Help identifying a guitar

OutOfMyWay

Hi folks,

this baby belonged to my grandfather and now it's mine.
Anyone know where and when it's from?

seems to be a Japanese ES-335 copy to me, can't seem to find records of any with 3 three pickups though

Also, I'm sure the bridge is supposed to be sitting on something other than some clothes pegs wrapped in electrical tape, anyone know where I can find that part?

Here are some pics

domhatch

it's a dia, manufactured by matsumoku in japan. further than that, i think i'll leave it to the more informed than i am folks...

the serial number may or may not help you get more info. apparently they were more or less random early on, but got more meaning as time went on

good luck
dh|

AlanRatcliffe

domhatch wrote: it's a dia, manufactured by matsumoku in japan.
the serial number may or may not help you get more info. apparently they were more or less random early on, but got more meaning as time went on

^this. You'll see the same guitar or very similar with a few different names on the headstock. It's not a 335 copy other than being a thin archtop, they have very little in common.

The bridge, just get any floating archtop bridge and replace. You can graft the original top and saddles on to it if you want, but the new bridge will be far better (I hate those Matsumoku roller bridges).

OutOfMyWay

thanks for the replies.

I'll look for one of those archtop TOM bridges.

Jozi

Hi. Just curious as to whether you ever replaced the bridge on your DIA? I've got an old 70's DIA solid body (Telecaster shape) but my Matsumoko roller bridge could only adjust height and string spacing - not intonation which was a big problem on an otherwise very playable guitar. My roller saddles were made of strong dye cast metal that fitted on a threaded bar and so could be adjusted sideways for string spacing but not forward and backward for intonation. How well do the intonation saddles work on your roller bridge? Yours seem to be made of plastic so possibly the strings have cut deep grooves into them, but that can be sorted out with a binding filler. I would advise getting two small Rosewood block shims to place on either side of your existing bridge underneath the stud hole cutouts. The shims could be filed to shape the arch of the face and then your existing bridge could be screwed onto the shims using small screws. Not necessary to glue the shims onto the face as string tension will hold them in place (floating bridge), unless you're a heavy strummer in which case some double sided selo-tape should work to secure them to the guitar face. My roller saddle assembly is mounted on a rectangular metal block into which the two mounting studs for the saddle assembly with their height adjustment thumb screw wheels are also fitted and the block measures approx 4mm in height and was screwed into the guitar face with two screws. Luckily the mounting studs on the block for the saddle assembly don't go into the guitar face, so I just removed the block bridge screws and repositioned it at an angle similar to most acoustic guitars and held in place by string tension. My intonation is very acceptable as a result of that and I have the advantage of setting my string spacing for all six strings which very few high-end guitars can do.

Stoffeltoo

Amazing and unusual axe Jozi
The Japanese really pushed innovation and with a little out of the box thinking, solutions are possible. palm muting must be a bit of a challenge with those small pins protruding above the height adjustment screws?

The twin toggles are unusual in their placement. Twin toggle switches in my opinion is a good design. When things get hot and furious on strumming the standard three way switch on the control plate is in the way.

Jozi

Hi Stoffel.
You are absolutely correct re: palm muting and interference from the bridge studs. I used to place a rubber garden tap washer on top of the stud nearest the low E string - worked pretty good at protecting my hand, but these days that uncomfortable pressure from the studs on my hand is something I just vasbyt through.

Also, one has to be careful not to hit the low E and A strings too hard or they will slip off the roller saddle and especially as the action is super low.
There is very little meat left on the fret wires so dressing and crowning is going to be difficult and a re-fret is obviously the way to go, but the cost of getting a pro to that is just not feasible.
Amazingly, there is no fret buzz despite the unbelievably low action.

I've got her original whammy bar, but have not figured out a way of attaching it so that it stays in position exactly where I want it to stay without interfering with my hand or dangling off the guitar face which looks bad.

This is a great guitar for someone with small hands, because the neck is much smaller than standard. It was probably designed for kids. I use it a lot when I'm learning a new song and thereby save wear and tear on my vintage Les Paul which I save for final rehearsals and for performances.

The only problem I'm having at the moment is pinging at the zero fret when bending notes where the thinner strings have cut grooves into the zero fret.
I stuffed a vaseline and graphite powder mix into those grooves which helps a little, but I really need to remove the nut and have a go at trying to dress and crown the zero fret.
How I wish I had a concave fret file - I'll have to have a go at making a home made version of a concave file one day.

In case you're wondering, there was a DIA decal on the headstock which eventually rubbed off and is gone. (Ja, doosie me used to use meths to clean dirt off the headstock back in the day). If you examine the headstock carefully at a certain angle, you can still just make out the faintest impression of the DIA lettering.

Cheers for now - Jozi.

Stoffeltoo

There's a luthier in the Vaal who does brilliant refretting jobs and setups. drop me a PM for deets if intersted

Stof