Around 1900 Matsumoku began in Matsumoto, Japan, as a family owned woodworking business that specialized in tansu (Japanese for chest of drawers) and butsudan (Japanese for Buddha altar). Shortly after WWII, the Singer Corporation established the Singer Sewing Machine Company and set up production facilities in Nagoya, Japan. Matsumoku was contracted to build its sewing machine cabinets, and in 1951 became a partially owned subsidiary of Singer, Japan. Matsumoku also built amp cabinets, speaker boxes and wooden cabinets for audio and tv makers. By the mid 1950's Matsumoku began to look into other woodworking markets and, as it had on its staff several skilled luthiers, ventured into production of modest classical guitars, small steel stringed acoustic guitars and violins. However, other Japanese companies were producing similar instruments, Matsumoku set out to distinguush itself by producing high quality acoustic and electric archtop guitars. Several of Matsumoku's early archtop guitars survived most owing their basic designs to Hofner, Framus and Gibson. By the early 1960's, Matsumoku had acquired new mills, lathes and specialized presses and began to increase musical productions. Combined with its staff of highly skilled craftsman, Matsumoku was able to mass produce guitars of high quality.
However, because it mainly manufactured guitars under contract, the role of Matsumoku was largely unknown outside of japan's making circles until it's name began appearing on neck bolt plates, headstocks and sound hole labels in the late 1970's. Matsumoku produced guitars, or parts of guitars, for Vox, Guyatone, FujiGen, Gakki, Kanda Shokai (Greco), Hoshino Gakki, Nippon Gakki (Yamaha) Aria (please see my post on Aria) and Norlin (parent company of Gibson). American owned Unicord contracted Matsumoku to build most of it's Univox and Westbury guitars. St. Louis Music Co. imported Matsumoku built Electra guitars. J.C. Penney sold Matsumoku built Skylark guitars through it's catalog division. Matsumoku built many early Greco guitars as well as Vantage, Westminster, Cutler, Lyle, Fell,and no name copies of Gibson and Fender guitars and Basses. Washburn contracted Matsumoku to build most of it's electric from 1979 through 1885. in 1979, Matsumoku began to market it's own guitars under the Westone name
Gibson decided to move Epiphone production to Japan in the early 1970's, and chose Aria as its contractor. As a subcontractor to Aria, Matsumoku manufactured most electric Epiphones made in Japan from 1970 through 1986. The models include the solid body ET series (Crestwood)the SC series (scroll) and the Model 1140 (flying V) as well as Epiphone's archtop electric guitars: 5102T/EA-250, Sheraton, Riviera, Casino and the Emperor. Early Matsumoku made Epiphone archtops had bolt on necks. While production cost of bolt on necks guitars were less, many guitars regarded the as inferior guitars. Set neck archtop guitars followed in late 1975.
Many Matsumoku built guitars, including Epiphone archtops, utilized a 3 piece maple neck with the center section's grain oriented 90 degrees from the side wood. This created a very strong neck not prone to splitting or warping. An often used variation of this is the 5 piece neck with 2 thin strips of walnut or ebony separating the 3 sections. Matsumoku made many neck through body solid body electric guitars and basses most with 5 piece necks.
Matsumoku often utilized the Nisshin Onpa company who own the Maxon brand as a subcontractor for its pickups. Some Maxon pickups have Maxon's "M" logo stamped on the back. Many Matsumoku set neck guitars and basses have the insprctor's hon (name stamp) stamped inside the neck pickup cavity.
Players of Matsumoku's guitars: the late Kurt Cobain of Nirvana (Univox Hi-Flyer), John Taylor of Duran Duran (Aria Pro II SB-1000 bass), the late Cliff Burton of Metallica (Aria Pro II SB-1000 Bass), Elvin Bishop (Electra Model 2281), Neal Schon (Aria Pro II PE series guitars)
Gibson restructured after being sold by Norlin, and began to move it's Epiphone production to other Japanese maunfacturers and to Korea. By 1986, the home sewing machine market was in heavy decline and Singer was nearly bankrupt. Matsumoku could not afford to buy itself out of Singer and in 1987, closed down.
