The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

I was recently given the above by an uncle-and am knocked out! Can anyone give me some detail on it -what's it worth- and does it make sense to spend the cash to change the bridge and convert it to a leftie? Thanx!!

As far as worth goes, the overall condition, originality, and whether it still has the original HSC has a bearing on this. If it is in fairly good condition and all orginal I am going to guess it would be worth in the range of $250 to $500 depending on the market at the time. Subtract value if pickups, tuners, knobs, and the like have been irreversibly changed out.

As far as converting it goes, any modifications that make permanent changes to the guitar are going to de-value it considerably. If the changes are not permanent and all original parts are available and restorable INCLUDING THE NUT it will not decrease in value. I would not recommend doing this (conveting to a lefty will require re-slotting the nut thereby permenantly altering it ). I would suggest leaving it as is and purchasing a lefty or trading it for one.

Thanx for the quick reply! What, by the way what is a HSC?

Sorry, HSC stands for Hard Shell Case, OSHC naturally stands for Original Hard Shell Case.

Is this the same guitar as yours. http://www.therathole.org/guitars/model ... t_run.html If it is it looks like you could carefully remove the brass nut (definately save it) fashion a new one out of brass or corian or bone or whatever for a leftie. The n carefully disassemble the bridge and swap the saddle blocks end to end so that you could string it up in reverse. The saddles look like they have enough travel to intonate the individual strings. Whatever you do, do it professionally and DONT mess with anything else. The neck thru arias command a bit of a premium price from what ive noticed and as stock as possible the more it's worth. If you do decide to sell I'll give you $50.00 HAH.

If you decide to convert it as described above, there are two things you will MOST DEFINITELY want to pay close attention to.

As far as the bridge goes, it would be wise to look at this first as although it is not readily visible in the picture, the bridge is slanted to accomodate intonation for a right hand configuration much like a Les Paul or SG. I would suggest picking up an extra low and high E string in the gauge you plan to use and string it backwards temporarily with just those two strings as it sits, BEFORE you remove or swap anything. Determine if the intonation can be set that way and you have enough saddle travel to bring it dead on. If you (or the shop) cannot get the intonation close you will find it rather difficult to tune and play with others since as you move up the neck you will be farther out of tune

If you proceed pay special attention to the threaded stops and nylon bushings on the intonation screws opposite the heads. The threaded rings are not available anywhere that I am aware of (I have searched), and if lost, must be taken from another RS (super tunable) bridge or manufactured from scratch in order to return the guitar to original condition.

Regarding the nut: The Matsumoku made guitars for the most part were finished with a tinted/shaded poly based finish. It is very easy to lift it from the media (wood in this case). Very often the finish will wrap over the nut a bit and if the nut is removed in haste it is very likely it will lift and or crack the finish next to the nut indicating tampering, not to mention look ugly.

I have had a good bit of success heating an exacto kife and gently and carefully scoring the finish along the edge of the nut where it overlaps. It may take several passes before you have worked your way through the finish. Once the finish on the nut has been isolated from the finish on the guitar, the next step is removing the nut.

With a brass nut you have the added advantage of applying heat to the nut to soften the adhesive below and in front of the nut. With plastic and bone the nut is usually gently tapped from the fingerboard side until it "pops" loose and then lifted out, but with the brass nut warmed up you may even be able to rock it out of the nut slot on the neck (that is if it is fastened with hide glue). I use a soldering gun or iron to apply heat to the nut but always keep a finger on the nut so I know I am not getting it too hot. If the nut is too hot to touch, it's too hot, period. It should feel extremely warm but bearable.

When you clean the slot for the new nut use a small, fine file and take your time, making sure you file flat the entire time (you don't want a humped or sloped nut slot!). Shape the new nut OFF the guitar, never on, testing the fit on occasion as you go. StewMac carries ready made nuts and may fit without much modification. Once you are ready to put it in place DO NOT use cyanoacrylate adhesive (super glue). Although de-bonder works, I have seen it "milk" a finish with little hope of repair without a professional touch-up. I suggest using hide glue. Although not quite as precise as powdered hide glue which requres distilled water and heat, I have had pretty good luck with Titebond Liquid Hide Glue for small jobs such as that.

If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, by all means take it to a qualified luthier. Not just any shop that changes strings and set into, but one that does repairs, preferrably certified by one of the big names such as Fender, Gibson, or Gretsch. A restoration shop is even better.

The RS-850 is by no means a common model, and is slowly increasing in value. I know several avid collectors that at times are willing to pay handsomely for a rare model in collecting condition. Yours could easily fall into that category! Definitely a cool giutar!

Good Luck!