Torch's Vintage Guitar Research Blog

Orange Guitars...Fruit or Color

2012-04-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

Imagine for just one moment you are in Japan in the 1970's. You are a guitar manufacturer. Everyone assembles at a table to sift through new names for their badged guitar. Someone suggests "Orange" as a name.

Freaky, huh?

There is a manufacturer named Orange located in Singapore today. Since 1968, Orange has been making amps along with guitars with the name of Orange. Perhaps demand was so great that they chose Fernandes (one of the makers of Burny and Nady) to meet demand. Fernandes was no small operation, as they were competing with some of the biggest manufacturers in the Japanese heyday of copied badged guitars. I'd have to believe Orange was in America before the move overseas, but I can't confirm that.

Do you have an Orange? Take a bite out and send it along to share!

It's been a while....

2012-04-13T08:08:00.003-07:00

I'm baaaack......

It's been a busy few months and I've received a lot of questions. I'm going to work on getting back to all of you who wrote and offered information-thanks a lot for all the kudos people have sent along! You should be seeing some of my new stuff soon!

Silver Star....A Legend Born Of Seven Years

2011-09-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

What hasn't been written about the legendary Silver Star? Made by Tokai beginning in 1978, Silver Star was a Fender stratocaster copy based on the CBS-era guitars made in the late 60's-70's period. Silver Star was made exclusively for the Japanese market, however, their quality was far and away better than Fender guitars of the time.

Tokai celebrated a number of high-profile owners, including legendary guitar god Stevie Ray Vaughn, who was prominently featured on a Tokai catalog endorsing company products in the 80's. He also owned Tokai axes, including a "Springy Sound" guitar and a "Tokai" badged guitar which sold at auction by Christie's auction house in 1984 for a cool $20,315! Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top fame also wields a Tokai Love Rock on occasion. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden plays a Tokai SG-75. Bass guitarist Erdal Kizilcay (say that five times fast), who has played with Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Roger Waters and Tin Machine, also wails a Tokai strat from time to time. Roger Waters has also delved into Tokai guitar territory, which tells you how good Tokai made their products during the heyday of Japanese guitar excellence. That's quite a list!

Some Silver Stars featured a 3-bolt neck, while others had a 4-bolt. The script writing of the badge is so close to Fender's signature that it had to have seriously pissed off Fender execs. Earlier versions of the script were gold or black depending on the model, with the script changing to all black by 1984, the year before the end of the Silver Star lineup.

In 1987, a Korean manufacturer called Un-Sung bought the Silver Star brand and produced guitars with the name, which is disappointing when you consider what Tokai was able to do with the badge.

Silver Star wasn't as successful sales-wise as the "Springy Sound", so it faded after 1985. But there are literally hundreds of these guitars still around, on the market and fetching good prices. It's clear to see that many consider these good quality guitars, some even saying they are better built and better sounding than any Fender of the time the Silver Star was made.

Silver Star. Something to look forward to as a quality investment in guitar history.

Camel Guitars...Cigarettes and Progressive Rock

2011-09-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the guitars named for strange things, Camel comes to mind. The image of that one or two humped animal as the inspiration for a hot guitar seems almost impossible. What are the odds?

Camel guitars were made by the Matsumoto Musical Instrument Manufacturer Association, who had as a member the Kyowa Shokai distributors responsible for the badge request. There's evidence pointing to makers Chushin, Nakai Gakki, and possibly Tahara and the Maya Guitar Company as being members, although that's not confirmed. The Fresher guitar badge is reported to be the 'sister' to the Camel, which makes since since both were made by the Association. Both Camel and Fresher badges were made in the 70's during the end of the MIJ electric guitar craze.

Camel guitars came in both Les Paul and Stratocaster versions, although it seems that few were sold. The headstock has appropriately two humps (were they being too literal?). I've also seen an example of a Les Paul that's a student version...interesting since so few were sold and just think of selling a guitar with a badge named after a cigarette to a child THESE days! It's been suggested that the Camel badge was named for the infamous cigarette brand as some kind of promotional prize....which would be interesting if it were true. I put in a call to the R.J. Reynolds company to see if they were aware of the badge or had anything to do with its creation. They did not have any information on the guitar.

