The Magnavox Ampeg Story

Both Magnavox and Ampeg are companies of tortured development, ever-changing and shifting priorities to meet with the demands of the fickle markets across the world for electric and bass guitars.  Ampeg's now-you-see-it, now-you-don't history and Magnavox's slow rise to the pinnacle of electrical product genius before fading into one of the boys of electronic manufacturing in Japan are epic in scope.  So sit back, be patient, and allow me to unravel the intertwined strands of these great companies during a period when they produced guitars for the foreign markets across the world, much to the delight of Japanese guitar collectors.

Ampeg began its life way back after WWII, just before the rock-n-roll craze of the 1950's.  It was an American amplifier manufacturer and fairly successful.  Even today, Ampeg amps from long ago are sought-after and desirable.  Anyhow, Ampeg began producing guitars in 1962 in partnership with United Kingdom company Burns, focusing on bass guitars because of their work with amps.  Ampeg grew successful and moved into making their own guitars by '66 and by 1969, partnered with Dan Armstrong to produce those unique Lucite bass and electric guitars we all know and love (even if we can't hold them up for very long).  Those guitars were 100% American-made.

You say: "Hey, Torch!  What's any of this got to do with Japanese Ampegs?"

I'll get back to that very shortly.

Magnavox also began in America, much like Ampeg, only decades earlier.  The company was founded in 1917 and began producing speakers for the emerging radio and later, television markets, eventually being sold to the Japanese as they began buying many of our our electronics manufacturers.  In the 1970's, Magnavox was on the cutting edge of early technology in both sound and video.  In 1972, the company was the first to develop a video gaming system and they also produced the first laser disc, forerunner to CD's and later the Blu-Ray disc, which was developed by a competitor, Sony Electronics.  In the early 1970's Magnavox saw that there were vast opportunities to make money producing electric and bass guitars for the American market.  Rather than start from scratch, they sought companies who already had guitar production, but were struggling against Japanese-made products.  They found Ampeg and Selmer.  Ampeg was purchased in 1971.  Selmer was purchased in 1969, although it's unclear if Selmer was an American manufacturer of undetermined origin.  It certainly could not have been related to the legendary Henri Selmer of Paris, France, as that company still exists today as a worldwide corporation of fine instrument craftsmanship.

Once Magnavox had both players in place, they began producing Japanese-made Ampeg badged guitars.  They also developed a new badge, Stud, which they made for a fairly short time, less than five years.  Ampeg guitars continued production until Magnavox suspended all guitar operations in 1980, because of their new focus on the emerging videodisc and gaming markets.  At that point, Ampeg ceased to exist.


There has been some hints that Magnavox was responsible for the MIJ Selmer badged acoustic guitars from this same time period.  While it looks very plausible, I have been unable to confirm that at this time.  Magnavox did buy the company, but whether or not they produced acoustic guitars is unclear.  It could be that Magnavox farmed out the production of the badge to another Japanese maker who specialized in acoustic guitar making.  We simply don't know.

Magnavox continues to exist to this day as a Japanese electronics manufacturer, while Ampeg was resurrected in the 1990's when it was bought by an American company.  Today, Ampeg guitars are once again being produced, however, it's unclear if they are being built in America as the company outsources work to places like Vietnam and China.

So that's the story.  If you have a Japanese Ampeg or Stud, you have a guitar produced by one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world today.  It was an experiment by a giant Japanese corporation that ultimately failed because they did not have the expertise to make it as successful as companies like Matsumoku and Fujigen were able to.

Japanese Ampegs.  The lost and final decade of an American original.

Maya Guitar Mystery

It's not often I get a possible three makers for a badged guitar, but that's the current situation I have with Maya guitars.

Maya guitars were manufactured in Japan in the 1970 decade.  I always thought that Chushin and Maya Guitar Company were the manufacturers responsible for producing the badge.  Not so!

Recently I discovered evidence to the contrary in the form of a new unknown company:  Tahara.  And it seems pretty ironclad.  So what's the problem you ask?

