Tats Ohisa -Tokio

Besonders stolz bin ich auf das Feature eines japanischen Sammlers.

Eine Frage ging mir nie aus dem Kopf: Wie kommt ein japanischer Jazzgitarrensammler auf die Idee deutsche Gitarren zu sammeln…?

Hier seine Antwort: Generally, the „Vintage German guitars“ are absolutely missed in the Japanese music instrument market — except only the one example — the well-known Hofner Beatle-bass. Not only the information about, but also the actual instruments of Vintage German craftmanship is the kind of IMPOSSIBLE to find here. Even though you know TOKYO is the city overflowing hugekinds and huge numbers of goods from all over the world, but I have to say No german guitars is available here.  I could find a book „Elektro-gitarren: made in Germany“ in a import book shop few years ago. I got it (even it had a crazy price given by the bookshop). And the book changed my world!! Soon I sold some of my old guitars (like Gretschs, Gibsons, etc…) and I started an odyssey of the. Vintage German guitars (Mainly I got from e-bay, and some guitar shops in Germany).

I like and play Jazz music, so I love the German archtops especially.
At first I got the Roger (Wenzel Rossmeisl) archtop (still I like this one).
But later Norbert Schnepel, who wrote the book „Elektro-Gitarren“ and he
runs the MUSIKKELLER Dorsten“, adviced me that the LANG would be one of the best and ultimate choice. Then I searched and bought a LANG archtop – that has a cutaway like the French Gypsy style giutar, narrow neck. This archtop let me know about the graceful archtop sound. Warm and rich tone. Since then, I’ve been loving the Artur Lang guitars. Acoustically, I play it with Wegen pick (a fat one, made for gypsy jazz playing). Electricaly, I play it through with the Walter Woods amplifer. Now I have 3 LANG guitars (all of 3 have different shapes and size. shown as the pictures).

Historically, people says Japan is the country made with Idea of ancient eastern virtue and American cultures that given by the lost of WW2. Most Japanese musicians have been loving the American guitars since Westernmusics were imported here (but Recently also the European Jazz music become familier especialy in young generations). As I mentioned, Unfortunately the European-made guitars are not familier in Japan now, But Italian old bizarre guitars (like EKO,Vox-Italian made) are familier in the guitar collector here for long time. I guess this come from the influence of American guitar collector like Teisco Del-Ray. Aditionally, French Gypsy guitars —this means selmer/Maccaferri copy guitar like Dell’arte or Dupont— are also famous in here. I hope German archtop guitars as like we interested in would be also well-known in Japan, some day, near future…
If you have interests Please visit my website that shows my collection
of German-vintage archtops like Hoyer, Hopf, Lang, Hofner etc….
http://jazzgitarren.k-server.org. (Japanese and English language only)
Thanks!

Tats
(from Tokyo/Japan)
jazzgitarren@hotmail.com


3 LANG guitars:
(left) Natural color, medium-body, deep cutaway model. double bindings on
sides. You’ll find the wrong position-mark is on the 11F of the fretboard!
(center) another natural color, large body, french-cutaway model. double
bindings on sides. FAVORIT floating PU was installed.
(right) Red sunburst, extra large body (18inch), normal cutaway model.
double white bindings on sides.

Headplate of the red-sunburst model:
Yes the pattern of engraving is the typicaly one, but this is most
simplified work I ever find.