There was also a rock band named Camel which formed in 1971. Perhaps someone was in awe of this group and decided to name a guitar after them! The band is still active and recording, although they have stopped touring due to the health of founding member guitarist/frontman Andrew Latimer.

Camel. A mysterious badge that appears from time to time like a mirage, surrounded by rumor yet somehow authentic.

Maya/El Maya Guitar Origins...Rokkomann badged guitar?

2011-09-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

It's taken me a bit to get back to work on this, but I've looked through what I have and here's where I stand on research thus far...

Rokkomann....everybody pretty much agrees they were a distributor...BUT there is an example of a an electric guitar made in the 1970's period with the name "Rokkomann" on it. It makes me think they either had this made for themselves as a 'brand' or they dipped into actual production during the red-hot 1970's electric guitar craze. Interesting if they did. Rokkomann clearly bought the Maya trademark in January of 1976. One wonders if they indeed had the name trademarked prior to that date, since Maya guitars were clearly in existence prior to 1976.

Tahara...according to Saga Musical Instruments, who bought Tahara, the company made mandolins and acoustic guitars in the 1970's with the "Maya" badge...zero El Maya guitars according to sources at Saga, although they're often credited with making both badges. Tahara was located in Matsumoto, Japan, not Kobe, which is interesting...and Saga didn't buy them out until the mid to late 1970's.

Maya Musical Instruments....I can find no evidence for this company's founding, although it's stated universally that the company was located in Kobe (as was Rokkomann) and was destroyed in an earthquake in 1995-96. It's suggested the company took their name from Mount Maya which is near the city of Kobe, Japan. It company existed because we have labels inside Maya and El Maya guitars with their name. Perhaps Rokkomann owned Maya directly...I don't know. I'm unaware of any other guitar badges made by Maya, although that lies in the realm of the possible.

Chushin...I'm convinced that Chushin was responsible for some El Maya badged guitars made in the 1970's because of the high quality they demonstrate. El Maya guitars were made well after 1980 and are still prized by collectors, although they were not high sellers when they were available new. I also believe Chushin was responsible for some Maya electrics as a lower-end alternative to the El Maya high end guitars made back then. Chushin was often utilized by high-volume makers like Charvel and Jackson, so it's reasonable that Rokkomann would select them to produce both badges for the world market. Chushin is still in existence so we might be able to get an answer from someone about when they made the badge in their factory. There's evidence Chushin may have been a member of the Matsumoto Musical Instruments Association which was where Tahara was located, so perhaps Maya and El Maya were products from the Association. It may be that Rokkomann approached the association at first to produce the badges until it dissolved, we just don't know yet.

Props to Memag and others who contributed so heavily to the first discussion on these guitars!

New Updates to the MIJ Page!

2011-08-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

If you haven't dropped by lately, check out all the new updates on my MIJ page including:

An A-Z sortable table of unknown maker badges
New makers: STAR Instruments, Tahara, Nakai Gakki and more
Updated Maker's Badges table as far as I've been able to sort out who made what
Awesome links...because I'm not the only one with an interest

Stop on by!

The Magnavox Ampeg Story

2011-08-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Both Magnavox and Ampeg are companies of tortured development, ever-changing and shifting priorities to meet with the demands of the fickle markets across the world for electric and bass guitars. Ampeg's now-you-see-it, now-you-don't history and Magnavox's slow rise to the pinnacle of electrical product genius before fading into one of the boys of electronic manufacturing in Japan are epic in scope. So sit back, be patient, and allow me to unravel the intertwined strands of these great companies during a period when they produced guitars for the foreign markets across the world, much to the delight of Japanese guitar collectors.

Ampeg began its life way back after WWII, just before the rock-n-roll craze of the 1950's. It was an American amplifier manufacturer and fairly successful. Even today, Ampeg amps from long ago are sought-after and desirable. Anyhow, Ampeg began producing guitars in 1962 in partnership with United Kingdom company Burns, focusing on bass guitars because of their work with amps. Ampeg grew successful and moved into making their own guitars by '66 and by 1969, partnered with Dan Armstrong to produce those unique Lucite bass and electric guitars we all know and love (even if we can't hold them up for very long). Those guitars were 100% American-made.

