Yamaki Deluxe anyone?

[sneaky]

I have a History LP type electric, BATT-10 Timeless Timber...also have a FGN BATT-20 and a Cool-Z, which were their budget line for a while, they`ve added stuff since. I do see their acoustics in the local Shimamura but refuse to pay retail for any guitars now so it`s gotta be used for me and this ain`t Tokyo so they have been excessively rare...though I got my BATT-20 for about $600.00 a couple of years ago so sometimes there are advantages to living in a smaller city. There are quite a few great Japanese builders these days and because so many people overseas are after the earlier guitars...mid/late -70s to late `80s...the newer stuff gets pretty much ignored and thats fine with me `cause I am able to find great deals, like the BATT-2o Timeless Timber I got...it is outstanding.

[sneaky]

just picked up the 2011 Morris catalog today and thats another maker that can build great guitars...their high end stuff is sick...not cheap but excellent in every way, that name may be familiar to members here since they`ve been building for decades, LOTS of their old low ends all around Japan but their high ends, even back then, were very very good.
I`m trying to remember the name of a shop that features many current Japanese builders...I think there was some dolphin or something associated with the shop, can`t recall now...but we are spoiled for great Japanese guitars today both electric and acoustic.

[spaceyben]

I live up here in the Alps Morris is five minutes away by bike, Headway/77 is one block down from Morris, Fujigen (and all it's subsidiaries) is beside the school i teach at, and Devisier (ie... Baccus) is beside my favorite ramen shop. plus there are a ton of smaller builders and such around. The second hand shops here have insane deals... I'm talking high end Yairi's for ¥50000 and Morris's for much less. The History my b-i-l has is here at my house. It's a HMG C is tobacco sunburst. All solid woods, hog back sides and neck with a spruce top and , what looks to me to be, a swirly IRW fretboard, bridge, and headstock overlay. It's an OM. My only beefs are the plastic nut and saddle, easily remedied, and the frets feel too small and look to be cheaper metal.

[sneaky]

I own several old Bacchus electrics, the early ones, before they stopped cloning to concentrate on original models...don`t see the newer stuff in Sendai, nobody carries the line. Got a used Momose Hamiltone clone that some guy had built, what a guitar.
I own quite a few old Yairis...but they are Sadao Yairis and all nylon strings...love em. He made some fabulous guitars in his time, the local Rock Inn is stuffed with K. Yairis but I don`t own any of his, some look great though.
I have all the History catalogs they printed, I would probably find his model if it`s listed...sometimes builders make guitars that don`t show up in catalogs here. I`ve been a very lucky guy and found some unbelievable Japanese guitars, started buying well before the feeding frenzy got underway overseas so I paid very little for many of them, my Sadao`s were ridiculously cheap...think the most I paid was about $xxx for an all solid wood nylon strings from 1971, I mean this thing is beautiful...and I got the original hard case to boot. If I lived so close to that many builders our apartment would have even more guitars in it than it does now...we`d need a bigger place.

[sneaky]

heres the Dolphin shop I mentioned...

http://www.dolphin-gt.co.jp/

[sneaky]

check out some of these babies...love that Morris Mini...

http://www.dolphin-gt.co.jp/stock/re...rice2=0&mode=1

[sneaky]

interesting old Yamaki on line here now...

http://page5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e109037862

[spaceyben]

my only morris is a classical... my mother in law plays piano around town some and mentioned to a friend of hers that works at Morris that she liked the sound of classical guitar and wanted to learn. So this guy went in and told his co-workers and they built her one. All amazing woods and it is a powerhouse. She never learned to play it and gave it to me about two years ago. I tried looking it up amd couldn't find a model number or anything and she told me about the guys making it for her. It has such a huge complex sound... it's like a piano in your lap.

[Ian-the-Dog]

Originally Posted by sneaky

interesting old Yamaki on line here now...

http://page5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e109037862

Never been much of a lover of maple fretboards, they always look kinda grubby. And I'm none too sure on these later YW and YM models whether they are laminate tops - the early ones (F) seem to be all solid. High numbers in the F series are always the ones that fetch top dollar (or yen). Like this one: http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f97648398.
Cheers.

[sneaky]

I posted a link to old catalogs in one of the other revived Yamaki threads.

[sneaky]

heres what they say about the Yamaki in your link...used Babel Fish for translation...

It is the acoustic guitar of [yamaki]. * It becomes explanation from, detailed, scanty knowledge in regard to [yamaki] but acknowledgment we ask. * Type turn is unclear. Usually, type turn the stamp is done inside the sound hole, but 　 As for this machine searching wherever, it is not found. In addition either serial number is not found. 　 It is young, only doing, perhaps early ones with type turn and there is no serial. * [hakaranda] is adopted by the side & the back, shear Ra make peg is loaded. 　 As for binding of the body not to be the plastic in the wood product and the position mark 　 Is not the plastic and the genuine shellfish is adopted, high-class atmosphere has drifted. 　 That it is thought whether it is not to be the superior type of that time from the above-mentioned specification and the like. * Judging from specification, and the making etc it is thought that it is the item of the seventies, but 　 Because it is not detailed in regard to [yamaki] as for accurate production year system you do not understand. 　 Judgment we request the picture and the like to reference. * Because it is very much old [vuintejigita], some scratch and the soiling, 　 The dust, rub, there is the sunburn, aged deterioration and natural deterioration etc, but 　 Very much you think that it is the satisfactory condition. * The neck is straight not to curve. * Chord high is easy to pull low, is.

[Ian-the-Dog]

Thanks for the Babelfish translation, makes a bit more sense sometimes than Google Translate. Word order in translation leaves a lot to be desired, and often screws up the meaning!

That 'block' headstock logo was used between about May '71 and end '72, and the absence of a paper label inside points to the later end of that range. They were fairly patchy about putting model numbers in, but I reckon that's an F170 or 175. Above that level you got shell purfling and rosette. That pickguard doesn't look original but who cares, the Jacaranda back is what it's all about.

Thanks for the Dolphin link. Those Morris guitars are stunning, I'm a sucker for the abalone thing.

[sneaky]

for the Daion folks...

http://www.oldguitar.jp/catalog/daion.htm

[Ian-the-Dog]

Originally Posted by sneaky

for the Daion folks...

http://www.oldguitar.jp/catalog/daion.htm

Great link, wonder why I never saw it before? Really interesting info on the later stuff which rarely comes on the market, people pay crazy prices for Caribous and Headhunters.

[Yamaki]

I just purchased a 1972 vintage Yamaki F-115 Deluxe Folk and am trying to get as much info on the company as possible. I appreciate the info I've found here and I am jealous, bobbyb, of your two Yamaki's!!!