Suzuki F-120

This is a follow-up to my previous review. I goofed and left some ratings undone.

Excellent expressivity. On the bright side, it cuts through at acoustic jams. Apmplified with the K & K system, it matched much more pricey guitars!

Fabulous now... bone nut made a big difference.

I've gigged with it at open mics for half a year, taken it to camps and jammed in homes with it. No problems! These Suzukis are well worth seeking out.

Not applicable. Defunct company.

For the money, excellent. If you can't afford a MArtin or Taylor, get one of these!

This is a follow-up to my first assessment of this late-60s guitar. I see it's not up yet, so I'll restate that it's a solid spruce top dread, lam mahogany body and neck, backless chrome low-profile tuning machines, Martin-style spade headstock and saddle, rosewood fretboard and bridge (not the funky adjustable kind), one endpin, cream binding on body only; can't tell if headstock has a rosewood plate or is just thing veneer. Probably the latter.
Definitely a copy of a Martin D-28 except for having no stripe decoration down the center back side. Black pickguard matches D-28 perfectly. as does shape of bridge and saddle.
I own a 2007 Martin, and it's sound is a lot mellower than this. but the price difference is astronomical! $65 for Suzuki, used, $2200 (I think - it was a gift to me) for the Martin in a deluxe case.
This came with an old black chipboard one with grey-green foam lining.
Bracing seems to be somewhat scalloped. Old-Style Suzuki label, with bright yellow and red ornate lettering on white background.
Has model number F120 inside, and serial number, but just try looking it up! Defunct company, little online about these guitars, sadly.

Search for these guitars. So far, I've owned an F-200 (great guitar, came to me for $145, scratched up, sold for $375 after effecting repairs and adding bone saddle); a W-300 in green faux abalone and triangle of maple up the back - a mutated Japanese D-35; and a KW-150 which was another d-28 copy with very well-rounded but somewhat quieter sound.

It's a keeper! I may have the braces scalloped some time, but will wait till months of playing let the Solid Spruce top open up and then make the decision. It's bright, but full and loud.
Today I'll finish making the bone saddle for it and see what that does to the sound. I kept the old plastic nut after trying a new one made to spread the strings apart a bit. It felt better with the original one, although it's spaced fairly narrow. I got used to it.

If you ever see one of these or another Suzuki on eBay or Craig;s NAB IT! Do not hesitate. These things are buried treasure!!
The neck was flat after years of neglect - may two decades - in a garage in San Jose. Hot weather didn't hurt it. All glue and the wood are still like brand new. Incredible.

The finish is still glossy and flawless.
It plays like butter. Sounds like tiny spears of bliss hitting the eardrum. Why'd they ever bo out of business?? Japanese guitars from this era are fantastic.

40 years and counting, so, yes, it should last!

Defunct. There's a blog about Kiso Suzuki, Nagoya, Japan. We need more input there.

10 for value. 10 for sound. 10 for workmanship. 10 for nostalgia!

Note that it was grimy, the tuning machines badly needed oiling, the strings were rusted, and the original saddle was wildly wrong - notched, no less, on purpose. After cleaning, string replacement with medium D'Addario E&-17s, sanding up a new plastic saddle and polishing all over, it rose from limbo to become my workhorse guitar. Nest, a bone bridge and pickup system and it'll pay for itself many times over. I'm proud to show the headstock saying "Suzuki Three-S."