1979 Morris B-50 - Natural | Vintage Japan Post Lawsuit D-41 Dreadnought 12-String Acoustic Guitar 3-Piece Back Jacaranda | Case

I am offering a Morris B-50 from 1979, a handmade in Matsumoto, Nagano (Japan), and hand-signed Morris 12-string dreadnought luxury acoustic guitar from the post-lawsuit era with a fine-grained spruce top, three-piece back and sides made of wild-grained Jacaranda including flamed maple center stripe (!), set-in mahogany neck with medium-width “C” profile and 47.5 mm nut width, bound ebony fretboard with elaborate hexagon mother-of-pearl inlays, elaborately designed mahogany headstock with jacaranda veneer and pearl logo inlay in Martin style, as well as rosette and top purfling made of abalone in an authentically aged natural high-gloss finish with various decorations made of precious woods, abalone and mother-of-pearl in excellent collector's condition including black hardshell case and professional setup with 10-gauge Elixir strings.

Morris, one of Japan's leading guitar makers, was founded in the late 1960s in Nagoya by Toshio Moridaira, a Japanese guitar distributor with close ties to Gibson and Fender. The company produced replicas in the style of Martin and Gibson in the 70s and 80s and was known for its exceptional quality at a great price.

This B-50 is one of the top-of-the-line dreadnought 12-string models from the late 1970s. Morris instruments from this period are characterized by an outstanding manufacturing quality and are a real insider tip for those looking for a powerful-sounding “vintage Martin” but don't want to spend quite as much.

As a post-lawsuit guitar, the B-50 is modeled on the Martin D-35 / D-41 models and features a select spruce top with a three-piece back / sides made of richly grained Latin American jacaranda wood, including a highly figured center stripe of flamed maple. The instrument also features a set mahogany neck with a medium-strength “C” neck profile and a bound ebony fingerboard. Traditionally handcrafted, the B-50 has an excellent build quality that is on par with a vintage Martin.

Due to the large dreadnought body, a truly full sound with powerful volume is produced: full, humming and long-lasting basses as well as bell-like highs rich in overtones combine with round, balanced mids to create perfect harmonies. The open sound, covering the entire spectrum, with the chorus effect of the twelve strings, cuts an excellent figure with both strumming and all sorts of picking.

A sound example of the model can be found above at the end of the photo gallery.

Thanks to the low action, the 47.5mm nut width and the 648mm scale length, the playability is surprisingly smooth for a vintage 12-string acoustic guitar.

Visually, the guitar impresses with a naturally aged high-gloss finish, which is aesthetically showcased by loving details such as the elaborate hexagon mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays or the abalone decorations around the rosette and top.

Technical Specifications:

• Year of construction: 1979
• Origin: Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
• Body style: 12-string dreadnought
• Top: Fine-grained spruce
• Back/sides: Three-piece Latin American jacaranda with a center stripe of flamed maple
• Neck: Mahogany, set-in
• Neck profile: Medium “C”
• Nut width: 47.5mm
• Fingerboard: Ebony with mother-of-pearl hexagon inlays, bound
• Headstock: Mahogany with Jacaranda veneer and mother-of-pearl logo inlay, bound
• Bridge: Ebony
• Tuner: Morris Japan chrome die-cast tuners
• Bindings: Multi-ply cream binding with abalone top purfling
• Rosette: Abalone core
• Pickguard: Black
• Finish: Natural, high gloss
• Serial no.: 904166
• Scale length: 648mm
• Incl. black vintage hardshell case

Despite being 46 years old, the guitar is in excellent condition and technically flawless. Visually, only occasional fine superficial wear can be found, which is successfully integrated into the instrument's vintage patina (see pictures). The frets are in excellent condition.

The guitar has been professionally set up with 10-gauge Elixir strings and I (a long-time guitar teacher) will ship it fully insured with DHL for €29.99 within Germany or €69.99 within the EU. Worldwide shipping is possible – individual shipping costs are available upon request.

All pictures shown are of the actual instrument for sale.