Old Japanese guitars appreciation thread

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  • I do miss my old Kawai AQ555 in aquamarine. I wonder what happened to it? Considering the person I sold it to, it's probably long deceased...
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314

    I had a black Washburn Eagle at one point. It was easily the heaviest guitar I've ever owned and it got traded for a Strat fairly quickly before my spine collapsed. It did sound very meaty though, had a great neck joint and was beautifully built with lots of things on it made of solid brass... bridge, nut, control knobs. The mollusc graveyard binding was always a bit too flashy for my tastes though.

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  • BucketBucket Frets: 7751
    TTony said:
    image

    Covet covet covet covet covet...
    - "I'm going to write a very stiff letter. A VERY stiff letter. On cardboard."
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27345
    Bucket said:
    Covet covet covet covet covet...
    They do appear from time to time ...
    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • How about this then, 3 in a row, me on my old mans Antoria J300 copy, my old man on his gold Antoria, can't remember model, and my brother on his Sunbro strat, circa 78 http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/bargoedboy/oldmansband.jpg
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  • NiteflyNitefly Frets: 4902
    ddlooping said:
    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
    Thanks for that, ddl - I just figured out what I did wrong and edited the original comment.

    Cheers,
    Al.
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  • timhuliotimhulio Frets: 1286
    tFB Trader
    @TTony I really like that angular Kawai with the irregular shaped pickguard. What's the model? Is it stock, because I can see myself tracking one of these down.

    I've only got one Japanese guitar at the moment. This is a Hondo II Pro (Matsumoku factory) copy of a Fender Lead II. It's understated, but really quite well made, and the pickups are excellent. It also does a great new wave out-of-phase sound thanks to the switching.

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  • davewwdaveww Frets: 165
    Here's a shot of my Bacchus guitars mainly vintage series.  Regretably I sold the P90 LP and SG :( Still got the Strat and Tele though  :)

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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27345
    edited September 2013
    timhulio said:
    @TTony I really like that angular Kawai with the irregular shaped pickguard. What's the model? Is it stock, because I can see myself tracking one of these down.


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    ^^ That one is a Kawai KE-10 Performer.  Completely original.

     

    @timhulio ... Good luck hunting one down - they're not exactly common.  I can only remember seeing 2 others in my decade-long Kawai quest!

    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • Anyone ever owned a teisco del ray? I have been quietly generating some pangs for one in recent weeks.
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  • BucketBucket Frets: 7751
    edited September 2013
    My dad recently bought an old Top Twenty, which is (somewhat surprisingly) really good. Nice low action and it plays really easily, it's in good condition, and it sounds cool as well - my fuzz likes it a lot. They have a pretty bad reputation and I thought he was mad for buying it, but I defy you to play this example and not be shocked at how good it is.

    - "I'm going to write a very stiff letter. A VERY stiff letter. On cardboard."
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  • daveww said:
    Here's a shot of my Bacchus guitars mainly vintage series.  Regretably I sold the P90 LP and SG :( Still got the Strat and Tele though  :)


    Love that tele, I had a walnut topped bound edge Tokaii once that had that classy look. Except darker.
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  • timhulio;43909" said:
    @TTony I really like that angular Kawai with the irregular shaped pickguard. What's the model? Is it stock, because I can see myself tracking one of these down.

    I've only got one Japanese guitar at the moment. This is a Hondo II Pro (Matsumoku factory) copy of a Fender Lead II. It's understated, but really quite well made, and the pickups are excellent. It also does a great new wave out-of-phase sound thanks to the switching.
    Love the fender amps, but is that one of them new fangled samplers on the right ;)
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    edited September 2013
    I still have difficulty thinking of anything made in the 90s as 'vintage', and even the late 80s is pushing it. The older of my Mesa Trem-o-verbs was made in '94, so it will be 20 years old next year, and I still think of it as unquestionably modern.

    What's really odd is that my first amp was made in 1964 and I bought it in 1984, so it was also only 20 years old at the time, but I always thought of it as 'vintage' (or at least "ancient" :) ) at the time. OK, it's a very different comparison since it's a totally different type of technology - a basic 5W volume/tone combo - from what was then new in 1984 (channel-switching etc), and as far as valve amps go technology hasn't really moved on much in the last 20 years...

    The other day a young kid (well he was probably about 18 or 19 ;) ) brought me his dad's old vintage amp for me to overhaul and clean up... it was made in 1993... and it was a Marshall Valvestate. :-O

    F*** I'm old :D.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Bucket said:
    My dad recently bought an old Top Twenty, which is (somewhat surprisingly) really good. Nice low action and it plays really easily, it's in good condition, and it sounds cool as well - my fuzz likes it a lot. They have a pretty bad reputation and I thought he was mad for buying it, but I defy you to play this example and not be shocked at how good it is.


    Cool :) The headstock on that is the dead spit of the Zenta I've got up in the Classifieds - wonder if they were made by the same factory?
    Stonevibe: 'The best things in life aren't things'.

    Trading feedback: Previous (+18) and Current

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  • dogloaddogload Frets: 1495
    ICBM said:
    I still have difficulty thinking of anything made in the 90s as 'vintage', and even the late 80s is pushing it. The older of my Mesa Trem-o-verbs was made in '94, so it will be 20 years old next year, and I still think of it as unquestionably modern.

    What's really odd is that my first amp was made in 1964 and I bought it in 1984, so it was also only 20 years old at the time, but I always thought of it as 'vintage' (or at least "ancient" :) ) at the time. OK, it's a very different comparison since it's a totally different type of technology - a basic 5W volume/tone combo - from what was then new in 1984 (channel-switching etc), and as far as valve amps go technology hasn't really moved on much in the last 20 years...

    The other day a young kid (well he was probably about 18 or 19 ;) ) brought me his dad's old vintage amp for me to overhaul and clean up... it was made in 1993... and it was a Marshall Valvestate. :-O

    F*** I'm old :D.

    LOL I know exactly what you mean though.

    My Tokai strat is 31 years old and I've had it from new, but I have only recently come to terms with it being 'vintage'. I also have a Squier Tele which was made between 84 and 88 so is technically vintage too (using the 25 year rule), and although again I bought it new, I never consider it vintage in the same way as my Fender Electric XII, which is only one year younger than I am. 
    Having said that, I now realise that being a year older than a guitar made in 1966 means I can no longer play the 'youthful exuberance' card. Shit.
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  • ICBM is right. This 'what is perceived as vintage' thing is interesting. I bought a '63 Strat in 1983 - it seemed very old at the time (indeed it was a year older than me!) In 1994 I bought an American Standard Strat, making it 20 years old next year. In my mind it's a 'recent' guitar.... Their is probably some physiological explanation of this - probably not unconnected to a deep-seated desire not to admit we're old.
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  • davewwdaveww Frets: 165
    daveww said:
    Here's a shot of my Bacchus guitars mainly vintage series.  Regretably I sold the P90 LP and SG :( Still got the Strat and Tele though  :)


    Love that tele, I had a walnut topped bound edge Tokaii once that had that classy look. Except darker.
    Thanks, me too and here's a shot next next to a friends Tokai  ;)


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  • Avert your eyes or get some shades, sorry about the shirt, but it was the 70's hence Avon les paul with bolt on neck. http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/bargoedboy/mewithavonlespaulcopy1978.jpg My old 62 reissue Tokaii sanded down, pity is didn't have a colour pic as scratch plate looked wicked in colour. http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/bargoedboy/tokai.jpg
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  • davewwdaveww Frets: 165
    nice! - cool pickguard
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