Full rescue! < Back Aria Pro II LS600D VS Free Consultation Book Now Restoration Most folk only realise how great these guitars are after they have traded them in for Gibsons. Sure, the brand doesn't have the universal aspirational appeal of the Gibson, but the actual guitar itself punches well above its weight - back in the 1980s, these were actually obtainable; not a huge volume available, but at a price that could be saved up for. Functionally, this was the model with all the toys - massively powerful pick-ups that blow hot T-Tops into the weeds, 2 albums worth of tones, and that probably unnecessary booster, but always nce to have even more on tap. Silky smooth to play, a decent weight and materials that compare favourably with any high end contemporary Gibson - everyone that traded theirs in eventually regretted it. This one had undergone a very traumatic attempt to recommission - I think the technician probably came off worse than the guitar - these are complicated beasts. No reliable formal technical guides exist for them, and you either know how these go together or you don't. Luckily we do - it is what we exist for. With only the bridge pick-up making any noise, and the mini-toggles behaving like kill-switches, a valiant attempt had been made to re-install the original pick-ups. This really was a rip it up and start again full re-wire, and now we have the coil splits and the phase reversal doing their jobs, and that lovely creamy neck pick-up is back. The booster and Varitone are now configured correctly again, all the little details are right. This now feels like its a few years old - beautifully played in; but most importantly has all its functions again. They really don't make them like this any more. It's hard to believe, and easy to fall for all the super-slick marketing efforts of modern brands, but until you play one like this, you don't have the right benchmark. They were built to outlast us all, maybe provide a nervous breakdown for Gibson worshipping technicians, but look after them and they'll look after you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7df_5ijWDsg Gallery ← Previous Next→

Fender Special Run Deluxe Vintage Player '57 Stratocaster, Great value versatile rare Strat < Back Fender Special Run Deluxe Vintage Player '57 Stratocaster V144352 Amongst the various Mary Kaye style Stratocasters that Fender has produced over the decades, this one is possibly the most comprehensively equipped. V144352 is a 2005 Fender Special Run DLX 57 Mary Kaye. FSR models are dealer specials – this one has the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pick-ups; also the S-1 switch with very useful series connected tones when activated. Usually Fender used S-1 switches to offer one or 2 extra parallel tones – this uses the switch’s capability to the max. Unlike many 57 style Strats, this one has a regular C profile neck with a 9.5 radius; the 22 frets show no signs of wear. All the gold hardware is in excellent unpitted condition, the tremolo arm present and the single ply scratchplate free of cracks and warping. This guitar has been part of a cherished collection – played regularly, but always kept clean. The nitro finish has yellowed gracefully and the ash grain looks very nice if you peer through it. The electrics are all fully functional – this guitar was regularly serviced. For any geeky types interested, the wiring schematic is #010 -1400/02 – most commonly seen in the American Deluxe series from 2004. With the S-1 switch in normal mode you have the traditional 5-way options – the SCN pick-ups providing a very full chime. Push the S-1 in and a higher output results – not a typical humbucker mid-heavy compression – each position retains a single coil clarity, but adds some very useful mid-range frequency. Position 3 is an almighty “cluck” reminding us of a pair of parallel connected P-90s or Wide-Ranges. They are the sort of tones that may wonder how you managed without them. These non-standard pick-ups and configurations were from the genius of Bill Lawrence. The guitar weighs 3.5kg (7lbs 12oz) – great for longer sets. The appeal of this guitar will be justifiably limited to the purist collector as the case and the documentation that once accompanied V144352 is sadly missing. This is therefore priced to reflect that, and will hopefully still appeal to you if you want a great playing, classy looking lightweight versatile Strat. Have a listen to the demo to get a feel for the tones offered by the S-1 switching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdkHEfxwkk4 Price Availability £1,825 1 at Ketteringham Hall Recommendation Probably a keeper Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 2005 Pick-ups Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Selector 5-Way Bridge Vintage Gold Board Maple 3.5kg; 7lbs 12oz 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

