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: Mon 27 Feb 2023 12:11 PM 
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Joined: Mon 27 Feb 2023 11:08 AM
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Fabulous resource, I knew nothing about Vantage and Matsumoku four weeks ago until I was offered to try a VA-40C six string acoustic cutaway in a private sale.

It's just such a pleasure to play, and it's loud and clear without being brash, it's capable of lovely nuance and subtlety. I love it.

I've read a good many of the threads and photos on this Vantage board and everything looks right when compared alongside the VA-40N and the VA-40CE which appear here, even to the point of the little black and gold sticky label on the back of the headstock which says "Made in Japan".

My problem is I still can't work out how to decipher the six digit serial number in order to find out the year. This isn't helped by the fact a couple of the digits are not quite as clear as they might be. I believe the correct serial number, which is visible inside the sound hole at the bottom of the neck, by the truss rod adjuster socket is: 791095 and I thought this might be November 1979 but I think that conflicts with the theory that the vertical headstock logo wasn't introduced until April 1980, unless this one was a prototype.

But, it might be 791096, 731095 or 731096 although I'm fairly confident it's 791095. I'm in the UK and the person selling bought it in the late 1980s in New York and brought it back to England.


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PostPosted: Mon 27 Feb 2023 12:51 PM 
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Joined: Sun 15 Jan 2006 04:52 PM
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Location: Absolute Stupidity, Missouri
Dating Uncle Matt acoustics can sometimes be difficult. Any more I look at it as it is either a Matt or it isn't. 87 is out since it was made in Japan. 77 or 79 is more like it.

I doubt very seriously it is a prototype. Frankly I wish that word didn't even exist.

One thing to consider is changes may have rolled out before they were published. Also, if you look at the bottom of the last page of nearly every catalog it will say "Specifications subject to change without notice" and Uncle Matt wasn't just kidding around. They did!


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PostPosted: Mon 27 Feb 2023 01:13 PM 
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Joined: Mon 27 Feb 2023 11:08 AM
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Thanks Crusty, I think 1979 makes sense not withstanding some previous thinking on this board about the headstock vertical lettering.

I'm pretty sure I have a prototype 1963 Hofner Blonde Committee archtop, birdseye maple with a cello back. Heh-heh.


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