The problem is that there are three manufacturers who have been cited as being the producer of the badge:  Chushin Gakki, who may have produced a few Maya guitars here and there, the Maya Guitar Company which existed in Kobe, Japan, and finally Tahara, which was eventually sold to Saga Musical Instruments.  Saga has published a letter stating that Tahara did in fact, produce Maya guitars during the 1970's.

Chushin Gakki often did work for other larger manufacturers back in the 1970's, usually those with contracts from American companies like Charvel.  We know that some Maya guitars were made by this company, because they were shipped to foreign countries, including America, where they were sold.  These Maya guitars are copies of the famous El Maya badge.

So the problem arises between Tahara and the Maya Guitar Company (also known as Maya Musical Instruments).  Tahara did not exist long, less than a decade.  Maya might have been some sort of collaborative effort or association, whereby various companies worked together on a project.  Maya also existed for a relatively short period of time.  So who gets credit for the Maya guitar badge?  The case for Tahara seems far more substantial in light of the evidence provided by the company now in existence after Tahara's demise.  But I truly wonder if perhaps Maya existed as a company and if they had as a collaborator Chushin Gakki and Tahara.  It's a marvelous tangle to unwind.  Were there Maya guitar badges that were different from El Maya?  Were Chushin Maya's different than Tahara Maya guitars?

It's something I'll be looking into over the next few months.  If I figure it all out or find someone who knows the answer, I'll share it with you here.

Maya.  A badge with an uncertain maker.

Attention All Readers Residing in Germany...

I was recently contacted by a person who owns what they believe to be a Life badged guitar  They say they think it's a lost MIJ badge with both electric and acoustic models made in the late 60's to 1970's period.  The claim is that there are a lot of these guitars being sold in Germany.  Do you have one?  Are they Japanese?  A quick glance found absolutely no information on these guitars.  Let's help a brother out here!  In the meantime, I'll try to get a pic of his so we can all see what we're looking at. 

Daion, Anyone?

Today I thought I'd change it up and post on the higher-end of the scale, both by year and quality with the Daion badged guitar while I'm waiting to get those lost Magnum badge pics.  Made by Yamaki, these electrics and acoustics were well-received by the public when they debuted in 1978 and were made well beyond the 1980 benchmark.  Yamaki also made their own house brand which included both electrics and acoustics as well.  The company was founded much earlier than the Daion badge appeared, back in 1962 by a pair of brothers:  Yasuyuki and Hirotsygu.  The company still exists today as a supplier of high-end guitar parts for foreign guitar manufacturers.  Here's just a few pics:

Daion guitars were manufactured after Yamaki had really established itself in the market.  The acoustic guitars are highly sought-after by collectors all over the world for their quality, and the electric guitars which have an unmistakable rosewood and maple neck design, are just a joy to behold.  Much has been written about this famous badge, including several fan sites in Japan.  The distinctive script badge and tuning-fork logo are symbols of quality to Daion owners and collectors around the world.  Here's just a few sites on this legendary badge:

http://daionguitar.com/index.php
http://daion.client.jp/
http://daionsonline.wordpress.com/

Just a quick tip...if your Daion is from Australia and has a sticker "Daion" badge instead of a plate, you have a Korean-made Daion in your possession.  These were made well after 1980.

Happy collecting!

Magnum Les Paul Guitars-A Lost Japanese Badge?

I found a Les Paul copy the other day that frankly has me stumped.  The badge is "Magnum" and it sure looks and feels like a vintage Japanese guitar!  With a bolt-on neck (minus the MIJ stamp) and a really solid feel, I asked the person selling it if they knew much about it.  "No," he said kind of sheepishly. "It looks like a vintage Japanese copy to me."  I've got a shot of a couple from Harmony Central for an example.

Here is the one I found in dark, blood red.  It's got the exact pickguard as the above example.  But notice...no higher end mother of pearl.

I realize I need to get closer and sharper pics of the red than what I have...which is fine, as I found a blue bass Magnum just the other day.  More pics on the way!  Ay-yi-yi!

