Aria Pro II Vintage Vault

Decoding the Electric Guitar Serial Numbers and Production Years of the Matsumoku Industrial Company

Matsumoku serial number decoding was given a serious effort by members of the now defunct ‘matsumoku dot org’ forum, back in the early 2010s. A couple elements were already known regarding neckplate seven digit 1980s codes and the late '70s six digit preceded by a capital letter codes. Looking specifically at Aria Pro II badged guitars, the forum deciphered the two systems for six digit headstock specific codes from the late '70s. Since the mid 2010s, approximately annual efforts to update and package together the big picture across all badge names and number types has been done and posted to Facebook groups. Major updates have identified that multiple badge names concurrently use the same systems, and  the ‘STEEL REINFORCED…’ and ‘STEEL ADJUSTABLE…’ neckplate numbers can be grouped together in three additional primary categories. Secondary categories, specific subgroups of anomalies, and additional detail to exactly when, or close to, the variety of types started and stopped, have also been determined. Improved discussion of other factories associated with Matsumoku and badge name specific systems have also been added to the effort. Going forward, hopefully more milestones will be crossed. Stay tuned.

The serial number decoding effort is presented in poster format with all relevant summary discussion included. Click the button further below to open the poster in a new tab for viewing or downloading, or try the following summary as a quick start method.

Matsumoku Serial Numbers Concise Summary (explains 90%)

Neckplates

7 digits starting 21, 22, rarely 23, most w/STEEL REINFORCED, few w/STEEL ADJUSTABLE

-         1966 to ‘71, no specific dating pattern

7 digits starting 00, 01 (rarely 02), or 10, all w/STEEL ADJUSTABLE

-         Late ‘60s to mid ‘70s, no specific dating pattern

6 digits starting 0 followed by 0-8, all w/STEEL ADJUSTABLE

-         Early ‘70s to ’81, no specific dating pattern

Capital letter followed by 6 digits, all w/MATSUMOKU

-         June ’75 – May ’81: A - L = Jan. - Dec., 1st & 2nd = decade & year

6 digits starting 76 = 1976 & starting 70 or 71 = 1977, all w/STEEL ADJUSTABLE

7 digits for Aria Pro II or other badge specific logo, w/MADE IN JAPAN

-         Oct. ’81 – Feb. ’87: 1st = year, 2nd & 3rd = month

Headstocks

6 digits

-         Dec. ’75 – Nov. ’79: 1st & 2nd = month, 3rd = year

-         Dec. ’79 – Sept. ’81: 1st = year, 2nd & 3rd = month

-         conflicts for 106, 107, 108 & 109 resolved by feature & catalog changes

5 digits starting 7 = 1977 & starting 8 = 1978

7 digits

-         Oct. ’81 – Feb. ’87: 1st = year, 2nd & 3rd = month

Aria Pro II Six String Electric Guitar Pickups 1976-1986

Aria Pro II pickups made and used from 1976 to 1986 have been compiled and organized into a reference inventory. In the first year since the initial draft, a few moderate revisions have been done, with the most recent update adding and improving to a state of high relative completeness. Future updates will be made as warranted.  

The pickups inventory is presented in poster format with all relevant summary discussion included. Click the button below to open the poster in a new tab for viewing or downloading.

Aria Pro II Les Paul Copy LS & LC 1976 to 1981 Identification Guide

Identification of Aria Pro II Les Paul Standard and Custom copies made between 1976 and 1981 can be tricky and is often a discussion point in forums and Facebook groups. Despite most other Aria Pro II models being identifiable through period catalogs, the descriptions and illustrations for LS and LC LPs in catalogs are not perfect, and don’t necessarily cover all known details and changes over time. Nonetheless, the relative volume of surviving examples, combined with some of what the period literature can tell us, have been used to create an identification guide. The First Draft has been superseded by subsequent Versions 1.1 and 1.2, with approximately 20 small edits and updates. 

Special thanks to Rising Sun Vintage Guitars ( https://reverb.com/ca/shop/rising-sun-vintage-guitars ) for the hands on experience with multiple LS and LC models and being the source for many great pictures in the poster, and who has also volunteered to keep an eye on revisions and edits as research evolves.  

The LS and LC identification guide is presented in poster format with all relevant summary discussion included. Click the button below to open the poster in a new tab for viewing or downloading. 

Early Matsumoku Les Paul Customs

The earliest Les Paul Custom copies made by Matsumoku evolved as of 1969 from the Gibson originals reissued in 1968. There is enough reliable information to create a timeline story of the early years. There is specifically enough catalog and advertising information, cross-referenced to physical examples, that model and badge names can be grouped together logically. Some feature and finish overlapping blurs the group transitions a bit, but in the interest of not doing a detailed badge by badge exercise, best efforts were made to limit the groups to just a few. There are a couple associated badge names that had Fujigen based production, in whole or in part, but these have been left out for now, just to focus on what appear to be fully or dominantly Matsumoku builds.     

The early Matsumoku LP Customs are presented in poster format with all relevant summary discussion included. Click the button below to open the poster in a new tab for viewing or downloading.

 Beyond Matsumoku, Made in Japan Bonus Content

Here are working draft slapped together posters of two of the most recognizable Made in Japan guitar types from the '60s to the end of the '70s, from other factories. These model variations are probably in the Top Five of most commonly found in current times.

1)    Fujigen Hollowbodies. Documented from 1965 to 1972, one body style/shape, multiple badge names or no name, a few finishes, a couple headstock variations, and lots of mix and match hardware combinations.  

2)    Matsumoto Musical Instrument Manufacturing Cooperative Association (or MMIM), Black Beauty LPC Copies. Presumed to span approximately a decade, documented in '73/75/76/78 and '79, but examples from the very early '70s are also known based on features. Bolt-on neck, multiple badge names, curved ply chambered top, some structural and hardware changes over the years but enough consistency to still lump them together, and small double triangle headstock mark as a common fingerprint. Poster of examples below (note: a couple variants lack or have reduced headstock binding and are thus more LPS than LPC, and the rarer cousins in white bodies, and maple combo body and neck, are also noted). The next Poster shows the best working theory of the source. All puzzle pieces point to the Moridaira factory space, with MMIM being the identified manufacturer within, and the distribution being handled by Kyowa Shokai.