Musima Record 17 thinline hollow body guitar - East Germany

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This, ladies and gentlemen, is it - the absolut highest ranking production (boutique stuff aside) guitar that was ever built in East Germany in the times of communist rule. The Musima Record. This guitar displayed the insane craftmanship that East German luthiers indeed had if required, and that is why the Record is the most sought after production guitar when it comes to East German guitars, and certainly the most renown when it comes to thinline electrics. 

 Construction

Completely hollow body construction, the top is of solid wood, laminated back and sides. The fretboard is ebony - yes, you got that right, ebony. The guitar features 2 Simeto single coils which can be compared, tone-wise to Japanese gold foils. They have massive twang and output, and are so beautiful in their tone that I would put them into any expensive other guitar any time. The pots are 1 volume, 1 tone, and a toggle switch. That toggle is not original, but when I got the guitar it features 3 noisy and microphonic pots instead which I swapped. It is much more playable and enjoyable now. Also the tuners have been exchanged already by some previous owner, definitely a useful modification, albeit not too well done. 

 Measurements:

Scale: 640 mm

Nut: 4,3 cm

Body Depth: 5,3 cm

Body Width: 43,5 cm (HUGE!)

Weight: 3,48 kg

String action of E string at 12

th

 fret: 1,8 mm

The guitar plays easily with a smooth and low string action. There is no buzz or deadnotes anywhere on the fretboard. It has been set up by myself as good as possible, but I loosen the strings before shipping, which means you have to tune it up and (rarely, but potentially) set the neck or adjust the bridge to your liking once it arrived. If you need any such assistance, write a message to me and I will gladly help.

The neck is wide and has a certain girth, but I didn't find it uncomfortable at all. The guitar excels with a low fretboard radius and smooth playability that rivals modern counterparts. Definitely not a guitar that you have to fight. If you want to fiddle with the string action further, you can always take the neck off and work with shims.

The guitar has a rich, soft tone when played unplugged with surprising sustain. Once plugged in, it`s all bold twangy single coil goodness, but with a certain warmth and girth to it. 

The guitar is in a rocked, but still good condition for its age. Please have a thorough look at the pictures. There are some blemishes and lacquer damages and what looks like a tiny fissure in the top between the pickups. As I said, toggle switch is new and the tuners are not original. Pickguard is missing. Somebody also cut a whole into the back, covered with a plate, to access the pots more easily. Definitely a useful mod, but of course compromising the originality of the guitar.