Can you buy a decent 70s acoustic for 300-400 quid?

lovestrat74 · June 2022

stufisher said:

A bit left field and probably not what you have in mind @lovestrat74 but I've just spotted this on Gumtree.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/1981-aria-electric-acoustic-made-in-japan/1435995685

I always believed Aria to be good quality and VFM but I'm not a subject matter expert ... I think @ICBM knows about this stuff though, so might be worth a discussion if you are interested.

If not then perhaps someone else might wanna take a punt.

Stu

Thanks Stu but it's about 300 mile leftfield for me

Also, got a 70s Yamaha on the way..

PAL · July 2022

I would suggest buying a new guitar as things have moved on since the 70s ! i would buy a Taylor GS Mini they are great
playable consistent sounding guitars with a shorter scale.
You will hear names form the seventies banded around and if it's just to hang on the wall then fine but if you want to play
something that will inspire you then go for a new one. If the Taylor is out of your budget check out the PRS SE acoustics.
I teach guitar and do some repair work on older guitars but to be honest you can only do so much and they still have issues.
So I suggest the Taylor and the students that buy them love them.
I know someone mentioned K.Yairi guitars and that's what I have It's a GW 1100 I bought it when I worked in a music shop
I was drawn to the sound and feel of the instrument this was about 1995 and I still have it I later discovered it had
Brazilian Rosewood back and sides I also use a Japanese Takamine EN40C made in Japan these cost almost £1000
and are really nice guitars.
The problem buying an old acoustic is there is more you can't see that could be a problem internal bracing and struts coming
unglued necks needing a reset because the top of the guitar has over bellied amongst other things ! These issue can
sometimes be resolved but can be costly and these issue don't only occur on inexpensive guitars there is a video of
Lee Anderton and his wife bought him a nice Martin acoustic for his birthday I think it was 1974 ! for his birth year and of
course he was really happy but couldn't understand why many of the new guitars in his shop sounded better then when
the Martin rep came into the shop it was pointed out that some of the bracing and struts were loose it shipped back to
Martin in the USA and it was repaired. I think the video is still available on YouTube.
A good YouTube channel to watch is called Rosa String Works you can see this guy working on various acoustic
guitars and how they are repaired it's worth watching and you will learn a lot. I hope this helps !

bugileman · July 2022

Owned many over the years....Eko can be great, but like everything they vary so much and certainly aren't comparable to a Martin. Yamaha have made some stunning acoustic guitars, I probably own about 7 ranging from L series to early 1990s. Get the right model and they can be superb. K.Yairi and S.Yairi is also worth some considering.....personally find the 1970s models to be pretty special. Quality is the key, alot of the more generic guitars can lack that special something.

Zoonyboy · August 2022

A real good 70s cheapie is an E-Ros Dakota. I was told Jimmy Page used one. I had one new in 1971, and bought another recently for £65.00. Must be the same Italian factory as Eko, as the dims are the same. They are sturdy, play really well, and with a decent set of strings, are good sounding. Ideal for a couch player. Or, you may find a Guild D25 with a few scars under 500 if you look around, they are quite nice.

guitarjack66 · August 2022

Why would you want to buy a badly made,reasonably cheap,old guitar when you can buy a much better cheap modern one which would seem like a custom made in comparison? It just seems strange to me.

TheMadMick · August 2022

Of course if you bin the 70's criterion, I have a Yamaha AC3R for sale at £385.00 collected Southport. It's all solid and well set up. If you're interested, shoot me a PM.

bertie · August 2022

guitarjack66 said:

Why would you want to buy a badly made,reasonably cheap,old guitar when you can buy a much better cheap modern one which would seem like a custom made in comparison? It just seems strange to me.

because you can play cricket with most of them - not even HB can make that claim

ICBM · August 2022

guitarjack66 said:

Why would you want to buy a badly made,reasonably cheap,old guitar when you can buy a much better cheap modern one which would seem like a custom made in comparison? It just seems strange to me.

In a word, character.

Most modern cheaper guitars, while well-made, are also bland and generic to play and listen to.

I’d much rather have a nice Eko or a Japanese Gibson copy than most of them.

CavemanGrogg · August 2022

Easily, but a decent 70's acoustic is not as good as a £400 modern acoustic. Hell you can get 50's Hofner Senators easily for under £400, doesn't mean that they are any good though. If you want good vintage, you really have to be prepared to either break open the wallet really wide, or get something that needs some work done to it.

Tannin · August 2022

CavemanGrogg said:

Easily, but a decent 70's acoustic is not as good as a £400 modern acoustic. Hell you can get 50's Hofner Senators easily for under £400, doesn't mean that they are any good though. If you want good vintage, you really have to be prepared to either break open the wallet really wide, or get something that needs some work done to it.

I'm not sure I can agree with that. The modern guitar will very likely have a better setup and be more playable as-is, but the (typically excellent) tone of any half-decent solid made-in-Japan guitar has to be considered, and (depending on exactly what needs doing) a better setup is not expensive.

As for a 50s Hofner, no thanks!