You say: "Hey, Torch! What's any of this got to do with Japanese Ampegs?"

I'll get back to that very shortly.

Magnavox also began in America, much like Ampeg, only decades earlier. The company was founded in 1917 and began producing speakers for the emerging radio and later, television markets, eventually being sold to the Japanese as they began buying many of our our electronics manufacturers. In the 1970's, Magnavox was on the cutting edge of early technology in both sound and video. In 1972, the company was the first to develop a video gaming system and they also produced the first laser disc, forerunner to CD's and later the Blu-Ray disc, which was developed by a competitor, Sony Electronics. In the early 1970's Magnavox saw that there were vast opportunities to make money producing electric and bass guitars for the American market. Rather than start from scratch, they sought companies who already had guitar production, but were struggling against Japanese-made products. They found Ampeg and Selmer. Ampeg was purchased in 1971. Selmer was purchased in 1969, although it's unclear if Selmer was an American manufacturer of undetermined origin. It certainly could not have been related to the legendary Henri Selmer of Paris, France, as that company still exists today as a worldwide corporation of fine instrument craftsmanship.

Once Magnavox had both players in place, they began producing Japanese-made Ampeg badged guitars. They also developed a new badge, Stud, which they made for a fairly short time, less than five years. Ampeg guitars continued production until Magnavox suspended all guitar operations in 1980, because of their new focus on the emerging videodisc and gaming markets. At that point, Ampeg ceased to exist.

There has been some hints that Magnavox was responsible for the MIJ Selmer badged acoustic guitars from this same time period. While it looks very plausible, I have been unable to confirm that at this time. Magnavox did buy the company, but whether or not they produced acoustic guitars is unclear. It could be that Magnavox farmed out the production of the badge to another Japanese maker who specialized in acoustic guitar making. We simply don't know.

Magnavox continues to exist to this day as a Japanese electronics manufacturer, while Ampeg was resurrected in the 1990's when it was bought by an American company. Today, Ampeg guitars are once again being produced, however, it's unclear if they are being built in America as the company outsources work to places like Vietnam and China.

So that's the story. If you have a Japanese Ampeg or Stud, you have a guitar produced by one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world today. It was an experiment by a giant Japanese corporation that ultimately failed because they did not have the expertise to make it as successful as companies like Matsumoku and Fujigen were able to.

Japanese Ampegs. The lost and final decade of an American original.

Maya Guitar Mystery

2011-07-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

It's not often I get a possible three makers for a badged guitar, but that's the current situation I have with Maya guitars.

Maya guitars were manufactured in Japan in the 1970 decade. I always thought that Chushin and Maya Guitar Company were the manufacturers responsible for producing the badge. Not so!

Recently I discovered evidence to the contrary in the form of a new unknown company: Tahara. And it seems pretty ironclad. So what's the problem you ask?

The problem is that there are three manufacturers who have been cited as being the producer of the badge: Chushin Gakki, who may have produced a few Maya guitars here and there, the Maya Guitar Company which existed in Kobe, Japan, and finally Tahara, which was eventually sold to Saga Musical Instruments. Saga has published a letter stating that Tahara did in fact, produce Maya guitars during the 1970's.

Chushin Gakki often did work for other larger manufacturers back in the 1970's, usually those with contracts from American companies like Charvel. We know that some Maya guitars were made by this company, because they were shipped to foreign countries, including America, where they were sold. These Maya guitars are copies of the famous El Maya badge.

So the problem arises between Tahara and the Maya Guitar Company (also known as Maya Musical Instruments). Tahara did not exist long, less than a decade. Maya might have been some sort of collaborative effort or association, whereby various companies worked together on a project. Maya also existed for a relatively short period of time. So who gets credit for the Maya guitar badge? The case for Tahara seems far more substantial in light of the evidence provided by the company now in existence after Tahara's demise. But I truly wonder if perhaps Maya existed as a company and if they had as a collaborator Chushin Gakki and Tahara. It's a marvelous tangle to unwind. Were there Maya guitar badges that were different from El Maya? Were Chushin Maya's different than Tahara Maya guitars?

