brakaybra Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 It's an FT-150 and is obviously old... the tag in the soundhole says Epiphone Guitars Kalamazoo... it's made in Japan but must be one of the first Epi's built there because of the Kalamazoo address... right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachi Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 Kalamazoo is in Michigan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brakaybra Posted August 10, 2010 Author Share Posted August 10, 2010 thanks Sachi... I know Kalamazoo is in Michigan and at one time Epi's were built there but their production was shipped to Japan in the early 70's when CMI was bought out by ECL. What I was trying to get at is that although this guitar was made in Japan the Kalamazoo Michigan address for the company must have meant that the guitar was one of the first built in Japan... the same fine luthiers that built guitars in Kalamazoo continued to build guitars with Gibson and eventually when Gibson moved away from the Great Lakes, Heritage became the name on the guitars that those craftsmen built.. the serial number is not on the guitar but I think it's worth about 400 bucks... the site where I found that price suggested coming to this forum for a better sampling of those who would know more about Epi's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Flick Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 It's an FT-150 and is obviously old... the tag in the soundhole says Epiphone Guitars Kalamazoo...it's made in Japan but must be one of the first Epi's built there because of the Kalamazoo address... right? Square blue label??? Bolt-on neck??? Made by Matsumoku in the 1970s for Epiphone. Not very valuable' date=' the neck pockets are weak and often give out and causing high action. The price in the catalog is probably close to it's present value depending on it's condition. If the neck pocket is still sturdy, it's a pretty decent guitar. You might want to check out the movie [i']Deliverance[/i], in the Dueling Banjo scene Drew plays one of these '70s MIJ acoustics, I forget the specific model. It's been decades since I read the book, but as I remember it he didn't want to risk damage to his Martin during the white water rafting, so he bought an inexpensive but decent quality guitar. I don't remember if they mentioned Epiphone in the book, but it was definitely one of these in the movie. Here's the catalog: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 My 6832 is a very similar guitar, bought it for $145. I fixed it up and it plays real nice: http://forums.epiphone.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=13608 Current value = $145. Here's one that sold last year for $227: http://www.shopgoodwill.com/auctions/Epiphone-FT-150-Bard-Acoustic-Guitar-In-Case-NICE-4954423.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brakaybra Posted August 10, 2010 Author Share Posted August 10, 2010 thanx guys... and yes the neck pocket was weak and gave out... guitar needs repai job... was impressed with the fretboard and the solid woods... guy gave it me for helping him move... didn't want to go to a repair shop not having a decent idea of its value so this was very helpful... thanx again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brakaybra Posted August 10, 2010 Author Share Posted August 10, 2010 btw... my favorite guitar for jamming and gigs is my Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus DC... 62 tele sits in the case ... ditto 73 Strat when i take them out while the Paul is on the stand they give dirty looks and she's not sure why they are so mad at her... she doesn't realize she's the new babe in the harem... yes I love my guitars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 Here is how I fixed my FT145SB: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php/topic/37812-repairing-a-norlin-era-ft-guitar-with-broken-neck/page__p__528620__hl__clamp__fromsearch__1#entry528620 Take it to your luthier or if you're handy with wood working tools, do it yourself. No guarantees, but this 'final solution' has been holding up under tension of medium strings for about two years with zero movement. The cost to have someone else repair it will likely be as much as it's worth after the repair. But my 145 has tone to die for. And mine has sentimental value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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