Old Japanese guitars appreciation thread

dogload

I'm surprised how much grief the Westones are getting in this thread. I always thought they looked and played really well, and rather lusted for the Thunder III. I have had a couple of Rainbows over the years and still have this one, although I swapped the pickups many years ago.

I've added parallel and phase switching that suited the spangly, twangling sound I favoured back then. It's also had a couple of Bigsbys fitted over the years as well. Still a lovely player though.

My other surviving old Japanese guitars are an eighties' paisley Fender Strat

1982 Tokai Strat

My eighties' Squier Tele

I also used to have this curious Bozo (I know- apparently they were nothing to do with the acoustic guitar company, and were imported via Manchester or Liverpool. I also heard from a guy in Germany who said they were made by Ibanez), It was nice, but not as sexy as the Kay that was posted earlier. Had an onboard preamp which wasn't too great until you used distortion, and then it was sustain for erm, quite a while.

Jaded

I bought this at some point last year for real cheap. A mid to late 70's Aria 1802t. 

The pickups are pretty twangy and you can get some serious jangle when you use the bass cut switch. Wouldn't mind picking up another at some point!

dogload

Jaded said:

I bought this at some point last year for real cheap. A mid to late 70's Aria 1802t. 

The pickups are pretty twangy and you can get some serious jangle when you use the bass cut switch. Wouldn't mind picking up another at some point!

That looks quite interesting- half Strat/ half Mustang! What's the neck like? I'd imagine being an Aria it'd be alright, but I can't help remembering my old Satellite plank.

Paul_C

dchwhite

Dodge said:

Cor!  Dibs on the Starfield please!

Ta It's not going anywhere though if I can help it - I've had it from new, and was my only electric at one point. Bought from Peter Cook's, and required a journey most of the length of the Central Line to get there and back (my gf at the time lived Epping way). I've got some more - keep meaning to add pics to the 'Show us yours' thread.

@Dogload - did you say that last guitar was a Bozo? I used to have a guitar badged as a 'Lincoln' that looked very similar. No onboard electrickery though, but IIRC the pickups were DImarzio when we had a look.

dogload

Yep, Bozo it was

I had an email about it from a guy who imported them in Germany and from what I gather, Mr Bozo the acoustic maker did not sanction the use of his name and logo, and the model was discontinued- although apparently Ibanez continued to make them. So it's possible that they were rebadged as Lincolns. 

They certainly look a bit like the Roland GR guitar, which was Ibanez-built too, I think.

dogload

Paul_C said:

!

Phil_aka_Pip

@thomasw88's AM50 looks a very attractive guitar

stonevibe

No one has mentioned these yet...

dogload

Mmmm... I love Surfcasters. Never actually owned one, despite trying to get hold of one of the 12-strings when they came out, with no success (I eventually ended u with a Fender XII, so can't really complain).

The newer versions they did just weren't as nice.

Flanging_Fred

Are surf casters old? Came out in '89/'90 I think. Does that qualify? If they do then have my eightiestastic Charvel spectrum modelled by the one and only McToot. Came out about the same time as the surfcaster.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb102/flanging_fred/Music/Gearfest/P1040264.jpg

stonevibe

I'd say once its old enough to get served in a pub, then its old enough to be old.

Flanging_Fred

stonevibe;42683" said:

I'd say once its old enough to get served in a pub, then its old enough to be old.

Good yardstick. I approve & have a wisdom.

ICBM

Paul_C said:

There's one in the background they made the right way up, too .

(I actually like those Yamahas by the way, but since the Best Bass Ever Made is on the stand behind it was a bit hard to resist, especially as the body shape is quite similar!)

thomasw88

bazxkr said:

thomasw88 said:

heres a pic of my Ibanez AM50.  lovely guitar, and the pickups are the only ones on any of my 'keepers' that I've not changed.   Think its a late 70's/early 80's one,

 http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac351/thomasw88/ibanez%20am50/002.jpg

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac351/thomasw88/ibanez%20am50/006.jpg

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac351/thomasw88/ibanez%20am50/005.jpg

 

 Wow, I love this style/colouring.........just works & Jap ones seem to all be peaches. All the Ibanez whether AM/AF/AS seem to glow to the eye

Very nice.....

Cheers

Baz

its a very nice guitar. I don't tend to gig it that much as I use a strat/les paul combo live usually, but I do really like it.    Definitely a very well made, and nice sounding guitar.

ddlooping

Nitefly said:

Not really "old" (as far as I can work out it was built in 1990), but the blonde on the left is my Yamaha SA-1100:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f378/niteflyal/100_0081.jpg

Wolftone

daveyh said:

Bucket said:

Some not-so-obvious stuff now - a particular favourite, the rare Westone Thunder III:

http://manningsmusicals.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/picture-0014.jpg

It's interesting how this guitar, thought of as shit at the time (at least by every guitarist I knew), now seems to be a popular collectors ite.

I can't say that I remember Westones being described as shit. They weren't as highly regarded as Aria which were made in the same factory but they were fairly good. A bad make was Hondo as I recall.

dogload

Hondo made a couple of decent ones, although they are mostly remembered for those "rare. vintage, lawsuit" Les Pauls so beloved of Ebay.

They did a bunch of DC-style solid bodies (mostly bolt-on) guitars and basses, some decent semis and a whole family of Longhorns that were very nice; a six, a twelve, a bass and a couple of twin necks.

Flanging_Fred

I've got my beady eye on an Antoria Starmaker strat copy on eBay. It looks very similar to my Hondo series 760 strat I was given earlier in the year.

Does anyone have experience of these? I'd like to know if it has a ply body like the Hondo.

TTony

That's a few of them ...