Matsomoku?

[ye olde fretmonkey]

Anybody know what brand names came out of the Matsomoku factory in Japan in the 80s?

I'm thinking:

Vantage
Daion
Aria Pro II
Ibanez (some)
Westbury
Hondo II

[mojo2001]

Westone...that was their factory brand.

Also a few of the Kramer Focus models were sometimes Matsumoku with MMK 45 pickups, other times not.

I'm a big fan of Matsumoku guitars, especially the early 80s, pre heavy metal ones. Wish they made more teles. Been looking for an Aria Pro II "Backaroo" but no cigar.

I tried learning more about 80s Japanese guitars and beyond some more or less obvious facts, the whole thing is shrouded in mystery. The thing is the brand names were distributor marques and they bought guitars from various sources. Any known Matsumoku guitar I have played has been very good and super well made--no plywood, good finish, solid and tuneful.

I tried and sold many but kept a few old Japanese guitars that are really killer fun players. One is a $70 big headstock Aspen strat. Day-um, this is a funky fun strat. Also have an Aria Pro II Special V strat that smokes. And an early Yamaha Super Rnroller strat.

Very addictive, almost as bad as building teles.

[ye olde fretmonkey]

I ran across an Aria Pro II "Fullerton" Strat-style guitar awhile back that was just phenomenal. Crazy thing about 70s and 80s Japanese guitars is you run into ones that are just wild and you may never see another one like it again. I saw a Memphis LP copy years ago that was so gaudy...fancy binding, tree-of-life inlay, set neck, big scroll headstock. Like an Ibanez Super Artist LP or whatever they called that one model. Anyway, never saw another Memphis tricked out like that.

So if Matsumoku made Westones, then did Electras come from them too?

I remember reading awhile back that Univox turned into either Westbury or Vantage in the 80s. Westbury, I think.

There are a bunch of guitars like that that are still pretty affordable.

[mojo2001]

The top model of the Aria Pro Fullerton was made in USA! Then there was a Japanese model or two, then Korean at the bottom of the line.

Very confusing.

1986-on Aria Pro II were mostly Korean made.

[three barrel]

I always thought that the Electra Outlaw was kind of a cool take on the SG style.... but with a kind of cowboy look. Complete with a brand. There is one on ebay right now.

[ye olde fretmonkey]

Originally Posted by three barrel

I always thought that the Electra Outlaw was kind of a cool take on the SG style.... but with a kind of cowboy look. Complete with a brand. There is one on ebay right now.

I remember those...never see em anymore. They look like they'd weigh 20 lbs.

[roadkillbill]

Here's an interesting site:

http://www.matsumoku.org/arai_matsumoku.html

http://www.matsumoku.org/models/models.html


I've got a Vantage solid mahogony set-neck LP copy called 'The Ghost', and an Aria SG copy, bolt-on neck (model 1832), both from Matsumoku in the late 70's.

I'm not sure Memphis was Matsumoku..

[6942]

I'm not 100% sure of this...but please bear with me.
Electra was Matsomuku-made until the very early 80's.
Then it was badged as Electra-Westone for a VERY little while.
By 1982....the Electra name had vanished....to be replaced by Westone only.

My 1986 MIJ Westone Spectrum ST has been my "go-to" git for years.

Steve

[snoglobe]

They also have a forum

http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/index.php

should find what you're looking for there.

[ye olde fretmonkey]

And the beauty is, you can still pick up guitars like that for under $300 all day long.

[sneakyjapan]

it ain`t easy finding out who made what back when...there were so many brands at one point over here. even the Japanese guys who write books on the subject have trouble getting info. I started saving headstock pics from the web over here a couple of years ago...never bothered counting them but theres a lot.

[Chuck 909]

Lyle. One of the rarer ones. My Lyle strat was a great guitar. Imported in the USA by L.D. Heater Music of Portland, Oregon.

[octatonic]

I have a wonderful Aria carved strat body that I have posted before.

I put a warmoth neck on it, PRS trem and pickups and a hand cut pickguard.
Great player- very versatile guitar.

[ye olde fretmonkey]

Kewl! Never saw one like that.

[Blazer]

I owned a couple of Matsumoku made instruments and they were all good quality workhorse guitars.

It's a misunderstanding that Matsumoku made Ibanez guitars because according to both the Ibanez Book and the unnoficial Matsumoku site that was NOT the case. Matsumoku was hired to build the Ibanez Mario Maccaferi models in the late seventies. However the Maccaferi model was a gamble too high for Ibanez and the production of Matsumoku made Ibanez guitars was halted before it even began. All Japanese Ibanez guitars were made by Fuji-gen who also make Fender japan guitars

[Blazer]

My list of Matsumoku made guitars and basses that I owned.

* Vantage Ghost - brown, neck through
* Vantage Ghost - Black, bolt on neck
* Aria Pro 2 SB 700 bass - Amber, neck through
* Aria Pro 2 SB 700 bass - Amber (Almost identical to the other)
* Westone Thunder 1 Bass - Amber, bolt on neck
* Washburn Flying V - Blue, bolt on neck Dimarzio pickups
* Hondo H 76 Strat copy - Black, still have it, great guitar.

