What is this guitar?

May 4, 2007 1:05 PM

Can anyone identify this guitar? Info and links to photos inside.

I've had it for about ten years, and it was pretty beat up already then. No make or model name, no serial number, just a butterfly inlay on the headstock. Looking for make/model/year/value (although it is not for sale)/anything. Here are some photos. Thanks.

posted by zoinks to media & arts (14 comments total)

Some thoughts here (though not much help, obviously). I'll poke around a bit more if I have time.
posted by jalexei at 1:14 PM on May 4, 2007

Gibson Les Paul, but if there's no branding it's probably a copy.
posted by goo at 1:14 PM on May 4, 2007

My husband (man with far too many guitars) proclaims is a "Japanese Les Paul knockoff, from the 1970s".
posted by kellyblah at 1:18 PM on May 4, 2007

All Experts says it's a cheap Asian knockoff, and I tend to agree.
posted by cosmicbandito at 1:19 PM on May 4, 2007

Probably a Matsumoko, a Japanese maker of knockoffs. The factory They also made the Ibanez and Univox. Bodystyle is Les Paul. Definitely not a Gibson but it's not a totally crap guitar after you swap out those pickups.
posted by jamaro at 1:20 PM on May 4, 2007

Oops, i meant to add "The factory burned down in 1988."
posted by jamaro at 1:25 PM on May 4, 2007

::sigh:: and I checked my link and the stupid site auto-bounces you to a search page rather than giving you a proper result. Here's the cached link, which hopefully will work.
posted by jamaro at 1:37 PM on May 4, 2007

I think it's a Hondo II. The bolt-on neck is a dead giveaway.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 1:43 PM on May 4, 2007

Oh, and the value of a decent asian knockoff, which this appears to be, would be about $100. One with a set neck, like the Indonesian Electra would be more valuable, like maybe $200 or $250.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 1:47 PM on May 4, 2007

Echoing jamaro, I have a Univox "Les Paul" and it's remarkably similar to the photo.
posted by tommasz at 1:47 PM on May 4, 2007

Thanks, all. I've known it's a fake Les Paul, but wondering exactly what. Looks like jamaro's link has it, as the review mentions the butterfly. Certainly not a totally crap guitar, good and heavy, which is part of why I've been wondering about it. Thanks again.
On preview, I got it for free, but it has become far more valuable to me than $100, so...yeah!
posted by zoinks at 1:53 PM on May 4, 2007

Ibenez, Univox & Epiphone (Matsumoko) didn't use a butterfly icon. But maybe they made other brands I don't know about.

Previous owner has removed logotype, to let others presume it's a LP, eh?
posted by artdrectr at 2:00 PM on May 4, 2007

Oops, sorry.
posted by artdrectr at 2:03 PM on May 4, 2007

I don't care who made it. I think it is a Rock & Roll machine. Better watch who you point it at.
posted by chillmost at 5:07 PM on May 4, 2007