Members benricci Posted January 18, 2010 Members Share Posted January 18, 2010 so who were they made by? you always seem to have a wealth of knowledge and a {censored}ing nose track opinion on everything not MIA or name brand... so tell us, who made them? oh, and i have a 70's-80's era Japanese guitar that i would put up against anything(in a much better player's hands of course:facepalm:) I'm not sure why you have all this aggression towards me, did I do something to you? I was just stating that these guitars weren't made by Yamaha. They were most likely made in one of the three large Japanese plants that were cranking out copy guitars in the 70s. Memphis models seem to share many characteristics with these low end, budget brands that were imported to the States by instrument distributers. Also, what is a "nose track opinion"? I don't understand what that means. The Memphis entry on Wikipedia is laughable and ridiculous. I hope no one is basing their "knowledge" on that article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diceman1000 Posted January 18, 2010 Members Share Posted January 18, 2010 I'm not sure why you have all this aggression towards me, did I do something to you? I was just stating that these guitars weren't made by Yamaha. They were most likely made in one of the three large Japanese plants that were cranking out copy guitars in the 70s. Memphis models seem to share many characteristics with these low end, budget brands that were imported to the States by instrument distributers. Also, what is a "nose track opinion"? I don't understand what that means.The Memphis entry on Wikipedia is laughable and ridiculous. I hope no one is basing their "knowledge" on that article. sorry for the hostilaty... it just seems like you think that things without the "right" name on them are not worthy... that's what the nose track opinion meant...you know, snobbery, nose in the air:poke:. i went about that a bit wrong though... i do apologize... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benricci Posted January 18, 2010 Members Share Posted January 18, 2010 sorry for the hostilaty... it just seems like you think that things without the "right" name on them are not worthy... that's what the nose track opinion meant...you know, snobbery, nose in the air:poke:. i went about that a bit wrong though... i do apologize... I think that? Since when? News to me... I mean for crying out loud I'm a BC Rich fan! You know how much crap I get for that alone? Also, most of my guitars are imports, now. For the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wader2k Posted January 18, 2010 Members Share Posted January 18, 2010 that wasn't directed at you wader... it makes no difference to me who made them, but i get tired of the snobbery around here... this is not 1959, the bulk of instruments are no longer hand made, most everything is CNC. and in all honesty, a little Chinaman can push a button just as well as anyone else... sorry....my angst should have been directed at the 1 post newb who said these were made by Yamaha and were worth $3000.... I hate misinformation. If a thing is not known as fact it should not be stated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diceman1000 Posted January 18, 2010 Members Share Posted January 18, 2010 sorry....my angst should have been directed at the 1 post newb who said these were made by Yamaha and were worth $3000....I hate misinformation. If a thing is not known as fact it should not be stated as such. agree 1000% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tartanphantom Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 I mean for crying out loud I'm a BC Rich fan! You know how much crap I get for that alone? Want some more crap over that, you cork sniffer?:poke: strange; I never noticed any snob posts by you before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diceman1000 Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 I think that? Since when? News to me... I mean for crying out loud I'm a BC Rich fan! You know how much crap I get for that alone? Also, most of my guitars are imports, now. For the record. maybe it was me taking things wrong... i do that sometimes:facepalm:. like i said, i'm sorry for attacking you and coming off like a total doucher... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 there are plenty of Japanese builders still using the open headstock shape for the domestic market. I`ve seen Memphis guitars on line here in Japan and they generally don`t sell for very much, they are not one of the brands that have been swept up in the frenzy. If somebody offered me $3000.00 for one I`d have sold it and moved to another town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twistedMr Posted January 19, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 The Memphis Les Paul was made by Yamaha. Your guitar is nice example of some of the LP copies out there. I also have one that I inherited from my father who passed in 1979. I don't know what year it is and have not seen another one like it with the sunburst finish and black hardware and pick guard. Notice the "open book" design of the head stock. This is a pre lawsuit design that was later changed. This guitar is heavy and sounds amazing in the right hands. I took mine in for a tune up and the shop owner offered me $3,000 for it but it has sentimental value so selling it is out of the question. Nice,Yours looks like it has the Memphis stamped with mother of pearl,and no serial #.Might be the studio version.Witch is way more valuable then mine.The serial # is stamped on the back head stock of mine.I think the bolt on necks were made buy Yamaha. My uncle has been a musician for over 35+ years,and wanted to trade his electric gretsch for my Memphis.Hes the one who took it to the guitar shop to have it worked on,and the owner said it was a Les Paul.My question is why was it never mentioned in the lawsuit?They were soldshipped out of Connecticut back in the 70`s.The nice thing i like about it is you dont have to press hard on the strings to make it sound good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sylvesterlowery Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 Looks like a cool guitar!It may not be worth a large amount of cash, but it seems like it brings you a lot of happiness and you enjoy playing it. That alone is worth putting it into you HOI policy IMO.Have fun with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wader2k Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 Nice,Yours looks like it has the Memphis stamped with mother of pearl,and no serial #.Might be the studio version.Witch is way more valuable then mine.The serial # is stamped on the back head stock of mine.I think the bolt on necks were made buy Yamaha.My uncle has been a musician for over 35+ years,and wanted to trade his electric gretsch for my Memphis.Hes the one who took it to the guitar shop to have it worked on,and the owner said it was a Les Paul.My question is why was it never mentioned in the lawsuit?They were soldshipped out of Connecticut back in the 70`s.The nice thing i like about it is you dont have to press hard on the strings to make it sound good. One more time....they were NOT made by Yamaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hurtzher Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 My first Les Paul type guitar was a Memphis (set neck) Les Paul copy. Man, that