and I appreciate you commenting on the video.
@@LucasHaneman that's correct, back then, cheap guitars were poorly made, but nowadays thanks for the use of CNC machines, laser cuts, hydraulic jigs and so on, they became good, even a cheap guitar is decent, and "made in China" is no more that junk it was 10 years ago. And I totally agreed with the fact that old guitars have that something special.... In the 70's The Rangers were better made than most other cheap shovels. Have a great day.
Thanks for the call out that EKO also built the same guitars which were imported and marketed in the United States through Vox. I happen to own a 1968 Vox Folk Twelve which I purchased new in 1968 (when I was 14 years old), and is essentially an earlier version of the EKO Ranger you play in this video. Mine has the same adjustable bridge but a slightly different tail piece, same bolt on neck but a slightly different design, and the binding is white and black and much nicer looking than the one you're playing. Also, mine has a different, deeper wood used for the back and sides (all laminate, of course, they all were), and mine lacks the skunk stripe on the back of the neck. But again, appreciate the video.
That’s awesome I i’m sure you’ve got a great guitar there. Thanks a bunch for tuning into the video and hope you’ll stick around to check out some more on the channel!
Nice introduction to EKO guitars Lucas and tasteful playing.
I have a mini collection of these guitars including 60's and 70's models one of which is a 70's 12 string but it is unlike the model you are playing here in as much as it is strung from the bridge which I bought new from Kitchens of Leeds (UK).
I tried all the acoustics in the shop including some premium brands but walked out with the EKO.
Incidentally, Brandoni in London has loads of spares for these models including necks bodies etc.
Wow, so cool!
you play cool
Thanks!
This guitar is loud, and sounds awesome! I agree with the point about laminate- my first guitar was a Silvertone acoustic guitar, and for what it was, it sounded very loud, and very good. I put a pickup in it and played with it at school events through high school!
Also a bolt on neck? That’s actually so cool. So far, the only other acoustics I know with a bolt on neck are the stratacoustic, and the new acoustasonics!
Also, I got the Harley Benton semi-hollow guitar today! It’s literally a thin line tele with P90’s and it’s loud acoustically, and the tone is rich and deep, and that’s with the volume knob barely rolled ON!!!
Thanks for your comments Stanley. Nice to hear about your first acoustic as well. Laminate is not all bad all the time. It just depends on context I MHO. Yes the bolt on neck is cool. Stay tuned though, in a couple of weeks I am going to talk about another acoustic with a bolt on neck that brings the cool factor to the next level :-)
Lucas Haneman Awesome, I’m excited! I’ll be there! :))
👍🏻
I have one. Just picked it up today for $275 in great condition. My first 12 string. I usually play an Alvarez acoustic electric cutaway. This Eko Ranger is awesome and it has Fishman pickups.
Great find and a killer price as well! Happy to hear that you are enjoying that guitar. Thanks for stopping by the channel and hope you stick around to check out some more! Have a great one
Thanks for the history of the Eko Ranger Xll; just inherited one and was searching for some info. I never heard of them👍🇨🇦
Glad I could be of help. They are definitely interesting old guitars. Thanks for checking out the video and enjoy your new instrument! Also, feel free to stay tuned to the channel if you feel so inclined. I released two new videos every single week
Great review and lovely playing, thanks 👍🏻
Thank you so much Charles! Glad you enjoyed it. If you feel so inclined, please stay tuned to the channel as I like to feature a lot of weird and wonderful guitars like this on a regular basis! I appreciate you watching and hope you have a good one
Just came across ur video , you’re a great player , I bought one of these 2 years ago for 250 US when I was on a quest to replace my Epiphone 12 string which also had a bolt on neck . Mine is a 67 so her and I are the same age !! Can’t say enough good things about her !! Thanks agin for sharing your talents !!!
Wow, what a cool story, and glad you found a birth year Guitar. That’s awesome! Thanks for your kind comments on the video and the playing. It’s much appreciated :-) I wish you many many more years of enjoyment with your ranger!
They are a cracking sounding guitar I absolutely love mine 👌❤
Great vid BTW 👍
Thanks so much!
Thank you for the video. I suggest you to check a pair of italian Facebook pages entirely dedicated to these old and famous models (thir name being "Vintage eko Ranger" or something like that): the interesting thing is that there are former Eko employees sharing information about Ranger production, including Mr Remo Serrangeli who wrote a book about his experience as Eko production director.
