Late 50's set neck Guyatones are some of the most underrated electric guitars available. Made in Tokyo Japan in the days before the Beatles boom, these early models featured some very creative and unusual designs. Solid body electric guitars were still in their infancy so there was lots of room for experimentation. By the mid sixties into the seventies, most Japanese manufacturers scaled back on their own designs and started making copies of more popular American brands targeted at teenagers in the west. This eventually led to some very high quality reproductions of classic guitars but many of the earliest designs from these Japanese companies have been forgotten or ignored.

The LG-40 is a single bridge pickup set neck design similar to a Les Paul or SG jr. This is the same pickup that was used in Ry Cooder's "Coodercaster". It is an unpotted single coil with an airy, aggressive tone. The guitar is featherlight weighing in at 4.75 pounds. The neck has a fairly narrow yet deep profile, see the specifications for more details. Completely original condition. Only minor issue is the endpin was pushed in slightly but it is very stable and secure. All the needed work and setup has been done by our neighbors at Philadelphia Fretworks so it sounds great and plays perfectly all the way up the neck. The neck angle is particularly good on this example and the neck is dead straight.  Played by the likes of Hank Marvin and Rory Gallagher, the 50's Guyatones are, in my opinion, some of the best Japanese guitars ever made.