Tesoro Timeline: Release Years for all Jack Gifford - Tesoro Machines

[Terry Soloman]

1975 Bounty Hunter - TR500

1976 C & G (Crum & Gifford) - Bobcat; Lynx; Wildcat

1977- Bounty Hunter - Red Baron

1978 Fisher - 551; 552

1979 Bounty Hunter - Rustler; Raider

1980 Tesoro - Deep Search IV; VI; VII

1981 Tesoro - Aztec; Cortes; Amigo

1982 Tesoro - Scout; Mayan

1983 Tesoro - Inca; Silver Sabre

1984 Tesoro - Montgomery Ward (Contract) Sabre II; Sabre Supreme

1984 Tesoro - Turtle (Contract/Sears) Silver Turtle

1985 Tesoro - Golden Sare; Cutlass

1986 Tesoro - Silver Sabre Plus; Eldorado; Royal Sabre

1987 Tesoro - Toltec 100

1988 Tesoro - Toltec 80; Diablo

1989 Tesoro - Golden Sabre Plus; Lobo

1990 Tesoro - Bandito; Pantera

1991 Tesoro - Diablo II; Silver Sabre II; Stingray

1992 Tesoro - Cutlas II; Golden Sabre II

1993 Tesoro - Bandito II

1994 Tesoro - Toltec II

1995 Tesoro - Piranha; Stingray II

1996 Tesoro - uMax Series - uMax Bandito; uMax Cutlass; uMax Diablo; uMax Sidewinder; Amigo II

1997 Tesoro - Lobo Super Traq; Laser PowerMax; Bandito II uMax; Silver Sabre uMax

1998 Tesoro - Ctlas II uMax;

1999 Tesoro - Sand Shark; Laser Rapier

2000 Tesoro - Conquistador; Compadre; Tiger Shark; Golden uMax

2001 Tesoro - Cortes; Conquistador uMax; Eldorado II; Silver uMax

2003 Tesoro - DeLeon; Tejon

2004 Tesoro - Cibola; Vaquero

2012 Tesoro - Outlaw

 

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[Metal Detecting Stuff]

Great list, Terry, thanks for posting! I actually scored a C & G Bobcat from a yard sale last week, and it still works. It's hanging on our history wall in our store.

Wayne

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[Captain Caveman]

That's pretty cool! Thanks for posting!

 

[tabman]

Nice chart! I'm a big Vaquero fan. I keep trying other detectors in hopes of finding something better, but I keep coming back to my Vaquero and modded Cibola.

tabman

 

[Hobojo]

Ditto, thanks Terry thats cool.

 

[Berryman]

Terry: I don't see the Golden uMAX on your list. When was it released?

 

[Terry Soloman]

Terry: I don't see the Golden uMAX on your list. When was it released?

OOPS! September, 2000

Thanks for pointing that out!

 

[Newfiehunter]

Thanks Terry for posting this timeline...One thing I find interesting about it...From 1975 to 2004 there was a detector introduced on a yearly basis but from 2004 up to this present time, a span of 11 years, there only has been one...Don't want to speculate as to why, but it is a valid fact.....

 

[Terry Soloman]

Thanks Terry for posting this timeline...One thing I find interesting about it...From 1975 to 2004 there was a detector introduced on a yearly basis but from 2004 up to this present time, a span of 11 years, there only has been one...Don't want to speculate as to why, but it is a valid fact.....

You're right. Very disappointing in a way, yet how far are we really going to go with VLF machines without just adding more options and lipstick that seasoned hunters just don't need?

 

[TheHunterGT]

Thanks Terry for posting this timeline...One thing I find interesting about it...From 1975 to 2004 there was a detector introduced on a yearly basis but from 2004 up to this present time, a span of 11 years, there only has been one...Don't want to speculate as to why, but it is a valid fact.....

I noticed that as well. Wonder if there was some internal issues at Tesoro or if it is perhaps some part of a new company direction/plan? Now I wonder if other companies slowed down during those years as well? Perhaps like Terry said VLF machines hit a wall and they stalled with a new idea?

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Thanks for the chart Terry.... Looks like I picked up the Royal Sabre in '86, I thought it was '85.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Perhaps like Terry said VLF machines hit a wall and they stalled with a new idea?

