Vol. 4 KAWAI "Moonsault" - Enchanted by the Romance of the Universe
Hello, this is Karibe, m(__)m
We received warm words from a customer who read our last issue of "Ibanez "Paul Stanley" Signature Model! We received warm words from one of our customers who read our last feature article "Ibanez "Paul Stanley" Signature Model!
Once again, thank you very much for reading it.
We receive many guitars every day... Guitars with a distinctive presence have arrived!
This guitar is "Moonsalt" made by "KAWAI", a Japanese brand known for its pianos and other instruments!
KAWAI is...
KAWAI was founded in 1927 by Koichi Kawai, a former employee of Nippon Gakki Seizo (now Yamaha Corporation), who became independent and established the Kawai Gakki Kenkyujo (Kawai Instrument Laboratory).
Manufactures and sells pianos and other musical instruments. Currently, the company has withdrawn from the manufacture of electric guitars/electric basses, etc.
In 1958, the company began manufacturing classical guitars, and in 1963 began manufacturing electric guitars for export to the U.S. In 1967, the company merged with Tesco to increase production and expand exports.
In the 70's, while producing copy models under the Tesco brand, they started OEM production for the domestic market in the mid-70's. In 1977, after about 20 years of experience, they finally released their original model, and to this day, the brand has a history of over 50 years of guitar production!♪
◎KAWAI '80 Moonsault
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The eccentric crescent-shaped body shape is eye-catching.
In the 1970s, when the United States Apollo program landed on the moon and expanded mankind's horizons into space, Kawai began producing original guitar models based on the theme of "space stories.
It was unveiled at the 1977 Musical Instrument Fair, where it attracted much attention, and was released in March 1978 as the definitive Kawai original guitar.
The guitar's innovative design defied common sense at the time. It was also equipped with a preamplifier, effects...
In the 70's, when the electric guitar boom was spurred by the copy wars in which Japanese guitar makers competed to produce realistic vintage replicas, this is one of the few guitars that pursued an original design, and it is the ultimate!
The original Moonsalt was produced from March 1978 to February 1985, and after that, various affiliated models were created, with reproductions and replicas appearing, etc. Even now that production has been completed, this is a true domestic masterpiece that still enjoys strong popularity!
Let's take a look at the full picture of this Polish model.
Body
The eccentric crescent-shaped body shape was originally calculated by reworking ergonomics-based data.
Based on this data, we reworked the design many times, and the result is a unique crescent-shaped body that is often thought to be focused on looks, but was quickly calculated based on "ergonomics" to create a shape that prioritizes balance and ease of play.
Acrylic pickguard
The bridge is made of Badass.
*This is a replacement.
The coloring is "Moon Light Yellow.
When it was first released, it came in two colors, Silver Burst and Cosmo, but later, Moon Light Yellow, Crystal (acrylic body), Metallic Red..., etc. were introduced. etc. Various colorings were introduced.
Head
At first glance, the head appears to be a normal design...
The distinctive horn-like pointed design is based on the image of a "star".
The head top is decorated with crescent moon inlays and stars, creating a jet-black universe.
And the truss rod cover is a rocket shape that is said to be inspired by "Apollo 11".
The head again... Close-up of the head...
The head represents a rocket taking off into outer space.
The pegs are made by Grover 102.
At that time, silver coloring was the most popular coloring for space,
As with the bridge, silver-colored parts were naturally used for the pegs and other metal parts.
Fingerboard
Unique position mark.
Full moon to crescent moon (crescent moon?) and expressing the phases of the moon♪
Inlay
White butterfly shells for position marks,
Mexican shell for binding inlay
Careful work down to the corners!
Even the smallest details are carefully crafted!
Neck.
The neck, like the body, is finished in an ergonomically designed original shape so that players who used to play Fender/Gibson guitars can play them without any discomfort.
Joints
The joint between the neck and body uses a set neck system.
A curved cut is made to reduce stress in the high position for smooth fingering.
Controls
The sound concept is "Fender and Gibson sounds in one guitar! is the sound concept of this circuit, which combines various switches and preamps like those of B.C. Rich.
The pickups are designed to be "all-mighty", capable of producing both humbucker and single coil sounds.
Two original "DSU humbucking pickups" are mounted on this guitar.
Controls
(1)Master Volume
(2)Preamp volume
(3)Master Tone
(4)Pickup selector.
Mini-Switch, viewed from toggle switch side,
(5)Preamp ON/OFF
(6)Booster/Distortion
(7)Dual sound switch (coil tap)
(8)Phase switch
(8) Phase switch
A small story about naming
The name "moonsault" was created by Mitsuo Tsukahara, a member of the Kawaii Gymnastics Club at the time, and was an ultra C move.
It was used at the finish of the bars, and was the signature move of Mr. Tsukahara's gold medal win at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
He called it "two backward somersaults, one twist," but a foreign announcer said, "It's like a space walk! Moonsault! When naming the guitar, the name "moonsault" came to the minds of the guitar developers, with the hope that "the puller will play the guitar as if he were flying out into space.
Finally...
This feature on the "KAWAI Moonsault" was again based on catalogs, magazines, the Internet, and customer feedback.
We hope to continue to create this section with the help of our customers. m(__)m
This is a short section, but we will update it as soon as we have any unusual or interesting guitars!♪
... Until next time, I hope to see you all again!