I'll say it: I've never seen a 45-year-old guitar -- much less an incredible Matsumoku-made one like this -- that could completely pass for a brand new guitar.
I'd been looking for a Bruno Conqueror for about two years, but never imagined finding one that looks and plays like it was built yesterday. The Swede finds the condition of this near miraculous, and I have to agree.
I first in an article about great lesser-know vintage models to be on the lookout for, namely for the level of craftsmanship and build quality.
C. Bruno & Sons started in Georgia in the 1900s. In the 1960s, they started importing instruments from Japan. Similar designs -- with the matching pearloid headstock, pickguard, pickup retainer and selector plate -- can be found on models from Univox, Aria, Diamond, Conrad and other brands, all of which were made at the Matsumoku plant.
That craftsmanship is evident in the sophisticated bindings and a three-tone sunburst finish....and in this case, a finish that is pretty near perfect.
Two single coil pickups are controlled by two volume and two tone controls via a 3-way pickup selector switch. The roller bridge is fully adjustable, the tuners are very good and in pristine shape. The tremolo arm is original, like everything else, and all the chrome hardware is like new.
The neck and frets are equally ideal: easy action, dead on intonation. And the tone from the pair of single coils is sparkling and deep. In fact in The Swede's demo video, he used very modest volume to really let the guitar's natural acoustics shine through.
We don't think its possible for a guitar of this vintage, and calibre, to be in better condition. And we've priced it accordingly.
We have lots of other
great guitars like a magnificent '66
Hagstrom III and a totally boss '74
AMPEG Super Stud available, as well as a killer-diller '86
Marshall Lead 12 Mini Stack and more fantastic stuff we are getting ready to list, so please check out the rest of the shop and point friends and fellow musicians our way.
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check our feedback to buy with confidence in us, and please feel free to ask any questions about this or any of our other guitars and amps.We also recently created a YouTube playlist of so you can see them all in one place.
About Automatic JackAs with all the axes in the
Automatic Jack Shack, the Swede -- my guitar craftsman and collaborator in gear -- has given this his full treatment, checking, fixing and optimizing all the electronics, hardware and functionality from headstock on down. Of course, our vintage is
old stuff, so bear in mind that many of our listings are for 30-40+ year-old instruments, with the typical kind of wear and quirks that comes with that. Vintage gear tends to be imperfect and in need of ongoing care. We are dedicated to delivering the most playable, high-quality and modestly-priced guitars and gear we can. But we are players and people. We want to offer great deals and deal with great people.
