Jagard JD400

As mentioned, here is the follow up the JD300 post, by its big brother, the JD400. Another lovely guitar, but the real interesting question is: what does an extra 10,000 Yen get you back in 1975? That's a considerable amount at the time!

So, again crafted at Terada, the main change is as you expect - better quality tonewoods and some visual enhancements, such as the vertical headstalk logo. In some ways this vertical logo indicates that this JD400 is more a copy of the Martin D41 rather than the D35. This is further supported by the JD400 featuring a 2-piece rosewood back rather than the 3-piece seen on the JD300. Honestly, i prefer the 3-piece backs, but that's a personal thing really. The solid spruce soundboard is a lovely even-grained example, again featuring abalone inlayed rosette and edged binding. The Indian rosewood used on the sides and back are just as attractively grained as seen on the JD300, with again an intricate wood mosaic inlay separating the 2-piece back. The neck again is mahogany, this time with an ebony fingerboard with abalone hexagonal inlay position markers and cream binding. The headstalk is faced with a rosewood veneer and features a quintessential 70s Martin-style vertical logo of JAGARD inlayed in mother-of-pearl, though i am yet to discover what the N and K either side of the J represent. I imagine they are the initials of someone involved with the Jagard brand, maybe time will tell. One of the really pleasing features of looking at these two guitars, is noting that the same QC luthier signed off both guitars on the soundhole label.

Sometimes visual differences really are subtle. Tonally this is a richer sounding guitar to the JD300 though. That soundboard really is worth the extra 10,000 Yen by itself.

Here are some photos to spot-the-differences with:




















As ever you can find the full collection of photos here

Jagard JD300

Time of the season to resume blogging again now that summer feels like it is well past and autumn arrive. So i might as well pick up from where i left off, and discuss another Jagard model. This time, the JD300 model, which is a Martin D35 based model from them. Again a mid 70s made model, and again out of the Terada guitar factory, this is amongst the nicest looking Martin based models i have collected, and in wonderful condition considering its age. As the model number suggests, this was 30,000 Yen back in the day in native Japan, and D signifying it is using Martin based brace design.

Looking at its specification, if features a lovely aged spruce soundboard, with a light tortoiseshell pickgauard, and the usual simple abalone rosette and edging to the binding. The sides are Indian rosewood, joining at the base with a cream wedge, whilst the back is a 3-piece of different cuts of Indian rosewood, the two out flanks bookmatched. Each seam features lovely mosaic wood inlays which are quite beautiful and detailed. The neck is a 3-piece mahogany in a full C shape, with a rosewood fingerboard with abalone inlaid hexagonal shaped position markers, and cream binding. The headstalk is the expected Martin shape, with quality Gotoh tuners and Jagard & Co. Est. 1951 in gold italic script just like the Martin & Co snakescript logo. Very cheeky. Internally it is tidy and clean, with well sanded braces and tidy kurfling. The soundhole label is handsigned by the QC luthier and details the model number.

Overall, this is another fine example out of the Terada factory. Please find the usual photos below:















Next up i will be looking at the model up from this, the JD400. Thanks for reading.

Jagard JG35

Finally trying to catch up with myself. A lot of models to write about, some of which i have sold along the way recenty, but want to bookmark them before new models arrive.

This entry is about another Jagard model, this time a JG35, designed on the Gallagher body shape and made by Terada around 1975. This is the second Gallagher-based model i have had, the other being the Aria G300 which i have written about earlier, and it is another really fine and accurate copy. Tonally very distinct from the Martin/Gibson based designs, i find these produce a very rich and balanced sound, particularly so in this JG35 model, which has some wonderful tonewoods used in its construction; indeed these were quality beyond what i was expecting at the 35,000 Yen price mark, more in line with the sort i see in the 50,000 Yen models. The solid spruce top is exceptionally tight grained, which really helps drive that full tone out under hard strumming. Bound onto some Indian Rosewood sides, and a three-piece Indian Rosewood back with that lovely mosaic purfling used between the seams of each section, it is a fine looking guitar. The neck is 3-piece mahogany, with a nice C-shape contour, and quite chunky - quite different to the neck on the Aria G300, which was more vintage V shaped and which had a volute neck joint. It also doesn't have that rather cleverly reworked Gallagher crest like the Aria on the headstalk - some Jagard models do have a J reworked similarly to the A or the Aria, but as far as catalogues show me, this is only on the top of the range JG1200 model! Lovely to behold i am sure! What we do get with this model is a nicely inlayed Jagard logo in abalone, and some high quality Gotoh tuners. Similar to the Aria, we had a bound rosewood fingerboard with snowflake inlay position markers. Internally, construction is again quality from Terada, with clean and tidy work throughout, and the familiar woodpatch stating the model number and Handmade by Terada.

