A Book That Caught Karube's Eye!! Part 1

Part 1: "heerby"—A Hidden Gem? Japanese Vintage

　Thank you for checking out THE Used Music Store’s “A Instrument That Catches Your Eye” m(__)m

My name is Karube, and I work in the guitar and Effector section.
Even though I’m a bassist, I’m in charge of the guitar section (￣▽￣)♪

There are plenty of special features on musical instruments, including on the websites of various music stores, but in this section… I’d like to introduce guitars that caught my eye and made me go, “Oh?!”

Because we’re a specialty used instrument shop, I think I’ll be able to introduce you to some of the slightly unusual guitars that come in! ♪

For our very first installment, let’s talk about a hidden gem among Japan Vintage guitars—known only to those in the know? ♪

“Japan Vintage” might seem like a pretty niche topic right off the bat, but what comes to mind when you hear “Japan Vintage”?

Greco　　　Tokai　　　Aria Pro II　　　YAMAHA

…etc…

There are so many legendary Japanese guitars out there, but as someone who’s always been interested in Telecasters, my eye was caught by the star of this post—which just happened to come in:

a Telecaster-style guitar called the “Heerby”♪

First off, what exactly is Heerby!?

Kasuga Gakki Seizo was a company founded by the late Kazuyuki Kasuga, who served as Secretary-General of the former Socialist Party of Japan. It originally manufactured acoustic guitars, banjos, violins, and other instruments, and sold electric guitars and Basses under the “Heerby” brand.
While the company released guitars under the “Heerby” brand in Japan, in the U.S. they were sold under the “ELECTRA” brand and reportedly garnered attention as high-end guitars.
The origin of the brand name comes from altering the pronunciation of “Kasuga” (from Kasuga Gakki): “Haru” and “Bi” → “Harubi” → “Heerby.”

High quality, craftsmanship, and sound seemed to be their selling points; looking at catalogs from that era, they released everything from classic replicas of Fender and Gibson to Rickenbacker replicas.
In addition, Kasuga Gakki Manufacturing is said to have been the manufacturer of the “Gaban” brand, which Fukuhara Gakki sold from around 1972 to 1974.Around 1974, Kasuga Gakki began selling its own brand, “Ganson,” and also partnered with Roland—which had recently spun off from A-Stone—to release the “RK Herby.” However, by 1976, the brand name had changed to “Heerby,” and around 1977, under the “The KASUGA” brand, they began releasing original models, including acoustic guitars, continuing to sell under various brand names. It is also said that for a time, they operated on a consignment basis for Yamaha’s SG model.

That’s enough about Kasuga Gakki for now,

let’s take a look at the guitar that caught my eye!!

The model name is “Heerby ‘Excellent Type-1000’”

Although they’re from slightly different eras, let’s compare it to Fender’s ’72 Telecaster’♪

Body

Neck - Skunk Stripe

The neck dimensions are

[Heerby]
Width: 42 mm, Thickness: 25 mm at the 1st fret
Width: 52 mm, Thickness: 25 mm at the 12th fret.

【Fender】
Width: 42 mm, Thickness: 23 mm at the 1st fret
Width: 52 mm, Thickness: 23 mm at the 12th fret.

My impression after actually holding it is that while it’s not extremely thick, it feels thicker than recent Telecasters and similar models. It’s a bit on the thick side, but the thickness doesn’t feel awkward at all, making it easy to play♪

Of course, the skunk stripes are faithfully reproduced as well.

Headstock

　The shape of the headstock is slightly different at the tip and other points, but the overall silhouette is very similar♪

Tuners

　The tuner knobs have a trapezoidal shape compared to Fender’s, and—believe it or not—it’s equipped with early Gotho tuners!!

Body

　While Fender uses ash for the body, Heerby uses sen plywood.

Back of the Body

　Looking at the back, you can see that the parts where the strings pass through have been faithfully reproduced; however, Fender’s are rounded, while Heerby’s are angular.

Joint Plate

　The joint plate is a bit smaller than the Fender version, and it feels a little flimsy (lol).

Bridge

The bridge—hmm, it’s totally different, isn’t it!?

The Fender bridge has two strings per saddle, but this one has one string per saddle, allowing for fine-tuning at each saddle. The saddles are really chunky♪

Pickup Selector / Knobs / End Pin

　The pickup selector and knobs look similar♪

The endpin gave me the impression that the surface touching the body is slightly thicker and flatter.

Pickups

　It came equipped with the original single-coil pickups, but it was sold before I could compare the sounds or examine it in more detail. I’m both happy and a little sad… (T T)

I hope it’ll be cherished for a long time by a great owner (;_;)/~~~

As for the sound, this is just my personal opinion, but it really has a solid, full-bodied, well-rounded Telecaster sound that’s on par with the real thing!!

From the staff

　Overall, since this model predates the release of realistic replica models like Tokai and Greco, it features parts that showcase the brand’s originality in the finer details.

While the brand name may not be very well-known, in terms of quality, accuracy of the replica, and sound… Heerby is truly worthy of being called a Japanese vintage guitar.
Don’t underestimate it just because it’s a replica!!!
I’ve heard that Japanese-made guitars, including Heerby, used high-quality wood.

If you’re looking for a guitar that’s different from the rest—one with a bit of a quirk or some character—why not consider these Japanese-made guitars, which are available at reasonable prices even as the vintage market has seen prices skyrocket in recent years?

Since this is from my personal perspective, the content might be a bit biased (*_*;)
And while I’m still a complete amateur when it comes to guitars and such, I put this together using information from reference materials, catalogs, and even personal websites online.

“A Guitar That Catches My Eye” is a column that’s mostly just for my own personal satisfaction, but perhaps some of you reading this have a guitar that brings back nostalgic memories, one you couldn’t afford the real thing so you bought a replica, or a guitar you’ve always wanted…
So, I hope to continue creating this column with your support m(__)m

Will there even be a next time!?
I’m writing this while nervously wondering when the president might scrap this project (lol)

It’s a short column, but I’d like to keep updating it whenever I come across even a slightly rare guitar♪