It's something I'll be looking into over the next few months. If I figure it all out or find someone who knows the answer, I'll share it with you here.

Maya. A badge with an uncertain maker.

St. George Guitars....A Sainted Name For a Badge

2011-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well, as you may have guessed over the past few weeks the Torchman has been busy. Checked out a few concerts in my area and enjoyed the stylings of Steely Dan and the ever-talented Peter Frampton. But I noticed as I was hanging around Detroit a guy playing one of those old St. George basses from the 1960's.

You may recall some St. George guitars were made in Japan, although a few originated in the sunny state of California. Japanese MIJ St. George guitars were manufactured by the Shiro Musical Instrument Manufacturing company, although I've seen them listed as a Kawai Teisco product. My thought is that perhaps Teisco outsourced the manufacture of the badge to this small company. What is known is that St. George guitars were made between 63-67 by Shiro. I gotta admit, the guitar sure does look like a Teisco. Perhaps someone out there can enlighten me.

St. George guitars came in electrics and bass models with the funky white St. George shield badge to remind us that it was named for a saint. Well, actually, it was named for a store with the moniker St. George. St. George guitars were sold in New York and California, although I've seen them elsewhere. Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine, plays a St. George guitar he bought in a pawnshop in Canada. Is that cool or what?

The St. George badge was also slapped on a few amps, which are apparently sought-after because they were made by the infamous amp master Ray Massie, who struck out after working for Fender to create his own company in California in the late 1950's early 1960's. Which means that the amps aren't Japanese. Isn't this fun?

A few St. George guitars (very few) were made by master luthier Paul Barth in Riverside, California. These guitars were made by his company, Bartell. They're extremely sought-after because of the high-quality woods used in construction and come in both 6 and 12 string models, both bass and electrics. The Bartell St. George's have only a script signature "St. George" on the guitar instead of a shield badge like you find on the Japanese-made St. George guitars. It's rare to find them for sale and when they do come up, they sell for thousands of dollars.

On the whole, St. George is a well-loved, easy to play badge which is appreciated by guitarists everywhere. You can find Japanese St. George guitars for as little as $100 here and there. A great buy for a decent guitar!

St. George. Named for a Saint. Still awesome after all these years!

Special Edition: New A Perfect Circle Song, APC in Detroit

2011-07-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

Friday night I got to see the most awesome A Perfect Circle concert I've ever been to. Howerdel was in rare form and James Iha was excellent as always. They played the set list they've been playing throughout the 2011 tour in this order:

1. Annihilation
2. Imagine
3. Weak and Powerless
4. The Hollow
5. What's Going On
6. People Are People
7. The Outsider
8. Peace, Love and Understanding
9. When The Levee Breaks
10. The Noose
11. 3 Libras
12. Gravity
13. Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie
14. Orestes
15. Passive
16. Counting Bodies Like Sheep....
17. Fiddle and Drum
18. By and Down (new)

Here's the video for By and Down:

We had 90 minutes of pure vintage APC....it was freaking awesome! James Iha stole some thunder with his terrific rhythm guitar work and keyboard skills. And who could forget Maynard Keenan off in the corner like a dark scarecrow? Wicked.

Best song of the evening was "Counting Bodies Like Sheep..."! They cranked it up, even though it was towards the end of the show and really brought it home for the crowd.

I hope to god they come out with some of that new material they've been working on soon....if "By and Down" is any indication of how good it will be. And I want to see them again. And again. And again.

Here's the local review for the show here...they loved it as much as I did.

Come back to Detroit, APC!

Laguna Strat copy...

2011-06-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Found a cool lost badged guitar on ebay today: A sunburst Fender Strat copy with the name of "Laguna" in script. Here's a few pics from the seller's page:

Here's the link to the eBay page: http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GUITAR-MADE-JAPAN-OLD-GUITAR-COOL-GUITAR-MIJ-/320711616940?pt=Guitar&hash=item4aabe6e9ac

I think this might be from the 1980 period, although if it was from the late 70's (78,79) I wouldn't be surprised. MIJ Laguna guitars seem to be getting a good reputation from owners as a good starter guitar. Anyhow, thought I'd share with the group before I head out on vacation for the 4th! Have a great holiday!

