Our excellent and rare examples of vintage Japanese guitars are available for "Buy as Described" or "Buy to Upgrade". The latter gives you a golden opportunity to create a dream build which is blessed with Janpanese craftsmanship and exciting modern functionality. Give us your upgrade ideas here, and we will work out the best price and programme together. Buy to Upgrade Our excellent and rare examples of vintage Japanese guitars are available for "Buy as Is" or "Buy to Upgrade". The latter gives you a golden opportunity to create a dream build which is blessed with Janpanese craftsmanship and exciting modern functionality. Give us your upgrade ideas here, and we will work out the best price and programme together. Ketteringham Hall, Church Road, Wymondham NR18 9RS tom@matsumoku.rocks +44(0)1953 686 861 Buy to Upgrade First Name Last Name Email Phone Your Idea to Upgrade I'd like to buy to upgrade: (copy name of your chosen guitar from the dropdown list) Send Thanks for submitting! Opening Hours Whether you are local, or passing by, please drop by. Office hours are kept, but most fun is had here in the evenings and at weekends.

Westone Paduak II, Become a Paduak addict like us < Back Westone Paduak II 2072472 Prestige and Rainbow owners will disagree, metallic blue and yellow Raider owners will drop their eye-liner in shock, but the Paduak is, to me, the pinnacle of the Matsumoku Westone range. The neck seems to suit and impress high end Strat and LP players equally. The PEQ controls can convincingly emulate weedy singles, fat P-90s and full humbuckers at some point through the rotation. Those brass knobs with their centre indent just feel better then plastic. So it looks like a 1970's housing estate internal door to some, agreed, but it can grow on you and has its own identity amongst the Fenders and Gibsons. It's all about the neck with this one - the craftsmanship of construction and anti-fashion look aside, even the versatility of the tonal spectrum aside, this neck is addictive. Like all good necks, it brings out the best you have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljlB7ocXS3E Price Availability Private Stock 1 at Ketteringham Hall Recommendation Just enjoy it as it is. Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1982 Pick-ups HF450 Selector 3-way Toggle, with Master volume & 2 PEQ tone Bridge HD Brass Board Maple 3.32kg; 7lbs 5oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 04:22 Play Video Play Video 03:45 Play Video Play Video 03:33 Play Video Play Video 06:07 Play Video Play Video 07:01 Play Video Play Video 02:33 Play Video Play Video 03:30 Play Video Play Video 07:44

Take a look beyond the main stream market offerings and explore our quality vintage guitars originating from the iconic Matsumoku plant (and a few of their neighbours) - we have some rare hidden gems to be discovered and celebrated.  Treasure Chamber Whilst many of our amazing instruments are destined to be DreamBuilds, some of them are too rare, too unrepeatable or just too incredible as they are. They stay as they are and are waiting for you to explore them and put them through their paces. Come and try them out! Book Now 1000 Page 3 Filter By Year 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 ... 1000