Thank you for this info and I will definitely check it out! I will also let my friend know who owns this guitar as he would probably love to know more too.
Hi Lucas, loved the video and you're playing! Are you in Canada, I'm in Cambridge, Ontario. I found your video because I was lucky enough to track down my fathers old EKO guitar, I believe it is early 1970's as well. Looks similar to the one you are playing, and has a tailpiece. A couple differences however. the inlay in the headstock appears to be a pearl inlay and fret markers as well. The other difference is no bolt on neck. I'm guessing early 1970's , keep up the great videos and content, cheers, Ryan. - Edit: I have discovered its a Eko Rio Bravo 12 string
Thanks so much for your kind words! Yes I am in Ottawa Ontario. I don’t believe you’re too far from Etobicoke if memory serves where Cambridge is correctly? I only mention this as I have a show in Etobicoke coming up in October if you might be interested.
Cool info on your dad‘s guitar. Yes a lot of people seem to be thrown off by the tail piece as it wasn’t as common as the non-tailpiece versions. It also seems like there were very few that were made identical to one and other. Certainly interesting guitars!
Thanks for your kind words on the channel and please stay tuned. I’m a little bit sporadic with my uploads these days as life is busy, but I’m trying to upload as much as I can none the less!
@@LucasHaneman thanks for the prompt reply Sir! Would love to head to Etobicoke and catch your show, where is the venue and how can we get tickets?
I have the exact same model , bought on the street for two hundred bucks . Plays and sounds better then entry level 12 strings from Martin , Taylor , Breedlove , Seagull . Sure you can buy a better playing and sounding 12 string , but for what price .
Exactly Matt. I completely agree with you. these guitars play and sound wonderful, and that is saying something as most 12 string guitar‘s play like trucks. I have always lusted after a guild 12 string for instants, as when I think about the ultimate 12 string guitar, that is what I picture in my mind. I’ve played some, and they feel wonderful as well. The problem is the price point. For most of us who don’t just play 12 string guitar we don’t want to invest a ton in one. My personal 12 string is a Yamaki custom I purchased used for $60. It doesn’t feel nearly as good as this Eko, but it gets the job done when I need that sound. I wish you many more years of enjoyment from your guitar, and thanks so much for sharing here! I hope you stick around the channel to check out some more stuff
Just bought a 1970 Ranger this evening online, I'll get back to you on my thoughts once its delivered, just want so say though great video you got a new subscriber. Great playing too!
Congrats on the new acquisition and I can’t wait to hear what you think about it. Thanks for sticking around the channel, I appreciate the support!
Nice playing, great sound out of that one mic wow
Thanks Jake, it’s amazing how sometimes an SM58 can get the job done!
You are a great player, hoping to get one of these
I really appreciate your kind words! These are cool old guitars for sure. Best of luck on the quest!
My first love. That guitar as built like a tank. Weighed about 50 lbs.
Haha I completely agree I think this is the heaviest acoustic guitar I have ever played, but it sounded great! If you feel so inclined, stay tuned to the channel as I like to feature a lot of weird and wonderful guitars on this channel. Thanks so much for watching! Hope you have a good day
My first guitar purchased was a late 60s Eko Ranger 6. I still have it. I payed $80 for it in Vancouver 10 years ago. Great guitar.
Wow, that is a great story! I really had a lot of fun borrowing this guitar and bonding with it.
In Italy Eko guitars are still very popular, they make great guitars
Hey there Lucas ! Really Enjoyed your video.... you guitar playing... :) Yeah,,, i just bought the Eko Ranger Vintage Reissue 12 String and i just Love it ! It doesn`t put out as much volume as my Norman 12 String, but visually it real Loud !! haha... KK Take Care ! :)
Congratulations on your new purchase! I’ve definitely played a few Normand 12 strings in my time and they are a beast unto themselves. The EKO Rangers definitely can hold their own! Hope you stick around the channel!
Hello I found your channel It’s me Nina
Hi Nina! Hope you are doing well and glad you found the channel. Kens still talks about you and named one of her new dolls after you. Funny the things she remembers! Hope you’re still playing and singing!
My boss wants me to repair his '67 EKO 6 string acoustic. Great guitar, but it has been badly abused over the years. Cracks in the top, sides, back, and bridge. Tuners are worn out, the top is bellied. The neck is straight though, and the pickup sounds great. It is surprisingly heavy.
