1976 Epiphone Texan FT-145 Acoustic Guitar

Vintage mid-70s Japanese dreadnought in great shape

This is the first vintage Epiphone that I've been able to get my hands on and even though it seems like the low-end model for its day, its still a real nice player and is in great condition. The way the neck is bolted in like an electric guitar is odd to me, but it makes it easier to get higher up on the fretboard.

One of the great things about scoring an old big name guitar like an Epiphone, when you look for information on your new toy, you find a whole lot of it. This model was made between 1972-79 and was a total budget model job. Laminate top, sides and back and nothing special to mention on the headstock and fretboard, although the binding along the body is nice.

With the amount of gear that I have laying around, something of this level probably won't make the grade, but it is a nice enough guitar and would definitely make a good beginner. These generally run between $100-200 and for the vintage tone, coupled with the big name, that's not a bad deal. Certainly beats spending the same amount of even more money for a new bundle of plywood at the big box music stores.

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1985 Aria Pro II RS Knight Warrior

Vintage Japanese super-strat, made by Matsumoku and equipped with a Kahler Flyer tremolo

 

The younger cousin of the strat copy that I scored a couple of years back, this one is its mirror image and 30 years has seen the white finish age into a killer vintage cream color. The pickups seem to be original, although most photos show the guitar with blade style pickups and the Kahler Flyer is definitely stock. I took this to Clay at Beach City Pawn and Guitar for the setup and it does play and sound super sweet.

Getting back to those pickups, I found a set of vintage blade pickups, including an MMK 45 humbucker, but the PUPs inside looked to be the same build, so we decided to leave it be. This guitar doesn't have the output of some of my other electrics, but it gets really nice clean sounds and the Flyer alone is probably worth what I paid for it.

These are high-quality mid-grade guitars, worst-case scenario, and you can find them for $200 or less most times. I'm currently in the market for a bass with a rosewood fretboard and it's either going to be an Aria or another Ibanez Roadstar, which I also brought in for Clay to look at. If you live in Southern California and you need repairs to your guitars, check out the Yelp page above. Clay will take care of your guitars and give you a great deal on the price.

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1970s Granada 5-string Bluegrass Banjo

Sweet vintage banjo was made in Japan at the famed Matsumoku factory

Here is a real treat, the first stringed instrument that is not a guitar to be featured here at SCGM. This one belonged to a family friend and when he was looking to get rid of it, the chance was too good to pass up. In nearly 25 years of playing, this is the first time a banjo has passed through these hands, but this is a very nice instrument, even though it may not be played very often.

Granada instruments were made at the Matsumoku factory, known for cranking out guitars for Yamaha and Ibanez at different times and still revered today for making both acoustic and electric guitars for Aria, like this beauty that we found last summer. While the level of banjo expertise is minimal, both the wood and binding around body and headstock give a hint to the quality of this piece. The binding especially is reminiscent of Gibson guitars of the same era.

This is also the same brand that made a nice classical guitar which found it's way around at the same time last summer. So, that's two-for-two with Granada, if you find one, it'll likely be at a good price. Go for it...

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1980s Aria Pro II RS Special V Electric Guitar

Made in Japan, by the famed Matsumoku guitar masters, with the classic black and white setup

Early-mid 80s Aria Pro II RS Special V Strat Style electric guitar, these are often said to rival Fender Strats of the same period and this one definitely plays like a dream.

Can't say for sure what year it is, the neckplate indicates 1982, but the Special V series supposedly only ran in 1983-84.
Either way, this is a killer vintage electric guitar and one that is offered at a price you'd pay for a new mid-level guitar, at best.

These seem to be more popular over in Europe, so you can sometimes find them here in the US for less than $200.

Thank you for looking. More high-resolution pictures here.