The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

This guitar has plate headstock with "aria Diamond",

far i know its es175 with this source https://vintagejapanguitars.com/aria-19 ... catalogue/

but the headstock logo not same, anyone know about this guitar model and years?

Again, like the Trini Lopez copy, these guitars are extremely difficult to date. Serial numbers when present offered no indication as to date of manufacture. Models during this period were in a constant state of flux. The difficulty lies in the lack of documentation from this period. Usually only general specs were listed when documentation did surface.

As this has the open book headstock I would guess it about 75 or 76. From the looks of it (set neck and sealed tuners) it was a better model for the period. Around 77 most Japanese manufacturers abandoned the open book headstock after Norlin (Gibson) filed suit against Elger (Hoshino/Ibanez) to avoid similar litigation. Here's a little on that lawsuit:

http://www.matsumoku.org/cm_models/the- ... q/#lawsuit

In any case you've found a gem. I had a later version of this after they changed the headstock albeit mine was stripped bare when I got it.

http://www.therathole.org/guitar/here/7 ... rinfo.html

On a side note, that site has "appropriated" many of the catalogs scans we have, this being one. How do I know? I am the one who scanned in that slick (the docking on the corners is a giveaway). A wealthy pharmacist friend and major contributor to this site (Drk33) would buy the catalogs/slicks and send them to me to be scanned in before I sent them on to him. Salem B was another.

http://www.matsumoku.org/cm_models/2021 ... d-catalog/

It looks like the AE400. I know it says Diamond and this is Mach 1 but...
http://www.matsumoku.org/cm_models/2021 ... c-catalog/

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The Mach series came a little later than this SG. The Mach series had the camel hump headstock.

Diamonds were a marketing move for the most part. Many were mirror images of existing Aria models. Some even said Aria Diamond on the headstock plate with a plastic gem mounted in the plate.

Thanks for sharing again man,
yeah i think its 70s SG, but do comparison between es175 they have same no neck binding but different headstock open book and the inlay at this guitar is trapezoid inlay if not changed.




Refer to set neck model i found similar its like aria 1942 second generation of aria 1922, they have any common parts like tuner, set neck, and open headstock, and this model doesn't have any serial number at back headstock and neck plate like the others model.
But 1942 model have neck binding thats why i think its not the exact model and dont have crown.
https://solidguitar.fandom.com/wiki/Mat ... _1944_6/12


attached photo of the pickup there's a date (27-05-80) previous owner says its 80s SG refer to this pickup, maybe pickup has been changed? any pickup information about 70s Aria? i just know found some by maxon and two single coil pickup
https://www.mylespaul.com/threads/aria- ... an.358062/


is this nice guitar at the time? cause any resource say diamond sub brand from aria and entry level guitar, when compared to sg model at the time like greco and ibanez is it good play with it?

Pickups could easily have been changed out. Can't go on that alone. Can't count on that being a date either. Color coded leads was more common for Korean and later Indonesian and Chinese guitars. Like I said, specs back then were sparse and usually generic unlike today where many manufacturers give their pickups specific designations.

It pretty much boils down to one of two things with that headstock shape. Either it predates the Norlin/Elger lawsuit OR it was intended for the Japanese market where Gibson did not have trademark rights. Aria and Aria Pro II guitars sported the open book headstock in Japan for quite some time after the lawsuit. An example would be the Blitz by Aria models which had the open book headstock and were made in Korea.

I don't put much stock in what a seller says as often enough they are talking out the wrong end of their anatomy. I go on what I see and what info I can find (if any). Sometimes it is only an educated guess.

Set neck models were in the upper end of a series range. Bolt neck lower.

If the neck is straight and stable, pickups sound good and don't squeal, action and intonation are good, tuners are smooth and it stays in tune then it is a nice guitar. You've found a gem and would do well to hang onto it. This doesn't happen that often any more. 20 years ago they were all over the place, today not so much.