Back/sides
Scale
Tuners
Finishing
Condition
Playability
Origin
Current status
Personal comment
: Indian Rosewood (laminated)
: 650mm
: Gotoh
: lacquer
: great (like new)
: great
: Japan
: FOR SALE
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In 1970's, Ryoji Matsuoka manufactured guitars with 3 models, based on Fleta, Hauser and Rubio. Because of
the complicated structures, especially the Fleta one, from late 70s, they stopped producing those 3
models, and they started producing only Ramirez
models, which are still being produced up to now. In the 1990s, they started building a Matias Damman
model, under "Aranjuez" label. I noticed they began to reproduce the Hauser models.
This is another great finding from Matsuoka vintages. Manufactured in 1979, the guitar still looks near new. The previous owner must have taken care of it too well, or he must have just put it in the hardcase for several years ! The second surprise about this guitar is its sound ! The sound is huge and surprisingly the clarity is great too, especially in the upper registers, this is the clarity that you may find in a handmade guitar with a Brazillian Rosewood back/side! Again, I'd like to emphasize here, that this is NOT a handmade guitar, indeed, but it has the tonal beauty of a handmade guitar! This is a Ramirez copy guitar (the headshape is also similar). But the sound, again, is not the typical sound of Matsuoka guitars, although they are based on the same model (current Matsuoka guitars are Ramirez model). I initially bought this guitar not for myself, but for a friend of mine. Now I am left with a BIG confusion whether to sell this guitar to him, or just to add this into my collection. Not wanting to upset him, I put the status as FOR SALE now ... though I might change my mind. |