Black seems to be the more popular color of the ones I've been able to locate online for examples.  The one I found was dark red like blood minus the mother-of-pearl inlays. It had silver pickups that looked pretty fragile (I'll be willing to bet owners of these guitars replaced these as quick as possible). Since I live in southeastern lower Michigan, I quickly discovered that the "Magnum" badge was sold locally at Royal Oak Music in Royal Oak, Michigan.  The music store has long since disappeared into history.  It looks like "Magnum" was sold in Chicago as well so maybe it was only distributed in the midwest in America.  There's a lot of reference to Magnums being widely sold in Australia, so they must have been manufactured in good quantities as a 'starter' copy guitar and distributed there as well.  It's so interesting where all these badged guitars end up!

Now what makes it far more difficult in pegging who made the Magnum badge is the fact that there was ANOTHER company in Vietnam who made "Magnum" badged guitars!  However, those Magnums are described as cheap laminated guitars that have a horrible sound with an approximate manufacturing date somewhere in the 1980's.  The Magnum I'm looking at is definitely from the 1970 period and solid.  There are also the famous Eastwood Magnum basses and acoustic Magnum Opus guitars which are made domestically both in the United States and Canada. 

It's clear the Magnum I found was the lower-end model because of the lack of mother-of-pearl inlays and the cheap pickups. 

But I still can't determine if this guitar IS Japanese.  Some argue that it is based on styling...it's rather similar to a Daion Les Paul from that period but god, you could say that about a lot of other Les Pauls from the golden 1970's Japanese copy era!  Others insist it's a Chinese product.  It's such a mystery.  I'm going to  go back and see if I can find a serial number on the one spotted.  In the meantime, check back...I should have those photos up soon so you can see it.  The guitar IS for sale, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll pass along the information on the seller.

If you have any information or want to share your Magnum, add it to the blog!

Updates, Updates, Updates

If you haven't checked out my Hubpages page of Made In Japan badged electric guitars from 1960-1980, you should.  I've made a lot of updates, adding guitar badges and a few overlooked manufacturers from the period.  If your guitar badge from this time isn't listed, tell me!  I'll be happy to add it.  I'll continue to do research into these 'lost' guitars...badges where we have no idea which manufacturer made them.

 To date, this is the list of unknown maker badges:

Alex, Andre, Aquarius, Aquila, Asco, Aztec, Bradley, Cameo, Capri, Cipher, CG Winner, Crown, Dorado, El Degas, Encore, Fandel, Feather, Goya, Granada, Intermark, Madeira, Maier, Marchis, Maruha, Matador, Melody, Moon, Norwood, S.G.C., Sigma, Yoshi, Zim-Gar

If you have any information on the maker of any of these guitars, PLEASE contact me!

May Queen, Correction

Well, shoot.  Sometimes Torch forgets a few things and I'll be gosh darned if it didn't happen during the the May Queen article. I neglected to mention (and thanks to all the readers who pointed it out) that some May Queens were badged "Kimberly".  Sorry for the oversight.

A Rare Jack....

Black Jack guitars are RARE. So rare, in fact, that I've never seen a picture of one. They seldom come up for sale and are a bit of a mystery.  Made in the 1960's, these hollowbody and semihollow electrics and basses have been attributed to Matsumoku, who made so many of these mystery badges.  Black Jack has been compared to examples from Univox, also a Matsumoku badge, although others believe it to be from another unknown manufacturer. Violin-shaped and a trifle old-fashioned, Black Jack is another lost page in the history of MIJ guitar lore.

Do you own a Black Jack?  Share it with us!  Send a pic!

Teisco May Queen...A Glimpse Into the Future of Electric Bodies

Since it's coming into the month of May, I thought I'd write about the coveted and rare May Queen guitars by Teisco.  These guitars were made in the late 1960's at the height of psychedelic rock and it's clear Teisco was creating products for that market...unusual guitars that these early rockers would find cool and affordable.  Teisco was known for playing with body shapes and explored the ways in which guitars could be transformed in appearance without losing their sound quality.  The May Queen was no exception with its almost palette-like shape, which some claim was inspired from a Vox design.  I've often wondered if the "May Queen" badge was the inspiration for the lyric 'It's just a spring clean for the May Queen' from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", which came out in 1971.  Most May Queen guitars that I've seen are in tuxedo black and white, but there are a few out there...very few...that have a red finish that reminds one of a brick color. Another rare color for the May Queen is a beige finish that's kind of blah.  May Queen guitars have a distinctive pickguard with a 'signed' "May Queen" above the Teisco brand in old script.  Here's the red and black side by side:

How beautiful is that?  If you own one or have owned one in your lifetime, you are or were extremely blessed. 

