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I received this e-mail James Adams on August 14, 2010:
Hello from New Brunswick Canada!
I bought my 1974 FG360 Nippon Gakki last year via EBay from a pawn shop in the
southern States for $325 US. It had been adjusted for E flat tuning to prevent
bridge pulling/bellying and neck stress, so it is in very good to excellent
condition. I put Grover tuners on it using the original drilled holes
(cool!), and I also installed black buffalo horn bridge pins, with a Bob Colosi
custom bone saddle built to the original saddle specs. the neck is super
straight, and I set the saddle for 7/64 action at the 12th fret.
Since this is Nippon Gakki, it has an ebony bridge and fretboard as
compared to the later Taiwan FG360's which have rosewood instead of
ebony. Ironically, the Taiwanese models are even rarer and perhaps
resulting in being more valuable than it's better quality handcrafted original
Japanese counterpart....It's very difficult to determine whether my Nippon Gakki
has a solid top or not, but if it isn't, it has a very unique lamination
indicative of just how good Nippon Gakki luthiers were back then, and the
high grade spruce they were using .
I wish I knew where Coral Rosewood comes from....no info out there about it that
I can find........it definitely looks similar to Brazilian Jacaranda or
Bolivian Rosewood.......it's sound is so unique and epic.....not as snappy as
Indian Rosewood, even with an ebony fretboard/bridge, and it has midrange
qualities similar to mahogany.......almost like a Koa wood sound.
I own several acoustic guitars including Martin, Gibson, and Yamaha
Japan/Taiwan, and this guitar is only surpassed by my Martin D35. It's as
good if not better than my Martin D15. For a 36 year old guitar, the
spruce has really mellowed and opened up the midrange, and when combined with
the bone saddle and horn bridgepins, the sound is just so full, sonic, and
balanced....a true example of what age and high quality tone-wood can
produce.....Unbelievable guitar!! I have to hear what the FG360 sounds like
recorded!
Cheers
James
Bathurst, NB
Canada
1971 Yamaha FG180 Nippon Gakki
1971 Yamaha FG230 Nippon Gakki (12 str)
1974 Yamaha FG360 Nippon Gakki
1981 Fender F3 ( MIJ )
1991 Takamine Jasmine S46 (white)
1993 Gibson Epiphone PR7E (Ace Frehley's KISS Unplugged guitar)
2000 Martin D15
2002 Yamaha DW15 (UK Edition)
2003 Yamaha DW7-12 (p/u installed)
2004 Martin D35
2006 Gibson J180 EC Special
2006 Gibson Epiphone Les Paul Ultra (modified with Seymour Duncan p/u's)
2007 RD-50-E resonator
Our thanks to James for sharing his story with us.
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