The best value way into Vintage guitars < Back Matsumoku DB-500N Price £££ | SOLD Add to Cart Chat with Us Missed out on this model? Talk to us for a rebuild! This lovely old warrior arrived with us as a long retired but one previous owner late 1973 Matsumoku built Greco SE-500. As normal with long retired guitars, the electrics were very worse for wear - and the neck was bordering on fretless. Low frets on guitars mean it has been played and played - it is usually a sign of a very nice guitar. Tipping the scales at 4.5kg (9lbs 15oz) this is a proper late 1970s Northern Ash weight, but not quite a boat anchor. The 5 piece necks on 1973 models were always a little heavier than later one piece skinnier models so the balance seems fine. The SE-500 bridge units were the first units that genuinely resembled the Fenders, and this one is original with the solid steel block and it sustains beautifully - a combination of the weight and the bridge working together perfectly. There are 2 odd saddles - the E and B are saddles from an earlier SE-430 bridge, and 2 of the fixing screws are different from the rest. With the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, I have kept this as it is - it works absolutely perfectly, and keeps the costs down to get this to you for a friendlier price. Not everything survived though - the tuners had seen a lot of work and were loose beyond repair. In there place is a set of Chrome Gotoh SD-91 with black buttons - a bit of collars and cuffs for the scratchplate and string guides. The frets were almost completely gone, and were a proper challenge to remove; but in their place is a fresh set of Jescar 55090 Tall Narrow which always works on an old full C Harayama style neck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfkbXp_eTh8 The pick-ups were sadly shot to pieces - and these have been replaced with a set of Maxon Excel PU-119 units from a 1979 SE-700 which gave them up for a set of Haeussel Desperados. PU-119 pick-ups enjoy a great reputation for a true Fender-like chime and clarity - we have in the past upgraded a few Player Plus Fenders to PU-119 instead of the often disappointing noiseless coils they come with. Some folk would rather have the soul and character of an older pick-up rather than the results of more brutal cost cutting by the 'big boys'. These PU-119s are 5.8-5.9k, and as they are from an SE-700 that had a 5 way switch, the middle is RWRP - quite rare as the vast majority of PU-119 were governed by 3 way selectors. The pots are new CTS250k, the selector is a CRL, and the knobs are the premium comfort knobs as found on the very top end USA Strats. A small design difference but a magnificent one. Precise changes easy and accidental changes unlikely. We mounted this all on a black sratchplate, and cut the scratchplate with the little access cover for the truss rod - a design detail seen on 1973 Grecos. The lower tone control governs the bridge pick-up, the upper tone control looks after the neck and middle. The lower tone control is a push-pull that when pulled up will put the neck and bridge pick-ups into series when the neck pick-up is selected. When the neck and middle are selected, the bridge pick-up joins the neck in series, and the series pair in parallel with the middle. 2 more very useful tones. The outcome of these modifications is a fine sounding guitar with the traditional configuration, renewal of the critical components that spell reliability, and renewal with premium items usually found on guitars costing many thousands of pounds. Not many vintage guitars of this era will have new frets - once this level of expenditure is made, its usually a keeper! It purposefully doesn't have a new guitar look as it isn't one - it's 51 years old, and probably the best value route into the vintage/giggable/'no need to separately insure' area. Quality out of Matsumoku back then was really worrying the CBS boys - a few hours with this one, and you'll see why. We can always continue with the modernization and upgrading now or in the future, but this one is good to go as it is, and has as friendly a price as we can given the love it has had in the last month. Details The Look Naturally aged natural Ash with black scratchplate - a real 1970s vibe here. Headstock Old school Gneco decal but all new hardware on it - new SD-91 tuners, trees and nut. A splash of black to match the plate. Neck This is a classic full C Harayama 5 piece neck - again, right in the 1970s. Pick-ups 3 glorious PU119 units from 1979 - donated by a premium SE-700 that went onto even greater things. Bridge The original Matsumoku produced unit with all its little modifications since new. Not pretty, but in keeping with the character of the guitar, and most of all perfectly functional. Controls new CTS pots and CRL 5-way with soft-touch Fender knobs. A push pull on the lower tone puts the neck and bridge pick-ups into series when the neck pick-up (and neck and middle) is selected. Gallery ← Previous Next→

Underrated and rarely seen Tokai rescued from previous fretwork < Back Tokai LS70GT Free Consultation Book Now General recommissioning We are lucky enough to have some really talented guitarists pass through our rooms here - none more talented than Ron Sayer Jr. A proper gent too. His lovely LS70GT was suffering from a previous re-fret attempt - it played OK, but not as it should. Our job was to restore his trust in the instrument - allow him to unleash the P-90s live on stage without holding back. The key to succeeding here was to make sure the neck geometry was perfect before improving the frets and ensuring they were correctly shaped and finished to suit the player. A very comprehensive set-up perfected the intonation, and a subtle tidy up of the wiring ensured the earthing was correct, and that lovely but heavy Bareknuckle APO capacitor remained connected. Re-united with its owner, there were nerves, but the beaming smile on his face as he played it was reassuring. We take enormous pleasure in not only restoring lovely old guitars, but also owners' confidence in them. Check out Ron's music - https://www.deadbeatcats.co.uk/ and https://www.sayermusic.co.uk/ Gallery ← Previous Next→