Marchis Guitars, Part II

Well I've got something to show you this week, rather than a long discussion.  Here's the Marchis that's from Flat Eric's Blogger page:

This looks almost exactly like East Bay Ray's Marchis from the Dead Kennedys.  Natural finish, natural neck. Did they really come from the factory this way?

Now here's a Marchis from Carl, another owner.

This Marchis is obviously a much earlier Les Paul example.  What's striking is the simple black neck.  Carl says that the original scratchplate was black, too.  Notice that the later version has an applied badge plate screwed on, while the earlier version appears to have been attached as simple label.  But the script is identical.

So here are two examples of this rare guitar.  Do you have one?  Is it similar or different than these examples?  Let me know!

Marchis guitars

A reader begins his message to me with "I understand you have a great knowledge of guitars..."

Oh gosh.  I wish.

Then he asks me about Marchis guitars.  This is a badge I've never even heard of.  Nor seen.  There doesn't seem to be many of them, from a quick glance at the internet.  I did find a fellow blogger with a page on it.  My reader said he has a Les Paul Gold version of the Marchis and Flat Eric's photos show a Telecaster thinline guitar that just about matches one in a 1974 Greco catalog.  Greco utilized Dyna, Fujigen and Matsumoku in manufacturing their guitars, so it's conceivable that Marchis was a badge made by one of these three manufacturers.  Both Matsumoku and Fujigen are the most productive of the timeframe in which Marchis would have been made, however, Dyna made quality guitars as well (they were used by Fender, which is pretty darn selective).  Is it possible that Marchis is a lost Dyna badge?

And much to my surprise guitarist East Bay Ray (Dead Kennedys) owns a Marchis....which is shown in a January 2006 Guitar World on page 33.  So it can't be that horrible of a guitar.

So does anyone else own one of these lost guitars?  Tell me!

Pearl Guitars...brought to you by Matsumoku and Hayashi

Pearl badged MIJ guitars have a mysterious history depending on whom you talk to. They appear to have been widely distributed, finding their way to Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States so they must have been fairly successful.  I haven't seen proof that the Pearl badge originated from the infamous Pearl drum corporation although the logos are suspiciously similar.  Perhaps it was a brief venture during the guitar craze of the 1970's by that company.  We may never know.  Most people assume that Pearl badged guitars were made by the famous percussion instrument maker and Pearl guitars are often sold with that information presented as fact.  Perhaps someone can enlighten me.  Till then, I'm on the fence about the origin of Pearl guitars.

Pearl electric guitars which were made by the venerable Matsumoku, were good Les Paul copies.  They came in sunburst and blond finishes from what I've seen of them.  Pearls were carried by Great West Musical Imports to the North American continent and I do not know if they distributed the guitar badge worldwide exclusively.  Some have mother of pearl pickguards in addition to the Pearl badge inlay, which add to the beauty of the Pearl image.  It would be interesting to know if they originally came that way from Matsumoku.  They seem to be pretty rare here in the United States but far more numerous among our friends in Australia so I wonder just how many were sold in their heyday.  They appear to be classified as a medium-quality guitar, but they sure look good to me. 

Pearl acoustics, however, were made by top Japanese acoustic guitar-maker Hayashi. They appear to have been gorgeously crafted with inlays of mother of pearl on the frets on occasion. Most Pearl acoustics from what I've seen were made of high quality tonewoods based on Gibson designs, although I'm not an acoustic guitar expert.  Finishes can be anywhere from sunburst to natural and they seem far more numerous in existing quantities than their electric cousins.  Pearl acoustics are praised by their owners as high-quality instruments and little wonder...they ARE Hayashi products!  You can read more specific information about Pearl acoustic guitar models HERE by Blogger friend Martin on his Vintage Japanese Acoustics blog.  

