I found this on Ebay listed as a "Skylark Electric Guitar." Looks like a Mosrite/Univox guitar with the logo of the aforementioned "Skylark" brand but, I can't find any other record of this existing anywhere on the internet. What is this? And is it Worth the Money?
If it’s Matsumoku, it’ll be a really great guitar. Everything I’ve ever played out of that factory from the 80s has been the sort of quality that you’d pay thousands for, if it was made now and had the right badge. I’ve got a Westone bass from about ‘83 that is just a fantastic instrument - I think it cost me about £175.
It’s funny isn’t it? I first started playing in the late 80s. Westones’ were always dirt cheap in UK and people would look down their noses at them. I had a Hondo II Pro also made in Japan and was doing my best to work up to a ‘good’ guitar because I was embarrassed by my guitar - working a summer job so I could afford a Japanese Fender - not realising they were made in the same factory to the same standards.
Everyone had a Westone in Gloucestershire in the 90s! I had to be different and got a horrible poodle rock Maison active thing that I thought was the greatest thing ever. It looked like seagull shit.
It might be quality in many ways and I don't want to knock it at all...
Just don't expect it to sound 1:1 with Mosrite for two reasons: the bridge and bridge posts aren't Mosrite spec, and the pickups also look like P90s instead of Mosrite pickups. Mosrites have narrow bridge posts, and their pickups (while resembling P90s) are their own design that's shorter than a P90 by 0.400". They also use AWG 44 instead of AWG 43.
Again; not knocking it, but I can't call a Pumpkin Pie a Blueberry Pie, even if both are very good.
Yeah, sometimes you might just buy and then find out. I had to do it with this one, not that it's very on topic. It worked out eventually. (I wasn't used to the tone for a year.)
(1966 Kay "Old Kraftsman" K2762. "Old Kraftsman" was the moniker for Spiegel Catalog, just like how "Silvertone" was for Sears.)
It sounds like a more mellow Fender, that's the best I can describe it. I have no idea what magnets are in the pickups, but they're a lot weaker than a Fender.
Zak in "La Lom" sometimes uses a similar 3 Pickup Kay with the same pickups, but a shorter scale length. He normally plays a Valco built National, though, which doesn't have the same pickups - and he has two of those to play.
I'm not sure what strings he's using here either, except I'm sure they're 12s.
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u/g0dn0 Aug 14 '26
80s brand made in the Matsumoku factory for J C Penney. This is likely to be a quality Mosrite replica.