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  #16  
Old 11-08-2008, 10:29 AM
Bruce E Bruce E is offline
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Originally Posted by kwakatak View Post
Kinda OT, but for you F360S owners out there, how are the bridges holding up and how's the tone?
Bridge and everything else are perfect. There is about a one inch length of binding along the neck which is lifting, but not even enough for me to bother fixing it yet.
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  #17  
Old 11-08-2008, 10:51 AM
Kevin A Kevin A is offline
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Originally Posted by apshaffer View Post
I have a chance to purchase an f370s from 1974. Anyone know roughly what they are worth? Opinion on their quality, sound, etc? Thanks.
My first guitar was a lefty '78 Tak dread 12-string, a true "Martin Lawsuit' model...
Bulky neck, high action... a real challenge on which to learn to play guitar...
Paid less than $180 new for it 30 years ago...sold it for more than twice that in '95....

Like this, only a lefty:

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  #18  
Old 11-08-2008, 11:30 AM
SMan SMan is offline
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Here is a couple of pics of my F360S



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  #19  
Old 11-08-2008, 12:03 PM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
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I had an F340S mahogany dread I bought new in 1987. It wasn't anything special to be honest. In retrospect I would probably have done better with a Yamaha.
I eventually sold it to a friend for his son to learn on. I wouldn't buy another.
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  #20  
Old 11-08-2008, 02:52 PM
bshpmark bshpmark is offline
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Stupid question but here goes...what is a lawsuit dread? I assume Tak was involved with a lawsuit at a period in time but I am not familiar with the particulars of it. Can someone fill this newbie in?
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  #21  
Old 11-08-2008, 08:04 PM
Neil K Walk Neil K Walk is offline
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Note the headstock in some of the photos. It's a virtual twin for a Martin headstock, right down to the script on the logo.

The urban legend is that once upon a time Martin (late-60s/early-70s) was looking to move production of its lower-end models to the Pac rim, particularly Japan. Yamaha, Takamine and IIRC one or two others started producing guitars modeled heavily after Martin's guitars but with less-expensive materials like laminated back/sides and even tops. Eventually Martin went and set up the Sigma line instead.

I don't know how true that is though. IIRC the official word is that there was never a lawsuit - possibly just a warning from Martin. Regardless, Takamine produced guitars with both Martin and Guild-style headstocks for well over a decade before finally finding their own identity sometime in the mid-1980s.
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  #22  
Old 11-09-2008, 10:00 AM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kwakatak View Post
Note the headstock in some of the photos. It's a virtual twin for a Martin headstock, right down to the script on the logo.

The urban legend is that once upon a time Martin (late-60s/early-70s) was looking to move production of its lower-end models to the Pac rim, particularly Japan. Yamaha, Takamine and IIRC one or two others started producing guitars modeled heavily after Martin's guitars but with less-expensive materials like laminated back/sides and even tops. Eventually Martin went and set up the Sigma line instead.

I don't know how true that is though. IIRC the official word is that there was never a lawsuit - possibly just a warning from Martin. Regardless, Takamine produced guitars with both Martin and Guild-style headstocks for well over a decade before finally finding their own identity sometime in the mid-1980s.
Fender had the same issue with Tokai in Japan copying their logo font. The biggest problem Fender had though was Tokai's quality being far, far superior at the time!
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  #23  
Old 11-09-2008, 11:29 AM
Neil K Walk Neil K Walk is offline
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Originally Posted by andrewrg View Post
Fender had the same issue with Tokai in Japan copying their logo font. The biggest problem Fender had though was Tokai's quality being far, far superior at the time!
Yep. I used to think that it was just the Japanese Taks that were these "sleeper" classics but then Yamaha Junkie let me sample some of his Yammie collection and I've broadened that opinion to include most all Japanese shops. They're definitely superior to the Korean and other Pac rim countries' works - though China is catching up. Too bad the cost of labor shot up over there or they'd still be making great "bang for the buck" guitars for us Yanks.
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  #24  
Old 03-30-2009, 11:18 AM
djmcconnell djmcconnell is offline
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My wife bought me an F-349 the year we were married (a 1984 model). It got very little use over the years until our youngest went off to college and I started playing regularly.

It is a really wonderful guitar -- even Marty over at The Podium has commented about how nice it sounds. Marty put in a Baggs Element Active a couple of years back and I play it at church regularly.

I get a fair amount of comments about how nice the guitar sounds. Despite a few dings from being used and well loved, it still looks really nice.
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  #25  
Old 03-30-2009, 03:34 PM
35fingerpicker 35fingerpicker is offline
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I sold a couple dozen mostly F340Ss and F360Ss when I had my shop in the mid to late 70s. They were/are very nice guitars by 70s standards and the F395S (Guild F-512 Copy) was so good, I brought one home with me.
There was no lawsuit; just a letter from Martin's lawyers. I don't know about the Guild copies(as far as lawsuits are concerned) but they sounded much closer to Guilds than the Martin copies did to Martins. The Guild copy six-strings had very skinny necks so, although I sold a few, I was never temped to take one home.

Bud
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