The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Q&A, discussion, and information for the labels covered by The Guitar Gallery (Specifically and exclusively guitars made by Matsumoku up to 1987)
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PostPosted: Wed 31 Mar 2021 10:48 AM 
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Axe Slinger

Joined: Thu 25 Feb 2021 11:00 AM
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I stumbled upon this gem....can't seem to match it up with the data on the site. Was wondering if anyone had any input? The seller says from 90's but I thought Aria Pro II stopped making LC with this headstock after mid 80s? Also the inlay appears a bit different from my 81' LC. Any ideas? pickups? the color seems off, no serial I noticed.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/192419692@N08/shares/uq8QQs


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PostPosted: Wed 31 Mar 2021 02:53 PM 
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Virtuoso
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Location: Absolute Stupidity, Missouri
With the open book headstock and the bell truss rod cover I'd lean more towards mid to late 70s. Possibly LC-550. 90's would likely be Korean. Some of the Japanese models not intended for export still sported the open book headstock but after the lausuit those intended for the US did not have the open book.

Page 3 here (LC-550 not pictured but described).

http://www.matsumoku.org/cm_models/2021 ... s-catalog/


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PostPosted: Wed 31 Mar 2021 04:04 PM 
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Virtuoso
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Wow, that looks nice! :love:
I would agree late 70's.
Post more pics. :hyper:

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PostPosted: Wed 31 Mar 2021 04:50 PM 
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Axe Slinger

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Interesting. It doesn't say anything about the blue color way. Also, did u notice the headstock? It is the diamond logo however the middle inlay piece of the diamond is solid, unlike the 80's version that looks exactly like a gibson diamond inlay. Curious. I tried to get more pictures and possibly the pickups or wiring harness photos to get more info. I'll keep u guys informed. Thanks for the responses.


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PostPosted: Wed 31 Mar 2021 06:18 PM 
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Virtuoso
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You'll have to keep in mind specifications were always in a state of flux. On a few of the Aria Pro II catalogs on the bottom of the back page it even says "Specifications subject to change". There were also variations for different markets such as domestic (Japan), Europe and the US.

The LC is a good example. The later LC transition models had different specs than the earlier models of the same model number.

I happen to like the BBS (Blue Black Sunburst) finish. Other models came with this finish.


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PostPosted: Thu 01 Apr 2021 09:04 AM 
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Axe Slinger

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Ok so I pulled the trigger. I bought it despite the seller claiming its from the 90s. Gonna take a gamble on it. I scored it from a seller in Japan cost me $500, but not sure what customs will charge me on import tax to California. Keep you all posted when it arrives. I will take more pics and hopefully find some details about this mystery. :) :lol:


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PostPosted: Thu 01 Apr 2021 09:48 AM 
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Virtuoso
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Regardless the age, that's not a bad price at all. If you're comfortable pulling the pickups out, post some pics of the pickup cavities. I'd be interested to see how its constructed.
Or, you could send it to me for a bit so I could check it out.
I PROMISE I'll send it back... :devil2:


:rofl:

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PostPosted: Thu 01 Apr 2021 10:04 AM 
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Axe Slinger

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Jorg wrote:
Regardless the age, that's not a bad price at all. If you're comfortable pulling the pickups out, post some pics of the pickup cavities. I'd be interested to see how its constructed.
Or, you could send it to me for a bit so I could check it out.
I PROMISE I'll send it back... :devil2:


:rofl:


:lol: :lol: :lol: I will for sure pull the pickups and post some pics. Says it should be here end of next week!


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PostPosted: Thu 01 Apr 2021 10:08 AM 
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Virtuoso
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Cool, I'm looking forward to seeing pics.

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PostPosted: Tue 06 Apr 2021 01:58 PM 
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Axe Slinger

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Ok so the guitar arrived safe and sound today from Japan. Took 5 days from seller. Very impressed. As for the guitar. I am baffled. It doesn't appear to be from the 70s or even 80s. It just seems newer to me. Although I am confused because there are no serials, no "made in Japan" anywhere and it has an open book headstock which doesn't make sense if it is indeed from the early 90s as advertised by seller. What do you all think? I uploaded some more pics to help.

The pickups seem very worn...no markings, they're tested at 8.0 resistance Neck and 8.31 resistance Bridge. The pots were cheap AF, looks like 1 meg pots so those def got to go. The tuners feel really high quality. Nut looks original, the headstock decal is misleading as well. it is different from 70s/80s diamond logo. it has one solid piece rather than being broken up in the diamond shape. The body doesn't seem to be a pancake style and the neck isn't a 3 piece from what I can tell. So maybe it is post 80s construction? It weighed in at 9 pounds. My 81 Aria Pro LC 900 weighed in at 10 pounds.

My theory is that perhaps this was a 90s LC 500 version (not as good quality as LC 900) and that it was only sold or available in Japan. The open book headstock violates the lawsuit era, no? All in all, I'm happy with it.

Now its off to MJT to get a refinish job!

https://flic.kr/ps/3W31H7


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