Unwrap bygone craftsmanship of the 70s-80s by Matsumoku; Revive the vintage builds with a modern touch. Treasure Chamber Restoration The Experienc DreamBuilds Featured We're New Arrivals Our Story Latest WE'RE MATSUMOKU GUITAR AND BASS LTD. Unwrap bygone craftsmanship of the 70s-80s by Matsumoku Revive the vintage builds with a modern touch DreamBuilds Treasure Chamber Repair & Restore New Arrivals Shop our original DreamBuilds, vintage Matsumoku examples, rare collector guitars and more. Fernandes TEJ-55G MMK Price £995.00 Fender Special Run Deluxe Vintage Player '57 Stratocaster Price £1,825.00 Squier DiM Price £495.00 Gretsch G6115T-LTD15 Red Betty Price £1,995.00 Greco SE-800J Regular Price £1,695.00 Sale Price £999.00 Fender Fessler Masterbuilt 1962 Jazzmaster NOS Price £9,995.00 Fender Custom Shop LTD 59 Jazzmaster Price £3,375.00 Matsumoku DB-DG Price £1,695.00 Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster - Left Handed Price £345.00 Jackson JS11 & Marshall G15R Starter Pack Price £275.00 Sold 1979 Greco SE-500 Please contact us if you want more of this. Fernandes FR-65S Price £795.00 Matsumoku DB-500軽量 Price £1,295.00 Aria Pro II TE-400 Price £795.00 Fernandes GM-85 Price £895.00 Deal 1973 Greco SE-430 (2) Please contact us if you want more of this. Shop Now Matsumoku Guitar and Bass Ltd was set up to celebrate the guitars, restore the guitars, create evolutions of the models , and try out configurations that open up their potential yet retain the soul that make these guitars so special, cherished and respected. Read More Our Story The journey of putting the name of Matsumoku legitimately and deservedly on a guitar headstock DreamBuilds These are vintage guitars that we have revived with a modern touch. We help you create THAT sound in your head. We are bold, imaginative and skilled in making YOUR DreamBuild come true. Find Out How It Works DreamBuilds TEJ-55G MMK Matsumoku DB-DG Matsumoku JPJ-9B Matsumoku DB-500軽量 Matsumoku DB-350 Paisley Matsumoku SP-600 Psychedelic 1/1 Treasure Chamber Treasure Chamber Take a look beyond the main stream market offerings and explore our quality vintage guitars originating from the iconic Matsumoku plant (and a few of their neighbours) - we have some rare hidden gems to be discovered and celebrated. Explore Our Collections Restoration Restoration Room Check your special instrument in for the love and attention it needs. Special instruments need a first class approach and will benefit from the huge experience and top level skills offered by our team of luthiers. Not technicians, luthiers. Project Showcase 1959 Hofner President Restoration Aria Pro II LS600D VS Restoration Epiphone Les Paul Upgrade Full Electrics Upgrade Framus Strato 6 10230 Recommissioning Alembic Essence Bass Recommissioning Gretsch G2622T Pick-up Upgrade Pelicaster Full Electrics Upgrade Hofner 5148 Verithin Bass Full repair & restoration to original specification 1995 American Standard Strat Full Electrics Upgrade 2008 Ibanez J-Custom Reaching The Final 5% Hofner Club 40 1959 Neck repair and restoration to original specification Hohner B2A Pick-up Upgrade The Experienc The Experience We endeavour to create a unique Matsumoku experience: to celebrate the vintage legends, a touch of class yet relaxed and above all, fun. Whether you are local, or passing by, please drop by. Office hours are kept, but most fun is had here in the evenings and at weekends. Book A Visit

Suhr Classic T Custom, Pro-grade Super-Tele < Back Suhr Classic T Custom 27480 After several years as the "posh Tele" house-guitar in a Norfolk based Recording Studio, and a few more years in the ownership of a recording artist, this Suhr is now seeking a new home. To recreate this guitar on the Suhr configurator results in an eye-watering price. Clearly this is a great way of getting an expensive Suhr for posh Fender money. The P-90s bark and howl as you would expect but clean up sweetly to make for a very versatile guitar - no complexity, just huge character adjustments with the volume and tone controls. The condition is excellent - no dings, just a tiny almost invisible scuff on the rear belly cut. Suhr describe this neck as an 'Even C' - it has a very modern feel to it. This is no-nonsense quality, originally supplied via Peach Guitars. It still feels like a brand new guitar - a proper Studio Queen but right ready to be gigged - these S-90 pick-ups will get you heard. It's posh, but not too posh to use properly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp2srET45VM It will ship in a Hiscox flightcase Price Availability £???? Sold Recommendation Enjoy it as it is Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 2015 Pick-ups Suhr P-90 Selector 3-Way Bridge Gotoh Board Rosewood 3.6kg; 7lbs 15oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:33 Play Video Play Video 06:07 Play Video Play Video 07:01 Play Video Play Video 02:33 Play Video Play Video 03:30 Play Video Play Video 07:44 Play Video Play Video 02:41 Play Video Play Video 03:08

