Any Daion experts?

[Daion78]

Yep bobby_b, mine has Yamaki branded right on the back strip and is seen through the soundhole. My gold tone tuners have the 'tuning fork' logo on the gear covers. The headstock logo is cool too, there is a sandwich of maple between the nato headstock and the rosewood(?) headstock plate and the logo is milled though the plate so it shows the maple.

[Doubleneck]

Originally Posted by alembic1989

I had one..I sold a couple of years ago.

What did you sell it for? Curious what they are worth if I finally see one.

[alembic1989]

[QUOTE=Doubleneck;3870869]What did you sell it for? Curious what they are worth if I finally see

Daion prices have fallen a lot over the last few years due to the global recession. I sold mine, with case for around £1000.
They are very popular in countries like Holland, Belgium..and Germany.

[ship of fools]

Originally Posted by Daion78

I am no expert but I bought a '78 Heritage off the wall in 1978. I don't know what Ship of Fools (love the name by the way...'Don't lend your hand to raise no flag...') was talking about but I payed around four bills for mine without a case. .

I should have re-read my post it should have said $490.00 not the $90.00 I posted. ship

[mbechmann]

Sorry for making this a bit long. BUT I am a huge Daion fan. I actually got VERY lucky. My first Daion was an electric Savage, that I got in a huge trade (included 2 cars, 4 motor cycles, lots of tools and so on). In that trade, there were 4 guitars, that the owner didnt know anything about. He was thinking on just throwing them all out. Well, there was a cheap cheap cheap acoustic guitar that had been modified to a bass by drilling new string holes in the saddle + an old archtop called Hi-Spot - no pickup or bridge + a very rare Luciano Grimaldi that I estimate is from around 1945.
Finally there was the Savage. I didnt know anything about Daion, but I can find almost anything on the internet.... I thougth Well it took 3 days just to find a guy who might know something about Daion. So I had to ask him, what I had.
Well it turns out, I have an extremely rare Savage Veteran, with original single coil pickups. Since then, I have only heard about 2 others of this version

Now I was HOOOOOOKED big time. So after about a year, a Gezelle came up on ebay. I bought it straight away. Sold my Martin D1LE to be able to afford it. I have not regretted that at all
But having a good electric guitar, and an awesome acoustic, is really not the best option.... if you are a bass player So I did some more searching, and after 3 years, I found a Power Mark XX-b bass in brilliant condition.
2 years ago, I found an awesome deal on a Heritage 12 string. So now I have 4 Daions

My dream, is to get a Headhunter + a Telecaster + a L999 + a Double neck (one sold recently for 1800$).

By the way, the Daion story is that it was created in 78. They were a brother company to Yamaki, build in the same factory. The prices on Daions were HIGH. A strat cost 270$ at the time incl a case. A Daion Savage - 490$ + 90$ for the case. The company went bankrupt in 1984, and got sold to Korea. In that sale, all the parts were sold as well.
Because of this, if you find a Daion from between 78-84 the quality is high. They will ALL have serial numbers.
But in 84 the Performer series were just starting out. IF you find one with serial number (underneath the neck pocket) then you got either one from Japan, or 1 made from parts from Japan. That is a good thing.
However, if you dont have a serial number, you have a sub standard instrument. In Korea, they used the parts from Japan, but when they ran out of those, they picked whatever they had laying around. That is why the Performer series is a bit of a hit and miss kind of deal. Very few were made in Japan, but those who were, are good.

So that is the story about Daion - and why I love them so much Forget Martin, Fender and all the others. Daion is the way to go

[metalmando]

Saw lots of Daions in the music stores. They were always respectable instruments. I remember seeing John Fogerty playing a Daion on some 30 year ago TV show.

[alembic1989]

Originally Posted by mbechmann

Sorry for making this a bit long. BUT I am a huge Daion fan. I actually got VERY lucky. My first Daion was an electric Savage, that I got in a huge trade (included 2 cars, 4 motor cycles, lots of tools and so on). In that trade, there were 4 guitars, that the owner didnt know anything about. He was thinking on just throwing them all out. Well, there was a cheap cheap cheap acoustic guitar that had been modified to a bass by drilling new string holes in the saddle + an old archtop called Hi-Spot - no pickup or bridge + a very rare Luciano Grimaldi that I estimate is from around 1945.
Finally there was the Savage. I didnt know anything about Daion, but I can find almost anything on the internet.... I thougth Well it took 3 days just to find a guy who might know something about Daion. So I had to ask him, what I had.
Well it turns out, I have an extremely rare Savage Veteran, with original single coil pickups. Since then, I have only heard about 2 others of this version

Now I was HOOOOOOKED big time. So after about a year, a Gezelle came up on ebay. I bought it straight away. Sold my Martin D1LE to be able to afford it. I have not regretted that at all
But having a good electric guitar, and an awesome acoustic, is really not the best option.... if you are a bass player So I did some more searching, and after 3 years, I found a Power Mark XX-b bass in brilliant condition.
2 years ago, I found an awesome deal on a Heritage 12 string. So now I have 4 Daions

My dream, is to get a Headhunter + a Telecaster + a L999 + a Double neck (one sold recently for 1800$).