I really have to agree with this. Yeah, Minelab came in with new ideas. But I look at what's out there now with domestic production and except for bells & whistles, nothing has changed with VLF. My 1260X goes just as deep as the modern ones, and that was from late '83, 32 years ago.

The exception I would make here is coil development,

Search Coil Types

Double-D Search Coils

This evolution all by itself revolutionized detecting. Geez all those times I swept with a concentric coil (still with the 1260X) and at depth covering so little ground.

 

[roaddust66]

Brings back a lot of good memories to me. I met Jack once at Hickory Valley Electric in Chattanooga once in the early 80's. I traded my Fisher 1260x and Fisher 555D in for a new Inca and i never looked back. Tesoro all the way from there on out

 

[Phantasman]

Thanks Terry for posting this timeline...One thing I find interesting about it...From 1975 to 2004 there was a detector introduced on a yearly basis but from 2004 up to this present time, a span of 11 years, there only has been one...Don't want to speculate as to why, but it is a valid fact.....

Wasn't it about that time that Jack retired and James and Vince took the reins?

 

[Terry Soloman]

1975 Bounty Hunter - TR500

1976 C & G (Crum & Gifford) - Bobcat; Lynx; Wildcat

1977- Bounty Hunter - Red Baron

1978 Fisher - 551; 552

1979 Bounty Hunter - Rustler; Raider

1980 Tesoro - Deep Search IV; VI; VII

1981 Tesoro - Aztec; Cortes; Amigo

1982 Tesoro - Scout; Mayan

1983 Tesoro - Inca; Silver Sabre

1984 Tesoro - Montgomery Ward (Contract) Sabre II; Sabre Supreme

1984 Tesoro - Turtle (Contract/Sears) Silver Turtle

1985 Tesoro - Golden Sare; Cutlass

1986 Tesoro - Silver Sabre Plus; Eldorado; Royal Sabre

1987 Tesoro - Toltec 100

1988 Tesoro - Toltec 80; Diablo

1989 Tesoro - Golden Sabre Plus; Lobo

1990 Tesoro - Bandito; Pantera

1991 Tesoro - Diablo II; Silver Sabre II; Stingray

1992 Tesoro - Cutlas II; Golden Sabre II

1993 Tesoro - Bandito II

1994 Tesoro - Toltec II

1995 Tesoro - Piranha; Stingray II

1996 Tesoro - uMax Series - uMax Bandito; uMax Cutlass; uMax Diablo; uMax Sidewinder; Amigo II

1997 Tesoro - Lobo Super Traq; Laser PowerMax; Bandito II uMax; Silver Sabre uMax

1998 Tesoro - Ctlas II uMax;

1999 Tesoro - Sand Shark; Laser Rapier

2000 Tesoro - Conquistador; Compadre; Tiger Shark; Golden uMax

2001 Tesoro - Cortes; Conquistador uMax; Eldorado II; Silver uMax

2003 Tesoro - DeLeon; Tejon

2004 Tesoro - Cibola; Vaquero

2012 Tesoro - Outlaw

2017 - Mojave

 

[Peter67]

Thanks Terry, nice timeline.

 

[doggoneitdignit]

Hope to see another release myself under the updated list soon.

 

[Honest Samuel]

Tesoro came out with a new detector this year, call Majove, hope to go out soon with my new detector.

 

[Tony (Michigan)]

Nice chart! I'm a big Vaquero fan. I keep trying other detectors in hopes of finding something better, but I keep coming back to my Vaquero and modded Cibola.

tabman

Nice list.
By the way tabman, how was your cibola modded? What was done and who did it?

 

[pinenut]

Cibola GB mod

Nice list.
By the way tabman, how was your cibola modded? What was done and who did it?

Hey Tony, a fairly common modification on the Cibola, is to change it from a fixed ground balance, to an adjustable ground balance. They get optimal depth that way, and become very similar to the Vaquero in function. I've done it on one of my Cibolas and it's nice to have the adjustable GB, but I don't think it made my Cibola all that special. Might as well just get a Vaquero..

Here's a link to some info about the mod: Tesoro Cibola GB mod