Check your special instrument in for the love and attention it needs. Special instruments need a first class approach and will benefit from the huge experience and top level skills offered by our team of luthiers. Not technicians, luthiers.  Repair & Restore Featured Showcase Book Now 1959 Hofner President Restoration Read More Framus Strato 6 10230 Recommissioning Read More Pelicaster Full Electrics Upgrade Read More 2008 Ibanez J-Custom Reaching The Final 5% Read More Rickenbacker 1997 General restoration to original specification Read More Tokai LS70GT General recommissioning Read More Aria Pro II LS600D VS Restoration Read More Alembic Essence Bass Recommissioning Read More Hofner 5148 Verithin Bass Full repair & restoration to original specification Read More Hofner Club 40 1959 Neck repair and restoration to original specification Read More Fender Custom Shop General recommissioning Read More Ed Roman Re-fret Read More Epiphone Les Paul Upgrade Full Electrics Upgrade Read More Gretsch G2622T Pick-up Upgrade Read More 1995 American Standard Strat Full Electrics Upgrade Read More Hohner B2A Pick-up Upgrade Read More Levin Goliath Neck repair and general recommissioning Read More Repair & Restore at Matsumoku Some guitars and amplifiers justify, deserve and occasionally genuinely need an enhanced level of quality service - it's difficult to find the right word, but 'preferential' gets close. Maybe the instrument is of a particular vintage or has a value that you really need to put some thought into who will be working on it to maintain its soul; its value and its provenance. Or maybe it's your best friend and it deserves the highest level of service. We can offer routine maintainance, fault fixing up to complete restorations. Here at Matsumoku, I entirely understand what a guitar can mean to an owner. In my own quest to give vintage and rare instruments a new lease of life, and deliver the highest standards achievable, I have an amazing team of luthiers and technicians that respect and enjoy maintaining exclusive and special instruments. Acoustic, electric, bass, baritone; valve or solid state, all types of guitar and amplification are extremely welcome here. I set aside evenings from 18:00 till 21:00 and weekends from 11:00 till 22:00 to offer appointments for you to bring in your pride and joy to discuss, diagnose, and find the right solutions for. This appointment costs nothing, and has no obligation to proceed with any work. Sometimes the safest possible hands are required. Book Now

A small Alembic for large double bass duty!! < Back Alembic Essence Bass Free Consultation Book Now Recommissioning Alembics need little introduction - they are phenomenal instruments and this early 90s Essence is a small body light weight active model with the expected build quality and quality feel. All this needed was a good recommissioning as it had been in storage for a while. A few hours on the bench took out a slight bow on the neck - the dual rods in these make that nice and easy. A really good clean and levelling of 2 frets get this neck as good as it is supposed to be, and a thorough clean of the electrics removed the scratchiness of the pots. The pre-amp and pick-ups were perfect. The brass hardware now shines again and a set of nylon wrap flats now have this Alembic looking to get that double bass vibe - a small adjustment to the saddles for these strings required, but now it is wonderful. A professional grade bass with an interesting set-up for a talented professional. Gallery ← Previous Next→

Nothing on this bass hasn't been refurbished, rebuilt or sensitively replaced. < Back Hofner 5148 Verithin Bass Free Consultation Book Now Full repair & restoration to original specification Carrying the serial number 682, this is the last known 5148 Verithin Bass produced . Despite leading a busy life, and slightly less than optimal storage conditions for such an instrument, it is adored by its owner. The initial brief was fairly simple - reset the neck and try and make it playable at the lower end of the fretboard. That brief soon expanded... Disassembling the guitar for checking and cleaning soon produced a seemingly never-ending list of "do while we're there" , and as a result, nothing on this wonderful bass hasn't been refurbished, rebuilt or sensitively replaced. The pick-ups were intermittent in their behaviour. The windings had all but perished . The new replacements for these pick-ups are significantly hotter than the originals and so these originals were re-wound to exact specification . Now we have the original tones, and they are so characterful. The selector switch had thrown a leaf and so was replaced by a modern equivalent albeit identical on the outside. The potentiometers were in poor shape, but we rescued them (they don't build them like this anymore). Via this exercise, I can reliably assure a skeptical world that there is a noticeable change in tone when running these pick-ups through CTS pots, although renewing capacitors made no difference at all with the original pots. I think we'd need to find a Tupolev TU-104 cockpit on Ebay to find a suitable replacement for these. The obvious issue with this at the outset was of course the neck . Half in half out of its pocket, major surgery was required to release it fully, and get it back where it should be in order to compensate for the bowed neck (way beyond truss-rod correction). A second round of work may take place in the future that removes the fretboard and deals with the ski-slope at the upper frets, but for now, the guitar plays perfectly well between the 1st and 13th fret . Until this work takes place, a Viola style bridge saddle replaces the original item due to having more adjustment potential therefore allowing an appropriate action working together with the revised neck angle, and getting over the ski-jump. This Verithin is now back in service, looking and sounding glorious, playing comfortably and most of all reliably. (Photo credit to Andrew V., owner of the Verithin Bass) Gallery ← Previous Next→

