The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Mutoid Man tours with a couple of Aria Pro II's according to the Feb issue of Premier Guitar.

One is an '85 Aria Pro II Michael Schenker XX-MS Signature V the other an Aria Pro II ZZB Custom 4-string bass.

The band members actively sought out these guitars.

Wonder who else is out there playing Matsumoku guitars?

This guy hooked me to the cardinal series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0bcnrH_QkM

A trans-blue Cardinal has been on my "want" list forever!
I came close to getting one a couple of years ago when one finally showed up locally.

The seller wanted an astronomical price initially, and I gently tried to bring him down to earth. He did eventually agree to sell to me but then reneged. I found out later he sold it to a pawn shop for the same amount! What a jackass he was, and I never did get my blue bird.

On the subject of Mats guitars in current bands, there has always been a small number of groups out there using them, but lately I've noticed a trend towards using "vintage" instruments generally.

Last night I saw a band on a talk show in which one of the guitar players was using a 60's Silvertone (Danelectro). It sounded great, and I think it may be that we're on the verge of a generation of new players rediscovering the instruments we love so much.

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Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com

I recently saw an announcement for one too, it was cheap but beaten up!

It’s nice to see vintage instruments played again professionally

... and let's face it; that's what they were built to do! The idea of having a guitar tucked away in a bank vault horrifies me, or of not being able to dick around with a guitar because of its' value!!

I'd like to think you're right about the new generation of players/enthusiasts, Barry, and given that there's a constant trickle coming onto the Facebook page you may be right...

...perhaps I'm just too cynical about life in general?!?

Yeah let's hope so. Nice to see a bit of an uptick in the activity on here as well as the Westone site.
I want to believe our beloved guitars will live on in the hands of players who care.

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Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com

Hi Corsair
I don't mind my guitar getting bumps and bruises, I just don't like others' bruised guitars.
That's why I HATE artificially aged guitars!
I love vintage guitars, don't get me wrong, but when I'm buying a guitar mainly for it's looks (I mean I already have a CS), it would be nice if the paint and finish are not all f***ed up, and knobs staying where they are supposed to be !!

I quite like other people bruises as that generally equates to a cheaper purchase price, and I do like working on the instruments, so win-win for me, eh!!

Yep - not a huge fan of artificially aged and distressed guitars....

Generally, I agree with you John, but there are variations of the artificial aging technique. Many are not very good and go over the top, others are more subtle and look kinda kewl.

I have the Vintage "Lemon Drop" LP with the Peter Green wiring, and the "distressed" finish. From a distance it looks good, but up close you can see that it's a ho-hum job. It has wear spots OK but you're looking at them under a top finish! They may as well be a photo finish. Kind of defeats the purpose really. Sounds and plays great however.

At the other end of the spectrum are the SLICK brand guitars sold through Guitar Fetish. Bloody awesome builds with a single coat of auto paint sanded back. All hardware is either brass or aged metal. Looks completely authentic.

I want one real bad but 1) they're always out of stock, 2) the bloody exchange + shipping + duty almost triples the price

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Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com

Barry,
GF has SLICK guitars in stock .

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Comparing spammers to a pile of organic waste, is an insult to the organic waste.

Uncle Mats ES-500, RS Wildcat, RSB Deluxe, FS-750, Magna MA 30 (non-Mat), TA-61 non-Mat), a Westone limited run/proto Thunder and an OAKLAND (Westone) XI100.

Pete