The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Late 80's / early 90's I got a GREAT Westminster Les Paul copy, but I sold it 10-12 years ago. Today I got it back.

Mahogny body, mahogny neck with what appears to be a maple fingerboard. Other than that, I don't know much about it. Can't even remember from who or where I bought it the first time. It plays like a dream. Pickups are a little muddy, but I kinda like the sound.

I've been searching the web for info about Westminster guitars, but found next to nothing. Seem to believe they were made at the Matsumoky plant, right?

So, does any of you guys know anything about the Westminster brand? Or this model in particular?







Thanks,
Fredrik Groth, Sweden

Not much is known about them. Many models mirrored those in the Aria lineup. Not very long lived.

I do know the dates you have are off. It dates about 1976.

Yeah, mid 70's was my guess as well... I got it used in the late 80's or so, that's what I meant.

No more info about the brand in general? Do you think it's Matsumoku?

Thanks,
Fredrik

There's nothing concrete in regards to exactly when Matsumoku became a guitar manufacturer as opposed to assembler. But it appears as though Matsumoku was in full production swing by the mid 1970s and a world class builder by the end of that decade.

Many of the Westminsters mirrored models offered under the Aria label by Shiro Arai Co. in the early to mid 1970s and these Aria models are believed to have been made by Matsumoku. Before this there are hints that Shiro Arai Co. contracted several assemblers.

A lot of mystery is surrounding these old guitars. I like it! I wonder how they turned up in Sweden, if there was a "real" distributor, etc.

I took it apart yesterday to see how it was built, and noted that "30" was written both in the neck pocket and under the neck pickup. That would be the number of the factory worker who built it (or made the quality control), is that a valid guess?

No one knows what the marks in these particular guitars were for. Could be anything.

I've replaced the original pickups with Duncans (Custom Custom in bridge, Pearly Gates in neck). Started to think about the originals... did Matsumoku produce their own pickups? Each coil has a big "T" in the middle (or a symbol that looks like an upside-down "T"), the coils are marked "2" and "4" on the neck pickup, and "1" and "3" on the bridge pickup. Other than that, I can see a symbol or a combination of letters that looks somewhat like an "H" with a "P" and an "I" in it.



Any info about these pickups? Who made them etc?

Thanks!

/Fredrik

i have the same pickups on my aria pro II les paul. they look like the gibson T-tops. i think that's matsumoku was going for.

gibson's -

ours' -

Those are also found on some Vantage guitars. My Vantage Ghost had them in it.

Quite a few Japanese imports sported imitation T tops.

Westminsters show up on the web in Japan regularly. Never seen one in this city though.