Life Guitar Mystery Solved, Atlansia Guitars

2011-06-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

It's not often that I find an answer as to who made a particular guitar within a week or two, but in the case of the Life guitar, that's what happened. It seems Life badged guitars (which is a horrible name for a guitar) were made in the late 1970's-early 1980's in Korea and are not Japanese!

Now to an apparently well-known, still in existence guitar manufacturer, Atlansia. I did not know that this wasn't a Matsumoku badge until I did a little research and discovered it was connect to the Matsumoku story due to the current president of the company, Nobuaki Hayashi. Hayashi was the creative engineering genius behind many of Matsumoku's extensive catalog, particularly the Aria badge. Some Aria Pro II guitars designed by Hayashi carry the old H. Noble signature...something to be proud of if you own one of these early Hayashi designs!

As to when Atlansia came into being as a corporation, that's a little vague. The Atlansia company website claims 45 to 40 years of history depending on what page you're on. That would peg the founding of the company around the late 1960's early 1970's period. Other sources claim Atlansia came into being only 30 years ago, or in 1981. There are a few examples of Atlansia guitars before that date made in the late 1970's that may have been the beginning of Atlansia production, but that still wouldn't account for for the 40-45 year claim. Perhaps Hayashi is counting his years at Matsumoku or the company just wasn't making badged guitars until the late 1970's. There's some evidence that Atlansia made guitar parts during the early 1970's and perhaps that explains the discrepancy.

To look at the extensive catalog of Atlansia guitar design, it's fairly innovative, especially in later designs. Hayashi has clearly grown in his work over the decades and it shows in both his bass and electric models. The out-of-the-box jumps he makes in creating visually inspiring guitars is something to behold. Here's just a few pics of modern Hayashi design to whet your appetite:

Atlansia Concord DX bass...can't you just picture that axe in your hands?

This is a recent Hayashi concept model. It's a 7-string guitar which is just experimental at this stage.

This is the Atlansia Peleske model electric. Wicked!

The Atlansia Solitaire ARS bass...I have no clue how you'd play this one.

The strange Atlansia Oxford HBX2 bass

An Atlansia Garland bass guitar

Just compare the above to all those old Aria Pro II designs we all know and love. It's amazing that Hayashi has kept his designs evolving over such an extensive period...and a tribute to his mastery of guitar manufacturing art. Atlansia guitars are still made and sold exclusively in Japan, which is a shame if you ask me. I can't believe they wouldn't find a ravenous market here in America.

Atlansia guitars. Made in Nagano, Japan. An amazing evolution from a former Matsumoku designer!

Attention All Readers Residing in Germany...

2011-06-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

I was recently contacted by a person who owns what they believe to be a Life badged guitar They say they think it's a lost MIJ badge with both electric and acoustic models made in the late 60's to 1970's period. The claim is that there are a lot of these guitars being sold in Germany. Do you have one? Are they Japanese? A quick glance found absolutely no information on these guitars. Let's help a brother out here! In the meantime, I'll try to get a pic of his so we can all see what we're looking at.

Randy Rhoads...30 years after...

2011-06-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

Turn it UP!

Daion, Anyone?

2011-06-11T00:36:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I'd change it up and post on the higher-end of the scale, both by year and quality with the Daion badged guitar while I'm waiting to get those lost Magnum badge pics. Made by Yamaki, these electrics and acoustics were well-received by the public when they debuted in 1978 and were made well beyond the 1980 benchmark. Yamaki also made their own house brand which included both electrics and acoustics as well. The company was founded much earlier than the Daion badge appeared, back in 1962 by a pair of brothers: Yasuyuki and Hirotsygu. The company still exists today as a supplier of high-end guitar parts for foreign guitar manufacturers. Here's just a few pics:

