The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Hi,
can you help me with identification of my Aria guitar?
i only found one copy on internet. Here: http://www.iqui.de/catmetallic/catmetallic.htm
it's a site of guy that collects Motsumoku made guitar, so i'm hoping it's Japan made
I also hear that "The CAT" series was made between 1986 and 1987. Serial no of my guitar is 608 1594, so i'm thinking that 6 in s/n stands for 1986.

Am I right?
Can you give some more info about this guitar?

thanks,
Tom

Hmm, does not look like a MIJ The Cat to me. Where did you get the serial no. from? It should be on the neck plate which should say MIJ. I didn't see a picture of that.

Welcome Tom.
I believe that site belongs to one of our members here. However, I don't think "The Cat" guitars are MIJ.
There is a fair amount of speculation but I believe they are (at least partly) Korean made.
They're still nice guitars, I have a lefty neck from one. Yours is an '86 model.
I'm guessing the body of yours is of laminate construction and there are no markings on the underside of the pickup.

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found this ad, from 1987, on ebay:


mine guitar must be CAT -ST1
acording to this list: http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/rs2.html produced 1986-1987
is it list of Matsumoku made guitars or just all Aria guitars?

Neck plate don't say MIJ. Also I dont know whats under the pickup (guitar spend a lot of time in basement and the screws also realy rusty)

None of "The Cat"s say MIJ anywhere. That, construction methods and time period lead me to believe they are not Mat made. At least not entirely.
The necks might be but I don't believe the bodies are. They also do not have MMK pickups.
I have a feeling they were partially made/assembled in Korea in an effort to cut costs.

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Quality service since 3:00 last Tuesday

For me, the lack of MIJ on the plate says MIK. Why change the machining on the plate (and there are '86's with MIJ) if it was still true?

I have a franken bass with a The Cat body. It is nice instrument, plywood and all.

Correct. There are Mat made '86 instruments but none of them say "The Cat".
They are a fine instrument, plywood and all.
I still have the neck off the lefty I had. The only reason I no longer have the body is because I couldn't get past the upper horn with it flipped over for right hand playing. I bought a really nice RS Special V body and that neck now has a home.
One day I'll get to that project. . .

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Quality service since 3:00 last Tuesday