What is this L5 style Japanese Epi?

[2bornot2bop]

http://www.ebay.com/...984.m1438.l2649

 

 

 

Hi All!

 

A rare single humbucker model. The seller doesn't know what the actual model is.

 

The auction says spruce and maple, but is it actually plywood?

 

thx for the assist!

 

 

[RobinTheHood]

It looks like a non-electric Emperor-C that someone added a pickup and controls to. It could be factory, but it certainly wasnt a production model. This guitar most likely dates between 1975-1979/80. After that, the body design on the Emperors changed greatly. The construction is probably laminated woods, but dont quote me on that. It is possible that the top is solid spruce, but the likelihood of the body being a non-lam is pretty low.

[Parabar]

It looks like a non-electric Emperor-C that someone added a pickup and controls to. It could be factory, but it certainly wasnt a production model. This guitar most likely dates between 1975-1979/80. After that, the body design on the Emperors changed greatly. The construction is probably laminated woods, but dont quote me on that. It is possible that the top is solid spruce, but the likelihood of the body being a non-lam is pretty low.

 

I agree with RTH's assessment --- an acoustic archtop that someone added a pickup and controls to. The location of the knobs doesn't match with where they would be found on a Gibson or Epiphone model --- I believe that had it been a factory model, the knobs would have been placed more consistently with where they're found on a two-pickup model. Matsumoku built some high-end Emperors of similar design in the 80's, and I believe Terada made some for the Japanese market in the 90's as well.