Daion guitars were manufactured after Yamaki had really established itself in the market. The acoustic guitars are highly sought-after by collectors all over the world for their quality, and the electric guitars which have an unmistakable rosewood and maple neck design, are just a joy to behold. Much has been written about this famous badge, including several fan sites in Japan. The distinctive script badge and tuning-fork logo are symbols of quality to Daion owners and collectors around the world. Here's just a few sites on this legendary badge:

http://daionguitar.com/index.php
http://daion.client.jp/
http://daionsonline.wordpress.com/

Just a quick tip...if your Daion is from Australia and has a sticker "Daion" badge instead of a plate, you have a Korean-made Daion in your possession. These were made well after 1980.

Happy collecting!

Magnum Les Paul Guitars-A Lost Japanese Badge?

2011-06-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

I found a Les Paul copy the other day that frankly has me stumped. The badge is "Magnum" and it sure looks and feels like a vintage Japanese guitar! With a bolt-on neck (minus the MIJ stamp) and a really solid feel, I asked the person selling it if they knew much about it. "No," he said kind of sheepishly. "It looks like a vintage Japanese copy to me." I've got a shot of a couple from Harmony Central for an example.

Here is the one I found in dark, blood red. It's got the exact pickguard as the above example. But notice...no higher end mother of pearl.

I realize I need to get closer and sharper pics of the red than what I have...which is fine, as I found a blue bass Magnum just the other day. More pics on the way! Ay-yi-yi!

Black seems to be the more popular color of the ones I've been able to locate online for examples. The one I found was dark red like blood minus the mother-of-pearl inlays. It had silver pickups that looked pretty fragile (I'll be willing to bet owners of these guitars replaced these as quick as possible). Since I live in southeastern lower Michigan, I quickly discovered that the "Magnum" badge was sold locally at Royal Oak Music in Royal Oak, Michigan. The music store has long since disappeared into history. It looks like "Magnum" was sold in Chicago as well so maybe it was only distributed in the midwest in America. There's a lot of reference to Magnums being widely sold in Australia, so they must have been manufactured in good quantities as a 'starter' copy guitar and distributed there as well. It's so interesting where all these badged guitars end up!

Now what makes it far more difficult in pegging who made the Magnum badge is the fact that there was ANOTHER company in Vietnam who made "Magnum" badged guitars! However, those Magnums are described as cheap laminated guitars that have a horrible sound with an approximate manufacturing date somewhere in the 1980's. The Magnum I'm looking at is definitely from the 1970 period and solid. There are also the famous Eastwood Magnum basses and acoustic Magnum Opus guitars which are made domestically both in the United States and Canada.

It's clear the Magnum I found was the lower-end model because of the lack of mother-of-pearl inlays and the cheap pickups.

But I still can't determine if this guitar IS Japanese. Some argue that it is based on styling...it's rather similar to a Daion Les Paul from that period but god, you could say that about a lot of other Les Pauls from the golden 1970's Japanese copy era! Others insist it's a Chinese product. It's such a mystery. I'm going to go back and see if I can find a serial number on the one spotted. In the meantime, check back...I should have those photos up soon so you can see it. The guitar IS for sale, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll pass along the information on the seller.

If you have any information or want to share your Magnum, add it to the blog!

Maruha/F. Hashimoto Guitars

2011-05-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

In investigating the Maruha badge, this is what I've found thus far:

Long ago in the 1960's in Japan was a small company known as Maruha Gakki (maybe). Maruha made badged acoustic, archtop and parlor guitars (which are REALLY nice with great pearl inlays!).

Maruha parlor guitar...sweet!

Jedistar quotes another source that says these guitars were made by another company: Gakki Seizo. I've not been able to figure out if Maruha Gakki really existed or if Maruha guitars were in fact, produced by Gakki Seizo which DOES exist. It looks like the run they had was through the 1970's and some Maruha guitars were badged F. Hashimoto... although who he was or if it was just a name they picked is a mystery. The F. Hashimoto badges seem to be valued by blues and folk players for the guitar's sound quality and are more valuable than the Maruha. Here's a few examples:

Maruha cherryburst from Japan

Check out the scroll label...

