FT 150

[mode69]

I have a Ft 150 Japanese built serial no. 823001. I saw one in the window of a shop in Charing Cross Road, London and they were inviting offers. They reckoned it would sell for £250-£300. Given the serial number, is my guitar circa 70's or later and is this a reasonable asking price?

 

I am still regretting selling my Travis Bean!!

 

Thanks,

 

Mode69

[Guest]

I have a Ft 150 Japanese built serial no. 823001. I saw one in the window of a shop in Charing Cross Road' date=' London and they were inviting offers. They reckoned it would sell for £250-£300. Given the serial number, is my guitar circa 70's or later and is this a reasonable asking price?

 

I am still regretting selling my Travis Bean!!

 

Thanks,

 

Mode69[/quote']

 

I can only speculate about guitar prices in the UK but my opinion is that it sounds about £100 too high on each end of the range. My personal feeling is that the Epiphone acoustics of this era (1971-1980) seem to have far too much of a premium for what they actually are and I think a lot of it is a kind of romance/intoxication with early 70's Japanese guitars... and a lot of that is based upon a very few and some very particular guitars from that era which have a great modern reputation. Unfortunately not all Japanese guitars from the early 70's are extraordinary or do all that many of them even rise above mediocrity. This line of guitars was made from completely laminated bodies and have bolt-on necks and in spite of this they of course they have their devout following. Play it, if it's something you simply must have make an offer but start low...say £125. You can always increase your offer but if you go in with your best offer first you're locked into it. They could accept your offer or they could counter with their own offer but I don't think they'll chuck you out of the shop for making an offer. As I said, in the states these guitars can be had for under $200 and for about that same money you start to get into modern guitars with solid tops which regardless of what those owning laminated tops are going to say, does make a difference. The FT-150 was made by Matsumoku and was as I said, one of the early Japanese Epiphone imported models arriving in 1972 and sticking around until about 1979. Good luck.

 

...and Al's your uncle.

[mode69]

Hey thanks. I agree totally with what you say. I own a FT150 which I have had since the seventies. I was just checking out how much the shop was asking for the one they had on sale. Far too much but they sold it.