MIJ Morris MD-520 Vintage Beautiful Acoustic Guitar Fishman Aero Pickup Lawsuit

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Hello There,Up for sale is my beautiful Morris MD-520 Vintage Acoustic Guitar with built-in Fishman Aero pickup, made in Japan. It's a classic dreadnought shape from the lawsuit era of guitar manufacturing when Japanese makers produced some of the best guitars available at the time and this was the second from top of the line acoustic from this Japanese manufacturer. This Morris MD-520 is in superb condition, just a few light blemishes and marks as can be expected from a guitar of it's day. There are three major blemishes: 1. A slight ding on the top of the guitar body near the neck join. 2. A slightly concave/hollowed-out section at the top of the fret board, this was possibly to make room for where an older pickup had been installed. 3. There are some very light scratches and scruffs at the bottom front side of the body, and this is also pictured. A small section of the body binding has been replaced at some point too, but it's a good job and not noticeable until you take a good look up close at the guitar. Overall, it's in excellent condition for it's day and the beautiful woods and mosaic inlays really shine through. An aftermarket Fishman Aero pickup with tuner has been added at some point and it's an excellent bonus for the working guitarist. Oviously with this addition it's no longer a collector's piece, although still in wonderful condition.Morris were one of the largest manufacturers of high-end acoustic instruments from the 70's through to the 90's in Japan, building a reputation for high quality craftmanship and use of top grade woods. Any wood they used for the soundboard was dried in their warehouse for 7 years before being used in construction.The company was founded on an inspired visit to the Martin guitar plant in the late 60's, where on return to Japan they set up to produce quality copies of various models of Martin guitars. Early guitars made some success as entry level imports to the West, using primarily high quality plywood construction. However, as the 70's progressed, so too the skill and accuracy of the luthiers. Morris turned more to their own home market, where the guitar market in the 70's in Japan was hugely competitive, with more than 20 different factories making excellent copies of popular American acoustic models; the success of Morris to become the largest next to Yamaha is testament to their quailty and value for money.This model, the MD520, was introduced in the late 70's with a retail price of Y35,000. The 2nd top model of the MD range, this features a really lovely solid spruce top, one of the best in my collection, and coral rosewood back and sides, with a simple mosaic inlay down the centre of the back. The body is bound with ivory and simple abalone pufling - nothing too flashy but with a high attention to detail. The neck is a 3-piece mahogony, bound again with ivory and simple position dot markers. The headstock has gold finished Morris tuners, and a classy Morris vertical headstock logo inlayed abalone, inspired by Martin guitars in the 70's. This vertical logo style was used by a number of manufacturers for their higher-end models. The spruce top has dried out to produce a truely lovely warm tone, loads of woody character and volume, with a ringing resonance. I do not have a case for the guitar, but it will be well-packed by myself and dispatched for £14 via courier. Otherwise, pay and pickup from Clapton, London E5 is also possible.Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. read more

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