1978 Aria Pro II ST-500, A rare Olympic White and Rosewood combination. < Back 1978 Aria Pro II ST-500 F780745 This ST-500 is 45 years old so has a couple of scars on the bodywork, but if you can live with that, you could have a friend for life here. The small headstock, Olympic White and Rosewood combination is quite rare - rosewood was a pricey option back then. The 3 PU-100 single coils are bright and punchy and work well clean and driven. The 7.25 radius board and shallow C neck will be familiar to MIJ fans, and a large part of the popularity of these Mats/Fuji models. Not everyone needs the hallowed name on the headstock - and the prospect here is a simple one: a really well built Strat from the 1970s, from the extremely highly regarded Matsumoku plant, in a timeless white/rosewood combo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_5iWnMtizE Price Availability £795 Sold out - Contact us if you want us to find one for you Recommendation Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1978 Pick-ups 3 x PU-100 Selector 3 way Bridge Vintage tremolo Board Rosewood 3.7kg; 8lbs 3oz 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

Reaching The Final 5% - The Ibanez Case < Back 2008 Ibanez J-Custom Free Consultation Book Now Reaching The Final 5% This is one of the first RG8470Zs off the Fujigen lines and it is in magnificent condition. A very prudent purchase by a keen talented young guitarist - a very good investment. This particular guitar was originally sold in Japan and arrived in UK needing a little work to get it back to playing as it should. It had been very well looked after, and had received a decent fret-dress that would have satisfied most shredders . This chap needed a little more - he flies around the fretboard faster then my eyes can keep up with, but also wishes to bend the strings quite aggressively. These flat boards should take this treatment, but as the frets get more worn, there is a delicate balance to find between micro-action and fret buzzing. This one choked out on the upper frets unless the action was raised by nearly 1mm - sacrilege on an instrument like this. This is not unusual on this style of guitar at this age. As professional grade instruments, they have mostly been used intensively and it is usual to forgive them for aging gracefully. Here at Matsumoku, we have an attitude that declares if something can theoretically be done, we will do it, even if it is extremely difficult and carries a level of risk. So we dared to hold a different view to everyone else and finally all reached agreement that there was theoretically enough meat left in the frets to get this guitar right for the owner for a few more years. Several hours in a quiet room, no disturbances and the finest touches achieved the improbable. Now re-united with a happy and relieved owner, this guitar will go another few years on its frets playing like the owner desires. Additional work included renewing some wiring on the selector switch to make the potentiometers more accessible to service and clean - these pots had never been serviced properly in their life as Fuji doesn't put enough wire in to get them out without breaking. We now have silent pots - no scratching and dead spots. The output socket didn't quite hold the cable sufficiently, so this was replaced. The tremolo arm insert had given up giving that annoying wobble. That's sorted now. This now looks and feels like a guitar a quarter of its age, and has taken the crown for the nicest Ibanez we have seen here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRU2u3XJVG8 Gallery ← Previous Next→

Greco EB-720, An EB-3 without headstock-tax. < Back Greco EB-720 25705 The EB-720 was a premium instrument in the Greco range - this is an EB-3 style bass with the correct side-winder style pick-up and the ebony board. The wiring is truly faithful to the original. Those already familiar with Fujigen quality from this era will question the necessity to spend double for a Gibson. This example has been busy, yet impeccably maintained throughout its life. We have a couple of parking knocks, headstock chips and scratches, but nothing to detract from the quality and performance of this bass. The Maxon PU-106 is a true stacked on its side humbucker and puts out 7.6H with a DCR of 20 - it packs the sort of punch you'd expect with all that wire. The PU-107 at the bridge is 3.8H and 7.5k DCR - lovely and bright, punchy and articulate. The pick-up selector is a 4-way rotary, Position 1 is the neck unit, 2 is the bridge unit, 3 gives the 2 in parallel with high-pass filtering on the neck unit. This is a nice open sound - not too scooped and won't disappear in the mix. Position 4 is the neck unit with the choke which could possibly worry a Seismograph. If this is the only reason to buy this bass, it's justified. Only 720 models had ebony, and the authentic design of pick-ups and controls. This is a magnificent example of how Fujigen were annoying Gibson to the point that the USA importers started receiving letters from lawyers. This is a 1975 pre-serial number model - serial numbers appeared one month after this bass was built. The date on the base of the pick-up is what we have used to date this guitar. A great bass in its own right, made more interesting by just how accurate a copy it is; not too many of these around so here is a chance to obtain a good one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNw0dG2IqFA CORRECTION: Ignore my overexcited claims at thinking it was a long scale bass. It is a 32" medium scale. I'm a guitar player... Price Availability £995 Sold Recommendation Find your inner Jack Bruce Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1975 Pick-ups Maxon PU-106 and PU-107 Selector 4-way Rotary Bridge 3 point Board Ebony 4.1kg; 9lbs 0oz 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

