Daion L-999 Legacy

Parlour hand-made in US by japanese luthiers until early 80's, high end solid top model of the Daion acoustic guitars
Frets: 14 out
Diapason: 64,3 mm
Neck width at nut: 43 mm
Neck width at 12th fret: 53,5 mm
Top: solid cedar
Back and sides: rosewood
Neck: nato
Fretboard and bridge: ebony
Fretboard dots: Daion pearl logo upon 5th, brass minidots on side of 5,7,12,15th frets
Headstock: rosewood
Rosette and Bindings: maple
Machine heads: GOTOH rotomatic
Nut and saddle: brass
Pins: ebony

I substituted the brass saddle with a compensated bone one and the sound became much warmer; to lower the action, originally too high, it was necessary to plane a bit the bridge. I am planning to make a bone nut.

Very good guitar for solo fingerstyle; i equipped it with the K&K Trinity Western system and coupled with the Roland AC60 amp, with very good results.

Factory setup provided a too high action, maybe good for natural not amplified playing but too hard to play in fingerstyle

I owe it since 25 years, the sound improved in time, no structure and bracings damages, i will never leave it.

Parlour hand-made in US by japanese luthiers until early 80's, high end solid top model of the Daion acoustic guitars
Frets: 14 out
Diapason: 64,3 mm
Neck width at nut: 43 mm
Neck width at 12th fret: 53,5 mm
Top: solid cedar
Back and sides: rosewood
Neck: nato
Fretboard and bridge: ebony
Fretboard dots: Daion pearl logo upon 5th, brass minidots on side of 5,7,12,15th frets
Headstock: rosewood
Rosette and Bindings: maple
Machine heads: GOTOH rotomatic
Nut and saddle: brass
Pins: ebony

I substituted the brass saddle with a compensated bone one and the sound became much warmer; to lower the action, originally too high, it was necessary to plane a bit the bridge. I am planning to make a bone nut.

Very good guitar for solo fingerstyle; i equipped it with the K&K Trinity Western system and coupled with the Roland AC60 amp, with very good results.

Factory setup provided a too high action, maybe good for natural not amplified playing but too hard to play in fingerstyle

I owe it since 25 years, the sound improved in time, no structure and bracings damages, i will never leave it.

It's a mid-70s parlour style guitar, as described in the previous review. All original, except for the original brass nut that I threw away and replaced with an ivory one. The brass nut looked very nice, matching the tuners and other hardware, but failed to deliver any kind of tuning stability! Brass saddle, ivory bridge and pins. No electrics fitted.

It delivers beautifully crisp tone in the mid-range and top-end. I've always felt the bass is a lacking in clarity but it's right there in the mix. I play all kinds on it.. blues, jazz, folk... all sound nice. Compared to a more refined guitar, it does sound a little muddy in the bass though. Mid-range and top-end are first-class, and up there with the best of them.

I bought this because I fell in love with playing it, and 10 years on I still do. Action is low/medium, bought second-hand so I'm not sure if this is how the factory intended. Neck is reasonably narrow, which suits my preference.

It's now about 30 years old, and is still in mint condition, aside from a few minor dents in the top. It might benefit from a clean, but that might diminish it's voodoo charm.

Never had a single cause for complaint, since I replaced the nut. Despite its diminutive size, it's built like a tank.

Daion have been defunct since the 70s, as far as I know.

I've owned this for about 10 years, and I'm still in love with it as much as the day I bought it. Every now and again, I pickup a little Martin or Gibson in a guitar shop to see how it compares.. as mentioned, a classier instrument does deliver a marginally cleaner sound, but I'm still happy with this little fella.. and apart from the logo, I've yet to see a Martin or Gibson deliver the kind of pure classy image that this one does; the finish is stunning! I won't be selling it any time soon.

Parlor style guitar with a satin Sunburst finish on a georgus Rosewood back and sides with a cedar top. Maple binding on the body and neck/headstock. Ebony bridge(pyramid style)and fingerboard with the stylized lyre(longhorn?) inlaid in MOP at the 5th fret and MOP snowflakes at the usual places.The Frets are a medium jumbo and have held up very well. I'm not sure what the original tuners were, but mine has a set of Grovers with pearloid buttons. The headplate is an overlay of Rosewood with the Lyre/Longhorn branded/carvei in. Bone nut, saddle and bridge pins. Very nicely built and finished little guitar and a cannon.

I bought this one ecause I wanted a fingerstyle guitar that would be easy to play and hold. I mostly play vintage folk/rock/pop styles from the 60's and 70's with some blues thrown in. I installed a set of K&K pure Western Mini's(really nice acoustic tones) and I use a Fender Acoustisonic SFX amp. I get a full sound with excellent bass and nice ballanced highs. It sings when finger picked and will take a medium strumming. It will compress when strummed hard, but with a little touch you can get Taylor, Young or Dylan tones without any feedback at very loud volumes. Love it for just good time playing and it excells when open tuned.

This is a 20+ year old guitar so its a moot question, but I set it up low. The woods are outstanding with no excess glue anywhere and the binding is beautiful. The finish is satin and it has held up beautifully. It has a few minor character makrs but overall a real steal.

I gig with it, play it at home and friends houses and it just does it's thing with the best of them. I get a lot of " What the Hell is a Daion and where can I get one". I always have a backup since I have several guitars and love them each all, but I could do a gig with it and never worry a bit. And it is already a vintage guitar so nuff said.

bought used and the company is long defunct, besides I fix it if I break it anyway.

Been playing off and on for 30+ years(yes Martha there is life after 50) and own way to much gear(Wife says so anyway)to list. This is one of the good ones and it stands up there with the 000's OM's and other small body beauties from most of the Manufacturers. There are Customs that I lust after but until I hit the lotto or inherit some big bucks this one will do nicely. It has everything I need, sounds great, and is purty too. If you can find one, and the person will part with it they are worth a look.