About
Avid guitar collector and average guitar player Claes is writing about his thoughts on buying and collecting guitars, fixing them up yourself and just general guitar stuff. Claes has never even met a real luthier and doesn’t pretend to be an expert in any way. He just believes that the best way of learning is by trying and he likes to share his experiences and mistakes as he goes along and learn more and more about guitars. Claes loves all guitars as long as they are older than 30 years and ideally were made in Sweden or Japan.
His first attempts to change anything on a guitar was when he decided that his Morgan Telecaster needed a wee bit of bling and it eventually became, the Claescaster.
Claescaster 
I am writing to you to avail myself of my rights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). This letter is a Notice of Infringement as authorized in §512 of the U.S. Copyright Law.
1. The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Japanese-Manufacturers-of-Made-In-Japan-Badged-Guitars-from-1950-to-1980
2. The URLs where my copyrighted material is located include:
https://claescaster.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/japanese-guitar-brands/
Please give credit to my site and authorship. You may contact me at my site. Thanks.
Done, thanks for the reminder.
Hello, can I buy your sigma dr 41?
Hi there Chris. No, I would like to keep my Sigma, at least for now. I will let you know if I change my mind.
Hello,
I came upon your site while trying to find some information on my ZEN-ON SW 500 Western Deluxe Guitar. I believe it is an attempt to produce a Martin D-35. The strange thing about it is brass nut and saddle and string pins. It plays incredibly well, but I can’t really date it (my guess is 1976), made in Japan. I have a serial number but I can’t seem to find a place to input it. 23038 5M 500.
Thanks for any help!
Matthew Rose
Hello Matthew
Unfortunately I don’t have any more information about this brand, I have actually never heard of it before. I’m sorry.
Claes
Hi, is the CG Winner still for sale? If so, what is your shipping policy to the US? Thanks,
Tom
I think it’s going to be too expensive to send it to the US. It’s normally 80-100 euros just inside the EU so with the taxes and all it’s going to be a too much.
I have a Goya GG 163 ser# 2434 Goya Music, New York, NY. 10010 Made in Sweden. I was hoping that you would know what year this guitar was made. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks And by the way great website and beautiful guitars.
Hi there, I’m pretty sure your Goya was made in 1971. You can compare the labels here:
http://www.vintage-guitars.se/Levin/Goya_serial_numbers.htm
Hi
I have a Morris Custom W610 guitar that I bought in 1981.
I wonder if you tell me something about it.
I regularly search the Internet for information and your site has the most information that I’ve found.
I’ve seen the Worthpoint auction site but there is no history there.
Thank you!
Mark
Moridaira (Morris Guitars)
Founded in 1967 by Toshio “Mori” Moridaira, the Moridaira factory produced high-quality guitars, including the infamous Morris badged guitar. Moridaira also produced badged guitars for Hohner including Coronado, Futurama, H.S. Anderson, Lotus (some) and Sakai.
Thanks for the reply, Claes!
I was wondering if you knew the history of the Morris W610 – There has never been a sticker or serial number in the guitar (that I can see) and I’ve read that other W610’s were built in 1973 by S. Yairi.
From your posts, you appear to be a Morris guitar fan and I thought that you might know more of the history of this guitar. There can’t be too many of them out there.
Thanks again,
Mark
Hi Claes,
I’m a producer in Amsterdam and my Director is looking for you!
He knows you from a previous casting and would like to work with you. Are you still working as an actor?
Cheers Severien
+31(0) 6 543 51 960
I have a Speedfire guitar which is a exact copy of a Gibson C-4
I can fine very little information regarding this guitar and who made it.
My best guess is that it is Japan 1974 from the same factory that made
Ibanez as I have seen another guitar exactly like it with the Ibanez headstock logo
Would appreciate any info
I haven’t heard of the brand before but since most of the mid 1970’s Japanese guitars are identical, just different logos, I think you are right. Probably built by Matsumoku then.
I read your post from a few years back on your 1991 Tokai LS-55 Love Rock. I recently bought a 1993 Tokai ES-90 and am trying to find out about the pickups that are installed in it. Here is a link to a photo: https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/37189403561_0fd1c15427_b.jpg
I can see photos on your website of your LS-55 and your neck pickup. This looks very similar to the neck pickup in my ES. I am interested, do you remember if your bridge pickup looks the same as mine, and have you found out any info on the pickups?
Hi Jimmy. To be honest, I don’t really have any info on the pickups. I just know that they sound damn good, better than any Greco LP I’ve tried.
Vet du något om Terada TR1006?
Kan det vara tillverkningsår-75?
Vilken fabrik, har själv ingen aning.
Mvh ebh
Syns på bild på (inte min gitarr där):
https://reverb.com/uk/item/896314-terada-tr-100-6-tr1006-acoustic-guitar-mij-made-in-japan
Hej. Terada byggdes i Teradafabriken, precis som tidiga Morrisgitarrer. Terada är en fantastisk fabrik, de bygger Gretsch och Orville numera. 1975 kan nog stämma, de flesta tillverkare slutade använda höjbara stall runt den tiden så senare är den inte men kanske tidigare, typ 1972-73. Troligtvis så är den hellamminerad.
