Help! Vintage 12 string Tamaki acoustic

[njguitar]

I was hoping someone could help me with identifying this guitar, I have not had much luck researching it on the internet. I happened to come across this guitar in the garbage. in a case in really great condition.Here is what I know about the instrument:
12 string acoustic
"Tamaki" on the neck
pearl inlays between frets
very nice woodwork, not sure of type

below are pictures, anyone with some info would really help me out!

[Spud1950]

Nice find. I can't believe some just tossed it out in the trash. That's a very nice quality guitar. Here's the best info I could find on the brand. Has some catalog pages but doesn't show your specific model.



The style of yours is based on the Gibson Dove.




As far as the woods used, it appears to be exactly like some the higher end Yamaha and Takamine acoustics I've seen described.. Rosewood sides and outer back panels. The center back panel is maple. Neck is mahogany. Fret board is most likely rosewood although some were ebony. It's pretty hard to tell from your pictures. Not sure about the top. Most likely spruce.
Like I said, definetly on the higher end of Japanese acoustics.

[BluesHawk]

Wow, NJ...nice find!

[njguitar]

Spud, Thanks for the information, it amazes me that I may have found the only thing the Internet cannot provide information on.

I know it is tough to judge from only a few, low quality pictures, but can anyone ballpark a value range for this guitar? in good-very good condition. Just looking for a rounded price range that I can rely on if I find a buyer that is fair for both sides.

Thanks!

[VintAxe]

Hi njguitar.

I haven't found any guitars like yours for sale but we can still speculate about an approximate value. Here is a Ventura that was likely built around the same time as your guitar using similar construction techniques. These sellers are asking $400 which is pretty optimistic but it gives us a starting point.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Vintage-La ... 3f236f2f5b

The positives of your guitar compared to the Ventura are that your guitar has split block inlays in the fretboard and some accent inlay in the bridge.

What I see as negatives of you guitar compared to the Ventura include the huge pickguard and the brand name. While the pickguard might be eye catching, it actually hurts the tone and sustain of the instrument since it interferes with the vibration of the top. The brand name issue is obvious, who has ever heard of a Tamaki. The guitar was probably built by a larger OEM guitar factory and then just branded Tamaki by a distributor, but it would take some work to figure out who actually built the instrument. It could have come from the same factory as the Ventura.

In terms of value, we have a Ventura for sale at $400 that hasn't sold. Couple that with the fact that you can buy lower end Epiphone, Takamine and Washburn 12 strings for between $400-$500 suggests to me $400 is a stretch. Assuming you want to sell the instrument on Craigslist, you might start the price at $300-$350 and see if anyone bites. Remember, you can always drop the price if you get an interested buyer.

Hope this helps,

sb