As normal, here are some photos:











Additional photos can be found here

Jagard JD-85S

There can be no mistaking what this is a copy of; the Gibson Dove is legendary. First made in 1962 in Kalamazoo, the Dove was the second Gibson acoustic to feature the flat-shoulder design made famous by the Martin D-series guitars, the first being the equally famous Hummingbird. Though similar in appearance, the original Dove featured a solid Sitka spruce top and light bracing, with solid maple back and sides, the ornate engraved pickguard - probably one of the most famous pickguards ever designed, and the two doves on the bridge. On to that a longer 25.5" scale length fretboard with split parallelogram inlays, gave the Dove a loud, bright and rich sound, and a unique image.

It's little wonder that the Japanese guitar industry of the 70s sought to make their own models of it, with so many famous musicians using them at some point or another, demand was high, and import prices of the Gibson models were far beyond their economy. As with the Martin models, they took the original Dove apart and examined how it was made, and went about re-creating it - Jagard were one brand of many with a Dove model, other better known ones likely being Burny, Greco, Morris, and Yamaki.

Jagard guitars were crafted at the Terada guitar factory, which was one of the largest guitar manufacturers of the time in Japan. Terada built guitars of all ranges and prices, for a number of different brands, and even used a mail-order system to sell guitars through magazines, mainly under the guise of Tomson guitars. Regarding Jagard guitars, i can only guess the name was inspired from the Rolling Stones front man! A lot of people have quite a laugh when i tell them the name of the brand of this guitar, and it is quite a novelty. However, as the model name/number suggests, this is quite a guitar, retailing originally at 85,000 Yen in the mid 70s - a huge sum of money in perspective. This is the most expensive of the original priced guitars in the collection, and you really did get something extra for your money here.

Finished in brilliant sunburst, it looks stunning. The solid spruce top, the maple sides, and a three-piece maple back with intricate wood mosaic inlays between each panel, double bound in ivory white, are all beautiful. Next, the rosewood Gibson-style bridge features mother-of-pearl dove inlays, and the pickguard is tortoise-shell with mother-of-pearl dove and hand etched details. A plus is the bone saddle, a marked improvement over the original tune-o-matic style first released on the Gibson. On to the body is a red-woodstained mahogany neck with a bound rosewood fretboard featuring mother-of-pearl split parallelogram position markers, up to a bone nut and an ivory bound moustache headstalk with Jagard in italic mother-of-pearl inlay, and the Gibson style crown and truss rod cover. The tuning pegs are Japanese high-quality Gotoh style which wind smooth and hold tight. Inside it's clean and tight, with a detail woodpatch branded with "Hand Made Jagard Model No. JD85S Made By Terada".

With so many Martin copies in my collection, this model is a rarity. The maple back and sides and the fine spruce top really make this guitar sing loud and crisp, shimmering in harmonic chords. I have Newtone light bronze strings on it just now, and it is amazing the volume out of the lights it produces. A set of mediums will be tried next. I really must get a recording and share it.

Until then, here are some photos to enjoy:




















You can find the rest of the photos here

Beebird BW-401

This is an interesting one, as this is a model i know relatively little about. I have yet to come across any Beebird catalogs, or many models over the past year to gather much more information about them. From the little there have been, i understand Beebird guitars were a higher end model from Terada guitar factories, who made guitars for many different brands, including Thomson, Tomson, Jagard, Vesta Graham, Morales, the occasional Morris, the occasional Suzuki, and Thumb - i have probably still missed a few. It does say on the inside label that it is part of the Nabish guitar group, but i can find nothing about them sadly. I bought this one still quite early on in the collection a little blind and wasn't too sure what it was going to be like.

It's an unusual guitar - not by looks, but by sound. It is quite different from the others i had collected or had before, and i would confess i was initially disappointed. Perhaps at that moment i was expecting full rich tones from it, not the woody tones i got instead. It did look beautiful; its spruce top striped amber grain, the sides some wild rosewood with the faint hint of red in its grain, the back a darker indian rosewood, the smooth gotoh tuners and the wood bound neck with beautifully filed frets. I put some phosphor-bronze strings on and adjusted the neck to give it more forward bow as it had some buzz on the first few frets. Over time and playing some more traditional scottish/irish style folk songs, i found its niche. The sustain and woody resonance lends itself so specifically to that style that none of the others have its character when i go to them to play that style of song. It's harmonics ring deep and long and quite barren. I wouldn't call the sound warm or lush, but more dry, quite haunting, and moody. It is hard to tell if this is a solid top guitar or not, but i think it is. It's sustain and tone would make me believe so, but its grain is hard to make out from the side profile at the soundhole. I have found this the best way to judge in most cases, but there are exceptions where the grain is hard to find even on solid tops.

Some photos:















and you can find additional photos here


as ever, video/audio footage is still a work in progress. one of these days!