The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Hello,

So I'm new here and new to the Matsumoku guitars altogether. I've read lots of articles, rants and guitar descriptions on this site and forum and it all sounds very exciting. I really feel like I have to get at least one of those babies now but I'm bit confused cause there are so many different models not to mention the few off rarer Uncle Mat's creations...

Does anyone have any advice on certain models that seem to have a better rep than others for example ? I already own several guitars, including vintage ones of rather high quality, so I though I'd try to get a high-end Matsumoku guitar. Any advice ?

Or maybe I shouldn't and should grab anything that comes my way... Are aria Pro II Cardinals really worth buying or should I already spring for a better model to begin with ?

Kind of depends on what "style" you like. If you are kindof into that lespaul type guitar you could get an upper end PE series from around 1980 up. PE-R80 comes to mind. or an older PE-1000. If you like more of a semi hollow body (like an es355) try the upper end TA series. Like the TA-60 70 or 100(if you can find one). Many on this forum really like the Vantage guitars especially the neck thru versions. I don't own one of those yet. If you really like lots of bells and whistles (and pointy guitars) the Urchin U-100 is very cool - - again if you can find one. There are so many models but these are just a few that came to my head. I'm sure there are plenty of opinions.

Well here's something for starter : could you sum up the differences between an Aria Pro II TA series guitar and a Westone Rainbow ? Would any of you, purely subjectively of course, would recommend one over the other ?

*cough* ... ahh, there's also the Vantage VSH 435/445/455, which are just as pretty to look at and - apparently! - as good sounding.... (I don't have any of 'em, so cannot say for certain!!)

I have a Vantage VA900 which I gigged mercilessly for 25 years; I rate it very highly indeed, but I also own and have gigged a Westone Spectrum ST - which is a basic bones sort-of Matt - and it's very good indeed as well. You'll find as many opinions as posters in here, and as willbo says, getting your hands on some of the more up-market models - U-100, VA900, TA series, Pantera X350 - can be an exercise in frustration as they appear rarely on the auction sites and nearly always sell for rather horrid money!

I think that the biggest difference between the Rainbows and the TAs is that the former show up mainly in Europe so if you live in North America plan on dropping a hundred bucks or so on shipping. Otherwise the differences are small and a matter of personal taste. You can expect first-rate build quality in any "post-lawsuit" Matsumoku semihollowbody guitar (including Electras, which you didn't mention).

As Corsair mentioned, the "higher" Mats are generally gonna be expensive. All of my Mats are AP2s so I don't really know about the other brands.
The CS models might be a good starting point as they seem to be plentiful and not grossly overpriced yet. They have a utilitarian reputation but its one of my favorite guitars. Simple but versatile. It also gets the nod over my PE-R60 a lot due to weight. The PEs are heavy.

I guess the question is what do you play music wise and what do you like? Also are there any gaps in your collection, hollow body, twelve string etc.

I find the TS and RS series from APII to be a bit less known/appreciated and thus can be cheaper. The CS line also has a good rep.

The Electra line has a lot to offer. Take a look here for info: http://www.rivercityamps.com/electraforum/ Be aware prices have been going up on them.

Westone's used to sell at a premium compared to the Electra's. That doesn't appear to be the case anymore.

I love my Vantage 790. I think of it as an SG with better pups, a better neck joint, and more versatile switching. It is nice and light for a long gig.

I second the choices made for a couple of Vantage models earlier (VA900, VSH455) and I'd like to add the VA800, VE565 and the Skylark 2588. Neither of them comes cheap these days any more, but one never knows what's lurking in a corner of a local pawn shop ... Good luck!

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Guys, thanks for all the answers ! I've checked all the models and makes you've suggested and several look really attractive to me ! I'm a bit all over the place as to what music I play, my band is rather garage-pop but with a hint of punk here and a dash of funk there so I need different instruments and amps to sort of answer the different calls.

Several people mentionned weight I think, but it really doesn't matter. I've some really heavy axes, especially a Guild bass (B-402) that is one of the heaviest basses I've had in my life... And I love it. Usually, the denser the wood the better the tone, so I'm up for heavy instruments. And as for price I'm willing to spend a little more if it's on a good guitar. I'm also willing to be patient and buy the one I want when it will finally pop up. It's not something I *desperatly* need to have right away.

The PE series looks really great and also the semi-hollow Electra 2228, with the fake humbuckers and huge tremolo arm... I like the look of the neck-through Vantages too. And as for the RS series I had noticed these before, not sure about the double active switch but why not.

One last question : are there any known semi-hollow body with a neck-through construction ?

There has been a lot of talk lately about the FS-750 FS-1000 also known as the SH-800 SH-1000. These are neck thru and semi-hollow, but in my opinion, as I own an FS-750 and a TA-70 the neck thru is more solid sounding than hollow. not a lot of acoustic tone unplugged. Seems as if there is some others in Vantage, but I can't really remember. The entertainer or entertainar series perhaps?