This thing just rocks!īack in the 70’s, Univox was known as the U.S. The Univox Coily is one example of a guitar that no one wanted in the 70’s, but would die for today. The Univox Coily Hollowbody Electric – A True 1970’s Sleeper Bruno & Sons was a sister company in Texas. of Los Angeles (founded by Eric Emerson), Ovation Guitars, Kaman Music Corporation, Jupiter Band Instruments, KHS Musical Company, Hohner, Inc., St. More info from National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM): Coast Wholesale Music Company. Some of the people in the music business connected to Coast Wholesale Music Company were: Don Talbot, Gabe Ireland, Donald Johnson, Bob King, Hai Muradian, Allan Small, Lloyd Stark. would later introduce the line of Ovation guitars. The company was purchased by Charlie Kamam of Kaman Music around 1968, along with Coast Wholesale of Los Angeles - a completely separate company in Southern California with the same name - and C. They focused predominantly on importing instruments (guitars!) made in Japan to the United States in the 1940’s through the 1960’s. by Coast Wholesale Music Company of California, this 12-string semi-acoustic hollow body electric from the 1970’s is a rare bird.Ĭoast Wholesale Music Company from the San Francisco Bay Area was an importer and wholesale distributor of musical instruments. The body, the neck, the triple edge binding, the cherry burst finish, and the pickups all resembled other guitars we’d seen from Matsumoku.īuilt by Matsumoku Industrial of Japan (we think, we’re not sure!) and imported to the U.S. Since I already owned a mid-1970’s Univox Coily, I recognized that the build and the pickups were very similar. Luckily, we found this Orpheus 12-string hollow body electric back in May 2019 at Centaur Guitar in Portland, Oregon (BTW: The guys at Centaur really know their stuff when it comes to 1970s made in Japan guitars, so give them a call or stop by). Through research, we found that in the late 1960s through mid-1970s, Coast Wholesale Music Company of California imported a line of electric guitars made in Japan under the Orpheus name. It is suspected, but not proven, that these electric guitars could have been made in the highly respected Matsumoku factory of Japan.
![matsumoku lyle guitars matsumoku lyle guitars](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--rljrclai--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1430768225/jotbo7wnhlibucvet0jp.jpg)
Over the years, the Orpheus brand is a name has been used on several lines of guitars in different parts of the world: from Bulgaria to the former Soviet Union, to the United States and Japan. You can use it for parts or restoration, or just leave it as is and have yourself a cool vintage hollow body. Orpheus – a little known brand of guitars The neck joint hasn't taken any stress damage like most others from the same place and time (like mine have.).
![matsumoku lyle guitars matsumoku lyle guitars](https://reverb-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--KdHPbYhB--/a_exif,c_limit,f_auto,fl_progressive,h_620,q_75,w_620/v1407258431/srptxotypp6dmqqpb760.jpg)
The guitar is fully functional and plays very well for an old Japanese hollow body. The tremolo arm was removed and the tailpiece mechanism is blocked. The repair doesn't look good but it's sturdy. A piece of it is completely gone while the remaining piece was effectively glued back on. We're not sure if this is how they came brand new or if it's a coincidentally pieced together guitar. The body is the same size as a standard 335 but it's a true hollow body, not semi-hollow.Īs you can see, the headstock took some strange damage.
![matsumoku lyle guitars matsumoku lyle guitars](https://images.offerup.com/HKQgikashqtMz-IXv9kMfqimIkI=/600x1518/e635/e635d8e6516c4e18b397a39f47fd7e51.jpg)
Both brand names came from the same place AND this is the exact same guitar as the Epiphone 5102T (which was also made at Matsumoku) but with a different name. The headstock is stamped "Aria" while the label in the body is "Lyle". Made in the famous Matsumoku factory, this guitar doesn't quite know what it is.