The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Hi there.
I’m asking for help here hoping to solve the mystery behind two of my guitars, since I haven’t been able to go any further without help. I want to find out the origins of these unknown guitars. I’ll try to expose all the information I’ve gathered over the years.

They are branded Des Lauriers, model DE-60B, made in Korea (gold sticker on the back of the headstock), one of them has serial number 78 (typed on a paper sticker in the bolt on neck plate). There’s an almost identical model, same shape, without tone control, floating bridge instead of wrap-around and the pickup is slightly twisted. The model is DE-65T. There’s also a short scale 4-string bass version of the DE-60B.

I’ve posted some pictures before here viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6590 (that one has been modified in many ways, the black one I posted here is 100% original), and the only replies I got referred to the Satellite brand, entry level guitars and basses wide spread in the UK since late 60’s to early 80’s. There’s in fact and identical model, the 9/B, and a bass version as well. I could trace the brand back to Fletcher, Coppock and Newman in England, only to find Satellite was a rebrand exclusively for UK import. Many of the models can be found in other countries under different names such as TeleStar in the USA. Satellite brand appears on many models of apparently un-related origins (judging by the look, features, build hardware), most of them copies of different models and qualities (a strat copy can be seen used by Brian May in Queen’s “The Game” video; apparently he didn’t want to risk the Red Special when he fakes sort of a “fight” with Freddie). There are many Les Paul copies, some thru body necks, very Uncle Matt looking on natural Wood finish, sort of Skylark shaped (very rare) and the most common appears to be a Teisco like looking one, model 65/T. None of these models have been spotted under the brand Des Lauriers; not even the strat models appear to be related. So, Satellite proved to be a dead end since it’s certainly a rebrand.

I could trace Des Lauriers back as well to some guy in Robbie's Music City in New Jersey who made his own imports back in the day, but I got no response from them yet.
I tried to contact a guy in the USA who collects this particular brand (guitars, basses and ukuleles, as he said) but he disappeared from the forums years ago as far as I can tell.
Anybody who owns or sells one of these seems to know nothing about them.

All I got is the electric ones are Korean, and the classical ones are made in Taiwan. The brand lasted about 10 years, most likely on the 70’s (owners claim to have bought them around 1975, some before, some later, never after 1980). I believe those who place the brand in 1960/1970’s just add the 1960’s to increase de “Vintage Value” on sale ads, but I’m just guessing here, since none of the owners claim to have bought them on that decade. I’m leaning to the idea of it being a rebrand too.
I’ve seen a few strat shaped ones, and a really wired one of an impossible to explain shape, that belonged to a guy in Brazil. Most ones I’ve seen were in USA (I bought the one in the pictures in Maryland through eBay), some in Canada, and of course the first one I got, in Uruguay (I couldn’t find the original owner). This has been my main axe for 13 years. It’s amazingly comfortable to play, and as I’ve read from many owners in forums, you just fall in love with the sound and feel of it.

But what intrigues me the most is the disturbing resemblance to the Vantage X-88, which I also happen to own. The Des Lauriers appears to be a simplified version of the X-88, with a single humbucker (the fullest, most amazing humbucker I’ve ever tasted, with an impressively high output, nothing like I’ve ever heard before) and in a smaller scale, but with the unmistakable body shape of the X-88 (which I have never seen in any other guitar, ever), is identical! Even the headstock, which in most guitars is sort of a signature oh the brand that even exact copies try to respect because of legal issues , is a shorter version of the Vantage 3 tuners per side headstock.

And here’s where I lose it. The “normal” thing to see is cheaper versions of higher quality/better known instruments. The X-88 was made (correct me if I’m wrong) from ’82 to ’84. The Des Lauriers seems to be cheaper in all matters (plywood body, very loud and rich acoustically by the way, awful tuners, sloppy finish even though some of them have a cool checkered paint job, plastic nut, regular chrome hardware) and almost unknown, but apparently earlier tan the Vantage.
Am I missing something here? If they were Les Paul shaped or strat copies I wouldn’t mind, but these are very particularly shaped, so they must be related in some way. Is it possible Vantage copied these cheap Korean ones? Where did they come from?

There are no marks in the cavities, no numbers on the pickup, nothing written on the bridge, no tuner covers, not a single clue about nothing. Just a mark on the pots (photo attached of the originals), that could mean nothing.

This is as far (rather close) as I could go.
Now I crave for help, and I can’t think of a better place to ask for it.
Thanks a lot in advance, and my excuses for the extension of this post.
Cheers!

To me, the one in the pics appears to be a rebranded Korean Vantage, estimated production era: late 1980'ies, early 90'ies. Given the typical Korean-made Vantage headstock shape (slightly more rounded, compared to the Japanese ones), and the similarities to the X88 I find it very hard to believe this model was made before 1987.
On the other hand, we've got reason to believe Cort has been producing 'old' Vantage models with that headstock (and other Matsu-made brands such as Aria Pro II), sold under lots of different brand names since 1981, when Matsumoku renewed its machine park, and (as I suspect) Cort bought their old machinery. However, that part of the story doesn't match the X-88 appearance, since these didn't exsist but a couple of years later.

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http://www.GuitarDir.com has been hacked by some mindless fool, destroying years
of gathering info on guitars by non-commercial guitar lovers. Why?