Maruha Archtop

F. Hashimoto

Updates, Updates, Updates

2011-05-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked out my Hubpages page of Made In Japan badged electric guitars from 1960-1980, you should. I've made a lot of updates, adding guitar badges and a few overlooked manufacturers from the period. If your guitar badge from this time isn't listed, tell me! I'll be happy to add it. I'll continue to do research into these 'lost' guitars...badges where we have no idea which manufacturer made them.

To date, this is the list of unknown maker badges:

Alex, Andre, Aquarius, Aquila, Asco, Aztec, Bradley, Cameo, Capri, Cipher, CG Winner, Crown, Dorado, El Degas, Encore, Fandel, Feather, Goya, Granada, Intermark, Madeira, Maier, Marchis, Maruha, Matador, Melody, Moon, Norwood, S.G.C., Sigma, Yoshi, Zim-Gar

If you have any information on the maker of any of these guitars, PLEASE contact me!

May Queen, Correction

2011-05-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well, shoot. Sometimes Torch forgets a few things and I'll be gosh darned if it didn't happen during the the May Queen article. I neglected to mention (and thanks to all the readers who pointed it out) that some May Queens were badged "Kimberly". Sorry for the oversight.

A Rare Jack....

2011-05-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Black Jack guitars are RARE. So rare, in fact, that I've never seen a picture of one. They seldom come up for sale and are a bit of a mystery. Made in the 1960's, these hollowbody and semihollow electrics and basses have been attributed to Matsumoku, who made so many of these mystery badges. Black Jack has been compared to examples from Univox, also a Matsumoku badge, although others believe it to be from another unknown manufacturer. Violin-shaped and a trifle old-fashioned, Black Jack is another lost page in the history of MIJ guitar lore.

Do you own a Black Jack? Share it with us! Send a pic!

Teisco May Queen...A Glimpse Into the Future of Electric Bodies

2011-04-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

Since it's coming into the month of May, I thought I'd write about the coveted and rare May Queen guitars by Teisco. These guitars were made in the late 1960's at the height of psychedelic rock and it's clear Teisco was creating products for that market...unusual guitars that these early rockers would find cool and affordable. Teisco was known for playing with body shapes and explored the ways in which guitars could be transformed in appearance without losing their sound quality. The May Queen was no exception with its almost palette-like shape, which some claim was inspired from a Vox design. I've often wondered if the "May Queen" badge was the inspiration for the lyric 'It's just a spring clean for the May Queen' from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", which came out in 1971. Most May Queen guitars that I've seen are in tuxedo black and white, but there are a few out there...very few...that have a red finish that reminds one of a brick color. Another rare color for the May Queen is a beige finish that's kind of blah. May Queen guitars have a distinctive pickguard with a 'signed' "May Queen" above the Teisco brand in old script. Here's the red and black side by side:

How beautiful is that? If you own one or have owned one in your lifetime, you are or were extremely blessed.

Marchis Guitars, Part II

2011-04-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

Well I've got something to show you this week, rather than a long discussion. Here's the Marchis that's from Flat Eric's Blogger page:

This looks almost exactly like East Bay Ray's Marchis from the Dead Kennedys. Natural finish, natural neck. Did they really come from the factory this way?

Now here's a Marchis from Carl, another owner.

This Marchis is obviously a much earlier Les Paul example. What's striking is the simple black neck. Carl says that the original scratchplate was black, too. Notice that the later version has an applied badge plate screwed on, while the earlier version appears to have been attached as simple label. But the script is identical.

So here are two examples of this rare guitar. Do you have one? Is it similar or different than these examples? Let me know!

Marchis guitars

2011-04-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

A reader begins his message to me with "I understand you have a great knowledge of guitars..."

Oh gosh. I wish.

Then he asks me about Marchis guitars. This is a badge I've never even heard of. Nor seen. There doesn't seem to be many of them, from a quick glance at the internet. I did find a fellow blogger with a page on it. My reader said he has a Les Paul Gold version of the Marchis and Flat Eric's photos show a Telecaster thinline guitar that just about matches one in a 1974 Greco catalog. Greco utilized Dyna, Fujigen and Matsumoku in manufacturing their guitars, so it's conceivable that Marchis was a badge made by one of these three manufacturers. Both Matsumoku and Fujigen are the most productive of the timeframe in which Marchis would have been made, however, Dyna made quality guitars as well (they were used by Fender, which is pretty darn selective). Is it possible that Marchis is a lost Dyna badge?

