1970s Morris W-50 Vintage Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, Spruce & Rosewood w/ Case, Japan

Up for sale, a late 1970s Morris W-50 vintage dreadnought acoustic guitar in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. Made at the esteemed Matsumoku factory in Japan, this expertly-crafted W-50 has cosmetic appointments in-line with the Martin D-45, yet with a three-piece back reminiscent of the D-35 model.

Tonewoods include an X-braced spruce top, rosewood sides, and a rosewood back with a central third of flamed chestnut, paired with a one-piece mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. Measuring 15 5/8” across the lower bout and 4 5/8” deep, this guitar has a classic square shoulder dreadnought tonal profile, with plenty of low end kick and a shimmering, clear top end. It’s a balanced sound; versatile and responsive to user inputs. This Morris weighs 5lbs 2oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-53 strings and easy-playing action.

The mahogany neck has a substantial V-shaped profile carve at the nut with increased heft further up the fretboard, measuring .875” deep at the 1st fret and 1.015” at the 9th with 14 frets clear of the body. The dark rosewood fretboard features cream binding, abalone hexagon inlay, and practically perfect slender fretwire that shows just a hint of wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-2. This guitar plays cleanly in all registers with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The nut measures 1 11/16” in width. The headstock has a dark rosewood veneer framed by multi-ply binding, inlaid with a vertical T.F. Morris logo, and the back of the headstock sports a distinctive Martin-style diamond volute. The stock Morris-branded, Schaller-style tuners turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch, with clean chrome plating.

On the body, the ebony bridge sits flush with the source top on all edges, and the saddle is at its lowest point of adjustment, with action that's well within spec for a proper setup in every register, measuring 8/64” on the bass side and 6/64” on the treble side at the 12th fret. The top is framed by multi-ply abalone binding, and there is detailed purfling on the back framing the central third of flamed chestnut. The original label is visible through the soundhole, and the serial number is stamped on the heel block.

Cosmetic wear on the gloss finish is limited to some minor dings on top and a handful of faint finish scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth satin finish on the neck profile has been buffed to a semi-gloss through play, with a few shallow marks central to the carve behind frets 1-5 that have no impact on playability.

The original black tolex hardshell case with blue plush interior is included.