Rh 99 flash files. This is a great Aria A552 Classical Guitar, made in the Matsumoku factory in Japan. Serial number and online references suggest it is 1974 although the style of the sticker looks more like 1984 to me.

So I don't know if its 30 years old or 40 years old. All solid woods with cedar top, obancole-mahogany back and sides. Download beth orton central reservation rar. If you believe what you read online then this model was originally made for export out of Japan only so it has become a rare and desired model for collectors in Japan.

Unfortunately a past owner decided to add the pickguard; that will come off in the next few days. I'm a hack so a friend who is a great classical player came over to try it today and told me it's a keeper. It plays nicely with great action, neck is straight, wood is all good, no flaws other than a few minor bumps to show its age, and it sounds beautiful, I wasn't looking for a classical but I couldn't refuse a great find at only $40! Okay, I removed the pickguard.

It seems that someone put it there to cover up wear and tear. Maybe from a pinky fingernail? So it has an unfortunate scar but I guess it's not so unusual given the age. When I removed the pickguard a few more splinters came off. It would have been better if the pickguard had never been applied. All things considered I'm not really disappointed to find it, though. I only paid $40 and evidence online says this particular model is worth $600 or more.

Some similar Arias seem to be at $300, but whatever the real value it's way more then I paid. Maybe it's less of a collector item with this wear but it shows that someone played it and the sound is great which is what really matters. It sounds even better without the pickguard, a bit deeper bottom end. It has a really vibrant body. It already had a long sustain and before this so it's hard to say if that is improved.

Enter Aria Guitars. English Japanese. Aria Pro II PE-R80 electric guitar, made in Japan, circa 1982, serial number 2040409, 22 fret rosewood fingerboard with crown pearl inlays, honey burst finish single cut profiled body with two humbucker pickups, hard case. Estimate £400 – 600. Unsold (13th June 2013).

This is one of the most frustrating questions from the MIJ collector. As I've read many different guitar collector/enthusiast forums and spoken to local guitar dealers, it's clear that the layperson has little to no idea who made their badged guitar from the 1960-1980 period, also known as the MIJ golden age of guitar manufacturing.

People often make the mistake of citing the American or European importer as the 'maker' of the guitar, when in fact several Japanese manufacturers were producing badged guitars out of their plants and shipping them to America and Europe to sell. Japanese manufacturers made multiple badges at the same plant, many of whom resemble each other closely. Some manufacturers merged or changed hands over the years which added to the confusion, sometime merging with another maker, only to pick up their name later. In some cases a manufacturer would farm out production to various manufacturers, making it still more difficult to know who made the guitar in your hands.

Parts from other guitars would be used in the making of a particular badge for a period of time because it was all the manufacturer had to hand.which doesn't always help in identifying a maker. And sometimes, the guitar which is supposed to be an MIJ guitar is actually made elsewhere (Korea, Indonesia) because production was moved during this period in history. Sounds hopeless, right? This page is a work in progress and as new information is revealed it will be added to the list. But I can't do this alone, folks. See a guitar not listed? Listed below are the major manufacturers, known badges and suspected badges to the best of my knowledge in written and list form to make it easy to find out WHO MADE YOUR GUITAR!

In some cases I won't know because the badge you have may be extremely rare and virtually unknown to even seasoned collectors. And just a quick note: I do not buy or sell guitars. I have no idea what any given guitar from this period would sell for. I don't know if some of the listed guitars are indeed valuable. My sole purpose is to help people looking specifically for information on the maker of their MIJ guitar.

So please.don't ask me what your guitar is worth. To me, they're all priceless. Chushin is still in operation today in Nagano, Japan and does business with guitar giant Fender. I believe that Chushin may have been a member of the Matsumoto Musical Instruments Association listed further down because both companies produced Fresher guitars during different periods.with Matsumoto beginning production and Chushin ending it (perhaps because the Association was disbanded?). During the 1960-1980 period they were responsible for badges Bambu, Cobran, El Maya and Hisonus as well as some Charvel, Fresher and Jackson badges. The company may have possibly made some guitars with the Aztec, Maya and Robin badges, but that is not verified.