Kawai F-500D

Kawai, another of Japans' musical instrument giants, are much better known for their pianos and fine violins than acoustic guitars, but they did dabble with guitars along the way! Dabble being apt, because there is a mix of quality out there; some very clearly entry level and novelty guitars, plywood construction and toys, both electric and acoustic, and then a much more select choice of high quality guitars made around the mid-70s to the early 80s, the top models of which were hand-crafted using selected tone woods, and made in much smaller quantities than the lower priced models. Manufactured at Kawai Gaki, these hand crafted models began at the F-500D model, priced at 50,000 Yen at release, up to the top of the range FD-15, priced at 150,000 Yen. I have two F-500D models, made quite clearly at two different years and by different hands. This is the earlier one of the two being featured in this entry, and is a firm favourite in my collection.

This F-500D is a much loved and used model, with the odd scuff on its back, and worn frets which i'll need to have replaced a little while down the line, the top beginning to belly slightly but not enough to cause problems... but i doubt this guitar would sound as good without all the signs of its use. Regarding its specs, it features a select solid spruce top which really is fantastic - laced with silk (that fine cross grain sheen you see looking at an angle across the wood), aged and tight grained, particularly around the centre of the body. Over all the years of playing, this has opened up to offer up a world of tone. It has abalone purfling round the body and soundhole, and select rosewood sides and back, with a mosaic inlay down the centre back joint. The bridge is honed from select rosewood, as is the fingerboard which features Mexican shell hexagonal position markers, and is bound to a select mahogany neck. The headstalk is Martin square shaped, with Gotoh machine heads and the Kawai logo inlayed in abalone. It is all solid and attentive stuff. The real magic in this guitar is the bracing inside - the hand-crafted point really comes home here, with hand-scallopped and shaped bracing, that is exceptionally clean and smooth. Notably these braces are shaped slightly thinner compared to those on the early 80s F-500D i have, which gives each their own character.

I have tried to take some photos to show the quality of woods and craftmanship in this model below:





















You can find additional photos here

Pearl FW-135

Another Pearl guitar, this time modeled on a Gibson acoustic design, quite likely the Songwriter, but with their own details to mark it apart. The Pearl FW-135 (yet another different model name - price association), was priced at 35,000 Yen on it's release in the early 70's, and as per the previous entry, was only available for a couple of years.

Manufactured at the Hayashi Gaki factory, it is again beautifully built with some fine features. It is a solid spruce top dreadnought, with maple back and sides, finished in a fine sunburst, even on the flamed maple back with a gold and black weaved purfling down its centre. The top and back have cream bounding that has aged that nice vintage yellow, which sets off nicely against the black edge of the sunburst. It has a Martin style rosewood bridge and a quite unique crescent/half moon shaped pickguard with a woodgrain-like effect, which has a real appeal about it. The neck material is hard to tell due to the black finish, most likely nato or mahogany, and most likely 3-piece. It features a rosewood fingerboard, with split-trapezoid position markers in mother-of-pearl, and cream binding. I've always liked that Gibson inlay design. The headstock design is also similar to Gibson, but altered into a simple tri-point with mother-of-pearl Pearl logo on the top. The tuners are another unique design on this guitar - Japanese-made saucer shaped machine covers with round buttons. Again i have no complaints about the sturdiness of these and i like the look of them. Once again the Pearl truss rod cover also features on the headstock, this time without the P logo on it. Internally you can see "Pearl Guitar. Folk. Made by Hayashi" stamped on the central strip and the ripples of the maple, with solid bracing and clean and tidy joints. Another really well constructed guitar in near-new condition, quite something for nearly 40 years old.

At the moment i have Newtone tru-bronze lights on it, and you get that warm round sound, quite bright and less bassy than some of the others, its really nice to strum chords away on in folk and country songs, or picking melodies further up the neck. I should like to try it with some phosphor-bronze strings on it some time; it's hard to tell til you try out the different types what one suits the guitar best but i think it might offer another bluesy tones as well with those on. Either way, it is a fine player and a fine looker.

Here are some photos:














Additional photos are here

Pearl PF-770

Pearl; a name synonmous with quality drums for the past 30 to 40 years. Lesser known is the acoustic guitars they offered in the early 70s. Like Tama, the acoustic offerings were not available very long, perhaps a span of 3 years, before they focused all efforts on the percussive side of the business. Unlike Tama, these didn't have any exposure to Western markets and remained in the domestic market only. Whilst Tama used a select group of Ibanez luthiers to make their exceptional guitars, Pearl had their acoustic guitars constructed by Hayashi Gaki.

Hayashi Gaki was another guitar factory in the Matsumoko region manufacturing a number of different brands, including Nashville and Mountain in the early 70s. At the time of manufacture of Pearl acoustics, a Mr Mamose worked there as a design engineer - a man of repute in the Japanese acoustic guitar market. From this early start designing Pearl acoustics, he went on to produce Rider guitars for a couple of years (1975-1976) before founding the Headway guitar line in 1977, which continues today. These are both highly sought-after brands with models demanding high prices in their native Japan. Yet again, these both remain quite unknown to the West; a common theme of this blog...

The range of Pearl acoustics offered was quite vast, from entry level 15,000 Yen models, up to 200,000 Yen top of the range models - a huge amount considering a Martin D45 retailed at 245,000Y at the time. Despite a large range, Pearl acoustic guitars are quite rare given their short selling period. Currently i have 4 of them, with the first to cover being the PF-770, which retailed at 77,000 Yen back in 1971. The price puts it up as about the second or third most expensive model i own going by the original retail price. This PF is a standard dreadnought body, with a solid spruce top with triple cream binding. The sides and back are Indian rosewood, with an intricate mosaic purfling down the centre of the back. The bridge is a light rosewood with a bone saddle, and the pickguard is a funny thing - cushioned vinyl with the original P logo on it. Quite amazing that it's not worn off. The neck is a 3-piece mahogany with a chunky volute neck joint and a bound rosewood fretboard, and a Martin-style headstalk. The headstalk has a mother-of-pearl inlay of the Pearl logo, a bone nut, and what i think are nickle Japanese-made old-style button tuners that hold tuning very solidly. It also has a chunky black/white truss rod cover with the original Pearl P logo on it.

Tonally, it rings out; loud and full, well balanced, and lasts on and on. So lively, it feels like the whole body ripples under a hard strum. I have Newtone tru-bronze lights on it and find they suit this guitar really well. The harmonics on it are quite astounding. Honestly, I wasn't quite expecting this richness of tone when i bought it, i was primarily taken with the idea of it being another Drum company making an old acoustic (read anything about Tama acoustics and you will realise why such enthusiasm for trying another drum companies efforts at acoustics) and the fact it had so much of its original style and quirks.

Here are some photos:












As ever, for additional photos go here