That perfect combination of 1973 Harayama neck, and sensational look. < Back Matsumoku DB-500 Tropical Price £1,595 | SOLD Add to Cart Chat with Us Missed out on this model? Talk to us for a rebuild! I write about Harayama elsewhere (most places!) on this site - his influence on MIJ output is rarely appreciated, but without him companies we know today such as ESP and Fender Japan wouldn't be what they are today; and Prince probably wouldn't have had his MadCat Tele. You can have a bit of Harayama magic with a lot of our DreamBuild guitars - this is another fine example. Based around a 1973 Matsumoku built Greco (the original Gneco decal stays) SE-500, this already fine guitar has traded its electronics for a modern and vastly improved specification. The glorious neck now has fresh Jescar Tall Narrow frets - close your eyes and you could be playing a astronomically expensive Masterbuilt Fender '62 Jazzmaster - that's the nearest equivalent we have experienced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re37OJoTFkM We have focussed our modifications to the aesthetics for this guitar - the condition of the hardware determined this guitar should live on with it for another 51 years - we can make further upgrades if required, but we love this guitar as it is, and the price can be kept as friendly as possible. The Burgundy Mist nitro refinish is paired with a fabulous scratchplate. Sonny Crockett could have had this as a bit of practical art on St Vitus' Dance - did an episode of Miami Vice influence this I wonder? I lived in Miami for a while - I guess this episode of life influenced me a little here. The Excel pick-ups are held in high regard for a reason - very little benefits are required from upgrading them. These pick-ups are from a 1979 SE800 that received a very special upgrade. This guitar plays deliciously, sounds fantastic, and looks good enough to eat. Details The Look A continuation of the Floral theme, this guitar is one of 2 guitars we have refinished in the early 60s Custom colour Burgundy Mist, this one is combined with a striking and perfectly matched scratchplate. Headstock A highly regarded 1973 large headstock style with its original Gotoh tuners and new Gotoh barrel trees. Neck The infamous Harayama 5 piece full C neck with new Jescar 55090 Tall Medium frets on a gracefully aged maple fretboard Pick-ups 3 Maxon Excel single coils - probably the most favoured iteration of the Maxon single coil with their characteristic airy brightness and clarity. The neck pick-up will likely worry your blues bandmates as they just know you'll make them go around again. And again. It's that addictive. Bridge The original Gotoh vintage tremolo unit remains and its steel block gives amazing sustain and it sounds so delightful acoustically, you'll play it for ages before even plugging it in. Controls Upgraded to a 5-way switch, and tone control for the bridge pick-up. Glorious soft-touch knobs feel very premium. Gallery ← Previous Next→

