Suzuki W-150 Acoustic

My Suzuki is a Dreadnought Style with a what appears be a Spruce top and Mahogany Sides, back and neck. I'm not sure if it's solid or veneered, but looking at the sound hole it can't really tell if the grain is visible on the edge of the hole. The freboard appears to be rosewood and has 20 frets. The sound hole label says that it is a Model KW-150 and is #80734 made by the Kiso Suzuki company. I'm pretty sure that I purchased this after my first year in college in 1978. If there is anyone out there who knows more about this fine guitar's construction I would love to learn more about it.

I'm an amateur singer/songwriter who play primarily in the Folk genre, but my musical taste ranges into Blues and Country. I've had my Suzuki KW150 since 1979 when I purchased it new for $200 from a music store in Stirling, NJ. It went to college with me and continued as my primary acoustic guitar for many years. Today it's a backup to my Martin D17 and I have it strung in Nashville tuning which adds a nice contrast to my compositions. It has such a bright sound and is so easy to play that in many ways I prefer it to my Martin.

The action on this guitar is phenomenol. I find my Martin and most Martins in general that I have played to be very harsh on the fingers, requiring a lot of finger pressure to create chords. The Suzuki on the other hand is very easy to play. The frets are beveled and not raised that much which when combined with great string action, makes this guitar very easy to play all day long without fatigue. The finish of the guitar is also top notch. It was designed to look like a Martin D28 complete with herring bone inlay down the middle of It has aged beautifully and the top is now a beautiful golden color. At 27 years old, she is starting to buzz on some of the higher stings and I need to take her in to have some work done on the nut and bridge to fix that rattle. In addition the machine heads, which have served it well are also in need of replacement as they will lose their tune quickly. But I love this guitar so much that I am going to put a couple of hundred into fixing her up because I haven't found anything that sounds as good save convincing Neil Young to give up his Hank Williams Martin.

How can I complain. While i've taken care of her, this is a guitar that went to college with me, endured countless moves and humidity changes and is still virtually flawless. She gets played a lot yet there are very few scratch marks on her top so the finish was good enough to resist my repeated playing. I prefer to play with bare nails versus picks so that certainly has helped keep her fresh looking but I have played with picks as well. I wish I could get more specific information on the construction of this model, because these were special guitars.

Never needed to deal with the company or the retailer that I purchased it from again. Although I still talk to the retailer on occaision and tell him what a great guitar he sold me. He says he has never seen as good a guitar for the money before or since. He also sold me my JB Player Strat Copy which has also turned out to be an incredible guitar value.

I've been playing Guitar for nearly 40 years. I also own Martin D17, JB Player Strat Copy, Paul Reed Smith (Santana edition), 1947 Rickenbacker Lap Steel and a Nu-Way Banjo Uke. I love all of my guitars but when I want to sit around and play a guitar for a couple of hours I naturally gravitate to my $200 Suzuki! Isn't that funny?

I recently purchased a late 70's Suzuki BW-150 dreadnought acoustic. I go with others descriptions about the instrument, but the model BW has a two piece (mirror) solid top (possibly spurce, not sure though) and the pickguard and headstock are Guild style.
Back of the body is also two piece (mirror) solid.

Sound of the guitar is absolutely fantastic. While the BW-150 model does have a solid top and back (while the W-150 seems to be laminated) it gives the guitar a very sensitive feeling and it sounds full and rich. I find it very well balanced and it suits well for fingerpicking and to use with a pick.
Guitar is also quite loud.

It is an old guitar and have seen some life. Small dings here and there, and the top has curved a bit during the years. When I got the guitar, it had a renewed nut and it was way too high. I had to file it down a bit.
Everything looks nicely done.

Only drawback with the guitar is quite poor frets. There isn't that much wear, but it seems that frets have been quite rugged right from the beginning. Couple of frets also had raised a bit and I had to file them to make the neck better. I'm planning on changing all the frets cuz the feel of the frets isn't that comfortable. I'm also planning on putting a bone bridge instead of a plastic one.

