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-   -   Suzuki No.7 (https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207606)

darrinc 02-09-2011 11:48 AM

Suzuki No.7
 
I have recently inherited a 1964 No. 7. After poking around on various forums I'm pretty excited to hear that these old Suzuki guitars sound and play better than their market value would indicate.

It also appears that there are a few others out there that have the same guitar.

I'm just getting my feet wet and my callouses formed and really don't have much experience to compare this guitar to others so I'd like to hear what people have to say about the Suzuki No.7

Darrin

sneaky 02-09-2011 02:52 PM

is it dated on the label? I have a few old Suzukis...my 1948 and 1950 are dated...the others are not, not always easy getting a year on those.
As for the no.7 hard to say...be nice to see some pics. I really like mine but dan`t recall what number they are, I have one that says special on the label...my wife told me `cause it`s all in Japanese and it really is a very nice one. I have some with the diamond cut bracing, gave one to a friend and he loves it. They did make some really nice models, also made a lot of low end stuff. There are many Suzuki labels out there, they changed often plus there was more than one Suzuki building guitars and there was Kiso Suzuki too.

darrinc 02-09-2011 09:56 PM

Suzuki No. 7
 
Sneaky,

Here's a quick shot of the label. I'm planning on getting shots of all parts of the guitar but I want to put a little more time into getting nice images. For now here's the label. According to my father-in-law he received the guitar in 65. The numbers in the neck are 45 16. From what I've gathered the first number or sometimes the first two line up with the date of manufacture. So in this case the oral and written stories seem to align.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10872440@N02/5432272677/

I'm hoping to have a complete set of pics early next week.

Darrin

sneaky 02-10-2011 01:39 AM

sometimes Japanese manufacturers would include the year in the serial...but the number Showa 45 would be 1970 which doesn`t fit with your story. I have five Suzukis and am certain of the dates on only two and thats because they`re dated on the labels, like I said the others are not marked. But one thing all of us MIJ guitar owners have to come to terms with is the fact that we not always be able to determine the exact year a guitar was made, just the way it is, if that kind of info is real important to you you`d better off not buying MIJs...even big companies like Yamaha did not evidently keep great records of their early guitars...I have a lot more Yamahas than Suzukis and don`t know the precise dates on any of em...c`est la vie mon ami.

sneaky 02-10-2011 02:03 AM

one more thing...I`ve seen that label on on Suzukis on line in Japan and sellers date them to the 1960s...but I don`t know if that was the ONLY label they had during that decade...and they built guitars for other folks as well as under different names like Sonoro. It`s all very murky.

darrinc 02-10-2011 11:46 AM

Suzuki No. 7
 
The guitar was purchased new in 1964 (maybe 1965) his memory to exactly what year isn't perfect but no later than 1965. It was bought for him for a birthday present and made it through a handful of lessons then stored in the basement since then. I suspect that when I received the guitar the strings were originals (they sure looked it).

The action is a bit high and I'm needing to get it brought down a little but outside that the guitar is in great shape with only a few scratches that have come from being stored for 45 years without a case.

darrinc 02-25-2011 04:30 PM

Suzuki No. 7 Pictures
 
I have finally found the time to get some photos of this guitar.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1087244...7626011698121/

Any info anyone has about this guitar I would like to hear it. I've read reviews about similar guitars but to date have found no postings about this particular model.

Cheers.

Darrin

sneaky 02-25-2011 05:10 PM

hard to say anything with 100% certainty. It looks like a spitting image of the Yamaha Dynamics...and I see the cover is missing on the bridge of yours, should be a dot that fits into that hole but otherwise looks to be in very good condition...but I`d get those steel strings off it ASAP...could be doing damage to the neck and stressing the bridge. It has the same saddle as the Dynamics and is not compensated so steel strings don`t work. Can`t see into the sound hole so no idea if it has a solid top or not. Probably does not have a flat wide classical type neck right? More fatter and rounder?
Heres a No.6 on line in Japan right now, starting price of about $20.00 and thats is ballpark for them, has a zero fret like yours but different label...this one has 196- on it, common for many I see rom that decade. And there are many Suzuki labels and unless they are dated it`s pretty hard to come up with a precise year...I see it has Philips screws...my oldest ones have flat heads, the later Dynamics...and by later I mean early/mid 1960s have Philips as well as tuners and buttons exactly like those on your guitar. May bit a little brittle...careful, break a button and you may have difficulty finding a new set of tuners to fit. I`ve had to buy donor guitars to scavenge parts.

http://page3.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/c283706789

sneaky 02-25-2011 05:17 PM

compare it to these old Dynamics...see any similarities? Some in Japan say the Dynamics were built by Suzuki because Yamaha didn`t have a factory making acoustics until 1966.

http://www.geocities.jp/mmasmcb/catalog.html

sneaky 02-25-2011 11:56 PM

heres a #7 on line in Japan, different label...

http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g95195756


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