Cortez Les Paul Pro question

[kjguitarworx]

I recently picked up a used Cortez Les Paul Pro. it is a cherry sunburst copy of a LP Custom and Standard. It has some unique specs(Custom 6 ply binding and fretboard inlays at first fret, and LP Standard cream trim with chrome hardware). It is a really nice guitar with brass nut and saddles, and a solid set neck design.
My question is, was it made by Matsumoku, and what year?? It is probably a 1970's model, but I am not sure, as there is no serial # anywhere on it.


The pickups say "Patent applied for - Made by Goto"
If anybody has some info, that would be great. Thanks

[VintAxe]

[kjguitarworx]

[VintAxe]

[Spud1950]

[Bassassin]

Hi - lovely guitar, and an absolute bargain for $80!

I have owned a few Mats but I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here because I've never had a full-fat set-neck & carved top LP copy from Matsumoku.

However I can tell you that post "lawsuit" Mat LP copies did use that shape headstock profile, and similar-shaped trussrod covers do appear on Matsumoku instruments. Goto & Gotoh are indeed one & the same, as Spud1950 says.

However, it's not all cut & dried... Cortez was a brand owned by Jack Westheimer, who established the Cor-Tek factory in Korea - and abbreviated the Cortez name to .

I think we tend to assume all good-quality 70s era copies were made in Japan - it's increasingly becoming apparent that this is not necessarily the case - apparently the Korean guitar industry was producing 300,000 instruments a year by 1977, and factories such as Cort & Young Chang were very capable of standards which rivalled Japan.

Now I can't say one way or the other whether your Cortez was made in Japan or Korea - it's known that Westheimer did use Japanese manufacturers prior to establishing his own factory, but like most 70s Oriental guitar history, evidence is thin on the ground.

Some more detailed pics of your guitar might help to establish its origin - plus anything at all written or stamped on hardware, electronics, wiring etc. Japanese Goto pickups would point to Japan, but nothing's certain - for example the early Korean production of Squier guitars used MIJ hardware, so anything's possible.

Jon.

[kjguitarworx]

The things that I found that indicate MIJ are as follows;
Underside of bridge is marked Japan
All of the pots are marked Japan
The pickups read as follows Patent Applied For
Made By Goto
Unfortunately there is no serial number as I can see.
It is just odd that there is very little info about Cortez guitars. I can say that the inlay work on the headstock is top notch, not cheap or poorly cut, but very nice. When the light hits it just right, the word Cortez and the split diamond inlays shimmer with purple, blue, pink and silver.
It could also be Korean, who knows?? I can attest to the Cort Factory producing good work. I also own a 1997 Fender/Squire Pro Tone Precision V bass that I believe was produced in Korea by the Cort factory. A VERY high quality instrument that plays nice, looks beautiful, and sounds great. I must admit, I do have a love for MIJ guitars, as I own a bunch. But, wherever this Cortez was made, it was done nicely, and for $80, I couldn't turn it down.

Here are 2 more photos

[Spud1950]

That's a really nice instrument,regardless of where it may have been made. Fit and finish looks really excellent. $80 was a steal. Lucky dude!

[Bassassin]

With that amount of MIJ hardware it's almost certainly Japanese - especially the pots, practically every Korean guitar I've seen has MIK "dp" brand pots.

Did you take any pics of the neck joint/tenon with the neck pickup removed? I think Matsumokus commonly have a long tenon, which protrudes under the pickup, with a screw into the body to strengthen the joint.

Jon.

[kjguitarworx]

[Bassassin]