Grauer Les Paul Black Beauty Copy

[Thanatos Sunbum]

I am new to this site and I have a question about a mystery Japanese guitar. I did scan all eleven pages of this Japanese and Asian guitar section looking for any previous threads which may have covered this guitar but I didn't see anything so my apologies if this has already been discussed and I just couldn't find it. Please refer me to other theads if there are any of relevance. So ...

A friend of mine recently acquired a beautiful Les Paul copy Made In Japan with the brand Grauer on the headstock. There is a serial number hand engraved into a plate on the back of the body. It is all black with gold plated hardware and twin humbucking style pick-ups. It is quite light weight so it is likely not the mahogany/maple combo of a real LP.

Does anyone here have any knowledge about Grauer in general or this model in particular. He/we are wondering what factory in Japan may have produced it, when, anything about Grauer, and, of course, what the value might be. In other words, any and all information about Grauer and this copy is welcome.

It is in Very Good condition, maybe even better. And it looks like it is pretty good quality. I am no expert but my friend seems to know quite a bit and he sees some quality in it but would like to know more.

I can go over and take some pics if necessary but with the brand name and the Made In Japan designation I hope that might be enough information for a person knowledgable of Grauer to educate us about this guitar.

Thank you very much.

[Spud1950]

Never heard of that brand name and can't I find any info about it on the net.

[VintAxe]

Hey Thanatos Sunbum.

Brand names help with determining the country that imported the guitar but not with the source of the builder. The problem with determining the builder of these Japanese LP copies is that every company made them and they all used similar parts. A researcher really needs to dig into very specific details to figure out the manufacturer of these instruments. If you are willing to open the guitar and post specific details, we might stand a chance of figuring out the source. Without documentation of the details, there is no hope.

[Thanatos Sunbum]

Thanks for replying you guys. I'll let my friend know. He has peaked around inside a little and he says they look like quality electrics but I'll ask him take a closer look inside and see what he can see. I'll ask him to take some pics of any interesting stuff.

What kinds of things, exactly/specifically might he look for to assist with this quest for knowledge?