The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Hi, guys!

A friend has got what appears to be a early 70ies Kasuga Les Paul (Custom) replika. It has Tree-of-life like inlays on the neck, open book headstock, no S/N and what look like a mahogany body and neck. Neck is glued same as a Gibbo LP. Seen like quite a good player!
Can anyone tell me anything about these?

_________________
-Preben-
"My guitar wheigs less than a machine gun,
and it never runs out of ammunition...."

I found some pics:

http://fr.audiofanzine.com/produits/ind ... 29466.html

Looks a lot like the Electra X-340 jacaranda finish to me. Really nice tree of life inlay on the fretboard. I don't really need any more guitars, but I'd like to see one of these in the flesh. Do you know how much your friend paid for his?

Thanks,

Matthew

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Here's a little more info on Kasuga from a GP article:

"In May of ’72, a portentous advertisement appeared in The Music Trades. In an ad stretching across the top of a two-page spread, drawn cartoon-fashion with a jet soaring from Japan to the United States, the headline read, “Kasuga Guitars Come To America.â€

Hmmm. This sheds a little more light on the origin of the earlier Arias. I've suspected for some time that Shiro Arai Co. contracted from another manufacturer other than Matsumoku earlier on. I've seen a couple of other Kasuga guitars that bore a striking resemblence to models offered under the Aria label. I wonder how this all ties in.

Hey, that's exactly the guitar he's got
Only difference I can think of, is the position markers onder the control knobs missing on the guitar in the pictures Other than that, even the pups look the same!
This was his first guitar (not bad!!), given to him by his father. If I remember right, he got it some 20 yrs ago.
I played it briefly the other day. It was lacking a string, dirty as heIl and nedded an adjustment, but even though, it played well

Thanks for the reply, guys! I'll direct him to this site!

_________________
-Preben-
"My guitar wheigs less than a machine gun,
and it never runs out of ammunition...."

Does he want to sell it?

Shipping from Norway might make that an unreasonable purchase, I suppose. Still, I think I'm going to keep an eye out for one of these in future!

Matthew

I have Kasuga LP gold top and Jazz bass 8)
If You guys are interested to see how they look.
I can mail some pictures if somebody can "put them up"

Blue
I just sent you a PM with my addy where you can send the pics.
I'll put them up in a post here for all to see. Thanks.

Good story on these guitars. That LP copy in the link above sure has a nice top.
Notice the bridge p/up with the square slugs.
Looks like a "Magnaflux" that some Electras used.

U have mail

Treeoflife: I hope he doesn't sell it, but if he does, I'll be there to snatch it I'm not one for LP's, but this one would be nice!

He actually mentioned that he wanted someone to fix it up for him! It would be worth the job, just to try it out 8)

_________________
-Preben-
"My guitar wheigs less than a machine gun,
and it never runs out of ammunition...."