Another interesting thing with Pearl badges is that some "Pearl" inlays are gold and others mother of pearl.  I wonder if one color denotes a higher-end instrument model.  Again, I don't know the answer to that.  Yet another mystery to solve. 

Quest Atak V

Of all the crazy MIJ guitars I've seen, this one is really unique.  They're a little outside my area of study, since they were made in the 1980's, but they so embody the era of metal bands and long hair.  The Quest Atak series is pretty awe-inspiring in designs from the time, but the Atak V is an axe to savor.  Want to see the fluid, flying shape of one?  Go to this webpage.  Awesome, isn't it?

In addition to the crazy shape, I love the color blending on the guitar...it looks like it just came out of a fire someplace.  Must be some hot guitar madness being generated by that Atak.  Looks like you can score an Atak for as little as $120, but that's peanuts for as beautiful as these guitars look to me. 

If you own one of these pieces of guitar art, let me know how they sound!

Japan Quake 2, Hy-Lo, Hi-Lo?

Been watching the devastation over in Japan...yikes.  I honestly don't know if they will ever be able to return to normal after this.  Still haven't heard from some of the larger guitar manufacturers to find out if their factories still stand...and if the talented people making guitars in the region are still with us.  We'll just continue to pray to the guitar gods that all is well.

Meanwhile, a mystery has unfolded.  Two guitars:  Hy-Lo or Hi-Lo.  Made by the same company?  I don't know...after looking around and viewing a few for sale here and there, I have a hunch that these badges were made by different companies-thus Hy-Lo and Hi-Lo.  My guess after reading a lot of boards from owners is that Hy-Lo was made by Kawai Teisco, while Hi-Lo was a Matsumoku badge.  Why?  Well, one person claims that they bought their Hy-Lo from a Teisco catalog back in the late 1960's (nothing like an eyewitness account from a direct owner).  And Hi-Lo electrics sure look like a Matsumoku product to people who collect Matsumoku badges.   I really don't know.  To add to the confusion, both electrics and acoustics were made with this badge name, so it must have been somewhat successful as a badge here in the United States.  For now, I've got them divided on the list under these makers until someone puts me right who knows the answer or I find a person with  Hi-Lo who can testify that it was made by a specific maker because they have direct knowledge of it.  I'm confident that Hy-Lo is a Kawai Teisco product.  What I don't know, what I'm unsure of, is the Hi-Lo badge.

Does your head hurt reading this?  It hurts mine just thinking about it as I write.  Sorry.

Anyhow, if you know of the origin of Hi-Lo guitars, let me know.  I'm going to take an aspirin now and lie down after that previous paragraph.  Whew.

JooDee solved...Do You Have An Elk?

Had a message from a guy out on the west coast who's a collector of JooDee guitars.  He shared with me that he nailed down the company of origin for these beauties:  Dyna Gakki.  Which was one of the companies cited in many JooDee discussions!  He said he got the information from a former Dyna executive in Japan.  So I feel confident that we can say Dyna is the maker of the JooDee badge.  Whew.  Only god-knows-how many more badges to go....

Read some interesting things on the Elk badge too, from Vintage Guitar magazine.  I had it in the wrong place, as there was an Elk Gakki in Japan!   From the pics, these were pretty cool looking guitars.  Finding a clear acrylic Elk was fascinating as well.  Does anyone remember a major rock star of the 1970's who played a clear acrylic guitar?  If there was one, I don't recall it.  Anyway, Elk seems to be a pretty scarce badge.  Have you seen one?  Own one?  Did Elk Gakki make anything else? 

So many questions....I may have to learn Japanese.

Checkin Out Some Vintage Ibanez and Weymann Guitars

Had a pretty good weekend last week and checked out some new talent.  One was playing a pretty decent Gibson from the 1980's with gold pickups...sweet.  Another had a vintage 1940's Weymann electric with pearl inlays that was outta sight!  Sounded pretty good, too!  Also saw two Ibanez beauties:  a 1979 bass in honey, Musician MC300NT and a 1973 custom cherryburst Les Paul copy.  Getting to hold them and just look at the craftsmanship was a pleasure.

