FREE HISTORY OF JAPANESE ELECTRIC GUITARS PDF Frank Meyers | 164 pages | 18 May 2015 | CENTERSTREAM PUBLISHING | 9781574243154 | English | United States History of Japanese Electric Guitars by Frank Meyers (, Trade Paperback) for sale online | eBay In fact, Japanese guitar making had reached a peak during that decade, having perfected the mass production of quality instruments at a time when specialist tonewoods were still freely available—and just before production costs rose. This sent manufacturers and brand owners not always the same things first to South Korea and then to China, where the learning curve had to begin all over again. Where do you History of Japanese Electric Guitars looking, when most of the published information is firmly focused on History of Japanese Electric Guitars major American acoustic makers? Well, there is information online, sometimes scrappy and sometimes contradictory, but that is something you have to get used to when researching Japanese guitars. Even some of the distributors of the big brands were never quite sure who was making which of their models, nor quite sure what they were going to get in the next shipment. Compounding that, 40 years later, memories can be unreliable, and what records there were may have been lost. The good news History of Japanese Electric Guitars that a small number of dedicated History of Japanese Electric Guitars have worked hard to retrieve useful information, so Google is your friend. The prowess of some brands in this area is a given. More or less any Takamine is going to be good, and any Yamaha is going to be at least pretty playable and, at its best, world-class. Either brand really deserves its own article, as does Alvarez Yairi. What we are looking for here, however, are the standout guitars from the less obvious sources that are worth tracking down—and that will repay the dedicated hunter with an individualistic instrument of surprising quality, and an instrument by now nicely played-in, aged, and, with a bit of luck, at a good price. Aria is better known for its solidbody electric guitars and some fine basses, and the brand name, if it is associated with acoustic instruments at all, tends to be pegged to beginner-level, nylon-strung, Spanish-style guitars, and some pretty forgettable dreadnoughts and folk models. Gigsville wanted History of Japanese Electric Guitars offer high-quality Aria acoustics and introduced the two guitarists to Aria, which commissioned them to design six-string and string signature models. The results were impressive. Featuring entirely solid woods, the Joyce and Brett models were like no other Aria acoustics before, leading to speculation that they had been made by one of the premier Japanese acoustic producers. In fact, recent contact with a former Aria employee in History of Japanese Electric Guitars confirms that they were produced by Matsumokuthe factory long associated with Aria instruments and later with Westone and others. Matsumoku was known to be capable of producing some fine instruments but is really best known for its solidbody guitars and basses. The fact that these acoustics came from the same plant makes me wonder what else they produced, as they were known to provide instruments for other brands, including Washburn and Epiphone. The Joyce and Brett models were extremely well-made, great-sounding, and yet quite affordable. History of Japanese Electric Guitars were intended to be sold only in the UK, but in fact they seem to have appeared in other countries, too. John Joyce died inbut not before designing another Aria acoustic classic, the Sandpiper series, examples of which are also worth looking out for. Paul Brett is still very much with us, both as an authority on vintage guitars and a designer for the Vintage brand. It is Yamaha we have to thank for changing that. In the US, C. Init introduced the Martin Sigma range, which rapidly established a mystique around itself worthy of its association with the Martin legend. There are lengthy debates about serial numbers and plenty of fables about the materials used. Some claim the reason they sound so good is because they were made of all solid woods, which is not the case. In fact, most Sigmas had laminated backs and sides, and some History of Japanese Electric Guitars had laminated tops, too. Given how good a "First Generation" all-laminate Sigma Dreadnought can sound, this should give pause for thought among those who insist that only solid-wood acoustics can sound "right. Martin used various Japanese manufacturers to supply Sigma models, which were checked and set up in the US before sale. Potential Sigma buyers need to do their research, because not all Sigmas were made in Japan Martin had models made in Korea relatively earlyand serial numbers and label styles are quite complex. Fortunately, the detailed information you need is available online. Yairi