Wish me luck.
Wow, that sounds like a big big job Derek. Good luck in deed. They are cool guitars. I would say certainly over built and that they are generally heavy with needlessly thick tops, but certainly interesting Instruments despite that.
I purchased a new one last summer because I wanted to try out playing a 12 string guitar. The new Eko Rangers are very affordable here in Europe. I paid about 260 € which I think is a very good price for such an iconic guitar. The guitar was in immaculate condition and ready to play without further setup. It has a solid spruce top by now. The sound is very bright and chimey, maybe more than yours. I might change to silk and steel strings to give it a bit more definition in the future. It is loud and great for strumming but very difficult to play fingerstyle. But I guess this is not what these guitars are made for. So, I need to practice more with a pick. For my current skill level, the guitar is just okay.
Thanks for sharing Thomas. I have never tried one of the new versions of this guitar, but it’s nice to hear about your experience. I agree, finger style on a 12 string is not easy. Takes a lot of practice and at the best of times 12 strings are still harder to play then six string guitars. Keep working away at it! Also, regarding strings, lots of great options out there to try. I really love DR phosphor bronze strings and find that they have a little more warmth then lots of the standard options. Also if you are from the UK have you ever tried newtone strings? I really enjoy them again for the warmth and find the price is pretty reasonable for what they are being handmade guitar strings. I believe they make a 12 string set.
@@LucasHaneman Thank you for your advice! No, I haven't tried any DR or Newtones. Bad critics DR received for their neon coloured strings put me off a bit so far. I am from Germany, not UK. Over here, we also have some small manufacturers, and some of them engage in alternative materials. I currently use the Optima Gold strings on one of my guitars. They are overly bright at first but then quickly settle down to a sound that I perceive as louder and a bit more mellow than phosphor bronze. More mellow than woody. The strings, also the high strings, are coated with a thin layer of 24 carat gold for corrosion protection.
I will have to give those strings a try, sounds very cool! Yes I also heard bad things about those DR coated dragon strings, so I have completely avoided them, but I do love the rares’ for something not super expensive but long lasting in my humble opinion. Keep on playing my friend, and thank you so much for checking out the videos!
Hi Lucas. Thanks for a great video. I have one, from 1972 or 73 maybe, I don't remember exactly when I got it. Mine has regular bridge pins. Also, two friends horsing around, knocked it over and broke the neck at the headstock in 1976, so I got a third party replacement neck, which has the tuner slots oriented like a classical guitar - sideways instead of vertical. The original tuners dropped right in, but it is weird. I wish I could find a proper Eko replacement neck
Thanks so much for watching the video, and cool to hear that you have one of these. Too bad about your neck for sure. I wish I knew how to get a replacement neck for one of these other than perhaps finding a guitar that was otherwise in bad shape, and putting its neck onto your guitar. Sounds like at the very least you have a one of a kind guitar that is hopefully still bringing you much joy. Thanks for tuning into the Channel, and please do stay tuned for some more videos.
I was waiting to hear some Leo Kottke on that beast - does sound very balanced! I once bought an old used Aria 6 string (tobaccoburst) with a bolt on neck with plastic cover plate and adjustable bridge. It had very small gauge strings and sounded thin so I had regular medium strings put on and right away the action became horrible. After some shimming, a luthier told me it would continue to creep to a higher action and put alot of pressure on the bridge and top at the neck location. I returned it to the used guitar store and got close to what I paid for it. So how does a 12 string bolt on survive with tolerable action? I've seen several EKO guitars but also had a cousin with an old JG Julio Giulietti archtop which was so cool but today have no idea where it went. Long comment - fascinating topic - thanks for sharing!
Hey Guy with regret I have to say I don’t think I know much of Leo’s music. I’ve listened to it before, but I’ve never actively pursued learning it. I should do that sometime. Sorry to hear about what happened to your Aria. I’m not sure if there is reinforcement in the neck of this guitar, but I will say it has a rather large neck, and I think that helps when it comes to stability. Of course this is a touchy subject, but lots of luthiers have told me to string my acoustic guitars with regular light gauge strings as opposed to medium gauge strings for the sake of top stability and neck stability as well. For me this tends to help the Guitar’s move around a little less. Of course it’s still not perfect as wood moves with changes in temperature and humidity, but it does help. Also, I realized recently when looking at string gauges that the ideal set of strings for a 12 string starts at nine or 10 instead of 12 or 13 like most acoustic guitar strings. It’s unusual though for a guitar of this age to not have needed a neck reset. Maybe the adjustable bridge has helped with this
Hi Lucas and GuyB,
Very interesting discussion. I have and play my Eko Ranger (with original build-in electronics) for more than 45 years. Always had a 010 set of sttings on it. Plays a bit heavy, but I have hands of a butcher, so no problem. I have to admit that the acoustic sound is better than my Ovation 1614 (Brian May) and I'm a real Ovation addict! But like you I don't understand how Eko did it. After all these years the neck is still perfectly straight and no belly in the top at all. I think they're realy underestimated gitarras. Over here (in Holland) still very easy to find for sale.