thing played great and didn't sound bad at all. From afar, everyone thought that was a Gibson. That's funny that someone said they were made by Yamaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 Memphis was not made by Yamaha unless they were made by the children of the Yamaha factory workers on Sundays. I had a Memphis Les Paul Special style guitar as well as a horrible bright blue thing. The Special looked great, as long as you didn't try to play it. The other one was just a clunker with a bad neck and felt like a toy. If someone offered me $300.00 for it I would feel like I was ripping them off. Ben Ricci is a corksniffer to the extreme. He is the only one I know who bought the Larry Conklin signiture guitar in every color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kerry67 Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 When I was a kid I had a Memphis Explorer copy and it looked exactally like a Gibson. Played great as well. Wish I could find another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benricci Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 Ben Ricci is a corksniffer to the extreme. He is the only one I know who bought the Larry Conklin signiture guitar in every color. To be fair, it was kind of hard to pass up when you consider the built in "thirty channel", and the "space ace" reverb knob. I mean, come on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 To be fair, it was kind of hard to pass up when you consider the built in "thirty channel", and the "space ace" reverb knob. I mean, come on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 Memphis Les Paul:http://cgi.ebay.com/MEMPHIS-LES-PAUL-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-DIMARZIOS-SCHALLER_W0QQitemZ200426218025QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item2eaa556229 Here is a Special just like mine, but mine was Cherry: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-70-s-Memphis-LP-Special-style-set-neck-guitar_W0QQitemZ270516560282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item3efc0b219a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Special J Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 benricci, you're such a corksniffer, WTF? LOL, benricci unhesitatingly recommended an import Mockingbird to me in a discussion a while back. diceman, you seem to throw around the gear snob monicker and get all worked up when anyone says anything the least bit negative about ANY import guitar. Realize that while the imports you love might be decent instruments, not all of them were. Just sayin. It's funny the 2 polar opposite opinions on Memphis guitars here, like they were 2 different companies. I've had experience with 2 of them, an SG copy and a LP Special copy like BG's above, but mine was black. They were both nearly unplayable pieces of garbage, made of plywood, with crap electronics and crap hardware. I wouldn't take one if someone was giving it away. But, sometimes there are gems within a manufacturers line-up and perhaps the OP has one of those. Or perhaps I only encountered the bottom of the line and they had some nicer models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spacejunkie Posted January 22, 2010 Members Share Posted January 22, 2010 I wonder why research shows that memphis was a DBA for yamaha? Could it be a fact that is true? If It is then what will that mean for the future of the rare quality knock offs of the Les Paul? Only time will tell. Seriously, what is in a name? My guitar plays and sounds like any Gibson Les Paul that I have played and there is value in that. Value is not a suggestion of worth but of quality without excessive cost. On another note, Wikipedia is a very reputable source of information. Anyone who has a better source please be kind enough to identify it. Unfortunately the instruments in question were made before the invention of the internet and the information may be lost forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benricci Posted January 22, 2010 Members Share Posted January 22, 2010 I wonder why research shows that memphis was a DBA for yamaha? I'm very interested in hearing what "research" you've conducted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wader2k Posted January 22, 2010 Members Share Posted January 22, 2010 I wonder why research shows that memphis was a DBA for yamaha? Could it be a fact that is true? If It is then what will that mean for the future of the rare quality knock offs of the Les Paul? Only time will tell. Seriously, what is in a name? My guitar plays and sounds like any Gibson Les Paul that I have played and there is value in that. Value is not a suggestion of worth but of quality without excessive cost.On another note, Wikipedia is a very reputable source of information. Anyone who has a better source please be kind enough to identify it. Unfortunately the instruments in question were made before the invention of the internet and the information may be lost forever. Show me your research.....so far you haven't posted any. Yamaha did not make Memphis guitars according to every reputable source I can find. I am a Yamaholic. They make great guitars. Some of them are on a par with Gibson and even exceed Gibson. They did do knockoffs of the LP....The Lord Player for example. But they didn't make Memphis guitars. edit. and if a shop owner offered you $3000 for your Memphis, you should have taken it and ran.....you could have bought 10 of them for that. doubleedit.....just checked out that wiki page. What a joke! No sources or references. Did YOU make that page? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twistedMr Posted February 19, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 19, 2010 Can any one look up the book value of my Guitar?Serial# 06070 I have no Guitar Shops or Pawn Stars were i live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jkater Posted February 20, 2010 Members Share Posted February 20, 2010 Memphis was not made by Yamaha unless they were made by the children of the Yamaha factory workers on Sundays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chairborne Posted February 20, 2010 Members Share Posted February 20, 2010 LOLocaust at the $3,000 Memphis. I have never seen a Memphis that isn't junk. Perhaps there are some exceptions out there. I have never seen a Memphis worth $3,000, and I never will because it does not exist. :poke: Memphis is like Hondo's brother. They made all the cheap crap guitars back when I was a mere youth . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members deadllama Posted February 20, 2010 Members Share Posted February 20, 2010 I am from Memphis. I hand made every single one of these guitars. How dare you impugn the quality of my craftsmanship? ...seriously, though, I really am from Memphis, and I think it's hilarious that there's a Japanese guitar brand named after this place. I'm a huge fan of 70's-era Japanese guitars, though, especially Electras and the lawsuit Ibanez stuff (I'd give one of my nuts for an Ibanez lawsuit SG custom, maybe) and I'd never heard of Memphis guitars, and I've researched the Matsumoku stuff pretty in-depth. I'd sell that thing for $3000 if you still have a chance, no matter how attached you are to it--you'll never have another opportunity to make that much free money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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