Morris MB-50 Japan-made 12 String Guitar — Brasilian Rosewood 1989 — US Seller

Here is a great example of the beautiful guitars Morris was making in Japan back in the day. The Morris company still exists and tells us that this model is rare with only 100 of them being made between 1989 and 1991. It features an all-solid Spruce top with pearl inlay all around and at the rosette and ivory tone body bindings. Sides and back are “laminated” of genuine high quality nicely figured Brazilian Rosewood (Jacaranda) as is the headstock overlay where the "T. F. Morris" logo is also of pearl inlay.  

“Laminated” is quite unfortunate term regarding Japanese made guitars. These "laminates" were made from 2 layers of solid wood glued together with natural resins. They were made so well that they performed as good as solid woods while being far less expensive in guitar production and far more resistant to cracking in regular use.

There is an Ebony bridge and a dark Rosewood fretboard with decorative geometric pearl inlay.  Adding to the look is a D-35 style three-piece back with flamed Maple center and marquetry dividers. There is little bit of clouding of the finish of the rosewood part of the back, hard to see and couldn’t be captured on photos.

Nut width is 1 7/8" and scale length is 25 5/8".

The construction and looks of this wonderful guitar are based on Martin D-35. I won’t however call it a “copy” of Martin guitar. The word “copy” suggests a product of somewhat lower quality than the “original”, while this guitar can easily beat many brand-new Martin guitars.  

This guitar is in very good used condition with only a few minor dings/marks as would be expected over time. The neck is straight and the action comfortable at under 3mm and there is even some room to lower it more if needed.

The tone is resonant and warm. It offers impressive volume and superb response. Its sound is ultra-rich. Basses are deep but very “clean”. Trebles are metallic but very sweet at the same time. All notes have their unique colors, all are super clear and super well separated.  When chords/arpeggios are played guitar releases a bounty of overtones and harmonies.

The guitar comes with a black hard shell case in very good condition and with it's original Morris hang tag and paperwork (mostly in Japanese).  No export, due to the Brazilian Rosewood content.

Moridaira (Morris Guitars)

Founded in 1967 by Toshio "Mori" Moridaira, the Moridaira factory produced high-quality guitars, including the infamous Morris badged guitar. Moridaira also produced badged guitars for Hohner including Coronado, Futurama, H.S. Anderson, Lotus (some) and Sakai.

The Morris Guitars company has been building quality handcrafted instruments in Nagano, Japan for a long time. Mr. Toshio Moridaira, the founder, was the first distributor in Japan to carry both Fender and Gibson lines. In 1964, due to his working relationship with Gibson, Mr. Moridaira was able to visit the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan. An employee at Gibson nicknamed him “Mori” at that time.

In 1967, he founded the Morris Guitars company. He named it Morris, taken from the nickname given to him a while back. Morris produced copies of dreadnought and small jumbo models based on Martin and Gibson designs. Since then, Morris Guitars have enjoyed an outstanding reputation in Japan and other countries for making high quality guitars.

In 1974, Morris introduced their guitars at the NAMM show. In 1978, Morris introduced the Tornado line, thin body acoustic-electric guitars inspired by the Ovation design. Up until the early 80s, the U.S. market saw a variety of guitars that Morris imported from Japan.

In 2001, after a lengthy absence, Morris Guitars re-entered the U.S. market. They participate in the annual Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA. Morris Guitars currently offer a wonderful line of fingerstyle guitars with a middle price range. Custom hand built models are also available. Today, Morris Guitars are played by some of the world’s finest fingerstyle guitarists. Our products are available through a small number of dealers here in the U.S.