'WAYNE' steel-string acoustic

[Pugs108]

G'day good people from Australia, again. I just purchased two guitars as follows:
A 'Terada' GU3554 and another i cannot find much info on: a 'Wayne' D50.
The Terada sounds great but i cant find too much online about it. It appears to be a solid top so cant be too drab i suppose!
The Wayne is a classical that was, according to the label inside, 'Made Expressly FOR Wayne Music Melbourne Australia' (my emphasis on the 'for'!).The paper label has a picture of a stylized Mount Fuji-type mountain with a little blurb about 'handmade...' etc in freehand type below 'WAYNE MODEL No D50'. I read somewhere that the company that became Takamine was the actual manufacturer of "Wayne".
Does anyone have ANY info on either of these guitars? It would be very much appreciated.
Thanks for your time good folks,
from Paulo

[Brucebubs]

Right here we go.
Wayne guitars were originally made here in Australia in the late 40's, early 50's by father and son Harry and Sid West.
Harry sang and played under the stage name of 'Rudy Wayne & the Honolulu Boys'.
That's where the name 'Wayne' comes from.
Sometime in the late 60's I'm guessing they found it cheaper to have guitars made overseas with their name on it.
So the guitars with a mountain drawing on the label started showing up.
Most were nylon string classical, some steel string and the rarest, a 12-string model.( Never seen one, only read of one left in a car on a hot day, the heat caused the neck to part with the body.)
It's NOT Mt Fuji.
It's Mt Takamine in Japan.
The Takamine guitar factory is located nearby and took their name from the English spelling Takamine.
Some Takamine guitars still carry a more modern label with the mountain featured.
If you read the label on your guitar carefully, the word 'conscience' has been misspelt, the letter 'C' is missing.
The very first Takamines exported to the USA (1974?) have this same label but the spelling has been corrected.
These guitars pre-date Takamine going global under their own name by a few years.
My 1972 Takamine D-70 still has the 'Made For Wayne ...' on the label.
I also heard, but can't confirm, that 'Wayne' briefly made guitar pick-ups that were used by Maton and Takamine guitars.

[delaorden9]

Hey, I have nothing to do with this matter but I'll tell you what...this the best explanation I've ever heard here. Well done @Brucebubs

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by delaorden9

Hey, I have nothing to do with this matter but I'll tell you what...this the best explanation I've ever heard here. Well done @Brucebubs

Thanks, it's taken me years to pick up little pieces of information.
I emailed Takamine in Japan for information on my 1972 D-70 and they simply replied, "Too old"
Every now and then a genuine Australian made Wayne shows up for sale, usually a resonator type guitar. Like this one; http://www.bungendoreguitars.com.au/.../c48o/imagevue
The Takamine made guitars went through a strange label/headstock identification cycle something like;
Wayne on headstock- mountain label,'Made for Wayne ...." no made in Japan, no Takamine name.
Wayne on headstock -same mountain label,'Made for Wayne ...' made in Japan, no Takamine name.
Wayne on headstock - same label,'Made for Wayne ...' made in Japan by Takamine guitars.
Takamine on headstock - same label as above. My 1972 D-70 is like this.
MADE EXPRESSLY FOR WAYNE MUSIC & ELECTRICAL CO
MELBOURNE - AUSTRALIA
The script like writing reads; 'We produced this instrument by hand with great care and concience for you - the player' ( concience should be spelt conscience )
Bold type; TAKAMINE GAKKI Co GIFU JAPAN

[Pugs108]

Wow. Firstly a huge thank-you for the replies. You people REALLY know your stuff. Mine is the one that doesn't have 'made in japan' on it anywhere with an encircled 'W' on the headstock and no mention of 'Takamine'. It's in great condition for its age so I'm guessing it's spent most of it's life in the gig-bag it came in.I did read somewhere that it is actually Mount Takamine on the paper label and now it appears confirmed. Looks more like a volcano than ANY mountain, though having never seen Mt Takamine then I'm only surmising! I just put new strings on it and judging by the condition of the old ones i'd guess the strings are originals also (they just about disintegrated when i took them off!!). It sounds pretty good but not as good as my old Yamaha G-50A though I havent found many that DO sound as good or better. Even an Alhambra I nearly purchased didnt come near 'me ol' Yammy! But I digress! Huge kudos and "i am not worthy"s to the repliers and look me up if your ever in sunny North Queensland because i'd love to have you see my mini-collection, well about seven guitars at last count...is that classed as a "collection"?
All The Very Best ....Pugs

[Pugs108]

Just realised that it was the one replier!!! I just woke up and jumped on the comp to see if i had a reply aaaand.....IT DID!! Thats my excuse and i'm sticking to it !).
THANKYOU BRUCEBUBS. Your a legend mate.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Pugs108

Just realised that it was the one replier!!! I just woke up and jumped on the comp to see if i had a reply aaaand.....IT DID!! Thats my excuse and i'm sticking to it !).
THANKYOU BRUCEBUBS. Your a legend mate.

No worries, I bought mine new for $49.95 in 1972. It's nothing special, one of the many Japanese made laminated classical guitars that flooded the world market in the late 60's early 70's.

[Pugs108]

Sorry i accidentally pushed send halfway through my reply to you(was using my phone then, now back on comp). Mine appears to have a solid top. I thought it was a laminate until I took a closer look with a magnifying app on my phone. The lacquer gave the appearance of a laminate but unless laminates 'run/drip' then its definitely solid! Does that seem right to you mate?

[Pugs108]

Also there is not the word 'Wayne' on the headstock...just a stylised 'W' with a circle around it. Is that what you've seen Bruce? I can show you some pics if you tell me how. I'm new to this site and even newer to posts and threads etc. In fact this is the only site where I've ever made a post/thread (or whatever it is I'm doing!!)!

[Brucebubs]

You could be right, never even thought about the top, body is definitely laminated. My original tuners broke many years ago, a fret popped up and I glued it back, a thousand bumps and bruises but plays OK. Discovering the history has been fun. I believe the son Sid West is still alive. Australian country singer Tex Morton credits Harry West for teaching him to play guitar. Wayne guitars made a Tex Morton guitar available through postal order, heres one ; http://www.bungendoreguitars.com.au/...c48o/image17au
Haven't seen one with just the letter W on the headstock, probably makes it mid 1960's? maybe.

[Pugs108]

Yeaah I saw a Tex one for circa 1600 british pounds a couple of days ago. Ill see if I can find it again then I'll post it here. And thanks again mate. Your a walking (I assume!) encyclopedia my friend.

[Pugs108]

About 5 mins ago I purhased an Admira Almeria...not bad for the price both then and now(i just paid $60 for it. Any little gems you know about them Bruce (hope you dont mind me calling you Bruce)?

[Pugs108]

Still looking. They were white and came with an instruction booklet so 'you can sing and play like Tex' or words to that effect didn't they Bruce? Or am I getting muddled up!?

[Pugs108]

Finally found it here http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/water...783/1077215135

[Pugs108]

Just had a look at that hyperlink you posted...WOW!!