Kasuga GU3614 12-String

It's a 12-String guitar... no pick-ups, nor would I desecrate it by putting them in... so as features go, it a lovely well made guitar. I bought it in 1975 for $99.95, brand new, in Adelaide. It has never had a case and is still in pristine condition. Thats 33 years!!

With 12 or 6 strings on it, the sound is full bodied and bright. Intonation is excellent, and I have to say it has been difficult to find another acoustic that compares without spending thousands of dollars. I Maton dull and lifeless by comparison...

I was a beginner on the guitar when I purchased this one, (15 yrs old), and the action was a bit high, but good for a learner. After about four years, I had the bridge removed, lowered, and replaced. For an acoustic the action is terrific, a little heavy, but it rarely goes out of tune, and is playable anywhere on the neck.

I wouldn't call the tuning pegs high quality, but they have done the job well for 33 years, and don't look like failing. As stated, it holds it's tune extremely well, and has never had the luxury and protection of a case. But I will treat it with more respect from here on in, and spend a few dollars on a good hard case. It's a solid well made guitar that is a credit to it's Japanese maker.

Never looked into it. Will never have to. I did buy a Kasuga Stratocaster in 1979, and that's a piece of fine craftsmanship as well. I guess they don't make guitars anymore...

This guiars has been played by the one owner for 33 years, the frets and fretboard are showing a little wear, but it has not effected the playability or sound of this great guitar. An investment of under a $100, and a lifetime of pleasure and enjoyment. I have bought other guitars since, namely, the Kasuga Strat, Yamaha SF1000 (rare and brillant guitar)(B52's Rock Lobster video has one), and Epiphone Les Paul, and Tokai Hummingbird acoustic... Still looking for a good semi-acoustic to complete the collection.

Bought it new in 1975. No case because I didn't have enough money at the time. Wish I had because it's taken me 30 years get a proper flight case.
No idea what it's made of but the finish has lasted.
20 frets, smooth finger board. Regular cleaning will give you a guitar to be proud of for years.
It's a huge jumbo body, very 70's, but it's light to wear. It came with Medium round wound but I use Ernie Ball Super Slinky now. It sounds so much better with light strings but only use them if you have well hardened fingers.

Depending how you play it will play rich tones or tinny 12 string tones. It produces a fair amount of sound without a pickup. Played into a Shure mic is best or that's what I've found.
Open tuning sounds best. A bit like Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell; that sort of sound.
As the finger board is quite wide it gets tiring playing bar chords. You get used to it though.
I play electronic music mainly but I also use it in recordings with my synths; you can't beat a real instrument for some sounds.

The action was a bit high but you can adjust the height of action head and foot so you can get it to what you want.
The tuning pegs are a bit stiff but they hold the note after careful tuning.

I've gigged with this guitar for almost 30 years and it's never let me down. Only damage was caused by a string snapping and hit the body. A slight dent. Grrrrr
I use a Shaftsbury Rawhide strap, also 30 yrs old that will never need replacing.

I didn't have a warranty

I've been playing guitar since 1969 and loved the sound of my brothers 12 string I saved for my own. His was a Gibson and was expensive. Mine was cheaper but it's lasted better. The neck hasn't warped and it plays as well today as it did when I bought it. I regret not buying a hard case for it but couldn't afford ??26 at the time.
It's irreplaceable in my opinion. I'd be lost without my friend if it was stolen.

i recently purchased a kasuga guitar and let me tell you, it is great. the thing literally plays itself. sometimes i'll be reading a book or washing some dishes and i'll hear the little sucker in the other room just playing away or sometimes even tuning itself. i bought it from a toothless beggar in nepal who told me that the guitar also came with a fantastic curse that would befall anyone who played it. i started strumming away right there in front of him and you should have seen his face. priceless. as far as features go i guess the tiny guitar that came glued to the back of my kasuga would be considered a feature. you know how sometimes your arm gets tired from sliding up and down a normal neck? well this tiny guitar is great. the whole thing fits in my breast pocket so you can imagine my arm never gets tired.

sound? well it sounds a lot like a guitar, with the strumming and the plinking and the plunking. most of the songs i play on it are songs that were written specifically for guitar and they come out sounding just as they should, so i guess i would say it sounds just like a guitar.

as far as the action goes my kasuga is second to none. only two days after buying it i was driving along a mountain road in my convertible with my kasuga on the passenger seat beside me when out of the sky comes this helicopter full of russians shooting at us. before i know it, there's my kasuga hanging over the back of his seat tossing grenades like an old pro (where he got the grenades i'll never know.) so the chopper goes down flaming and smoking and what not, when i look in front of me and there, no more than ten feet away is a huge ramp right in to the ocean. we go flying off the ramp and i'm praying away, when i feel a big warm guitar neck wrap around my waist. kasuga had deployed a parachute and we floated gently to the beach below where he proceeded to machine gun down the three surviving russians. so yeah. kasuga's action is amazing.

i can always count on my kasuga to do what he says he's gonna do. for example, the other day i says to him i says, "hey kasuga. where's the five dollars you owe me?" kasuga says to me he says, "i'll pay ya thoisday ya doity rat" and what does he do? he shows up at my house, thursday morning, real early with SIX dollars, insisting i keep the extra as interest. that kasuga. a real stand up guitar.

the company 'kasuga' is garbage. they used to beat my little kasuga, they used to make him eat dirt and one time when kasuga was young, he was making a speech to all the other guitars when butch the meanest kasuga of them all, ran by and pulled his pants right off. kasuga still cries some nights remembering that.

kasuga is not only a great guitar, but he's also a great friend. he's the kind of guitar that will never let you down and he'll never turn his back on you, no matter what the cost. i will never sell kasuga, ever, not even for a million dollars.....well obviously if someone offered me a million dollars cash and they had it with them and i saw that it was real then yeah. obviously i'd sell it. but short of that i will never sell my kasuga.

Made in Japan
20 frets
Could be a solid top, hard to tell even when close inspection of sound hole.
Gloss finish
Dreadnaught
Access to truss rod is at top (similar to a Gibson)

Sounds ok, particularly when I put new strings on it.

For a 12 string the action is good. It has the extra fret at the nut which I think is a good idea because it keeps the action low.

The finish is pretty rough. I would say it is probably over 20 years old that is why I woulg like some information about the guitar and about the company. eg. Do they still exist ? etc.

Played for 10 years. Played mainly 6 string steel guitars.I purchased this because I like guitars even though I carnt play all that well.
I am looking for information about this guitar. eg when built, how much it was when new etc.