Tomson Suzuki D-38 1975 natural

1970s Tomson D-38 with cardboard case

This Tomson was made by the Kiso Suzuki Violin Factory (Mr. Suzuki Masakichi).

Headstock:

Headstock is made of mahogany with very good binding that has some outgassing staining but no cracking or shrinking. The tuners are in very good condition and operate smoothly. The nut is plastic with a width of 1.7 inches. A blacklight revealed no damage or previous repairs.

Neck:

The set neck is a classic C shape and made of mahogany. The neck angle is good but the neck has a slight twist causing the bass side to rise about 1/32 inch. The fretboard is rosewood in very good condition with a 25.5 scale and 12 inch radius. The pearl inlays are in very good condition aside from some slight shrinking. The truss rod works well. The binding is very good with no cracking or shrinking but has some staining from outgassing. There are 20 level frets with an average fret height of 0.095 inches. The neck has some minor scratches. A blacklight revealed no damage or previous repairs.

Body:

The body has a solid cedar top and laminated rosewood back and sides. There are some scratches at the lower bout and sides with some heavy wear around the soundhole near the pickguard. The ebony bridge is in very good condition and the saddle is plastic. Again, the binding is very good with no cracking or shrinking but has some staining from outgassing. The pickguard has minor wear. The inlays around the soundhole and edge are in very good condition. The string height is 2/32 on treble side and 4/32 on the bass side due to a neck twist. A blacklight revealed no damage or previous repairs.

Setup was completed with 12 gauge strings. We recommend to replace the nut and saddle but, as is, the guitar plays well and sounds like a Martin.