Greco TE-600 (Order Built), Very special Tele. < Back Greco TE-600 (Order Built) Pre-serial Number Here is a real rarity - and definitely a custom order from the "Order Made" section of the Kanda brochures in the mid 1970s. Adding a Rosewood neck to a model was an expensive option, and the double bound beautiful sunburst body would not have been a bargain either. We are matching this to the TE-600 spec due to the star-tuners - only the 600s got these. The neck feels very expensive - we adore all the TE models from the entry level 280 right up to the premium catalogue models. Several of each have passed through our hands over the last few years. I would put this profile as a Slim C, but not the usual skinny necks that Fujigen evolved to produce. There are a few signs of life on the finish, but it doesn't detract from the lovely grain coming through. It weighs 3.6kg (7lbs 14oz) so a little bit lighter than than most TE-350 and TL-500s. It is a string through construction - not the top loaders we are used to seeing. The pick-ups are the same units as the SE-600 that recently passed through here, PU101 and PU102 with their howly growly output - the perfect output to just nudge the gain up on the amp. Acoustically the guitar has the lovely snappy resonance that we associate with the really early mahogany bodied teles and a barely visible seam indicates a pancake construction. These models always sing - maybe a little less refinement than the later Sen ash bodies in the late 1970s, but this is the character that makes them hard to put down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvY1Qo3Ss64 Perhaps the look of this guitar is enough for you to want it in your life - rest assured, there is a fantastic characterful Tele behind it. For purists, it is hard to accept that Greco Teles were anything more than fakes, but actually they have a totally different character and justifiably sit alongside the real ones. And it will be a fraction of the price of that real one next to it in the rack. Price Availability £975 Sold Recommendation Play the hell out of it Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1974 Pick-ups Maxon PU101 & PU102 Selector 3-Way Bridge Original 6 saddle string-through Board Rosewood 3.60kg; 7lbs 14oz Modifications CTS Premium pots 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

Westminster Mustang, Better than the real thing? < Back Westminster Mustang J780126 A very rare model anywhere, let alone UK, this Matsumoku built Mustang is in the queue for an interesting upgrade project. Until that time, it is in the studio and available to be experienced. The Electric Guitar and Electric Bass series were domestic market (Kanda Shokai) entry level instruments launched in the mid 1970s, but punch well above their weight from a quality point of view, but that was always a Matsumoku trait. Given the CBS era dropping of standards at Fender during this period, don't be surprised if this Westminster feels and plays better than the original. Price Availability Discussions invited Sold Recommendation Perfect Donor for DreamBuild Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1978 Pick-ups Original Nisshin Onpa Selector 2 sliders on/off/on Bridge Mustang style Board Maple 3.58kg; 7lbs 14oz 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

Taylor 150c 12 String, No need to go up the range - this is the ideal workshorse 12 string. < Back Taylor 150c 12 String 2111274073 This Taylor 150c is a no-nonsense decent quality electro-acoustic that covers all bases from Wish You Were Here through to Love and Affection - the bass and treble controls covering just about all your glisten and shimmering needs. It's a lightly used example. Lots of acoustic volume, and when the 100 series is as good as they are, it seems unnecessary to venture up the range and spend a fortune unnecessarily. This one comes with a Taylor padded gig-bag. The video uses a Loudex Mini amp with gain at 3 out of 10 and a dab of reverb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxhKlbUdMCg Price Availability £695 Sold Recommendation Enjoy as it is Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 2014 Pick-ups Expression 2 Selector N/A Bridge Pin Board Ebony TBC 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

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