r/japaneseguitars

Anyone have info about this guitar?
Cool 70s/80s era piece.
It's been tested, works great, sounds good.
Beautiful natural wood grain.
Made in Japan.
Solid body, great feel.
Unique pickup setup.
Prob needs some maintenance/cleaning.

Omni stringed instruments 2006 serial number L90311

Have been after a Les Paul Special (not junior!) for a while and this Japanese Tokai LSS124 was in a local store - swapped a Strat for it that wasn’t getting much love/play. Quality is outstanding - up there with my US PRS for sure. P90s are a lot of fun, particularly with a bit of drive.

Found this Greco at a second hand store in Japan but I honestly don’t know much about these guitars at all. It’s marked as a 1982 EGF-850. Almost looks like it’s never been played before but unfortunately it has 1 chip on the rear binding about half the size of a dime, other than that it appears to be in like new condition and comes with the original hard case. Price is $829USD at current exchange rate.

This here is my pride and joy! I don’t mean to get into a whole story time but this one belonged to my uncle.

He was given it by my aunty in the 90s for their anniversary. He basically didn’t play it, and when i started showing more interest in music (2017 ish), he gave it to me. It absolutely blew me away and has been my prized possession since.

His only word was that i was never to sell it.

I don’t see much about these guitars being posted, so thought i’d share!

Anyone got one?? I lowkey need help with fixing the pickup in it.

Meet Momose Custom Craft Guitars – another of those beautiful but unknown Japanese custom guitar brands, distributed by Deviser Co. Ltd., based in Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan.

Momose Guitars is named after Mr. Yasuo Momose, an experienced guitar maker from Matsumoto, who founded his own acoustic guitar company in 1977 and has over 50 years of experience in building high-quality guitars.

 

The full model name of this particular 'bucker 'tail shown here is 'Momose Custom Craft Guitars MJM-AKAMATSU/NJ STN-MAT #13931'. It was a limited edition model, made from red pine, built especially for the 2021 Shinshu Guitar Festival.

The model name breaks down like this:

• 'MJM' - offset body shape - 'Momose Jazz Master'
• 'AKAMATSU' - the body wood - Akamatsu (赤松) is a local species of Japanese red pine tree
• 'NJ' - fretboard material - 'New Jacaranda', Momose's designation for what is otherwise known as 'Madagascar rosewood'
• 'STN' - the color - 'See Through Natural'
• 'MAT' - the satin finish - 'matte'

 

Manufacturer's description: (translated from Japanese)

>"The most distinctive feature of this model is undoubtedly the use of red pine [sourced] from Matsumoto for the body, especially selected for the Shinshu Guitar Festival 2021. We have incorporated various techniques to emphasize this feature [and] hope that everyone will be able to appreciate the unique grain and atmosphere of the red pine wood. [...] > >This guitar features a moderately lightweight feel [...] thanks to its red pine wood construction. Equipped with the original "BEANO" pickup, it produces [...] a well-balanced sound, resulting in a thick, vintage-like tone. You can truly appreciate the charm of this guitar even when using overdrive in genres like jazz, rock, and blues."

 

Specs:

• two handwound Momose Beano 'buckers with chrome covers
• Gotoh GTC-101 hardtail bridge
• 'See Through Natural Matte' (STN-MAT) finish
• 'Akamatsu' red pine body
• bolt-on maple neck
• 25.5" scale length
• Madagascar rosewood fretboard
• very rounded 8.25" fretboard radius
• 22 nickel-silver, Momose-exclusive Jescar 9662NS medium frets
• bone nut (42mm)
• traditional 'F-style' six-in-line headstock
• Gotoh SDS510-05M MG-T locking tuners
• includes gigbag
• 2021 limited edition model
• price MSRP: ¥285,000 JPY (approx. $1,795 USD, excluding additional taxes
• made in Japan

 

About Momose Guitars: (translated from Japanese)

>"Momose Custom Craft Guitars is a traditional electric guitar/bass brand named after Yasuo Momose, the senior master builder at the Asuka factory in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. Yasuo Momose's philosophy and techniques for instrument making have been refined into this product, emphasizing traditional design while incorporating meticulous attention to detail throughout. > >Established in 2002, Momose Custom Craft Guitars is an electric guitar/bass brand that embodies the philosophy and techniques of instrument making cultivated by craftsman Yasuo Momose. While inheriting traditional guitar forms, Momose instruments incorporate unique attention to detail in specifications and design, and we are grateful that the number of customers who appreciate them has been increasing year by year, and we have received support from many people."

I have owned many Charvels through the years, but these are the ones I've hung on to. The light colored ones have been my #1s, the black ones have been backups, and the other two have stayed at home.

I was hoping someone would recognize this 30+ year old guitar. Other than the country of manufacturer there are no identifying marks. My local guitar shop did not know so I thought I would try Reddit. First post. Thanks in advance!