The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Q&A, discussion, and information for the labels covered by The Guitar Gallery (Specifically and exclusively guitars made by Matsumoku up to 1987)
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PostPosted: Sat 11 Apr 2020 04:56 PM 
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Greetings everyone. New to the forum and this is my first post. A little about myself, I am in my early fifties, have always wanted to learn to play guitar, just never got around to learning, but I’m just about to give it a go.
I shopped around for a guitar for a while, visited pawn shops in my area looking for an inexpensive guitar that felt comfortable and looked good. I had seen this Diamond by Aria Custom( not an Aria Diamond) in a nearby pawn shop but I didn’t like the color, everything else was just what I was looking for. It was in great shape, felt good in my hands, and I liked the tone of it. It took several trips over a few weeks before it started to grow on me, as the color is very 80s, sort of a mix of purple and maroon , that’s probably why it was still there. On my 4th visit, the price had been dropped to $60 and I couldn’t justify not buying it for that price. Now I’m in love with the guitar, I even like the unique color. It also seems to be fairly rare as I’ve only seen one picture of one on the web.
The guitar has 2 MK45 Humbuckers, 2 push-pull tone knobs and a 3 position switch. Not sure what wood the body is made of, but the neck is maple, with rosewood fretboard. I love how it sounds on my Vox Valvetronix AD50VT amp.
Today I stopped by the same pawn shop and they had a Westone Spectrum SX, for $70. I am now a fan of Matsumoku guitars so I did a little research and it sounds like 70 is a steal, so I may get my second Matsumoku tomorrow.
I wanted to know if anyone has any experience with either of those 2 guitars. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. If I’m wrong about anything I think I know about guitars, keep in mind that I’m a noob to the guitar world.


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PostPosted: Sat 11 Apr 2020 05:05 PM 
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Joined: Wed 05 Jul 2006 03:40 PM
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Location: Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia.
The Spectrum SX is a no-brainer for $70... be aware, though, that the SX has a floating tremelo bridge and stringlock set up which can be a pain in the arse to get just right! That said, once it is right, it stays right! And all that's really required to set it up is a lot of patience...
Which colour is it? Red, blue, black, trans blue or trans red? Mine is trans blue...

The Diamond, once again, will be a solid guitar; I know very little about them, but for $60 youncan't really go wrong unless there's something major wrong with it, like a twisted neck, but generally, if it looks OK, it is!!

Photos would help a lot!!


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PostPosted: Sat 11 Apr 2020 05:32 PM 
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Location: Grand Absurdity, TX
Welcome Tonedeaf!
Sounds like you scored!! Pics please. . . :rockwoot:

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PostPosted: Sat 11 Apr 2020 06:45 PM 
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I’m trying to attach a pic or 2 but I keep getting a message “sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached”. Not sure what I’m doing wrong, I haven’t posted any attachments yet.


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PostPosted: Sat 11 Apr 2020 06:49 PM 
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By the way, Corsair, the Spectrum SX is the black version. The only thing it’s missing is one of the covers on the back.


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PostPosted: Sat 11 Apr 2020 09:03 PM 
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Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Canada
Run, do not walk, to the pawn shop and grab that SX! :hyper:
It has one of the best necks ever! You are going to love it.

And from what little I know of the Aria's I'm sure yours is a sweet player too. :clap:

This site had a major crash recently and the owner was unable to restore much of the database as well parts of the operating system. We're no longer able to insert images. Instead you now must use the URL option in the menu bar and we can link directly to your host site.

Oh, and when you get your Spectrum you are invited to join us over at the Westone Forum where you can learn some more about the Westone brand and Matsumoku: http://westone.forumotion.com/

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PostPosted: Sun 12 Apr 2020 01:09 AM 
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Thanks for the heads up, Barry. I will be going after it as soon as possible.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aria_D601EB63-6D6B-4F83-B62F-5D86B590F699.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aria_1D89F008-3C29-4666-A912-6ED256D8AE4B.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aria9E9464DB-0F47-4EE3-8916-062E1479D00B.jpg


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PostPosted: Sun 12 Apr 2020 04:05 AM 
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Location: Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia.
Ooooh.... love the colour, mate!!

A slightly weird body shape, but not unpleasant by any means!!


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PostPosted: Sun 12 Apr 2020 11:00 AM 
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Not familiar at all with this Custom model (or that colour either) but it looks like a solid player.
Nice!

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PostPosted: Sun 12 Apr 2020 03:04 PM 
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Location: Grand Absurdity, TX
http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/late.html
No pics but looks like they came about around '84.
I've never seen one in person but I have tried to buy one before. I didn't realize they had MMK45s or I'd have tried a little harder.

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