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: Fri 24 May 2013 02:55 AM 
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Virtuoso
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Location: Vienna, Austria
Hi Fox:
your
VA900 = No. 13 from June 1980
VA900B = No. 32 / january 1981
VE565 = No. 1114 / november 1982
VS695-12 = No. 380 / july 1982

nice vintage collection! :up:

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PostPosted: Fri 24 May 2013 05:07 AM 
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Power Chorder

Joined: Wed 14 Apr 2010 04:56 PM
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Thanks Mozart! I like 'em all. ;)
It's really a shame that those Vantages are truly very underrated great Japan-vintage instruments. If you compare them, let's say, Hoshino Gakki Ten's guitars..very few have even heard about Vantages. Sad but true?
Having said that, I am a very great fan of, let's say - Ibanez Artists. I've used an 2618-12 Artist from the 80's as a gigging axe, it was relatively cheap "back in the day" secondhand, nowadays it has become "soon-to-be-too-valuable" to take on the road..

BTW, how come nearly all VA 900 B -basses have serials starting w. 1010xxx, almost all I've seen the serials, that is? Was it in production for only a year or so? And the second thought - the body wings in those 900-basses seem to be one piece sen-ash instead of VA 900 guitar's multilayered wings..


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PostPosted: Fri 24 May 2013 04:55 PM 
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Virtuoso
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The 900 series was produced for a short time only. From may 1980 to late '81! (So far I've seen no '82). There seem to exist some "main months" for the production of several models. I'm still in the process of collecting serial numbers. (It's less expensive than collecting guitars :wink: )....
If I remember correctly the two variants of wing constructions do exist for both, the guitar and the bass. But I'm not sure about that.

For me Vantage VE models are very much like Ibanez Artists from that period. But they're getting more expensive too. (At least here in Europe!)
The times where you could get a VE for 300.- are gone. :cry: Nevertheless a VE-565 is still on my "list"! :wink:

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PostPosted: Fri 24 May 2013 05:03 PM 
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Power Chorder

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Well. I'm also from "this side of the pond", in fact.. ;) To be more precise, from Northern Europe..


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PostPosted: Sat 25 May 2013 05:28 PM 
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Virtuoso
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Location: A Pineapple below sea level, Holland (Europe)
fox54 wrote:
Well. I'm also from "this side of the pond", in fact.. ;) To be more precise, from Northern Europe..

Spare me ... another viking! :P Good to have you here, Fox54 :)
I have here with me VA-800, VA-900, VA-900b, VA-912, VE-565 and a couple more Vantages. About two years ago I sold my Ibanez Artist semi-solid (can't remember the exact type), but the Vantage VE-565 is still here ... beside my Vantage-fetish, that does say something ... there's a few non-Mat's guitars here that I won't part with (like an Ovation deep bowl 12-string 1115 'Pacemaker', and an amplified acoustic bass guitar (Vantage South Korea), but for the most part my Japanese Vantage's (in my humble opinion) took on most of their more expensive counterparts, including the 'big brands', and came out on top. (price/performence taken into consideration). Maybe not the best money can buy, but very high quality, especially the ones originating from the early 1980'ies.

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PostPosted: Thu 30 May 2013 10:59 PM 
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Axe Slinger

Joined: Sun 31 Jan 2010 05:35 PM
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Location: Mississauga
Yes, VA900Bs did come with the three-piece laminate bodies on the early versions, there was a fine example on ebay not too long ago. It was in the "Buzz on Eboink" thread. Gimme a minute...

Here it is: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=9432

Winner came along and made a few posts, but never came back to post more photos. :evil:

Also, the VA900B in the catalog photo is multi-laminate body.

And to confuse issues a little more in this thread, I have a fretless VA900B here, six-digit serial number, 105030. I also have a fretted VA900B with a seven-digit serial number, 1110003. Both are later model single-piece body wings, light oak finish.

-Alex


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PostPosted: Fri 31 May 2013 01:38 AM 
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Virtuoso
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Location: Vienna, Austria
Looks like 1980 models of the 900 series were made with laminated body wings and 1981 models with the one piece construction!
Both my VA900 (july '80) and my VA912 (nov '80) have laminated bodies.
Your basses, Alex, are from May '81 and November '81. (7-digit serials on late '81 models)

The serial number of your VA900B is the "youngest" 900 number I've collected so far. Makes a 900 production period from 5/80 until 11/81 from my momentary knowledge... :wink:

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PostPosted: Sat 30 Jul 2016 11:01 AM 
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Axe Slinger

Joined: Tue 10 Nov 2015 09:54 PM
Posts: 69
Last posting here was just over 3 YEARS ago!!!!!
I have just acquired what I believe to be a VA810 neck through

Patience lads... I will have to sort some software glitches but as soon as that's done,
I will post many :eyeball: pics :eyeball:
For starters.... the serial number is
"82080"
is a clear finish showing the beautiful grain with no stain
and some interesting neato little wee dot inlays at the vol and tone knobs that act as markers
I will try tonight to resolve my jpg extension issue

Hope to hear some feedback....
Cheers
Grams


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PostPosted: Sat 30 Jul 2016 05:13 PM 
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Virtuoso
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Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Canada
Awaiting your pictures...with very clean teeth. Image

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PostPosted: Sat 30 Jul 2016 10:35 PM 
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Axe Slinger

Joined: Tue 10 Nov 2015 09:54 PM
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As we spoke earlier this week through a couple of emails Barry, I will have to sit at my PC and figure out how to upload "the pics"...
I will try to get them in here tomorrow.
All I can say till I get the pics up is that its a real nice guitar.
I had to cleeeeeen all the gunk off the fret board, and restring it, ....the nut came off so I got my 1000 grit 3M sand paper out and made it shiny brand new. It was greenish and yucky, but it came out good. Glued it back down with some 2part epoxy. Just a wee drop here and there, a few minutes in a clamp, and presto :clap: good as new.
Pics to arrive shortly.
Thanks for cleaning your teeth :lol:
Grams


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