That perfect combination of old vintage feel, and modern everything else < Back Matsumoku DB-500 Price £1,695 | SOLD Add to Cart Chat with Us Missed out on this model? Talk to us for a rebuild! My love of early 1970s Matsumoku Strats is well known around here - I just can't get enough of them. After 50 years many have developed their own character from the styles and treatment they have received by previous owners. As much as the Maxon single coils have their own soul and character, occasionally it seems sensible to have the modern options such as being quieter and louder when you need them to be, and having more than just 3 sounds at your disposal. This SE-500 may have a few knocks on the body and age-related cracks on the lacquer, but has obviously been cherished. Pre Serial Number 1974/5 Grecos are special - Greco guitars were always good both from Matsumoku and the pre-Fender Fujigen days, but these ones are, we think, special. Whilst Maxon pick-ups are soulful and characterful, they are of their time, and the idea for this guitar is to combine the vintage feel with up-to-date sounds and playability. These guitars were faithful to contemporary Fenders and featured 3-way switching. We have unlocked the potential of this guitar and fitted a set of Clausen Alnico 5 single coils governed by a 5-way CRL switch, and a neck/bridge blend function. These pick-ups are modelled on a David Gilmour specification - the neck and middle coils are 5.5k DCR, and the bridge pick-up is wound to a phenomenal 13.5k DCR. This hotter winding does not boost the volume and unbalance the units; instead it thickens up the tone and adds a huge helping of mid-range growl that behaves in a civilized manner when clean, but drives an amplifier to perfection. It handles gain just as you need for that Numb solo, and the neck pick-up will provide that glassy chime for the cleaner tones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f8yXB8J4Ds It will handle most styles you ask from it and any signal path you feed. Blending the neck pick-up with the powerful bridge provides a very airy scooped tone, but never loses presence, the power of the bridge unit keeps you in the mix. You may go full Communiqué Knopfler in positions 2 and 4 with the full blend function. Extremely versatile. Further tone trimming is offered with the master tone which uses a SoZo PIO capacitor to govern the high frequencies. The bridge is now a Gotoh 510TS - a very high quality unit that features a large stainless steel block which adds a lot of sustain to the guitar, and gives the guitar an unplugged acoustic ring that will probably encourage you to play for half an hour before you even plug it into an amp. It also has incredible tuning stability. Tuners are new Gotoh SDS510 units - we love the SD91 range, but only the very best for this guitar.. A few folk find pleasure in having a guitar from their birth-year - we are still in 2024 as I write this, so what an amazing 50th birthday present for you and the guitar! The price of this guitar is determined entirely by the specification it is now built to - there is no premium due to the brand as there may be for a Fender of this vintage. Matsumoku and later in the decade, Fujigen, were truly scaring the hell out of Fender - if you can't beat them, join them gave us the MIJ Fenders. Strat copies from Japan in these years were comparable quality to CBS era Fenders - some go further and braver in their opinions... Details The Look Looking old where it appeals and new where it matters. The lacquer has 50 years worth of dinks and cracks, but relic is a dirty word here. Original is best, and with this one there is no headstock tax. Headstock Brand new Gotoh SDS510 Chrome tuners. SDS510 are the premium range from Gotoh. Neck A beautiful looking maple fretboard - the finest looking woods were reserved for this model in early1974. This one was always put down gently. Pick-ups 3 x Clausen single coils to David Gilmour specification. 5.5, 5.5 and 13.5k from neck to bridge. That bridge pick-up provides more mid-range growl but there are plenty of interesting ways to tame it. Bridge Gotoh 510NST in Chrome - this is the best non locking tremolo unit we can find - extremely sensitive and precise - and no threads to wear loose. From Marvin to Gilmour - even folk who say they never use the tremolo change their minds with this one. Controls 5 way selector, master volume, master tone and neck blender control. This blender gradually brings in its opposite pick-up to expand the range of amazing tones from this guitar. Blending a tiny bit of neck with the powerful bridge pick-up lowers the mid-range without removing you from the mix. Gallery ← Previous Next→

1970's Kimbara, Upgraded 1970's MIJ Nivana. < Back 1970's Kimbara 703617 Kimbara are probably better known for their acoustic guitars produced in various Japanese factories in the 1970's, then onto Korea in the 1980's. Matsumoku produced a few Strat-style guitars with this brand for FCN music , and a few found their way to London music shops. Always surprisingly good compared to the real things, and was a massive value for money back then. From the construction and feel of these Kimbaras, I suggest they were equivalent to contemporary Greco SE-380s and Aria Pro II ST-400s . Always a lightweight Sen body and well made and proportioned gentle C maple neck . This one came to us for curiosity - it is always interesting to compare the various brands from Matsumoku during the glory years. This particular guitar has been a busy work-horse all of its life and has undergone a series of minor upgrades. The bridge is a Wilkinson unit (OK, but Gotoh suits these better), and the pick-ups are from Alegree (Frigid Haze is our best guess), and they are very well suited to this guitar. The guitar has been refinished in black Nitro a fair few years ago, and some vintage crazing is already present. It suits the guitar and stays as it is. I intend to restore the bridge to the same type of Gotoh bridge (a previous DreamBuild donated a very good condition example) as the Wilkinson answers questions no-one has asked. And it doesn't look right on a Matsumoku guitar. Its role here is clear - an example of the brand to sample and compare. But, should someone fall for it, it can go with them. I would value this at £475 which obviously includes a full set-up to whatever state is required. A local sale means it would be looked after here - if you can get it to us, we will keep it serviced for free for as long as you have it. We look after our own! I would genuinely recommend this as a guitar to learn on - it is a perfect gigging instrument that will reward the aspirational player with quality, comfort and an authenticity that isn't available at the entry level. This will hold its own against any MIM Fender , and comes with a run-in feel and character you just won't get from a new instrument at this price point. If having a 45 year old vintage MIJ quality instrument is as 'cool' as having a brand new cheaply and quickly produced one, let this one bring the best out of you. It's this or a new drop shipped Indonesian Squier and the expense of having it regularly set up properly to keep you persevering. Price Availability £475 Sold Recommendation Try a Squier 40th Anniversary, then try this one. This is where the smart money goes. Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1975 Pick-ups Alegree Selector 3-way Bridge Wilkinson Vintage Board Maple 3.25kg; 7lbs 3oz Modifications Older nitro refinish, Graphtech nut and string trees, Schaller tuners Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:33 Play Video Play Video 06:07 Play Video Play Video 07:01 Play Video Play Video 02:33 Play Video Play Video 03:30 Play Video Play Video 07:44 Play Video Play Video 02:41 Play Video Play Video 03:08

