Pirles
Zim-Gar

What I have managed to invite now is a 1960's Zim-Gar Pirles, actually made in Japan but imported by Gar-Zim of New York for one of the major US retail firms of the time. 

I didn't realise, until I got this, that Pirles was a fairly significant name in the Japanese home market though apart from the instruments Gar-Zim imported I don't think many were sold overseas. It is fully laminate, but then it set out to be a fairly budget instrument and the black binding is just paint. Mine has a little bit of wear on the top part of the lower bout, but apart from that it's immaculate, no signs of wear on the plastic fretboard, the bridge or the very nice sharks tooth esque, (not a direct copy of the Harmony one and I think a little better looking), tuners. The strings that came with it need trimming, (or possibly replacing? They feel quite new but they don't feel like the highest standard), and then it's ready to Rock'n'Roll.

OK I've replaced the strings and now it's ready to Rock'n'Roll.