The Guild style pickguard and headstock makes the guitar quite a beauty.

The instrument is build very well and it seems that it will last quite a long time. Normal use will not break this thing.
Still, it is quite old and it seems that it hasn't been storaged perfectly properly (the curved top and fretrise). A bit of tender care is required.

It seems that tere isn't that much information about these guitars.

I have been playing about 18 yrs and have owned a lot of guitars. Not so many acoustics though and it seems that this was a perfect purchase.

If the BW-150 was stolen or lost, I would be very sad, there's no way to get another of these. Never bumped into one.

Made in Japan late 70's i think
21 frets
Solid top
i'm not too sure about what it is made of but i think it maybe made of maple and some other type of wood. it has a natural finish with fantastic inlays on the back of the guitar. possibly a rosewood bridge. rosewood neck medium size frets. came with a heavy wooden case with velvet inside.

i love the sound of the guitar it projects its sound well and can take a fair bit of a beating from when i strum, also sounds good when finger picking. makes a sweet sound when played over the sound hole, makes more of a metalic/twangy sound when played further back.
it is a great guitar for finger picking espesially mainly because of the low action.

this acoustic has the lowest action i have ever seen! im not sure if my dad tinkered with it after he bought it or not but it is sooo low and there is still no fret rattle. the guitar has no flaws on it at all besides one or two tiny scratches on it.

I have played this guitar at many "gigs" and sounds great when used with the proper equiptment, even if there is no microphone used with it, it still sounds great in a hall. the strap buttons never let the strap go at all, if i want to get the strap off i sometimes even struggle. Would be the most dependable guitar that i own( i know that sounds bias, but it is true) and i have and would use it at a gig without a backup.

i have never needed to get any customer support for the guitar or ever needed to get it fixed. im not sure on the warrenty, it would have ended by now...its almost 30 years old

I have been playing for about 13 years(im only 17) and own a Kasuga classical guitar(which is also very reliable), a Samick Les Paul replica, and a fender strat. I use a marshal 100watt amp and a number of effects pedals. My dad bought this when he was 18 and gave the guitar to me about 5 years ago as he knew i would use it more than him. i love the inlays on the back and the over all sound from it. i have compared this to other steel strings such as one of the fender cut a way shaped guiatrs and three different ashton guitars. the fender was incredibly tinny and all of the ashtons had unadjustable action which was very high...and still had fret rattle! i wish i owned a gibson SG or a Gretch White Falcon(want that the most).
To anyone looking at getting a W-150... get one they would have to be the best acoustic guitars that i have ever played, i have played alot of different guitars in my life, trust me it is execellent

Inside it's marked as model no. KW - 150, serial no. 70710. I go along with everything in Philip Connor's review, it's the same description.

I mostly play fiddle and it's a while since I've played guitar at a gig. The sound is sweet and balanced, it suits folk finger picking styles. Not particularly loud, but I've used it in the studio & it's versatile.

It was in very good nick when I bought it. No issues.

In 20 years of playing, one of the tuners has broken off. The others are quite stiff. Other than that, the guitar has put up with a fair battering over the years and still rarely goes out of tune. The front is a bit of a mess now due to scratches and pick marks. The bottom strap button cracked so I removed it. It is very dependably & it's my only acoustic guitar.

I have a Suzuki W-150/12 twelve string serial 50922. I bought
it about 1974 in San Diego. I saw some cute chick who had a
sign up for a guitar for sale. Never one to miss an opportunity,
I went and bought this guitar.

This guitar has a bright sound, even the lowwer strings.
Its not my main acoustic but I use it for rhythm and
occasional leads. I've been playing since 1965 and
play may styles.

The action is good. Being a 12 sting the neck is wide. There's no buzzes and it produces clear tones. The fretboard is ebony with a mahogony neck Spruce top and rosewood back. The white trim has yellowed in places. The neck is inlaid with large M-o-P blocks.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Its been a while since I did any dead playing. Its a reasonbly well made low end guitar. It will last if you are not too drunk.

