The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Hi everyone, I know it's the wrong forum to post this but I think it might be easier to get an answer here. Has anybody ever seen a guitar like this? It looks very much like a Washburn Wing series except for the headstock. The bridge is definitely the same as on other Matsumokus and the neck inlays looks like the ones found on Falcons and Eagles. There's not much information about Morris guitars on the net but apparently they still manufacture acoustic guitars.

[img]http://images.tradera.com//693/24745693_1.jpg[/img]

edit: Some new info, the guitar seems to have a glued in neck not bolt on/neckthrough like the Wing models. One pot is missing in the picture and also one knob as far as I can see.

Mike

Never seen on of these before. It looks a lot like a Falcon but there's a few notable differences.
Does it have a flat or a carved top? Falcons usually had a carved top but this might have changed with the later set neck versions.
Are the two microswitches original? The Falcons normally has push/pull volumes for coil split.

It has a carved top. The body wings seems to be alder, the top is probably maple with a dark wood veneer on top of it. I don't know about the centerpiece. it's hard to tell from the pictures. The neck looks like it's a one piece mahogany neck (no scarf joint).

I don't know about the switches.

Mike

Wow, that is interesting. It looks like Matsumoku liked the shape of the wing but felt like changing it up a bit. How does she sound?

Well, I don't know, I found it at an auction site here in Sweden and it looked interesting. I've owned a few Matsumoku guitars, among them a couple of Wing series, a couple of Stage series and an Aria Pro II RS Inazuma V.

Mike

Look what I've got:



I've had this since 1983 - my first "grown-up" guitar, and I've only ever seen another 4 in the last 23 years! Javelin70's Morris is one, another Hohner branded one on UK Ebay about a year ago (wish I'd bought it!), one branded as a Vantage in an Edinburgh music shop about 15 years ago, and this Lotus:



on www.myrareguitars.com. - very different finish but the instrument's identical, as far as one can see. I've also seen a Lotus branded bass version (with a bolt on neck) but can't remember the URL.

Mine's in a bit of a state, unfortunately, and would need a bit of work & money spent to return it to its former glory - worst of all some cretin (OK it was me! ) gouged a massive hole in the front of the body in order to fit a horrible, cheap & ugly locking trem system. OK I was young & stupid - but being a natural hoarder, I still have the original bridge, and I think the body's restorable.

Other than that, it needs a darn good clean and very probably a re-fret too - I played this pretty much exclusively for 20 years!

Well, having had this thing for nearly a quarter century, I can answer a few questions - but because of its obvious rarity, probably pose even more...

I bought mine new from a music shop in Canterbury, UK, in 1983. It cost £85 ($148) and I got the impression it had been in the shop for a while. If I remember, the handwritten receipt I had described it as a "Hohner HFX45" - although I'm inclined to think the asssistant made that up on the spot!

First of all - is it an Uncle Matt? the short answer is I have no idea, although the Washburn styling, and the fact I saw a Vantage branded version makes me want to think so. In reality there's not even any real reason to believe it's Japanese - it has no distinguishing marks or brands apart from the headstock logo and a sticker which was originally on the headstock reading "No. 862277"! Even the hardware is completely unbranded, nothing on the pickups, not even any ratings on the pots!

Construction is as described, but I can add that the dark top is not a veneer - it's simply stained to create that impression, as can be seen if one removes a pickup (or excavates a bloody great pit in the body! ). Speaking of which, before I desecrated my poor guitar it was strung through the body.

The body is flat-top with a German bevel which sort of creates the impression of a carved top. The micro-switches are original and act as coil taps for the very loud humbuckers.

It has a brass nut, brass saddles on the original bridge and brass inlay detail on the fretboard, consistent with the fashion in early '80s guitars. The inlays are another interesting difference from its Washburn "progenitor". I had a Stage series B20 bass with brass inlays which were rings inserted into the fretboard, with rosewood clearly visible in the middle. On this guitar, there is a black plastic centre to the inlay (which you can see in Javelin70's photo) to create the same impression.

In use it's very playable, and sonically extremely versatile due to the coil taps. It balances well and is solid-feeling without being uncomfortably heavy. Mine has been a workhorse for general recording & songwriting duties. It's never been gigged (I'm a bassist in real life) so it's in cosmetically fairly good condition, although there is a lot of playing wear to the frets and fingerboard, which has led to its current state of retirement.

And that's about it - I'll take some better & more detailed photos, if anyone's interested, and if anyone has any questions - or indeed any more info about this mysterious beast, do let me know.


Jon.

Hi Jon,

That guitar is identical so they must've been made in the same factory. The original bridge is typical for Matsumoku guitars so my guess is that it was made by them.

There's a label on the back of the Morris as well, the number is "No 862469", quite close to yours.

What can you tell me about the weight, is it heavy? The auction is still on for the Morris and it's still cheap but that might change. It ends on thursday.

Mike

The bridge, with those saddles with a circular hole, and the lamination pattern are both things you see on Cort guitars- not sure who made them- but not on Matsumokus.

The bridge and those saddels are exactly what was used on Matsumoku made Washburns and other guitars. The saddles are brass with circular holes, I still have five of them from an old Matsumoku made Washburn stage series guitar. I've also had another stage series guitar and a couple of Wing series with the same saddles. There's also another version of the saddle with a slotted hole instead of the circular. What is hard to tell from the picture is how the bridge is attached to the body, the Matsumoku bridge is uses four screws on top of the bridge. It's hard to tell from the picture. Here you can see the bridge on a Falcon: http://www.jmskn.com/WshbrnFalcon.jpg

Mike

Here's the original bridge:



3-screw fixing, behind the saddles. Actually looks tidier than the Washburn version. I can confirm that the round "toilet seat" saddles were on Washburns of that era - my Stage Series B20 had them. They were quite common on many cheaper Japanese/oriental instruments from that era, too.

Weight-wise, it's not a heavy guitar, but certainly feels solid. I don't have anything to weigh it with to hand, but it's never struck me as overly heavy. It's significantly lighter than my Westbury Standard, although it's physically larger.

I'd definitely recommend it if it's cheap enough when the sale ends - and it's quite likely to be, being such an oddity. Like I said, I've used mine pretty much to exclusion of any other guitar right up until it started to become unplayable through wear!


Jon.