But I also stumbled upon a new badge this week.  Gession.  Apparently, this was a guitar made in Japan in the 1970-1980's period.  It's a Les Paul with a pancake body...with a darkburst over yellow finish.  Has anyone seen a Gession before?  Rumor has it that it was a Tokai badge, but I don't know...I've certainly never seen one or heard of the badge before.  The person who had it got it at a local flea market pretty cheap (it's not in the best of shape, but playable).  Yet another mystery to solve in the MIJ world.

Oh, well.  I've got a good 40 years yet to look into this.  And learn.  Maybe even solve some of these questions.

Need to thank a couple of shredders, Yoshi guitars?

I still haven't heard from anyone about JooDee guitars....but I keep hoping.  I have heard from a couple of resident experts on guitar badges "Feather" and  "Crown".  Thank you for your input!!!  I also have found a new guitar that needs researching...Yoshi.  Sounds like an old anime character. 

If you checked out the page lately, you'll notice the table is gone.  I decided to hide it as I was making so many changes to the original list that I felt it was only adding to the confusion for people reading my written listing.  I'll put it back up when I've made more corrections.  Corrections ARE going very well, thanks to several helping hands and a few new places to do research!  I'm even more hopeful that we'll have a good list within a year or two instead of the decade I was anticipating!  So thank you once again! 

Keep those questions and comments coming!

JooDee Guitars

In researching MIJ guitars, one badge name comes up frequently:  JooDee.  It's been the bane of my existence lately.

Why?

Because nobody can seem to pin down with any accuracy who made the darn thing. 

I've talked to local dealers, read articles and threads online...yet I can't seem to pin it down to one or two companies.  One source even suggested that there was a JooDee manufacturing company in the 1970's, a fact I haven't been able to find any evidence of. 

Who made JooDee guitars? 

God.  I may be spending a year just on this one.

An Orlando Guitar, A Friend and an Inability To Find Information....

So people ask, 'Hey, Torch! How'd you get this research blog started since you don't play?!'

Good question.  Here's the story.

Torch has a good friend called Noah.  Yeah, like the ark.  He's a musician and plays guitar for screamo bands.  Anyhow, while visiting him one afternoon, he says "Got a new guitar.  It's cool.  Want to see?"

I said sure.  And he brings out this guitar with 'Orlando' on the mother of pearl. A nice guitar.  Wicked.

Noah plays it for a song or two.  Then he sighs.  "Isn't it cool?  I wish I knew who made it...."

I laughed.  "Look on the Internet!  Everything's on there!"

"Not this guitar." said Noah.  "I know, I've looked.  I can find this model and a picture of one like it, sure.  But NOBODY knows who made this brand.  NOBODY."

I snorted. "Yeah, right.  Come on, SOMEBODY has to know."

"Then you find 'em"  Noah said.  And that was the start of my search.  I promised Noah I'd have his answer in a week.  A week turned into two weeks. A month.  Two months.  Finally after THREE MONTHS of reading everything I could find, both online and in print, I discovered ONE person who had an Orlando in his shop which needed repairs.  In taking the guitar apart, he found an ARIA label!  Solved!  Noah was totally geeked to hear the news.

But it bugged me.  It bugged me that it took that much time and effort to find the answer.  So I began the quest to get it all in one spot, as accurate as possible.  Why?  Because I don't think ANYONE should have to work that hard for a simple answer!

Well the good news is you have more information....

The fellow that was unhappy with my list wrote back and was REALLY nice about it.  Really nice.  He explained a lot and told me a few things to look into or just plain set me straight where the list is way off, which was a good thing.  So the long and short of it is, I know more about the topic but I've got a lot more work ahead to make it accurate. Sigh.  Such is life.  Nothing comes easy.

And I just want to say here and now that guitar collectors are some of the nicest and friendliest people on earth.  I've got a friend who runs an in-home concert venue for musicians who has been so sweet about helping me through my frustration in researching this topic.  Another friend of mine, who manufactures guitars, told me I was plain crazy to attempt such a list...that it couldn't be done.  But it hasn't stopped me from trying.

I leave with a quote from the great Albert Einstein:  "If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called Research."