NA

I started playing in 1965. I still own a 76 Martin D28, A couple of 70s Takamine classicals, a 72 Gibson Blueridge, a 57 Chet Atkins Tennesean , a 74 Ovation Breadwinner and 1949 Tweed Fender Deluxe amp.
Also the Suzuki.

I wish I had 2 hours alone with Via Paxton

Hi. My name is Philip Connor and I live in London, U.K.

I bought my guitar new from McCormack's Music shop in Glasgow, Scotland, in January of 1980. From memory it cost me about $250, but for starters it was in #'s Sterling and it was 24 years ago, so I can't be certain.
This would suggest that it was crafted (in Japan) in about 1979.
The serial mark says 'Model No. KW-150', No. 70720.

Roughly speaking to those who have no knowledge of the thing, it resembles a plain finish Martin D-45.

My example seems to differ slightly from the models previously described by your contributors:
Firstly, it has a fixed, non-adjustable, bone-like bridge set into a (Martin-style) satin-finished block of rosewood. Secondly, the logo on the peghead is in the form of a mother-of-pearl effect slide transfer of high quality reading 'K. Suzuki' in a curved script underneath which, and running down to the truss-rod cover between the tuners, is a fair copy of the 'floral' style of inlay sometimes seen on Martin guitars.
The facing of the peghead it'self is of a medium-light mahogany.
The truss-rod cover is a translucent plastic 'tortoiseshell' material.
The main body of the instrument has cream binding with a layer of M-o-P binding inside that. At the soundhole there are three rings of inlay, separated from each other by about 4mm of wood. These rings are; black-cream-black-cream-black, cream-black-M-o-P-black-cream, black-cream-black-cream-black. The thickness of the first and third ring groups is only 2mm, the middle one is 6mm.
Other than that the top is plain with the exception of a simple black pickguard. The soundboard is, I believe, book-matched spruce, not maple, and gloss-laquered. When bought it was very light in colour. Think unfinished pine and you are close. Over the years it has mellowed to a rich golden colour. The back and sides seem to be similar to one of the other guitars mentioned; three piece rosewood-birch(?)-rosewood, the centre section being nearly a narrow-base triangular affair, 2.8cm wide at the heel to 14.5cm at the base of the bottom bout. The areas are separated by a strip of inlay, 3mm thick, in the form of cream-black-MOP-black-cream. the cream and black sections being hairline-thick.

It has the usual 20 frets which have worn very well and still need no attention. I'm fairly light of touch, but my Strat was completely nackered in half the time.
The action is quite low and I havn't needed to shave the bridge to get it nice and 'fast'.
The neck feels great and is still straight as a die.
Tuners are original and tight with no play whatsoever. The thing never goes out of tune.
It only has one strap button, at the base of the instrument.

It is not equipped with a pickup.

Sound wise I agree with the opinion that is bright and clear at the top end and has a nice resonant bass. When I bought it I tried out a few dozen guitars and, obviously, preffered this one! Although nowhere near wealthy enough to buy a Martin I did try out several 'Vega' instruments. These were advertised at the time as being '..in the Martin mould.' I could be wrong (I was once before) but I think Vega was the 'entry-level' guitar marque from the Martin company; much like Squier and Epiphone were to become for the Fender and Gibson companies. Suffice it to say that I went in to the shop convinced I was going to buy one of the instruments from the Vega range and came out, four hours later, with the Suzuki.

I'm primarily an electric blues man; when I use an acoustic I tend to prefer a fingerpicking style and need to cover the whole of the fretboard so I would say that the bright, clear nature of the guitar suits me well. It can handle barre-work ok, it's just better for slightly 'fancier' stuff.

The set-up was just fine, although this could have been done at the retailers. At the time of purchase McCormacks was one of the best music dealerships in Scotland.

The guitar has been gigged in the past and seemed to be capable of lasting the course. I no longer play gigs but the guitar still gets played pretty much every day. As I've now got to be considerate to others in the house, not to mention my neighbours, the acoustic gets all the attention and the electric gets out only on high days and holidays (i.e. when no one else is around!)