and S. Yairi, though related, ran separate companies. It was Kazuo Yairi K. Yairi who studied guitar-making in the US after learning his trade in Japan and then formed a partnership with the US distributor St Louis Music, which resulted in the famous Alvarez Yairi guitars—the brand name they were sold under in the US—while in Europe they were sold separately as K. Yairi and Alvarez. Alvarez Yairi, like Yamaha, really deserves a dedicated article, but as K. One in particular was a license-built model for Bozo PodunavacHistory of Japanese Electric Guitars US-based guitar maker born in what at the time was Yugoslavia and whose ornately decorated guitars were and still are highly prized by collectors and serious acoustic players. Yairi in Japan, complete with the ornate design work. Later—and admittedly outside the general scope of this article—Yairi also license-built some guitars for George Lowdenand these, too, are much admired. Ah, but which Yairi? Some sources say it was Kazuo, others that the Lowdens were made by his uncle Sadao in a separate factory. This is just one example of the complexity underlying Japanese guitar collecting, though by no means the most confusing. Any K. Yairi guitar History of Japanese Electric Guitars likely to be expensive, but they are reckoned by their owners to be worth the money. Not exactly the choice for the bargain hunter unless you are very luckybut as good of History of Japanese Electric Guitars kind as it gets. Apparently, the Yamaki company is still in business today but concentrates on making guitar parts. What we are looking for, however, are acoustic guitars sold with the Yamaki brand name or, sometimes, with Daion. Yamaki may have been responsible for some of the fine Washburns of the era, too, notably the Prairie Song models, which are collectable and highly regarded. While on the subject of WashburnHistory of Japanese Electric Guitars again as an illustration of how complicated it can be to get to the bottom of who made what, someone who worked at a UK guitar distributor recalls how occasionally he would unpack a new shipment of Aria acoustics, only to find that the guitars inside had the Washburn brand. So any Yamaki-brand guitar is likely to be from the golden era and will be worthy of serious consideration. Happy hunting. About the author: Gary Cooper is a journalist working in the musical instrument and pro audio fields. Gary also contributes to a number of other music magazines and websites. He lives in Sussex, England. We understand the importance of online privacy and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. By continuing to use Reverb, you agree to these updates, and to our cookie policy. Learn More. Reverb Articles. Shop Martin Sigma Guitars on Reverb. Which Yairi do you mean? Yairi Bozo Bell Western. Yamaki, Daion, Washburn. Oops, looks like you forgot something. Please check the fields highlighted in red. Yes, that's correct Do not update. History of Japanese Electric Guitars - Frank Meyers - Google книги Yamaha occupies a surprisingly unusual niche in the guitar industry. The company, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its presence on the American market and export to other countries beyond Japan, has consistently produced guitars that have sold in impressive numbers and attracted a notable following of celebrity players and esteemed pros. Yet the success of Yamaha guitars is influenced more by their reputation for History of Japanese Electric Guitars quality and the outstanding value their instruments offer for the money than by the usual forms of guitar hero worship that drive many guitar sales. As a result, Yamaha has quietly satisfied the needs of all walks of players from beginner to pro while an ever-changing parade of trendier instruments have hogged the spotlight. Although Yamaha was originally founded in to produce pianos and organs, the company did not start building guitars until the early Forties, eventually opening a factory dedicated exclusively to guitar construction in Hamamatsu in the late Forties. By the mid Sixties, the entire world had a fever called Beatlemania, and the only prescription was more guitars. The United States was particularly stricken, and domestic guitar companies struggled to keep up with the increasing demand for anything with six strings. To satisfy customers, particularly those on tight middle class budgets, retailers turned to Asian manufacturers to fill their shelves with affordable, low-cost instruments. The phenomenal increase in demand for guitars was very beneficial to Yamaha. The company already had more than two decades of experience building guitars, and the decision was made to pursue these new opportunities in a grand fashion. InYamaha sold their first export models, which consisted of the G50, G60, G80, G, G and G classical guitars, all produced at their Hamamatsu factory.