Mid 70s MIJ acoustics :)

Santona1937 · June 2020

I always wondered what the deal was- well now I know. I just bought a 1976 Ibanez/Antoria 627. This is a blatant copy of the D-18 of that era. Key difference is the laminated B & S. all I can say is wow!!. 45 year old solid spruce top...... FujiGen Gakki- Honey to the ears... balanced, lots of that good bass, bell like mids and highs, just enough sustain, and not too much overtone, seems to enjoy being driven hard.. recorded tone is just sublime. There is no doubt that once venues open up again this will be number one gigging tool- just a stunning piece of kit. It took a while to find the right one, but across the board this era ( mid 70s) and type ( MIJ Copies) appear to be heavily undervalued. I do not know what the japanese luthiers did with their laminates, but I will never think I must have an all solid guitar again.

Cranky · June 2020

Same thing happened to me, having jumped into vintage Yamaha FGs. Got somewhat burned by one deal that ended up having a slightly warped neck, but I still play it all the time it sounds so good. My 1979 FG-340 is a dream to play.

I used to be a little snobby about it thinking I'd "graduated" to all-solid bodies, but live and learn.

ICBM · June 2020

Even some of the all-ply ones are pretty nice, compared to a modern ply guitar.

Andy79 · June 2020

They weren’t built from ply to be cheap. It was to stop the export guitars from splitting.

Yamaha used 3 ply tone wood tops and 2 ply back n sides. Not cheap filler wood
Also used hide glue for the most part of the 70s

Cranky · June 2020

Andy79 said:

They weren’t built from ply to be cheap. It was to stop the export guitars from splitting.
Yamaha used 3 ply tone wood tops and 2 ply back n sides. Not cheap filler wood
Also used hide glue for the most part of the 70s

Makes sense, far as I know at least. They sound way better than my HPL Martin for sure

Santona1937 · June 2020

Indeed I think the ply is not about cost cutting. On this one the ply layers are all hog, and even the inside ones look to have been carefully aligned. From the little glue that I can see looks to be hide glue. There is a mid 70's Ibanez 637 av nearby that I want to look at- looks to be all hog, but there is nothin online about it.

ICBM · June 2020

Some of the old Yamahas are glued together with something resembling epoxy though, which can make neck resets - which they often need - something of an issue. That's why you see a lot with shaved bridges...

TTony · June 2020

This is my Yam FG from the late 70s / early 80s.

I bought it new in mid-81, so I'm guessing it came out of a factory at least 6 months earlier given that supply lines weren't quite as efficient back then. It wasn't an expensive one, so low end of their range at the time.

It's never needed any attention - other than string changes! - plays easily and sounds (to my ears) wonderful.

It's stood up to a lot of playing, abuse and neglect through the years. When I stopped playing, it was just left in its case at the back of cupboards for years, but was still A-OK when I took it out again.

Redlester · June 2020

@TTony That’s a lovely looker and a nice little story to it as well. There’s something very reassuring about having a guitar- or anything else actually- that you’re fundamentally happy with and that isn’t too much like hard work to maintain.

TTony · June 2020

Redlester said:

@TTony That’s a lovely looker and a nice little story to it as well. There’s something very reassuring about having a guitar- or anything else actually- that you’re fundamentally happy with and that isn’t too much like hard work to maintain.

Cheers @Redlester ;

The slightly longer story ...

I bought it in the summer before I went to Uni. It was the early 80s, and music seemed to be heading off into synth land, so I'd taken a trip into Manchester city centre with the intention of buying myself one of those new-fangled synth things, learning to play, and then - naturally - becoming a rich and famous musician during my Uni years.

I spent a few hours wandering in and out of the various shops, looking at all the new shiny synths, twiddling knobs, and generally getting confused.

I went into Swans Music on Oldham Street (see below) and looked at their acoustics. I remember being in there a while, and the guys eventually just disappearing off and leaving me to pick up and try out various guitars. Life was a bit more relaxed back then. I remember someone else coming into the shop, seeing no-one else around, and asking me for help because they assumed I must work there.