[messhead]

I've had a couple Electras, both Omegas. The Omega is the set neck LP copy with two knobs and two switches, in addition to the pickup selector, which was a 5 way rotary. Anyway, I still have one and like it. I gutted the ones I've owned and set them up as strict LP style guitars. They are extremely well made, the inlays are near perfect, and they are far lighter than LP's of the period. The one I own now is a 78 and is definitely chambered. Great sustain and the weight is really good.

The tree of life inlay came out of this factory as well.

[RomanS]

A late '80s Aria Pro II RSB was the first bass I owned, and the first instrument I ever gigged with in a band...

[ye olde fretmonkey]

Originally Posted by Blazer

I owned a couple of Matsumoku made instruments and they were all good quality workhorse guitars.

It's a misunderstanding that Matsumoku made Ibanez guitars because according to both the Ibanez Book and the unnoficial Matsumoku site that was NOT the case. Matsumoku was hired to build the Ibanez Mario Maccaferi models in the late seventies. However the Maccaferi model was a gamble too high for Ibanez and the production of Matsumoku made Ibanez guitars was halted before it even began. All Japanese Ibanez guitars were made by Fuji-gen who also make Fender japan guitars

See, I thought that Fuji made some FJ stuff. Always heard that some were jobbed out to Tokai as well.

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by ye olde fretmonkey

Kewl! Never saw one like that.

It has changed quite a bit from when I bought it.

There is a page here:
http://www.matsumoku.org/models/aria...e160/pics.html

that has more pics and details.

Mine has a slghtly different dragon carve in it- there is some conjecture whether mine io an Aria or an Ibanez.
The neckplate, tuners and headstock is the same as the Aria so I suspect that is what it is.

It would have originally been an SSS strat.
The one I bought had been badly refinished and the neck was warped beyond repair.
I sanded back the body and then just left it.
I should probably do a coat of nitro at some stage- in my mind it looks better stripped back rather than the heavy stain it used to have.

These carved guitars are difficult to find- a few people out there are collecting them- but they never go for more than a few hundred dollars.
I've had emails from some of these collectors saying I "ruined" my dragon strat.
Bugger that though- I have a playable guitar whereas before I did not.

[sneakyjapan]

Originally Posted by ye olde fretmonkey

See, I thought that Fuji made some FJ stuff. Always heard that some were jobbed out to Tokai as well.

I asked the manager of the local Rock Inn last year who was making FJs these days, he told me 3 factories were making guitars now with a fourth making basses...was also told recently they are having parts milled in China and assembled here. There are not that many guitar factories left in Japan and even fewer making guitars for other companies...PGM makes a lot of the high end models, ESP makes their own stuff, Deviser...parent to Momose, Bacchus, Riverhead and Brian electric guitars...builds their own stuff...FujuGen is buildng their own line as well as the History line sold at the Shimamura chain...the 2006 MIJ Epiohone SG I got recently has an F serial and when I ran it on line I read it was made by FujuGen...guess thats what the F means.
The manager also told me Fender Japan doesn`t like people to know who is building their guitars...theres a lot of secrecy here...s he had a hard time answering my questions so i got him to just say yes or no to things I asked him...that worked better but he very uncomfortable and surprised at some of the stuff I knew...but it isn`t easy getting them to spill the beans, especially as a foreigner. Lots of rumors from guys overseas about who is making what in Japan these days but I`m not sure how much is accurate.

[Stubbs]

my first guitar was a matsomoku made Epiphone scroll. My dad bought it for my in the mid 80's for $125. I still have it, never play it.
http://www.matsumoku.org/models/epip...ll/scroll.html

[ye olde fretmonkey]

I think it may be time to buy up a couple of Matsomoku guitars while they're still cheap, put em in the closet and forget about em for a few years.

I don't think they're gonna be cheap forever, and since they're 80s, they're "vintage" now.

Awhile back on Craigslist here in town somebody was selling a ridiculous extra-pointy Westone Explorer type guitar. 2 humbuckers, whammy, silver metalflake finish...$150.

Westone...Westbury...Electra...Aria...time to start lookin.

[mojo2001]

There are tons of these guitars around for $150-200, even on ebay. You can fill your house with Matsumoku.

For 80s guitars, you have to make sure they say Japan or Matsumoku on them or have a serial number (usually on the neckplate) though or else they can be later 80s Korean versions.

The problem is (if it is a problem) that they are really difficult to decide to sell because a lot of them play better than they are worth. So I bought a bunch of under $200 Japanese guitars to pick a few out and it pained me to sell most of them.

Lately I've been playing teles but if you are into Strat-type guitars there are LOTS out there. Most will have pickups too hot to use for traditional music. The Matsumoku pickups are good quality but some of the other Japan guitars use the world's worst flubby ceramic single coils. Some of the Matt humbuckers remind me of Peavey Super Ferrites. For people looking for a hot hum that will retain definition with distortion, they are well regarded.

For more traditional (pre Floyd Rose headbang) guitars also look at Vantage (but make sure they are early Japanese Matts not late 80s-90s Korean) and some of the early 80s Aria Pro IIs. Really nicely made stuff.

[ye olde fretmonkey]

I've run across Vantage and Westbury 335 clones that were really nice guitars.

What about Ventura? Was that a Matso product too?