CavemanGrogg · August 2022

Tannin said:

CavemanGrogg said:

Easily, but a decent 70's acoustic is not as good as a £400 modern acoustic. Hell you can get 50's Hofner Senators easily for under £400, doesn't mean that they are any good though. If you want good vintage, you really have to be prepared to either break open the wallet really wide, or get something that needs some work done to it.

I'm not sure I can agree with that. The modern guitar will very likely have a better setup and be more playable as-is, but the (typically excellent) tone of any half-decent solid made-in-Japan guitar has to be considered, and (depending on exactly what needs doing) a better setup is not expensive.

As for a 50s Hofner, no thanks!

Yes but the vast majority of guitars made in Japan in the 70's and 80's where to be blunt, absolute shit, if they wheren't, we'd be still up to our ears in ''lawsuit guitars'', as it is they've become rather hard to find, and the ones that you can find, are not much better.

bugileman · August 2022

CavemanGrogg said:

Tannin said:

CavemanGrogg said:

Easily, but a decent 70's acoustic is not as good as a £400 modern acoustic. Hell you can get 50's Hofner Senators easily for under £400, doesn't mean that they are any good though. If you want good vintage, you really have to be prepared to either break open the wallet really wide, or get something that needs some work done to it.

I'm not sure I can agree with that. The modern guitar will very likely have a better setup and be more playable as-is, but the (typically excellent) tone of any half-decent solid made-in-Japan guitar has to be considered, and (depending on exactly what needs doing) a better setup is not expensive.

As for a 50s Hofner, no thanks!

Yes but the vast majority of guitars made in Japan in the 70's and 80's where to be blunt, absolute shit, if they wheren't, we'd be still up to our ears in ''lawsuit guitars'', as it is they've become rather hard to find, and the ones that you can find, are not much better.

Sounds like you've been playing the wrong Japanese guitars.

ICBM · August 2022

bugileman said:

Sounds like you've been playing the wrong Japanese guitars.

+1

It's true that a large number of them from the earlier 70s aren't good - but later 70s and especially 80s Japanese guitars were good enough that they gave the US manufacturers a big scare. There are still a few exceptions at the cheaper end of the product ranges, but that actually applies to Fender (to some extent) and Gibson (especially) as well. Fender Bullet (second series) or Gibson Sonex, just to name two. The average early-80s Yamaha, Ibanez, Aria, Westbury, Vantage, Washburn etc will be a better-made guitar.

guitarjack66 · August 2022

ICBM said:

bugileman said:

Sounds like you've been playing the wrong Japanese guitars.

+1

It's true that a large number of them from the earlier 70s aren't good - but later 70s and especially 80s Japanese guitars were good enough that they gave the US manufacturers a big scare. There are still a few exceptions at the cheaper end of the product ranges, but that actually applies to Fender (to some extent) and Gibson (especially) as well. Fender Bullet (second series) or Gibson Sonex, just to name two. The average early-80s Yamaha, Ibanez, Aria, Westbury, Vantage, Washburn etc will be a better-made guitar.

Is Washburn a Japanese brand? Or was it a former Japanese brand taken over now by some investment group or whatever?

Tannin · August 2022

WASHBURN: Just a marketing name. The original Washburn started in the 1880s, making guitars in the USA under its own name and for other brands, and buying in other stock to rebrand for themselves. They folded in 1940.

The current Washburn started in 1974 and has no connection at all, other than deliberately misleading lies about their "heritage" in the PR material.

Modern Washburns were made under contract in Japan until about 1990 when they switched suppliers to Samick, in Korea at first, shifting over time to China and Indonesia. During the mid-to late 1990s, Washburn briefly tried re-entering the top end of the market with models made for them by two high-quality US makers, Tacoma and Bourgeois. Current Washburns are the usual rebadged Samicks. The same company which owns Washburn also owns a stack of other companies, including both Randall and Marshal. FOR: actually Samicks. AGAINST: actually Samicks. SUM-UP: wouldn't it be easier to just buy a Samick?

guitarjack66 · August 2022

Tannin said:

WASHBURN: Just a marketing name. The original Washburn started in the 1880s, making guitars in the USA under its own name and for other brands, and buying in other stock to rebrand for themselves. They folded in 1940.

The current Washburn started in 1974 and has no connection at all, other than deliberately misleading lies about their "heritage" in the PR material.

Modern Washburns were made under contract in Japan until about 1990 when they switched suppliers to Samick, in Korea at first, shifting over time to China and Indonesia. During the mid-to late 1990s, Washburn briefly tried re-entering the top end of the market with models made for them by two high-quality US makers, Tacoma and Bourgeois. Current Washburns are the usual rebadged Samicks. The same company which owns Washburn also owns a stack of other companies, including both Randall and Marshal. FOR: actually Samicks. AGAINST: actually Samicks. SUM-UP: wouldn't it be easier to just buy a Samick?

Are they in the same price range as actual Samick guitars?

Zoonyboy · August 2022

I like 70s Eko and Eros, Ibanez Artwood (Japan) and most Aria. I used to sell all of these in the late 70s and all have a bit of quality and character. Look for cheaper USA Harmony 60s/70s, Cimar with solid top, Antoria. If it was a more modern guitar I'd jump on a few years old Yamaha jumbo. Or a Takemine.

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Can you buy a decent 70s acoustic for 300-400 quid?

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