The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

G'Day everyone,

I'm new on this forum, just discovered it a few days ago... Simply awesome!

I need help. I just bought a Vantage guitar over the week-end and I'm trying to figure out which Avenger model it is. I've been browsing the forum and couldn't figure it out. All I know is that it's an Avenger... Possibly a av-325? It's got string throught body, chrome bridge, and double covered pick up.
The neck plate says made in Japan. Number: 1400069. I'm not sure if the first number is a capital i or a 1... Looks like a capital i.
If any of you Guru's could help me identify and date it it would be great! I'd like to find out the specs for it.

Another newby question... The metal pieces where the holes for the strings are on the back of the guitar are sitting out of the body a bit. They are all at a different height. Should I try to tap them in or this is the way it should be ? I'm planning to change the strings so I could do it at the same time.

Here's some photos and thanks for your help!

Hello LeCouz, welcome to the Forum . Your guess was correct. In my opinion, yours is a 1984 Avenger AV325. One of the last 'old' Avengers, featuring some details of the 'new Avengers'. I'm assuming the first character is indeed an 'I', and the first number (4) indicates '84. The covered PU's were introduced around that time, so they could very well be the original ones.

The metal ferrules normally all have the same height, slightly sticking out above the surface of the body.

Kees.

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Hello LeCouz, welcome here!

It's an Avenger! I don't dare to say more

It's not a guitar from the late '84 catalog. If 1984, it must be an early '84 therefore ("old" Avenger).
But guitars from that time didn't have letter-prefixes in their serials! As far as I know, capital-prefixes came up not before 1985.
So if this is not a modded (Bridge + pups) old Avenger, it might be a post catalog 4 "New Avenger" model from 1985 or 1986 with unknown name! (Probably AV 325 like it's predecessors)

just my three cents
More and better pics could help!

J.

_________________
All vantage-branded guitars were lower-priced instruments aimed at the beginner-to-intermediate market. It has no interest to collectors and very little demand among players! (www.allexperts.com)

What they said, I'm thinking is a transition model with some rare aspects (covered pickups, skunk-stripe neck, 22 frets with what appears to be a bullet truss rod, string-through on a 22-fret non-pickguard guitar, etc.) except I have seen Avengers with different/assorted style/size ferrules on the guitar from the factory.

Clear pics of headstock, neck plate, bridge and underside of a pickup would help nail things down. Nice guitar, no matter what. Lots of potential there.

Does it have push/pull coil tap switches on the tone knobs?

je

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...doing bad things to good Vantages since 1985...

1981 AV-320
1981 AV-320
1981 AV-325
1982 AV-320
1982 VS-695-12
1982 VSH-445
1983 AV-330
1995 VST 33 CE TBK

Thanks a lot guys!

Here's the photo's requested... Neckplate, pickups and bridge as well as the headstock.
There is only a japanese sign under the pickups. Anyone knows anything about them? Are they any good?
The guitar does have push/pull coil taps on the tone knobs.
So around 84 it seems...
Anyway, it's in good nick for a 25+ year old guitar, sounds good to!

Thanks again and rock on!!!

Yes, an odd model to be sure. At the core it "feels" most like an AV325, but the pups and bridge are definitely out of place. However, that bridge does look like similar ones I've seen on other Mats guitars (Cardinal??).
The pups also look vaguely familiar but maybe from a later production Mats?

The early Westone serial numbers used a letter prefix to denote the month of production (so, I=Sept). We've speculated before that it is likely that the same was done on other Mats-built guitars. But as Mozart says, this was used on early models (1980-81) and not seen later, so who knows why it's showing up on a mid-80's model?

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My guess is 1986! (Sept ' 86 from the ser. no.)
But that's more a feeling than any knowledge.

We don't have enough information on the capital-prefix ser.nos!
We don't even have high resolution scans of the late ' 84 catalog!!
The late 84 - Feb.87 models are still mysterious.....

Maybe Frenchy can shed some light on this guitar. He owns a Vantage guitar, or two!


J.

_________________
All vantage-branded guitars were lower-priced instruments aimed at the beginner-to-intermediate market. It has no interest to collectors and very little demand among players! (www.allexperts.com)