By the way, the Daion story is that it was created in 78. They were a brother company to Yamaki, build in the same factory. The prices on Daions were HIGH. A strat cost 270$ at the time incl a case. A Daion Savage - 490$ + 90$ for the case. The company went bankrupt in 1984, and got sold to Korea. In that sale, all the parts were sold as well.
Because of this, if you find a Daion from between 78-84 the quality is high. They will ALL have serial numbers.
But in 84 the Performer series were just starting out. IF you find one with serial number (underneath the neck pocket) then you got either one from Japan, or 1 made from parts from Japan. That is a good thing.
However, if you dont have a serial number, you have a sub standard instrument. In Korea, they used the parts from Japan, but when they ran out of those, they picked whatever they had laying around. That is why the Performer series is a bit of a hit and miss kind of deal. Very few were made in Japan, but those who were, are good.

So that is the story about Daion - and why I love them so much Forget Martin, Fender and all the others. Daion is the way to go

Hi Michael...its Raj from England.....I still have my headhunter...very nice condition.
Feel free to make me an offer....:-)

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, I wouldn't go as far as saying that I'm an "expert" but I do own three Daion instruments - two acoustics and a fretless bass.

The two acoustics:

L-999 Legacy incl original case – VGC – brass fittings intact, no neck issues.

L-78 Heritage 12 string – slotted head dreadnaught – VGC. all brassware intact
No issues. non original basic hard case.

This isn't classifieds, and I have not yet renewed my right to advertise but I am considering selling them.

Now - a little story : In 1983 I contracted a rare condition and awoke paralysed from the neck down. My musical performance career ended at a stroke. It took me ten years to regain enough mobility to consider playing again, and I had seen an interesting looking guitar in a music shop window.

I thought about it for a while, and went back to buy the guitar, but the shop had closed down.

This coincided with my being out of work form the first time in my working life, and part of my leaving package was an "outplacement office" to which I drove every day, and was given a computer, a secretary, and free access to telephone and internet access. I worked very hard on self marketing campaigns offering my services to companies, but I also took advantage to search for this guitar - a Daion L-999. Few dealers were advertising on lnie then, and little was available about this guitar, but on a wild hunch I phoned a luthier/repairer I who was a friend of a friend. I rang him and asked if he had any knowledge of this guitar and might keep an eye out for one for me. I heard him choking and coughing, then he said - "as you said that" I got a publicity 10x8 photo of one of my clients posing with one. He also says that if he could sell it he'd order a guitar from ...the luthier.

He gave me the guys number and I rang it immediately. "How do you know I have this guitar and how do you know I want to sell it?" he asked suspiciously

In told him of our mutual friend, and he relaxed - but - he live a long way away - but - strangely - I had a visit planned to the his county the next month. in brief, we met up and I bought his guitar.

A few weeks later I got a call from another luthier pal to say that he knew of a 12 string Daion which I might like - I bought that two.

I don't play either any more but both are good instruments i good condition.

[kisosuzuki]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

What did you sell it for? Curious what they are worth if I finally see one.

I just got one wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... the double neck ,plays and sounds amazing glad I took the chance , and was the most expensive daion , not the powermark , but for good measure I picked up the power mark xx too , stoked ....... now for the headhunter ......in Brisbane Australia

[Silly Moustache]

Daions don't meet the presentation standards of today and look pretty "hand made" to modern eyes, but they were remarkably well made and I have my two to prove it. An individual sound and look great - see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=rhIWro5pBak

(My Daion Legacy)

and :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=V94W9gJrui8

My '78 Heritage 12 string.

PM me if you want more info.

[jktillery1]

I loved my D I bought it back in the late seventies or early eighties It looks exactly like yours Mine is not playable anymore The bridge popped up and damaged the top Hope to get it fixed someday

[mbechmann]

Originally Posted by jktillery1

I loved my D I bought it back in the late seventies or early eighties It looks exactly like yours Mine is not playable anymore The bridge popped up and damaged the top Hope to get it fixed someday

Wanna sell it? I play, collect and restore Daions. Have 6 so far.

[bil]

I had a Daion Mugen Mark III that I bought in Wiesbaden, Germany in the early 80's. I had that guitar for about 25 years. It was a fine instrument and my best friend at times, especially when life as a young serviceman had me separated from from my wife and children. It sounded good, and played easily. I know this doesn't really address OP's question, but anytime I see a Daion thread, I'm transported back to a simpler time. For a long time, I thought I was the only person with one. It's nice to see they still get the love they deserve.

[lone eskimo]

Originally Posted by bil

I had a Daion Mugen Mark III that I bought in Wiesbaden, Germany in the early 80's. I had that guitar for about 25 years. It was a fine instrument and my best friend at times, especially when life as a young serviceman had me separated from from my wife and children. It sounded good, and played easily. I know this doesn't really address OP's question, but anytime I see a Daion thread, I'm transported back to a simpler time. For a long time, I thought I was the only person with one. It's nice to see they still get the love they deserve.

Ha! You are definitely not alone!
I own an 80's Daion Headhunter 555 which was their Semi-Hollow body electric and it is one sweet and very pretty guitar. I just used it in fact this past Tuesday at a recording studio and certainly much conversation was stirred up about it. Very cool guitars! Unfortunately the company is long time gone-

[choucas09]

Bought mine in 79. It's really beaten up now, but still plays and sounds great.