Members Moozikchk Posted June 13, 2015 Members Share Posted June 13, 2015 This guitar was given to my Bakersfield, CA friend in 1996 by the son of Roy NIchols (guitar player for Merle Haggard). Note the W on the headstock. What the heck brand is this? I had a friend check it out and he thinks it's from the 70's. Check out the direct box/pedal that came with it. What's the origin of this? Any info would be appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members speakerjones Posted June 14, 2015 Members Share Posted June 14, 2015 I got nothin. Maybe try popping the neck off to see if there's anything stamped on it? Did Warmoth ever label their head stocks with a W? The pots should have date codes on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted June 14, 2015 Members Share Posted June 14, 2015 Don't have any ideas but dig the heck out of the color scheme and those off-cream pickups. Bet it's a nice piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members *BLEEP* Posted June 14, 2015 Members Share Posted June 14, 2015 Just a few quick facts: 1.) That ain't no Fender neck, what with the truss rod cover and the headstock outline (shape) being out of proportions with early era or CBS era headstock outlines. 2.) Warmoth has never used a "W" like that, neither has Warwick for that matter. 3.) The Doobie Power Pocket personal preamp is of Japanese origin. It is not a direct box, nor is it a floor pedal. It is a belt clip device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 14, 2015 Members Share Posted June 14, 2015 Man I know that truss rod cover because I've had to take them off doing guitar repairs before. I know its a 70's/early 80's Japanese import likely made by Matsumoku Industrial. The tuners are from that same era too and are just as familiar. Think they were used on a bunch of imports back then. The pickups are a bit stubbier looking, again another indication this is a lawsuit import and those changes were made to prevent people from selling it as a Fender. Bridge was obviously modified fairly recently. The string trees are another item. They're staggered backwards. The middle string tree is normally closer to the nut and the other closer to the tuners. I want to say its a Memphis, Greco, Aztec, Hondo or Conrad, Vantage, Westminister, possibly any of the other budget imports from back then. People often sanded the names off so they wouldn't be identified as playing a cheap Fender knockoff. This one has a similar build with the same tuners and LP type nut. Its got a truss cover but its not curved. That importer made dozens of branded imports from the mid 60's to late 80's so you'll have to do allot of digging to find the exact one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 14, 2015 Members Share Posted June 14, 2015 You can see here this Silhouette made by Matsumoku has that same truss cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted June 16, 2015 Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 I can wholeheartedly agree that that's an Uncle Matt. The headstock and the big o plastic nut. Early 70's I would guess, and someone inlayed the W during a refinish on the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members *BLEEP* Posted June 16, 2015 Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 No pics of Roy Nichols playing a Strat, just acoustics, Teles, and Les Pauls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 The only other brand that starts with W that I can think of offhand that hasn't already been mentioned is Westone... also MIJ, and also were often built in the Matsumoku factory... but they were more products of the 80s than the 70s, but they did start up in the mid-70s, so I suppose it's possible that's a very early example of one. However, I have no idea for certain what brand that particular guitar is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted June 16, 2015 Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 Nope, not a Westone. Never used just a W as a logo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted June 16, 2015 Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 It has a nice Schaller bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted June 17, 2015 Members Share Posted June 17, 2015 A local Guitar Center has a used Welch Telecaster copy. The headstock logo looks like this: I saw it and thought of this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 17, 2015 Members Share Posted June 17, 2015 My thoughts were based on the rounded edges of the headstock. It looks like the headstock had the original logo sanded off and the W added and lacquered over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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