Best "MIJ" Acoustics from the 50's to 80's - Page 2

kcnbys · #16 02-01-2017, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SFCRetired

Takamine, no one else competes with it. The 340 or the 360.

Bingo! In past moments of temporary insanity, I sold two guitars I never should have. One was a MIJ 1984 Takamine F340 all lam. It was my first "good" acoustic, and was stellar.

kcnbys · #17 02-01-2017, 08:51 AM

duplicate post. oops!

Nyghthawk · #18 02-01-2017, 09:25 AM

The Matsumoku factory in Japan made Aria, Lyle, Pan, Hondo, Conquista, etc. branded guitars in the 60's - 80's.

http://www.matsumoku.org/

Site has some info on these.

I had a Lyle Hummingbird copy back in the late 70's that was great. My brother has a Pan Dove copy to this day that still sounds very nice.

They also made some low-end "plywood wonders."

Steve DeRosa · #19 02-01-2017, 09:42 AM

Early Yamaha FG's and "lawsuit" Taks - I've seen some of the uber-rare Guild F-50R copies selling for as much as a real '70s F-50R, and the Sitka/Braz D-41 knockoff nudging $3K...

pdx · #20 02-01-2017, 09:43 AM

Early Yamaha FG'S, and pretty much anything I have played with a solid top sounds goods, at times great. I love my Diaon "The 82" and my Arai Gallagher copy. I have a1971 Kazuo Yairi/Alvarez classical that is pretty amazing. While I'm generally not a fan of Lyle, I did have an all laminate classical that was pretty stupendous. Light and thin like Yamaha laminates. I played a Washburn Timber Ridge last week that was ethereal. I had an all solid Suzuki dreadnaught, engleman over eir that was sublime. Another all laminate that blew me away was Thumb by Terada in the form of a Gallagher copy.

Mr. Paul · #21 02-01-2017, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nyghthawk

The Matsumoku factory in Japan made Aria, Lyle, Pan, Hondo, Conquista, etc. branded guitars in the 60's - 80's. "

That must be where my old friends' Hondo 12 string came from ... it was good ... really really good.

My Japanese built Sigma Anniversary D10 from 1980 sounds better to me than the new
D18 I played last month.

Everton FC · #22 02-01-2017, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fazool

If you can find one of the rare and "hidden" all solid wood Aria's from the 80's, they are amazing and superb guitars.

I may look at an Aria 6710 from '81 this afternoon.

Not that I need it... But it's so cheap! Given to a kid as a present, they don't play it...

The CBS-era Fenders (the CBS Masterworks)... At times I want to sell mine... At times, when I give it a good 30-minute strum and fingerpick session (lights need to move to Custom or Extra Lights, me thinks)... It has a sound - a hollow sound, almost... That grows on me. Like a Harmony, perhaps (mines They are not often seen, seldom heard (no example on Youtube)...

I know these are not the pick of the Fender brood, but I think they aren't bad guitars. Wondering what factory these came out of? I've read the Teisco factory, but where CBS/Fender built these is anyone's guess.

Kiso-Suzuki made some nice classical guitars - mine is probably laminate, but sounds nice - big sound. Thick bodied.

Bax Burgess · #23 02-01-2017, 11:10 AM

All laminate dread, a '78 Kiso-Suzuki KW-150. Not that it's the one to have - it's certainly as fine as a Yamaha Gakki red label, but numerous other nationality all laminates offer accomplished examples these days: to my ear RK's Savannah parlor and OM, Samick Greg Bennett OMs, and Epiphone's DR 100 NA dread.

jpbat · #24 02-01-2017, 11:39 AM

I did own several Japan made guitars, but the best I had in the 70's was a Yamaha FG2000. At the time, I believe the Yamaha company purpose was to show the world that they could make world class instruments.
And world class instruments they were. Probably the most accurate workmanship of *any* guitar I owned. At the time I had achieve my apprentice time in violin making at Mirecourt, and I was floored by the quality of the work.

numb fingertips · #25 02-01-2017, 01:47 PM

A question for all you knowledgeable members. How were MIJ 70's UniVox guitars?

merlin666 · #26 02-01-2017, 02:21 PM

My first two guitars in the mid-70s were Suzuki ThreeS (Nagoya), the higher end one of these was way ahead of the three Martin D18s that I compared it to in the store when I bought it new.

There are quite a few legendary and rare MIJ guitars such as the Yamaha L-53 (John Denver), Tama acoustics (especially the TG-190), and also Yairi Roundbacks (e.g. DY-92).

maxtheaxe · #27 02-01-2017, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nyghthawk

The Matsumoku factory in Japan made Aria, Lyle, Pan, Hondo, Conquista, etc. branded guitars in the 60's - 80's.

http://www.matsumoku.org/

Site has some info on these.

I had a Lyle Hummingbird copy back in the late 70's that was great. My brother has a Pan Dove copy to this day that still sounds very nice.

They also made some low-end "plywood wonders."

This! Some of the higher-end Martin copies from this factory, which includes a very long list of badges, are stellar, and after 40 years the survivors are doubly so, especially the solid-top examples. I have an Aria D-35 copy with laminated BRZ back & sides that needs some cosmetic work but is loud, punchy and harmonically rich. I use it as my "beach guitar". Fine examples are quite collectible these days and bring a pretty decent price.

I would also include the earlier Sigma/Martin guitars prior to about '78-79. I had one of the early higher-end, all-solid dreads with spruce over radically flamed maple that was gorgeous sounding, if on the bright side, and an absolute monster in the studio...listed for about $600.00, a lot of money in those days, and worth every cent! One of those guitars that still comes back to haunt me...should never have sold it...

Bridgepin · #28 02-01-2017, 08:41 PM

I have a collection of what I would call the sleeper guitars of that era. They are the Hohner HG-900 Arbor series, these are fantastic guitars. The flag ship models were the HG-950 which is a all solid Rosewood B/S with solid Spruce top, and HG-940 which is a all solid Mahogany B/S with solid Spruce top.

I really was so taken that I collected the complete series over the years.

the two on the far right are not of the HG-900 series one is a HG-340 Maple B/S Spuce top and the other is H21

RussL30 · #29 02-01-2017, 09:26 PM

I really like my old Alvarez 5042. Doesn't give up much to my Taylor ornGibson.

Everton FC · #30 02-01-2017, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bridgepin

I have a collection of what I would call the sleeper guitars of that era. They are the Hohner HG-900 Arbor series, these are fantastic guitars. The flag ship models were the HG-950 which is a all solid Rosewood B/S with solid Spruce top, and HG-940 which is a all solid Mahogany B/S with solid Spruce top.

I really was so taken that I collected the complete series over the years.

the two on the far right are not of the HG-900 series one is a HG-340 Maple B/S Spuce top and the other is H21

Beautiful!

So many of these "dark horse" MIJ's... Still out there waiting for new homes!