Guitar
guitarz.blogspot.com:
...speaking of Japanese guitars, here is one that is much more affordable than the guitar in the previous post, in fact I would recommend this as my eBay Buy of the Month because I have been using one of these very same guitars as my main instrument for a while now and think that it is a superb guitar. It's one of my favourite guitars ever and I don't make that claim lightly - I was trying to work out the other day how many guitars I have owned and it must be at least 60.
Anyway, this is a 1980s-era Aria Pro II TA-30, but please do not confuse these with the later Korean-made TA-40 guitars which also had a bolt-on neck. The TA-30 is a quality Japanese guitar made in the now legendary Matsumoku factory and is far superior in construction, materials, and in playability. (It absolutely nails that Creedence Clearwater Revival sound, if that frame of reference is any use to you!) The Korean-made TA-40 is not a bad guitar but the cheaper laminates that it is made from mean that it has a tendency to sound rather boxy.
The Japanese and Korean TAs do look very similar but there are various little details that help you tell them apart. For example, the Japanese TAs have a much slimmer body if viewed sideways-on - it's about a centimetre difference. Also, the f-holes are much more slender and ornate, whereas the Korean examples have more of a "cookie cutter" outline. The Japanese examples are often fitted with those tulip-shaped machine heads too.
Contrary to popular belief and numerous eBay listings for these guitars, both Japanese and Korean, the TA-30 and TA-40 are not "335-style". For starters the shape is slimmer and nowhere near as rounded as the Gibson guitar, but more tellingly they have fully hollow bodies and not a solid centre section as on the 335 (that's what makes it a 335).
Currently listed on eBay UK with a starting price of £150. That is an absolute bargain for a Matsumoku-made guitar of this quality. If I was in need of a back-up for my main guitar I'd certainly bid but right now I have other priorities.
G L Wilson
© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
- Aria Pro Ii Zz Deluxe 1980s Explorer-type Matsumoku-made Guitar
guitarz.blogspot.com: I readily admit that I have a soft spot for 1980s Japanese-made Aria Pro II guitars - even pointy ones like this Aria Pro II ZZ Deluxe. Although quite obviously based on Gibson's Explorer the designers have made this version...
- Info Wanted On 1970s Japanese-made Country Sv300 Solidbody Electric
guitarz.blogspot.com: Greg writes: I'd like to share with your readers one original guitar I recently put my hands on. It may be a Matsumoku or a Kasuga one, made in Japan, it was bought in France circa 1977 (according to the previous owner). The...
- Aria Pro Ii Sh-800 Through-neck Thinline Semi
guitarz.blogspot.com: I realise that we're at risk of becoming the Matsumoku Fan Blog with a third post in a row about a Japanese Matsumoku-made guitar, but I make absolutely no apology for this. These guitars are still out there, are fabulous players,...
- 11 On 11/11/11: #4 - Mako Exotec Xp-4
OK, it's the 11th November 2011, that is 11/11/11, and as such today has been designated Nigel Tufnel Day. To celebrate this day of Maximum Elevenness, we here at Guitarz - for this day only - will be posting an unprecedented ELEVEN blog posts! So,...
- Japanese-made Westone Guitar From 1964? I'd Aways Thought They Were From The 1980s
guitarz.blogspot.com: We've looked at several Westone guitars previously here at Guitarz. As we've mentioned before, Westone was the house-brand of Japan's Matsumoku factory with guitars being produced from 1981-1988. The Westone name was...
Guitar
Matsumoku-made Aria Pro II Titan Artist series TA-30 semi
...speaking of Japanese guitars, here is one that is much more affordable than the guitar in the previous post, in fact I would recommend this as my eBay Buy of the Month because I have been using one of these very same guitars as my main instrument for a while now and think that it is a superb guitar. It's one of my favourite guitars ever and I don't make that claim lightly - I was trying to work out the other day how many guitars I have owned and it must be at least 60.
Anyway, this is a 1980s-era Aria Pro II TA-30, but please do not confuse these with the later Korean-made TA-40 guitars which also had a bolt-on neck. The TA-30 is a quality Japanese guitar made in the now legendary Matsumoku factory and is far superior in construction, materials, and in playability. (It absolutely nails that Creedence Clearwater Revival sound, if that frame of reference is any use to you!) The Korean-made TA-40 is not a bad guitar but the cheaper laminates that it is made from mean that it has a tendency to sound rather boxy.
The Japanese and Korean TAs do look very similar but there are various little details that help you tell them apart. For example, the Japanese TAs have a much slimmer body if viewed sideways-on - it's about a centimetre difference. Also, the f-holes are much more slender and ornate, whereas the Korean examples have more of a "cookie cutter" outline. The Japanese examples are often fitted with those tulip-shaped machine heads too.
Contrary to popular belief and numerous eBay listings for these guitars, both Japanese and Korean, the TA-30 and TA-40 are not "335-style". For starters the shape is slimmer and nowhere near as rounded as the Gibson guitar, but more tellingly they have fully hollow bodies and not a solid centre section as on the 335 (that's what makes it a 335).
Currently listed on eBay UK with a starting price of £150. That is an absolute bargain for a Matsumoku-made guitar of this quality. If I was in need of a back-up for my main guitar I'd certainly bid but right now I have other priorities.
G L Wilson
© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
- Aria Pro Ii Zz Deluxe 1980s Explorer-type Matsumoku-made Guitar
guitarz.blogspot.com: I readily admit that I have a soft spot for 1980s Japanese-made Aria Pro II guitars - even pointy ones like this Aria Pro II ZZ Deluxe. Although quite obviously based on Gibson's Explorer the designers have made this version...
- Info Wanted On 1970s Japanese-made Country Sv300 Solidbody Electric
guitarz.blogspot.com: Greg writes: I'd like to share with your readers one original guitar I recently put my hands on. It may be a Matsumoku or a Kasuga one, made in Japan, it was bought in France circa 1977 (according to the previous owner). The...
- Aria Pro Ii Sh-800 Through-neck Thinline Semi
guitarz.blogspot.com: I realise that we're at risk of becoming the Matsumoku Fan Blog with a third post in a row about a Japanese Matsumoku-made guitar, but I make absolutely no apology for this. These guitars are still out there, are fabulous players,...
- 11 On 11/11/11: #4 - Mako Exotec Xp-4
OK, it's the 11th November 2011, that is 11/11/11, and as such today has been designated Nigel Tufnel Day. To celebrate this day of Maximum Elevenness, we here at Guitarz - for this day only - will be posting an unprecedented ELEVEN blog posts! So,...
- Japanese-made Westone Guitar From 1964? I'd Aways Thought They Were From The 1980s
guitarz.blogspot.com: We've looked at several Westone guitars previously here at Guitarz. As we've mentioned before, Westone was the house-brand of Japan's Matsumoku factory with guitars being produced from 1981-1988. The Westone name was...