And much to my surprise guitarist East Bay Ray (Dead Kennedys) owns a Marchis....which is shown in a January 2006 Guitar World on page 33. So it can't be that horrible of a guitar.

So does anyone else own one of these lost guitars? Tell me!

Early Guyatone Madness

2011-04-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

I've not posted recently because I caught the flu from hell. Literally. I went to a concert in Hell, Michigan, and was sick as a dog the day after! Anyhow, I thought I'd take the time today to talk about some of the legendary Guyatone guitars from the early 1960's. Guyatone made some pretty cool house brand guitars during their days of Japanese guitar madness. Let's take a gander.

The LG50 was made a little before the period I've been researching in the late 1950's, but it was exceptional in popularity. Guyatone badged some of these beauties with the Antoria badge. Most of the pickguards on these guitars are white, but I've seen a few with mother of pearl which just adds to the lustre. They tended to have blonde finishes and were played by top guitarists of the time, including Jeff Beck and Ringo Starr.

The LG60B reminds me of a tux with its black and white appearance. The pickguard is the traditional white but really sets off this cool bass electric. An early guitar (some were made before 1960) and extremely rare, you've got a prize if you can find one of these vintage axes.

If you've never seen an LG130T, you need to. These compact tremolo electrics from the early 1960's are a favorite among players who prefer offset waist guitars. It also helps that they had beautiful chrome pickguards, although my friend Noah disputes that (he says it's damn ugly).

The Guyatone EB4 is an extremely early example of the basses they made in that 1960's period. They were another offset waist guitar and super rare if you can find one. I've never seen this guitar in person. Check out this video:

Sweet.

Pearl Guitars...brought to you by Matsumoku and Hayashi

2011-03-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Pearl badged MIJ guitars have a mysterious history depending on whom you talk to. They appear to have been widely distributed, finding their way to Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States so they must have been fairly successful. I haven't seen proof that the Pearl badge originated from the infamous Pearl drum corporation although the logos are suspiciously similar. Perhaps it was a brief venture during the guitar craze of the 1970's by that company. We may never know. Most people assume that Pearl badged guitars were made by the famous percussion instrument maker and Pearl guitars are often sold with that information presented as fact. Perhaps someone can enlighten me. Till then, I'm on the fence about the origin of Pearl guitars.

Pearl electric guitars which were made by the venerable Matsumoku, were good Les Paul copies. They came in sunburst and blond finishes from what I've seen of them. Pearls were carried by Great West Musical Imports to the North American continent and I do not know if they distributed the guitar badge worldwide exclusively. Some have mother of pearl pickguards in addition to the Pearl badge inlay, which add to the beauty of the Pearl image. It would be interesting to know if they originally came that way from Matsumoku. They seem to be pretty rare here in the United States but far more numerous among our friends in Australia so I wonder just how many were sold in their heyday. They appear to be classified as a medium-quality guitar, but they sure look good to me.

Pearl acoustics, however, were made by top Japanese acoustic guitar-maker Hayashi. They appear to have been gorgeously crafted with inlays of mother of pearl on the frets on occasion. Most Pearl acoustics from what I've seen were made of high quality tonewoods based on Gibson designs, although I'm not an acoustic guitar expert. Finishes can be anywhere from sunburst to natural and they seem far more numerous in existing quantities than their electric cousins. Pearl acoustics are praised by their owners as high-quality instruments and little wonder...they ARE Hayashi products! You can read more specific information about Pearl acoustic guitar models HERE by Blogger friend Martin on his Vintage Japanese Acoustics blog.

Another interesting thing with Pearl badges is that some "Pearl" inlays are gold and others mother of pearl. I wonder if one color denotes a higher-end instrument model. Again, I don't know the answer to that. Yet another mystery to solve.