Vestax D'Angelicos?

[ptchristopher3]

I meant the Sadowsky Archtop series. I'm not sure about the Metroline series.

I thought Sadowsky laminate archtops were made by Aria. Are they certainly made by Terada?

I seem to have been mistaken in the past then.

[takauya]

I thought Sadowsky laminate archtops were made by Aria. Are they certainly made by Terada?

I seem to have been mistaken in the past then.

Yes, it's Terada. Aria is a brand owned by Arai. They used to be made by Matsumoku factory and now Terada (Japanese made models).

[ptchristopher3]

Yes, it's Terada. Aria is a brand owned by Arai. They used to be made by Matsumoku factory and now Terada (Japanese made models).

Many thanks for the clarification.

It is great to hear from someone actually aware of the Japanese market.

[2bornot2bop]

Gee, I didn't realize the Vestax DAs had poly finishes. I have a EXL-1, which is suitable for my current level of development. The only quibble I have with it is the poly finish on the neck. It feels different than nitro IMHO. I played a nice Heritage Super Eagle recently and would have bought it except the neck was so narrow (custom order) that I couldn't play it. I thought the Vestax DA would have been a nice step up for me, and may well still be. BTW, I've seen Vestax DAs for well under $3k. Thanks!

Yes, Vestax guitars are finished in poly. I purchased 1 for $1700, another in a rare blue for $2200. But that was 8 years ago, and I've not commonly seen those prices for Vestax models of the past few years. At the time these were bridge models for me. I eventually moved on to solid carved archtops. Still, I believe a Vestax for $2k is a solid purchase.

[buduranus2]

I believe a Vestax for $2k is a solid purchase.

That's my ballpark as well. Seems like I'm outgrowing my EXL-1 faster than I anticipated. BTW, I appreciate your userID. I read Dizzy's autobiography some time ago.

[2bornot2bop]

That's my ballpark as well. Seems like I'm outgrowing my EXL-1 faster than I anticipated. BTW, I appreciate your userID. I read Dizzy's autobiography some time ago.

I met Diz in 1991 during a gathering at the house of his goddaughter, who was a coworker of mine. A great man!

[LtKojak]

I meant the Sadowsky Archtop series. I'm not sure about the Metroline series.

Roger said that they're all made in the same factory. Hence not in the Terada plant.

Unless you, living in Japan, have a better inside info that I'm not aware of? I can't check it myself as I can't either read or speak japanese.

Please, feel free to confirm or deny it for me, I'll be glad to stand corrected, if that's the case.

[Flat]

Many Japanese people like Japanese guitars especially jazz people. My take is that more fusion or rock type players prefer American guitars. People those idolizing are mostly using Gibson, Fender, PRS, Suhr, etc.

This matches my experience too.

My brother-in-law is Japanese, plays in a local blues rock band in Japan. Over the years he has sent me money to buy a couple of PRS.

On the other hand, his town is where Tokai Gakki is located. So I have picked up three "vintage" Tokais (Springy Sound, Breezy Sound) when visiting over the years. They are great, old "lawsuit era" clones of Strats and Teles. Better than any Fender I could afford.

But the guitar players in his circle just want PRS and Gibson guitars.

[buduranus2]

This matches my experience too.

My brother-in-law is Japanese, plays in a local blues rock band in Japan. Over the years he has sent me money to buy a couple of PRS.

On the other hand, his town is where Tokai Gakki is located. So I have picked up three "vintage" Tokais (Springy Sound, Breezy Sound) when visiting over the years. They are great, old "lawsuit era" clones of Strats and Teles. Better than any Fender I could afford.

But the guitar players in his circle just want PRS and Gibson guitars.

I've actually been to the Tokai factory in Hamamatsu. Below is a photo of my Springy Sound SS-120, which I bought here a long time ago. A spot-on replica of a mid-50s v-neck strat. It was their top-of-the-line model. Gold-plated too.

[Flat]

That's what I'm talking about, buduranus2! Yours looks like a pristine, deluxe version of my ST-80. Very nice!

I've spent a lot of time in Hamamatsu. Got married there. Will probably retire there. It's sort of my second hometown.

[takauya]

Roger said that they're all made in the same factory. Hence not in the Terada plant.

Unless you, living in Japan, have a better inside info that I'm not aware of? I can't check it myself as I can't either read or speak japanese.

Please, feel free to confirm or deny it for me, I'll be glad to stand corrected, if that's the case.

I'm Japanese and living in Japan, so that's why my English is bad.
Anyway, it's Terada. It's not a secret or anything. Terada is the biggest OEM factory in Japan and making most if not all of the high-quality laminated top models from all over the world. Even Fujigen stopped making the archtop models quite a while ago and is made by Terada since. I have an interview of Roger Sadowsky from Japanese magazine that he explains the biggest problem of making archtop model was to find the factory which could make the high-quality laminated body. Then he found it in Japan. Without a doubt it's Terada.
Some Japanese gutiar shops state that clearly in the description and also on Japanese Wikipedia site, which of course can be unreliable, but there is no reason for someone to misinform that.

Also, I googled a bit and the Metroline series is/was (dicontinued?) made by the factories in Nagano (T's and Red House) and assembled and setup in Tokyo (Kikuchi).

[takauya]

This matches my experience too.

My brother-in-law is Japanese, plays in a local blues rock band in Japan. Over the years he has sent me money to buy a couple of PRS.

On the other hand, his town is where Tokai Gakki is located. So I have picked up three "vintage" Tokais (Springy Sound, Breezy Sound) when visiting over the years. They are great, old "lawsuit era" clones of Strats and Teles. Better than any Fender I could afford.

But the guitar players in his circle just want PRS and Gibson guitars.

Cool. I'm living in the same prefecture. About 1 hour from Hamamatsu.
Gibson and Fender are still strong because we are brainwashed. lol
I remember when I started playing I was drooling over Gibson ads. All of my heroes were playing Gibson. Then I finally bought a used Les Paul it was super heavy and I was like "Oh, a good guitar must be this heavy!". What a stupid kid I was. lol

[LtKojak]

Anyway, it's Terada.

Ok, I stand corrected, then.

To be honest, I had my doubts about Sadowsky making such an important investment for all the necessary equipment to make the laminate in the Metro line factory with such low turnout of archtops, so the explanation of the motivations made perfect sense and actually reaffirms what I already knew about the Terada factory.

My #1 instrument is Terada-made: a 1981 Emperador 335 copy, that I bought from the granddaughter of a retired Terada luthier.





This instrument gives any CS 335 a round for its money and then some.

Thank you for taking the the time to answer my question. Really appreciated!

Yours very truly,

[GNAPPI]

I'm Japanese and living in Japan, so that's why my English is bad.

Have no fear, your English is better than many born in the U.S.

[ThatRhythmMan]

Have no fear, your English is better than many born in the U.S.

Have no fear, your English is better than most born in the U.S. FTFY.

[Fmens]

I am looking for a Vestax " modern acoustic es1500". It is an acoustic archtop from Japan.

[GNAPPI]

Have no fear, your English is better than most born in the U.S. FTFY.

I stand by many. Saying "most" is waaayyy too broad a brush stroke.

Dictionary.com defines ‘most’ as: The majority of persons: to be more sensitive than most.

Dictionary.com defines ‘many’ as: Constituting or forming a large number; numerous: many people.