An amazing combination of old and new where it really matters. < Back Matsumoku Monaco C78 Price ££££ Add to Cart Chat with Us Back in the mid to late 1970s, factories such as Matsumoku, Fujigen, and many others were working hard to produce viable guitars to be sold with the Fender name on the headstocks. A chap called Norikatsu Harayama had mastered not only the Fender style neck, but also designed and produced his own take on it - these guitars have a quiet but solid following and respect. Harayama worked at Matsumoku throughout this period before going out on his own - one of his prodigies was the very same H Noble whose name graces the headstocks of many collectible guitars from this era. H Noble (Nobuaki Hayashi) was in charge of Matsumoku when the Stagecasters and Strikin' Sounds models were in production. Ol' Lumpy started life in March 1978 as a tobaccoburst Aria Stagecaster ST-600 with the SP-1B Fat Strat pick-ups. It had been gigged relentlessly by a guitarist under the influence of Pete Townshend - this poor old ST-600 had battle scars that defied belief, but had a fretboard that indicated proper constant use. No relic'ing here - this is all real. Passing the guitar around a team of professionals and luthiers for their comment, the absolute consensus was that the guitar played brilliantly - absolutely worth saving. A plan was drawn up, a willing new owner found, the project began. We decided to produce a tribute to the Fender International range - the gorgeous Monaco model in particular. Yellow guitars are always great. We specifically tried to blend the new and old - the only perfection required was the hardware and electronics - the perfect sound and playability with the 'old friend' look. The look of the fretboard was retained beneath its new Dunlop 6000 frets, the lumps in the bodywork also retained under its new nitrocellulose yellow finish. A set of custom wound Häussel AlNiCo5 pick-ups configured in a Gilmour fashion - the bottom tone control acting as a blender for the neck pickup - are now fitted. The bridge is now a Gotoh 510TS in Cosmo Black with matching Gotoh SGS510 locking tuners at the other end on a black headstock. A new nut and matching Cosmo hardware elsewhere complete this fascinating instrument. We played the guitar for a few months to check the decisions made, and then gave it a master-luthier set-up. The brief achieved, we now move on to produce more of these. We have a stock of donor instruments, a mature list of options that work well, and have 2 more in production currently. There remains the option of using your Aria Pro II guitar as the donor - some basic fundamental checks on the instrument will declare it fit to proceed or not. Doesn't have to be yellow, but to wear the Monaco name on the headstock, it ought to be! The choice of pick-ups and configuration will depend largely on how you'll use the guitar - the mega-bucks Häussels are only one of the options. We have plenty of other recommended pick-ups to suit different budgets. Ol' Lumpy was commissioned for a close "friend of the show" and the guitar is often here at the Hall and available to be sampled. Attention left-handers! We have one remaining ST-500L in stock here - one of the very few left handed guitars produced in 1980. The perfect donor for an upgrade project. Details The Look Refinished over those scars and lumps with cheerful yellow nitrocellulose paint. Cosmo Black Gotoh hardware with black plastic parts. A nod to the Fender International range produced by Fuji in the early 1980s Headstock Matsumoku logo with Monaco model name in Japanese. Cosmo Black Gotoh SGS510 locking tuners for stability and fast string changes Neck New Dunlop 6000 frets on original neck. Gibson frets on a Strat was a thing back in the 1980s according to the members of the team here who are old enough to remember. There is no relic'ing here - this is natural and real board wear. Pick-ups 3 x Häussel AlNiCo5 custom wound (Desperado spec) with black covers. A great output - not too hot, yet the perfect amount of mids for clean and crunchy tones. A neck blender tames the aggression from the bridge if you need to dial it back. Bridge The Gotoh 510TS in Cosmo Black has smooth solid saddles - comfortable and ultra high quality. Controls Traditional 5 way selector blade working in conjunction with the lower knob to blend the neck pick-up into the mix. Master Volume and Master Tone controls - highest quality 250k. Gallery ← Previous Next→