This particular example is currently located in Germany and has an eBay starting price of £1,999.
G L Wilson
© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Monday, 7 January 2013
Kawai "Crystal Moon" acrylic-bodied Moonsault guitar
guitarz.blogspot.com:
The Kawai Moonsault (we've looked at examples previously
here and here) is one of my favourite guitar designs, partly because it just looks so impractical but also because it demonstrates beautifully the wackiness of the Japanese when it comes to guitars.
These guitars were created for the Japanese home market and are rarely seen in the West as it is, but here we have the extremely rare Crystal Moon version which features a clear acrylic body. Unlike the top of the range Moonsaults, which can be likened to Gibson's Les Paul in terms of construction and quality of build, the Crystal Moon utilises a bolt-on neck. It also lacks the body binding of its siblings, but does have the same "Phase of the Moon" fretboard inlays.
This particular example is currently located in Germany and has an eBay starting price of £1,999.
G L Wilson
© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
This particular example is currently located in Germany and has an eBay starting price of £1,999.
G L Wilson
© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Kawai Moonsault AND acrylic body - must be your favorite guitar ever!
ReplyDeleteYou'd think so, wouldn't you, but I actually prefer the blue and silverburst versions. I think the body binding makes them look all the more classy. Not too keen on the other colours and the yellow one looks like a banana or else a slice of lemon.
Deleteactually a white one would be terrific - I'd play one!
DeleteNot really an 'environmentalist' by any measure but often wondered why most entry-level guitars weren't constructed of acrylics? With all the import bans on "exotic hardwoods" and whatnot ( and the way kids abuse instruments to begin with ) why waste what's left on someone not likely to get past G, C & D and then spend an eternity under a bed? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteKawai has never mad a bad instrument to my understanding and any time you're in a museum, mall or gallery their pianos are nothing short of works of art. Just breathtaking. Their acoustics, top notch. But comparing these to LP's..? I'd like to play one before passing judgement. Love the Phases of the Moon inlays!
"But comparing these to LP's..?"
DeleteWhyever not? Gibson do not have the monopoly on quality / playability. Personally speaking, given the choice between a Gibson Les Paul and a Kawai Moonsault, the Kawai would win every time.
This article also seems to agree on the top quality issue (you'll need to copy & paste the URL): http://www.myrareguitars.com/bcm-kawai-moonsault-guitar
Great link, thanks for sharing that! No idea they were that popular in Japan. Not that I've ever been a 'cheerleader' for Gibson and as others here have noted, a good many you see up for sale contain the requisite phrase "headstock repair expertly done". I was gifted a Tokai Silver Star in 1982, and haven't traded it for an LP yet?
DeleteCurious though, in your link the Moonsault is in a stand. Does it have to be modified or do owners typically hang them by the headstock?
Perhaps they just get put in the case when not being used.
DeleteAny word on what the switches do? I'm assuming Phase switch and coil-taps, but what's the 4th?
ReplyDeleteAhh, I just read from your link G L Wilson, so now I see what the switches do. So the 4th switch is a boost (treble? dist.?) when a 9v battery is fitted?
ReplyDeleteActually, this is not the first guitar with this shape. Italy did it in the mid sixties with the very similar Crucianelli Spazial. See here: http://www.fetishguitars.com/portfolio/crucianelli-spazial/
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the double post. I didn't think it had worked the first time so I did it again. Obviously I was wrong!
ReplyDeleteplease call me +6018 223 6635 i want sale my kawaii crystal moon..good condition
ReplyDelete