1960s Ventura V1300 Archtop Electric Guitar Japan Univox Coily Pickups Matsumoku

Up for sale, a 1960's Ventura V-1300 archtop electric guitar in excellent condition and in perfect working order. Imported from to the USA by C. Bruno & Sons, the Ventura line of instruments were produced in Japan's famed Matsumoku factory. Clearly inspired by Gibson's ES-175, the Ventura V-1300 is a surprisingly elegant and easy to play vintage archtop, with key hardware upgrades including gold Grover tuners, a Byrdland gold tailpiece, and Tune-o-Matic style gold bridge. Utilizing the same pickups seen on the Univox Coily model (not coincidentally also produced in the same factory), these single coils are highly regarded among lovers of vintage Japanese guitars for their smooth, clear tone and balanced, articulate sound. Paired with a fully hollow maple body and spruce top, the round and snappy acoustic tone of the instrument works very well in concert with the pickups for everything from biting twang to mellow Jazz tonalities. The guitar also weighs a mere 7lbs 8oz. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, this Ventura is strung with 10-46 strings and low, comfortable action.

The neck has a C shaped profile that is fairly slender at the nut, gaining moderate depth and roundness as you move into the higher registers of the fretboard. In stark contrast to any preconceived notions one might have about "budget" Japanese instruments, the neck on this Ventura is flat out one of the best playing we've ever experienced on a vintage Matsumoku-made instrument, and it's particularly straight, accommodating particularly low action with ease. Also a major factor in the neck's playability is a top notch refret with fretwire that's just shy of a medium jumbo in terms of width. These frets have virtually no wear and ample, perfectly rounded crowns for decades of future maintenance-free playability. The rosewood fretboard also sports multi-ply binding and pearl block inlays. At the nut, the neck measures a full 1 11/16" in width, perfect for players comfortable with Gibson's traditional width. On the headstock, the aforementioned gold Grover Rotomatic tuners turn smoothly and hold pitch exceptionally well.

All of the electronics work as they should, with individual Volume and Tone knobs for each pickup wired to a three-way pickup selector toggle. The quartet of original gold reflector cap knobs are intact, along with the stock pickguard, and the upgrade gold tailpiece and bridge allow for optimal stability and intonation, not to mention adding a touch of Gibson-esque class to this archtop! Cosmetically, this guitar is remarkably clean, with an unfaded two-tone sunburst finish. There is some notable finish checking on the lower bout of the top as well as a few small light finish scratches and dings on the body as a whole, but no serious or structural wear of any kind!

A padded gigbag is included.