Tack, satte just in den på Blocket. Lite för många gtarrer just nu. Mvh Stefan
Den 10 januari 2018 09:55 skrev Claescaster :
> claesgellerbrink commented: “Hej. Terada byggdes i Teradafabriken, precis > som tidiga Morrisgitarrer. Terada är en fantastisk fabrik, de bygger > Gretsch och Orville numera. 1975 kan nog stämma, de flesta tillverkare > slutade använda höjbara stall runt den tiden så senare är den inte men” >
Hi Claes,
I recently bought a Morris WJ21-n from 1982. It looks and sounds beautifull, but I have not been able to find any information about it anywhere on the internet.
I would really appreciate if you could find the time to let me know more about it (an idea of its value would be geat too)
Many thanks in advance
Marc
I don’t really have more info to give than what you can find in my blog posts about the Morris guitars I used to own.
Hi
I have a Levin Goliath serial # 109498. I have had it for 52 years. I love it to bits. But one of the gears on the machine head winder is worn and slips so I can’t tune the 3rd string. (Open tuning is all I can manage which is OK but a bit limiting!!). I don’t want to replace the machine heads with something new and shiny. Do you have any idea where I can find some original replacements?
Thanks for your help
Brian
Depends on what machine heads you have on, does it have Van Ghent tuners? Normally you can find original parts on eBay but they are quite pricey.
Hi-
I just acquired a 1966 Goya T-16, in good shape and sounds great. The neck needs to be reset and I having trouble locating a tool that fits the recessed square bolts (Robertson screws?). Do you have any advice on this?
Thanks for your help and very nice site!
Nick
Hi Nick
I think a Phillips #2 screwdriver will fit. Try to find one that sits really well in there so you don’t damage the square bolts.
All the best
I have a beautiful Rider custom R400D made by Hayashi Musical Instruments in Matsumoko Japan and can find no info about it. Can you help?
I don’t have any more info to give about that specific brand, I’m sorry.
Hi Claes,
congrats on your blog! I really dig the guitars you show – especially the old Levins!
I have a beautiful 1967 Levin LN 26 in good shape and very well set up but with the notorious adjustable plastic bridge saddles. It’s a cool instrument, it has a lot of mojo and the neck is perfect – but still I think the sound could be richer. Especially a bit of bass is missing.
You have played so many old Levins. Do you think the adjustable plastic bridge saddles have a strong influence on the sound? I can imagine but never have played a vintage Levin Goliath with a bone bridge.
Have you ever replaced the plastic bridge saddles by a classical bone bridge?
Best regards
Klaus from Cologne
Hi Klaus
I’m not a big fan of the plastic saddle screws, as you said, they lack both bass and clarity. I changed the whole bridge on my 1968 Levin LT-18 for an ebony bridge with a real bone saddle and that did a world of difference, you can hear the video comparison here.
https://claescaster.com/2016/11/10/how-to-carve-a-bridge-3/
Take care,
Claes
Hi there,
Congrats for your blog, I found some nice info. I have a Levin LT-18 of 1968 in very good condition and I was wondering if it interests you. If yes, contact me so I can send you photos and discuss further.
Cheers
Hi there.
I have a similar instrument I am trying to put up for sale and don’t know what price to ask. It is an Ibanez Vintage 637 acoustic guitar that was made in Japan. Mine is plain-not sunburst like yours. There is very little literature on this instrument. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It all depends on where you live. Japanese guitars starts to get pretty sought after in some countries and in others are worth hardly anything at all. Take care
Hello Claes, thanks for keeping up your lovely website. I am wondering if you know: does a stamped “2” on the back of a Levin/Goya headstock indicate a factory second? Thanks!
I’m not sure, but that would make sense. It’s the system most other brands used so why not Levin.
Thanks!
I have a K. Yairi model W-1 from 1983. Serial number 27486. Not much info to find. Maybe you know more abort it?
Hi there. I don’t have much more info about it, try to search on Japanese sites and look for old K. Yairi catalogues.
I own a Suzuki 3 F 120 guitar. Is it of value ?
They are in the cheaper range of Japanese acoustics but you could probably still get a couple of hundreds for it.
Hi Claes.
A while ago I bought a Levin Model No. W34-N (Made in Korea)
I have not been able to find anything about the guitar searching the net. I find the W30 W32 W35 and W36, but not this one.
It is a very nice, well playing guitar, good craftsmanship with stunning inlays in the fretboard, the same as the WR 34. The mystery is that this is a dreadnought not the ragtime model!
It seems like a solid pine top with solid mahogny back and sides. The colour on the top is very light, almost white.
Have you heard about this model?
Best Regards
Jarle
I think I wrote a post about the new Levin guitars, if you search my blog. Basically the name was bought up and they started to make guitars again in the far east so they model numbers might not match the original Swedish made guitars.
I have a pristine T-23 I want to sell. Do you know anyone who might be interested?
send me an email Duane, claesgellerbrink@gmail.com
Hello! Thank you for sharing Sigma info. I just picked up a Sigma DR-9. Do you know much about these or have access to a link to learn? Thanks again.