I've been playing for about thirty years.
I have a pre-CBS Strat (also bought in 1980 when it wasn't vintage-merely second-hand...), an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus with a most beautiful flame-maple cherry sunburst top, which I bought six months ago and is, without a doubt, the finest electric guitar I've ever played. In this I'm including all other guitars I own/have owned; these being a '70's Gibson Les Paul Custom, Strats from the '60's, '70's & '80's, a bound-model Telecaster Custom, other assorted Fenders, a Music-man Sabre II, etc..etc..
My amp is a Music-man 2x12 combo, also from 1980.

If it were to be stolen I'd have no hesitation whatever about buying another, if one could be found...

The thing I like most is the tone and playability. When I bought it I didn't know anything about acoustic guitars. In the 24 years since I've had a fair amount of experience of other models, some considerably more expensive, and the only one I've kept is the Suzuki.

As mentioned above, I tried out literally dozens of other instruments before selecting this one.

The only thing I would like to have tried would have been the same guitar fitted with a solid (non-laminated) soundboard as this should make it even more responsive. Obviously, unfortunately, this is an impossiblity.

I thank the people responsible for setting up this site. It was interesting to read about the experiences of others and to learn that it is not just me that thinks these are impressive instruments.

Kiso Suzuki Violin Company,Model W-150 Serial No.00537 Made in Japan.Thats how the label reads viewed thru the sound hole.Info about these guitars is hard to find probably because they were made around the mid to late 70's and mass produced.The W-150 has a fine grained laminated top probably maple,a comfortable mahogany neck supporting a rosewood fretboard,an adjustable truss rod accessed via a removeable cover on the headstock,dot inlays (possibly pearl shell)starting at the third fret,gold lettering on the headstock,roll it over and you will find a "Made In Japan" sticker on the back of headstock,six chrome plated tuners(no brand name on tuners)that do the job,there are 20 frets to the soundhole plus an adjustable saddle holder at the bridge,pickguard and two strap buttons.But the most unique thing about this guitar is the back of it which looks as though its comprised of three sections of wood that have been matched together,the outer pieces are mahogany and the centre piece is a much lighter coloured wood forming a "V" starting at the top and widening to the bottom of the guitar.Add to all of that a reasonable lacquer job and you have a good looking 30+ year old guitar,it even came with a non original semi hard case that obviously worked at keeping scratches and dints to minimum.

At the moment the guitar is set up with lite strings but it stills produces a deep full bass sound which i like and the high strings i can live with even though at times they sound way too bright for the folk/country/blues music that i like to play.As used mostly for rhythm accompanient this under $200 dollar guitar sounds way better than some guitars topping $850.

Being a third or fourth hand guitar I took it to my local music shop for a look over to check out for repair work done or any little nastys that i hadnt counted on.Yeah there was some minor fret wear,truss rod needed a tweak,the action was a little high for my liking and the chrome saddle housing needed a massage to remove some oxidised gunk that had been left unattended,but that was it except for polishing the frets and a new set of strings

Personally ,anything that still works 30+ years after it was put out there to be used definitely is durable.As for reliability everything on this guitar is original except for the strings,i can't testify as to the amount of use this instrument has seen but yes i would play live with it,and no i wouldn't use without a backup ,i would use it for my backup.

My other guitars are all acoustic, Yamaha FG-365s,Yamaha CG-160s,Maton CW-80,Ibanez Concord 12 string.If I lost this guitar I would look around for Suzuki W-350.The thing i like the most about this guitar is it feels comfortable to hold for long periods.What i dislike about this guitar is that one day i will be too old to play it and then i will give it away.Favourite feature is the gold lettering,the date is older then me.I never compared this guitar to others before purchase,i chose it because it was a Suzuki made in Japan and it was a dreadnought it was at the right price.Cheers.