Like mine for instance!
Lucas.....how come when I play that guitar it does not sound like what I hear in this video. You make it sound very good thanx for the look at the guitar. I'm off to practice now......,.later...............:-)))
Ah Eric, you are too nice, but you sounded pretty darn amazing when I heard you play it!! Thanks for lending it. I had a lot of fun researching the brand and making this video!
Ciao Lukas, come al solito Scusami ma scrivo in italiano perché non sono bravo con inglese con la tua lingua ti lascio un link di un cantautore italiano che negli anni 70-80 suonava solo con quella chitarra l'icona eko Ranger ha 12 corde amplificata e lui la suonava usando l'armonica è il kazoo ed era un cantante molto famoso si chiama Edoardo Bennato e diciamo che da l'ora in Italia usavano Tutti volevano tutti quella chitarra lì per la era diventata una moda e suono molto particolare Quindi era un vezzo averla. Grazie per la recensione e per la bella serata passata in tua compagnia con questo video Ciao Paolo da Ferrara Italia distante 200 km da Recanati dove la costruivano.🙋 adesso ti cerco il link del suo album piú famoso
Thank you so much for the information. I will have to check out some of his music! That’s very cool!
Sounds just fine ,not too jangly and quacky like some 12's I've heard .Fantastic descriptive video .If only others would do videos like this ,
Did you or someone put that tailpiece on there? I have a vintage EKO having a lot of problems thought about putting one of those on! Let me know please, thanks!
I was able to get a hold of the owner of this guitar and he said that the tail piece was on the guitar when he purchased it. If you are having issues, I would say it doesn’t hurt to try. It will take away some of the tension on the top. Keep me posted and good luck!
Hello.. have you modified the bridge and the strings attachment on the guitar? It seems a good idea.
The owner who has had this guitar since New told me that it has not been modified. Seems like a rare guitar as most do not have this bridge
Hi Lucas i have same guitar as yours Eko 12 Strings Ranger ,but i don't have the metal tail piece ,i only have the wood one, is that an additional part? Thanks.
The owner tells me that no it’s not. Apparently this specific guitar came with this tail piece brand new
Okay Thanks.
What were you playing
Hey! Thanks for watching. From what I recall, I just thought about something before hand and then rolled with it. For the most part, it’s all improvised in these videos. I usually think about how I’m going to start but then it’s all off the top of my head from there.
I doubt that the body and the neck belong together.
Normally the Ranger XII have a big bridge with 12 pins and NO tailpiece.
It is possible to put a 12-string neck on a Ranger VI body and use a 12-string tailpiece.
It reduces the pull on the bridge to zero.
I sure wish someone could help me locate the tail piece mines broken
Perhaps someone here can help. I truly wish I could help you more, but there is not much info on these guitars, nor are there many of them here in Canada.
I’d say keep your eyes peeled to reverb and eBay, and you never know
@@LucasHaneman I actually found it on Amazon for 60$ it’s fixed and is absolutely mint condition now sounds the same as the one here in the video. What was the song you played on this video the first song when you said now before we talk about let’s hear how it sounds.please let me know sounds great on a 12 string!
@@gabrielholloway5130 thanks for your interest in the tune. It’s just something I improvised at the time based on how the guitar was making me feel. I try not to play much music on this channel by anyone other than myself, and do a lot of improvising to avoid any copyright strikes etc. I find it keeps me creative though and sometimes I find ideas that I put into completed songs after the fact through the process keeps me honest and on my toes at all times, for better or for worse. :-) hahaha
Eccomi .ti lascio il link di un suo LP. Ciao
czcams.com/video/hj2K5N4fZ-Q/video.html
Thanks for that! Nice stuff