1985 Tokai Paisley Telecaster copy

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I almost bought a 1980s MIJ Fender paisley Telecaster once. It was in a pawn shop in the early 1990s for $400 Canadian. It was a time before anyone could easily find out that the MIJ Fenders of that era were so incredible, and the price reflected that. I knew, but I was a student and had no money and all my credit was used up. I still regret it though. I think that was when I really started to covet the paisley Telecasters, with that missed opportunity.

What I did not know was that Tokai had done a copy of the paisley Telecaster. This 1985 Paisley Telecaster clearly shows its age. But I think that makes it all the better.

R.W. Haller

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Rare Carved Shiraki Acoustic made in Japan 1981

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I'd never heard of Shiraki Guitars. They were apparently part of the Matsumoku fold in the early 1980s, so you know that it is likely a quality instrument. It also seems that they did some level of collaboration with Alvarez as well.

Though it's really not my taste with the intricate carving and lack of a sound hole ( I wonder if projection through the carved area is any good ), I'd gamble that this cedar top dreadnought from 1981 plays and sounds quite nice. Note the neck joint. Is it glued in, bolted on the inside, or a different kind of joint?

I'm reminded of Blueberry Guitars and wonder if there was some influence from these Japanese rarities.

R.W. Haller


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Briilliant made in Japan St George MP3 from the 1960s

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Here we have yet another example of Japanese awesomeness from the past. This 1960s St George MP3 hits a lot of perfect notes for me. The body shape is familiar but unique, there is a healthy dose of chrome but not so much as to take away from the overall elegance, and a wacky headstock that really isn't so wacky after all. It just looks like the right headstock for this guitar. The Burns-esque pickups and faux shell pick guard are just icing.

I wish I'd had one of these 30 years ago so I could be all hipster-like and say that I had an MP3 way before you could put them on your ipod.

R.W. Haller


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Takamine EA-360 electro-acoustic guitar, a.k.a. the Takamine Flying A

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I've written before on this blog about the curiosity that is the Takamine Flying A. It's basically an acoustic Flying V that looks af if it has been over-inflated with an air-pump. Of course you can get more V-like acoustic Flying Vs these days from Dean Guitars, but these Takamines remain rare and sought after in certain circles.

So, it's interesting to see one come up for sale on eBay this week with a Buy It Now price of US $2,350 (with a starting bid of US $1,799).

It's also interesting to note that the eBay listing uses the very same photo montage that I personally Photoshopped together from a previous eBay listing from four years ago and blogged about here when another of these guitars was offered for sale. I wonder if it is actually the very same guitar again, or just another very similar example? It's a shame I hadn't made a note of the asking price back then in 2011, just for sake of comparison for those of us who are interested in such things.

G L Wilson

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Highly "customized" Martin D-16GT makes me feel more than a little blue.

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I'm just going to leave this here, along with a few quotes from the seller.

"I'm just the type of person that always has to customize things and this production came out of that"

" Most stock guitars I've found have thicker than necessary soundboards that don't resonate as well as if it were thinner, so I thinned the top so that the guitar could respond and resonate better with a lighter softer touch"

" The neck was also thinned down a bit to make it more easier to play, and the fretboard slightly scalloped ( not yngwie malmsteen type scallop as you can tell) giving every note more air/openness and better control over bending and vibrato"

"So if you are crazy left brained perfectionistic about things please go buy yourself a stock whatever"

This custom Martin was listed at $1999 U.S. but see now that the listing has ended.

Did it sell?

The link is still active if you want a complete description from the seller.

R.W. Haller

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Japanese made Heit Deluxe from the 1960s

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I see a lot of different influences in this 1960s Heit Deluxe. There are definite similarities the the Epiphone Wilshire, and Tiesco. There are even hints of a solid body Ovation. And, I cannot for the life of me remember which guitar has a scoop-cut body behind the bridge. I know I've seen it before, but where?

R.W. Haller

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When a Burns isn't a Burns. Japanese made violin-bodied 12 string Burns "copy".

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I found this Japan made Burns guitar while doing one of my regular "Burns Guitar" searches the other day. I'm hesitant to call this a copy as I'm not aware of any Burns guitar that is similar to this model. Has anyone seen one before?

It sold for $127 and I kind of wish it were I who bought it. I'm sure though that it would require quite a bit of work to get playable, so I probably did myself a favour not adding to my list of projects. But I'd sure love to have a 12 string with a tremolo. Imagine the possibilities, the constant tuning would be paramount to heavy lifting finger exercises.

R.W. Haller

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Guitarz helps me solve my own mystery. The Goya Rangemaster Album Cover

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In my continuing pursuit to become the world's fattest hipster I can be found hovering around discount record bins quite often. Last night I found this Guitars Unlimited record and the main guitar on the cover caught my eye more than the pretty country gal holding it.

I'd never seen the Goya Rangemaster before, and I was going to post here and ask for your help. But alas my quick search for Goya on Guitarz brought me to this post. I must have missed it the first time around as I would certainly have remembered those crazily located f-holes and those incredible pickups.

R.W. Haller


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Please read our photo and content policy.

This Seven String 36 fret Yellow Gary Kramer R36 is a beast in yellow.

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Though this Gary Kramer R36 seven string guitar goes against a lot of what I believe in, I really kind of like it.

To me it looks like something that would have been made by Teuffel in his teen years, before he settled into a more mature style.

This particular one has had some modifications including the removal of frets 28, 30, 32, and 34 to make access easier for human-sized hands. This yellow beast was clearly designed for an alien so in it's intended hands it there would be no need for such a modification.

R.W. Haller

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Playstation One guitar that was " built with a buddy".

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'm not sure where to begin on this PS1 guitar. Perhaps a joke about it being a PoS1? Naw, too lowbrow. I could point out the obvious faults. Look at that strap pin location, look at the angle of strings from "tailpiece" to bridge. The gobs of glue are a nice touch as well. I generally have a place in my heart for such novelty items, and if this one were better built I'd want to buy it just to play this song, in my band Life-Size Men.

But alas, it's not meant to be.

R.W. Haller

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Please read our photo and content policy.