1965 EKO 700/V3 owned by Tito Jackson

This guitar stands not only as a rare early example of Tito Jackson’s instrumentation but also as a tangible link to the formative era of the Jackson 5. Tito Jackson (born 1953) was a founding member of the Jackson 5 and later The Jacksons, contributing guitar work, harmony vocals, and songwriting throughout the group’s career.

Reynaud D. Jones positions himself as an early mentor and collaborator: in his memoir The Long Journey to Glory: My Side of the Jacksons’ Story, he describes teaching Tito Jackson guitar, organizing the brothers into a performing group, guiding early shows, and even hosting rehearsals in his basement.

The provenance is bolstered by period video showing Tito playing the guitar and a recent photo with Tito and Reynaud together with the instrument, making this guitar a powerful artifact of Jackson family history. For collectors of Jackson 5 memorabilia, early Motown era artifacts, or foundational instruments of iconic artists, this signed EKO guitar offers an emotionally charged and historically meaningful addition to any collection.
Gigbag included.

Condition: Very Good.The EKO 700 Series of electric guitars were made in the early 60’s in Italy. They feature a distinctive three cutaway design that is also referred to as the “map shape”. The V3 model features 3 pickups with 5 different combinations accessible via slider buttons. They are marked as follows: M (all), 1 (neck), 3 (bridge), 1+3 (neck & bridge), 2 (middle), 0 (off). The 10 inch radius neck is very comfortable, the frets are in great shape, the neck is straight, and the action is low. It sounds as you would imagine, great for surf, garage, and punk. The neck is warm and round, the middle has a nice bite and is a bit trashy, and the bridge is very bright. My favorite setting is 1+3. Note, the sliders can be a bit finicky but they do work fine.