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Fun times!
Scored this Carlo Robelli branded ES-175...pulled out the pups and looked inside and it is identical to the Ibanez 2355 of the period. Even has the "open book" Gibson headstock as well as the "thistle" inlay. Pickups are Maxon Super 70's and have a very classic PAF sound. Threw some Thomastik flats on it and had a great time playing it after I dialed it in. Will give it a few days/week to see how I like it before I swap the bridge or pickups/electronics.
All in all a VERY cool guitar for cheap!
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04-04-2026 06:25 PM
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Nice guitar.
Here is my Sakura (at the bottom!).
It has a soundpost under the bridge - does yours?
Mine also has faux humbuckers. They each only have one coil!
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Very cool. Love the Sakura logo!
No soundpost on mine - that was the first thing I checked. This guitar has parallel bracing. The pickups are Super 70s (made by Maxon) and are built like PAFs but have Alnico 8 magnets. They sound pretty good but are quite microphonic. I'm going to play them for a bit then decide if I want to swap them out.
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Interesting, I'd heard that many Carlo Robelli guitars were made in Japan, but the problem is that they made them in Korea and other countries later on, and they have no serial numbers on 'em so you can't tell which is which. That is to say, if you can't play before you pay, it's a crap shoot.
Originally Posted by Palomorado
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From what I gather the 70's Carlo Robelli's are all made at the same factory as Greco and Ibanez and are completely the same as those models. It seems the name died in the early 80's then was brought back in the late 1990's as a house brand for Sam Ash stores and all made in Indonesia or Korea and are of varying quality.
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The Sakura is still quite lively acoustically even with the sound post. The 'real deal' isn't that lively but plugged in, it's truely wonderful. Originally Posted by Palomorado
Recently I saw a Peerless Journeyman in a tiny guitar emporium in the SW of England and was surprised to see that had a sound post. I have always fancied a Gigmaster. Don't know if that has a sound post.
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I’m pretty sure it was always the Sam Ash house brand (or at least it was in the late 70s/early 80s when I started getting into electric guitar). There may have been gaps in the brand being produced, though, and it most likely did follow the trajectory to Korea and China along with other Japanese brands. Originally Posted by Palomorado
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This definitely makes sense to me. When I first moved to NYC back in '99 I got a job at Manny's Music next door to Sam Ash on 48th st. I remember Ash re-introducing Carlo Robelli and they would give you a free CR acoustic with any purchase over $500 (or whatever...can't remember actual amount) and those guitars were pure rubbish. Originally Posted by John A.
As for this particular Carlo Robelli it is light years away from the CR guitars I tried in the early 2000's.
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The mid-seventies often have the Ibanez gold star tuners and the Ibanez serial number scheme.
My Speedfire branded Howard Roberts does, but yeah lots of variation.
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I think that all the Peerless models (Monarch, Jazz City, Journeyman, Gigmaster, etc.) have sound posts. Guitars and Jazz in NJ would know for sure. Originally Posted by garybaldy
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The second electric guitar I ever owned, back in 1974, was a Carlo Robelli Les Paul copy. In hindsight it wasn't a great sounding guitar, but I sometimes think I have never played a guitar since that had as thin, fast a neck.
...or course, that thin neck became a liability when my teenage rock band played an outdoor fair in the middle of a hot summer day, and the neck turned into a banana! But after 24 hours in my air-conditioned bedroom it was back to normal.
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Wow! That's crazy! Was your Les Paul a bolt on? Originally Posted by Bob_Ross
The neck on this guitar is rather full. Very similar to my ES-295.
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I vaguely remember that giveaway deal. Originally Posted by Palomorado
With the earlier stuff (I think even MIJ), I think I remember CR having a pretty poor reputation, but so did a lot of MIJ guitars that have come to be better regarded, and even collectible. I guess if you live long enough you get to see several generations of things you thought were trash become treasure.Last edited by John A.; 04-05-2026 at 01:11 PM.
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I have a Cortez Japanese ES-175 copy like this one [no serial number] :
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Yes. Originally Posted by Palomorado
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It was understood in the late 70's early 80's that the Carlo Robelli instruments were built alongside the Ibanez and Greco guitars. I heard it myself from Spider Ash. I briefly had a Robelli doubleneck back then, bought new at Sam Ash in White Plains, NY.
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To further cloud the waters there is a Carlo Robelli HR on Reverb now with Ibanez serial number and Ibanez Gold Star tuners like mine had originally.
Per the serial number a July ‘76 build.
1975–1988; Letter (A–L) + 6 digits
Seven characters M YY #### single letter (A–L) 2-digit number 4-digit number Example: B840230 (February 1984)
- M = letter indicating month of manufacture: A=January...L=December
- YY = last two digits of year (e.g. 85=1985)
- #### = consecutive production number for the month
Sometimes they put the serial number on the neck block.Last edited by Aiq; 04-07-2026 at 10:34 AM.
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"Carlo Robelli" was started/commissioned as the house brand of NY based music store chain Sam Ash. When they first started being imported they were made in Japan, where guitar making was inexpensive. As time went by Sam Ash Inc. eventually bought them from cheaper alternatives as the cost of building guitars rose in Japan. But if you see a Carlo Robelli made before say...82? it's the same folks in the same building making the guitars as were making the Ibanezes of those years.
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So...
Who was Carlo Robelli? Was he a famous guitarist or luthier BITD? Or just a made-up name?
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I've heard that it's a fake pedigree name, the name of a renowned Italian luthier who never existed but still somehow managed to emigrate to New York in 1932 and open an imaginary shop there. It's downright spooky! Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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That Howard Roberts looks great! I'm resisting the urge to start a Carlo Robelli collection!
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