According to the 2007 Blue Book of Electric Guitars, Kawai began producing guitars in 1956, purchased Teisco in 1967 but stopped exporting to the U.S. about 1973 when they concentrated on domestic distribution (in Japan). Kawai returned the Teisco brand to the U.S. in the 1990s with guitars priced from $900 to $1400.

Early Kawai models (made from the 1950s until the late 1970s) have a price range from well under $100 to just over $400 depending on what collector you run into. Model and year does not seem to make a difference in price.