Anyhows ... I ended up walking out of the shop with the guitar. And that was the end of my synth playing career (before it started), and is - obviously - therefore the reason why I never became a rich and famous musician.

How do I remember it was Swans Music on Oldham Street? Because I've still got the original receipt in the guitar case. £120 for the guitar (FG-350W) and another £4.75 for the case.

Redlester · June 2020

@TTony ;
Good story. You might not have become a rich and famous musician but I think in hindsight you made the right purchase on the day!

I have a friend whose main acoustic is a mid 70s Yamaha. He was extolling its virtues telling me something about how it having a orange label made it quite highly rated/ sought after apparently.

His guitar is more Martin 000 shaped, and I think it has a good tone. I say ‘think’ Because he deliberately keeps extremely old strings on it. It’s a steel string but he contrives to make it sound a feel more like a classical guitar being played underneath a duvet.

boogieman · June 2020

I had a Yoshi or Goshi (never could decipher the logo) Jap Martin D18
copy. Bought it s/h in the 90s but it was from the 70s. Very nice guitar from what I remember, well made, sounded nice and cost me all of £35.

mrleon83 · June 2020

Gas has struck!

Cranky · June 2020

ICBM said:

Some of the old Yamahas are glued together with something resembling epoxy though, which can make neck resets - which they often need - something of an issue. That's why you see a lot with shaved bridges...

I have FG-180 and FG-75 red labels that definitely need some help with the neck (the 180's is actually slightly warped and needs new frets, but nothing that alters playing). But playing these old Yamahas in open G or F mitigates any neck issue and they sound so amazingly full -- a unique blend of boomy yet airy. I would recommend that anybody thinking about scrapping an old acoustic first give it a go with open tuning and see if it's worth keeping the thing around just for that.

Jez6345789 · June 2020

Have to love my old 70's FG had it since new in 77 it travelled with me all around the world in a gig bag in airline hold and never got a scratch or ding I did not put in it.

Its orange label so probably made in Taiwan I think its the green and red label MIJ that people really covet but never really worried about labels. I took it for a 40 year service a few years back as it had never been setup other than me sanding the bridge saddle years ago. The guy did a new bone nut and saddle took just a little of the bridge and it was better than new and now has a much better break angle on the saddle than after I sanded the shit out of it without really knowing what I was doing back then lol. It is going to need a refret at some point as there is not too much left but it does not get played as much as it should as I have been obsessed with smaller body OO OOO style guitars for the last few years.

Still a lovely thing and even better playing and sounding for 40 odd years of abuse

As for the Pro's and cons of laminated I don't think its heavily constructed at all but sure its all laminated and covered in some form of poly but hey it's been played in the Sahara, and super high humidity places around the globe and up the Persian gulf, nothing has cracked in those early years so in the cork sniffing world of acoustic guitars its a nothing but to me its still my old faithful.

MattNovak · June 2020

TTony said:

This is my Yam FG from the late 70s / early 80s.

I bought it new in mid-81, so I'm guessing it came out of a factory at least 6 months earlier given that supply lines weren't quite as efficient back then. It wasn't an expensive one, so low end of their range at the time.

It's never needed any attention - other than string changes! - plays easily and sounds (to my ears) wonderful.

It's stood up to a lot of playing, abuse and neglect through the years. When I stopped playing, it was just left in its case at the back of cupboards for years, but was still A-OK when I took it out again.

Thats a great looking guitar @TTony .

I've been on the lookout for a damaged-beyond-repair version of something similar, because I really want to use the back (assuming its pretty, llike yours) for an electric top.

maltingsaudio · July 2020

I have a Fender F55 12 string bought in 1975 which is still going strong never needed a firtle and sounds great. My mate has the 6 string version from the same time is hand that sounds sweet as a nut.

Just found this site for further info, http://www.philsfenders.com/

maltingsaudio · July 2020

Addendum:

There are two F 55’s on eBay this morning, one up at £550 one at £50 !

ICBM · July 2020

maltingsaudio said:

There are two F 55’s on eBay this morning, one up at £550 one at £50 !

Split the difference and it would be about right... if you used a logarithmic scale

.

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Mid 70s MIJ acoustics :)

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