I was indeed very fortunate to pick this guitar up at a local fete for a very cheap price. It had no case with it but I feel guilty about how much I paid for it. Suffice to say it WAS VERY CHEAP! and I still can't believe how much I paid for it. It had what I thought were a few marks and scratches on it at the time and the action seemed way too high. However, I noticed that the bridge could be adjusted and the neck fit my hand like a glove. When I got home and cleaned the guitar up, I was surprised to find that most of the marks and what appeared to be scratches disappeared. A few days later, with a set of new strings and having lowered the action down to my liking, I was amazed at the performance and tone this instrument was delivering. I have been into one of the main musical retailers here and played some very expensive acoustics and I have to say this Suzuki is up there with them as far as tone is concerned and the way it handles. I will probably get pasted for saying that but that's how it appears to me. As far as finish is concerned, the Suzuki won't win any major prizes. But for a good middle of the road finish with not a great deal of fancy trimmings, hey! who's complaining? The guitar was made in Japan by the Kiso Suzuki Violin Company. On the plain head stock in gold lettering it has CF Suzuki & Co Est. 1951. It has 20 frets on a thin mahogany neck. The rosewood fretboard has abalone dot inlays starting from the third fret and the neck features an adjustable truss rod, ( cover plate on head stock ). The face of the sound box is a transparent satin maple ply with binding around the edges and around the sound hole. The base of the sound box is mahogany as are the sides of the guitar and features an inlayed perloid line pattern across the middle of the base and rear. There is a set of six chrome plated tuners which seem to be of good quality. I have no plans to replace these. Look, I know I'm supposed to try and be critical of the guitar, but it leaves me with very little to be critical of and I hope you won't toss this to one side because of this. If there is anything to be critical of, it might be the way I found the bridge. The bridge saddle on this guitar is held in place by an adjustable chrome saddle holder which has two adjusting screws either side. When I first got the guitar, it took me and a guy from a local music shop to figure out how to drop the action. I might say here that this may not have anything to do with the original bridge setup. The thing was, that the two adjusting screws were sitting up on two washers and were wound down as far as you could get them. This gave the impression that the action could be lowered no further. It appeared that if the washers were taken out, the whole shibang would drop through into the sound box. However, we eventually found this not to be the case. We removed the washers and the action came down and sat perfectly in place. We suspected that the washers may have been put in there by the previous owner. Why, I don't know. What I do know, is that I had to vertually pull the guitar off the guy in the shop. He just wanted to keep playing it!

The guitar has a bright, rich sound when picking and a lovely full sustained/singing like sound when playing chords. I don't think it's meant for heavy stuff, although I can rock with it no problems. It is a great guitar to have by your side. I would like to put a pickup on it but am not sure I would get the same sound.

This is not a beginners' guitar. As far as I can see, this is a middle of the road quality guitar. There are no loose tuners, the neck is as straight as an arrow, the action is very nice and there has been some effort on the part of the manufacturer to produce a presentable instrument of good tonal quality.

I know this guitar will withstand live playing. I have already performed with it. From the label inside, I would say that it is at least five, possible ten years old. I have no doubts about it's dependability at this stage

I have tried to locate the Suzuki company on the Internet without success. Quite a few other people have had the same experience. I would appreciate any information regarding this company.

I have been playing 15 years. My other guitar is a Fender Stratocaster Deluxe. If I lost this guitar, I would not hesitate at buying the same if I could afford it! The thing I love about this guitar is that it gives me everything I am looking for in an acoustic at this stage. However, I don't like the way it digs into my gut, and that is where I am truely thankful to Leo Fender. My favourite feature on this instrument strangely enough is the adjustable bridge saddle. I compared this guitar with a Guild and a Maton. Although the finish on these guitars was superior to the Suzuki, the tone was fairly comparable I would like to have a pickup attached that would faithfully reproduce the tone it gives. I haven't seen many of these guitars around before, but I did notice a one page advert in the Oct 1997 edition of Guitar Magazine depicting Rory Block playing a guitar. The text in the ad said that she was using Martin SP strings on her Martin OM-28VR guitar. Well, that guitar in the photograph sure looks like my Suzuki! Even down to the name on the head stock! Check it out!