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Guess since I can no longer update the thread, might as well do it here, as I can not remember if I showed the finished product or not. This was a Memphis brand guitar I picked up for loose change, and fixed it up with better hardware.
Memphis was known as a "ghost" company, in that they never actually produced their own guitars, instead, they had special orders with several Japanese factories for guitars either built to their specs, or as part of a group of companies that offered the same guitar, though with some slight hardware differences.
This model was a standard copy of Gibson's "The Paul" model, and had very similar build, body and hardware. This particular model was in the middle range for the company in terms of price and features. The lp-100 model was their low end unit, a bolt-on hollow plywood version of the Les Paul Standards, as well as a higher end true set neck model that resembled the Studio models. The Memphis guitars that had the bolt-on were well known to be very cheaply made, and that reputation sank the company in 1983. Recently, the name returned as a new company, though not much is known about them.
This model is a solid 3 ply mahogany body, but a fake set neck that is bolted, but also glued. It is then covered over with the back layer of wood, but age is showing these were in fact a bolt on neck. This was quite common with middle of the line MIJ guitars, and is still being used today by a lot of companies, not only to make the guitar sustain a bit better, but also to make it more attactive to the buyer. The neck also was a 2 piece, age shows that there are 2 pieces joined with a box cut, but this is still of far higher quality than the LP copys, as the neck was hollow and made of plywood.
Early models of this guitar had a far lighter wood finish, and a brass nut. This is a darker version, a 1981 or 1982 year and a plastic nut, more than likely to keep the cost down and to make it easier to mass produce this model under different brand names. The guitar featured quite good cloned copies of the Anderson rail humbuckers, and brass inlays as opposed to pearl dot inlays or block inlays that were on the other re-branded guitars, and makes it a bit more desirable than the other re-brands, such as Vantage or Mann.
The quality of the guitar is overall quite good and consistent with the Japanese made guitars coming from the Fugijen factory. 2 volume/2 tone and a 3 way toggle for pickup selection using the same hardware as most other MIJ guitars at that time, with green caps in the wiring. This used the standard tone pro setup, and had the same tail piece/bridge setup as most gibsons.
At the moment, the Memphis brand seems to be going up in value, as players, looking for a decent bargain, are keying on the 1980 MIJ guitars. This is a pretty fair guitar, the mahogany body, a fast neck and good overall construction despite the short cuts makes it a very nice guitar for the beginner/intermediate player. You can find collector grade quality of the Ghost at about 300 dollars US, for a late 70's version with the brass inlay and lighter stain on the body.
The hardware is very decent, except for the tuners, and despite being 30 years old, came through okay. If you get this model, and it's not the brass nut version, a simple replacement to a graphite nut will do fine, and well worth the extra cost. I also replaced the tuners with locking tuners, as the MIJ tuners usually were well known to get out of tune quite easily, and a input jack/plate that had corroded.
I got this from Ebay, and though it was very badly taken care of, I found this to be a gem. In total, after I replaced the tuners, the input jack, and had a graphite nut and a set-up and intone, that for the total cost of about 225 dollars, it was a bit of a steal. The rail type humbuckers gave the guitar a unique attitude in it's sound, and though the construction isn't exactly the most high end kind, it still was a great value at it's time, and even more so now when you compare it to the new guitars. It's a decent guitar that is very easy to play, and not overly heavy. With the better quality parts added, it's comparable to a basic low end studio, (the closest modern produced equivalent) but at a considerably lower price. The quality of construction is quite good, and on par with new guitars at the 500 dollar range, but it's very plain jane looks detracts a bit in comparison to the artist type model, which was very similar, except for the double cut away and the light 3 band stripe that ran through the middle of the body.
Memphis was known as a "ghost" company, in that they never actually produced their own guitars, instead, they had special orders with several Japanese factories for guitars either built to their specs, or as part of a group of companies that offered the same guitar, though with some slight hardware differences.
This model was a standard copy of Gibson's "The Paul" model, and had very similar build, body and hardware. This particular model was in the middle range for the company in terms of price and features. The lp-100 model was their low end unit, a bolt-on hollow plywood version of the Les Paul Standards, as well as a higher end true set neck model that resembled the Studio models. The Memphis guitars that had the bolt-on were well known to be very cheaply made, and that reputation sank the company in 1983. Recently, the name returned as a new company, though not much is known about them.
This model is a solid 3 ply mahogany body, but a fake set neck that is bolted, but also glued. It is then covered over with the back layer of wood, but age is showing these were in fact a bolt on neck. This was quite common with middle of the line MIJ guitars, and is still being used today by a lot of companies, not only to make the guitar sustain a bit better, but also to make it more attactive to the buyer. The neck also was a 2 piece, age shows that there are 2 pieces joined with a box cut, but this is still of far higher quality than the LP copys, as the neck was hollow and made of plywood.
Early models of this guitar had a far lighter wood finish, and a brass nut. This is a darker version, a 1981 or 1982 year and a plastic nut, more than likely to keep the cost down and to make it easier to mass produce this model under different brand names. The guitar featured quite good cloned copies of the Anderson rail humbuckers, and brass inlays as opposed to pearl dot inlays or block inlays that were on the other re-branded guitars, and makes it a bit more desirable than the other re-brands, such as Vantage or Mann.
The quality of the guitar is overall quite good and consistent with the Japanese made guitars coming from the Fugijen factory. 2 volume/2 tone and a 3 way toggle for pickup selection using the same hardware as most other MIJ guitars at that time, with green caps in the wiring. This used the standard tone pro setup, and had the same tail piece/bridge setup as most gibsons.
At the moment, the Memphis brand seems to be going up in value, as players, looking for a decent bargain, are keying on the 1980 MIJ guitars. This is a pretty fair guitar, the mahogany body, a fast neck and good overall construction despite the short cuts makes it a very nice guitar for the beginner/intermediate player. You can find collector grade quality of the Ghost at about 300 dollars US, for a late 70's version with the brass inlay and lighter stain on the body.
The hardware is very decent, except for the tuners, and despite being 30 years old, came through okay. If you get this model, and it's not the brass nut version, a simple replacement to a graphite nut will do fine, and well worth the extra cost. I also replaced the tuners with locking tuners, as the MIJ tuners usually were well known to get out of tune quite easily, and a input jack/plate that had corroded.
I got this from Ebay, and though it was very badly taken care of, I found this to be a gem. In total, after I replaced the tuners, the input jack, and had a graphite nut and a set-up and intone, that for the total cost of about 225 dollars, it was a bit of a steal. The rail type humbuckers gave the guitar a unique attitude in it's sound, and though the construction isn't exactly the most high end kind, it still was a great value at it's time, and even more so now when you compare it to the new guitars. It's a decent guitar that is very easy to play, and not overly heavy. With the better quality parts added, it's comparable to a basic low end studio, (the closest modern produced equivalent) but at a considerably lower price. The quality of construction is quite good, and on par with new guitars at the 500 dollar range, but it's very plain jane looks detracts a bit in comparison to the artist type model, which was very similar, except for the double cut away and the light 3 band stripe that ran through the middle of the body.