Kasuga SG Copy

I bought this guitar 22 years ago from my English teacher for #70. This is the best guitar I have ever played. I own a Les Paul Custom Deluxe, that is not a patch on this guitar. The S.G. give the wildest sound I have ever heard. This was apparent when I played open air about 10 years ago. The p.a. rig was mammoth, the Guitar, Sound and Me were ONE. It was an out of body experience, I launched into Neil Youngs "Hurricane", together with my 50 watt Malboro transister amp, custom built with 2 times 100 watt McKenzie speakers.- ample scope to natural distort. I use a digimax 300, all the sounds I will ever need. I play regular around this world, I have several instruments, several of them guitars - when going for the keyboard, I go for the Hammond B3, acoustic, I will go for the Martin 18.... no awards for guessing which guitar I go for when I want to kick ass and rock and roll.

Fantastic.

I have fitted new pick ups, humbucker & dimarzio ( what ever they are called!) I fitted a locked neck, so I tine from the bridge. It has got the original varnished red wine finish, but has become quite worn on the back due to alot of playing. I keep it in a very tough flight case. I have fitted new see through volume and tone knobs.

I play this guitar with tender loving care , as it is very old. I date it to the late sixties. Because of it`s age , it`s like an old house, you have to keep maintaining it, but it is worth it.

NO, but I`m sure they were great.

Benn playing for nearly 30 yrs.
Get one.

My Kasuga SG was made somewhere from the late 60's. It was made in Japan. It has 22 frets. It had a laminated top but I have since added several (about 40) coats of lacquer. It came with 2 volume, 2 tone and a 3-way selector(I bought original Gibson Electronics an completely rewired it). The pickups were made by Kasuga I believe (I put dimarzios PAF Pro in it). SInce I sanded it down to the wood in order to paint it I know that this Kasuga has a solid body. I am not sure what kind of wood but it is heavy. The fretboard is rosewood. It came with a lacquered redish finish but I gave it 40 coats of white and clear lacquer about 20 years ago. Body style is SG. It came with a Kasuga bridge that I replaced with a Bad ass brass bridge years ago. I put in Shaler tuning pegs as the original made by Kasuga were slippng. The neck is the best neck I have ever played on ever. That is why I bought it. I would say it boarders more on the thin side.
I saw an ad for Kasuga guitars in Japan in 1982 while I was in the Marine corp. I believe they still sell in Japan but I thinks they no longer export them. Kasuga was involved in a law suit with Gibson years ago for copying their guitars to close to Gibsons designs. I met a guy who worked for Gibson at a music shop and brought it in for him to see and he could not believe it. He heard about the law suit but never saw one before.

It suits my music style when I get tired of my American made strat and I here those screaming Humbuckers. This thing has amazing tone and a fat sound when needed. I just use a Marshal practice amp. The sound is not noisey but it is fat. A rich full sound. Nice distortion or a clean humbucking sound. Dislikes is it was not shielded but that is happining within the week(12-04-2005). My effects are DOD petals. Flanger, Compressor, American metal, Classic tube.

The action is great on this guitar. I which I could find another guitar set up like this one. That is why I bought it originally was because of the set up. I have DImarzio's and adjust them as I please. Everything is routed properly as I believe they copied the SG design to closely. The tunning pegs originally were horrible so was the tail piece and both have been replaced.

Everytime I have showed it to other guitar players they love it until I tell them it is a copy. Hot roded as mine is it could withstand live playing. The new hardware will last a long time since I put it on. The finish was redone by me. the strap buttons are Gibson type. Yes I could depend on it. Yes I would use it on a gig with no backup.

The company is in Japan and does not export anymore.

I have been playing 37 years. I own a American made strat made in 1990. Yes, is this a copy. If it were stolen I would build my own guitar. I love the neck. I hate how the connect it to the body. My favorite feature is the pearl inlay. When I bought this guitar I was checking each guitar in my hand and how it felt and this Kasuga felt best to me (I did not know what a copy was at the time). Yes, I wish it had shielding. I took my SG copy and turned it into a guitar.

JUST AN ADDITION TO MY PREVIOUS REVIEW. DISREGARD THE CR*P ABOUT THE CHILDREN(ALTHOUGH I STILL BELIEVE IT, WHAT A DORKY THING TO SAY). I LIKE CHEAP INSTRUMENTS BECAUSE THEY TEND TO HAVE CHARACTER. THATS WHY I SHOP EBAY LOOKING FOR STUFF THAT LOOKS INTERESTING. THEN I HEAD TO HARMONY CENTRAL TO LOOK FOR REVIEWS. A GOOD REVIEW WILL INFLUENCE ME BUT NOT SET A DEAL IN STONE. I HAVE A YAMAHA PACIFICA, IBANEZ EX, DEARMOND JETSTAR, IBANEZ ROADSTAR. THE KASUGA HAS A PLACE IN THIS GROUP BECAUSE IT'S COMFORTABLE AND HAS SOUNDS THAT ARE USEFUL AND COLORFUL TO ME. A GUITAR THAT I PLAY AN HOUR A DAY IS MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL THAN A $600 AN UPWARDS SHOWPIECE THAT SITS IN THE CORNER AND REMINDS ME THAT IT'S NOT COMFORTABLE /OR SHOULD BE PLAYED BUT ISN'T.

ROSEWOOD FRETBOARD; SMALLISH FRETS (I LIKE IT DESPITE THIS - OR MAYBE BECAUSE OF THIS); BOLT NECK, STOP TAIL PIECE; TUNEMATIC SG STYLE BRIDGE; COVERED NECK PICKUP; UNCOVERED BRIDGE PICKUP; PLYWOOD BODY WITH BEAUTIFUL VENEER AND CHERRY FINISH WITH THE USUAL ROADRASH AND DINGS ASSOCIATED WITH A 25 YEAR OLD GUITAR; NON LOCKING CHEAP GOLDISH TUNERS WHICH ACTUALLY SEEM TO STAY IN TUNE; 24 1/2" SCALE. ITS A CHEAP GUITAR WITH LITTLE WEIGHT BUT THATS A PLUS OR MINUS DEPENDING ON YOUR PREFERENCE. THIS GUITAR SEEMS TO BE A SOLID FACSIMILE OF A REAL GUITAR BUT YOU WILL NEVER COMPARE IT SERIOUSLY TO THE REAL THING.

THE SURPRISING THING ABOUT THIS GUITAR IS THE FULL SOUND. IT IS A CHEAP GUITAR BUT THE BASS IS RICH AND DEEP, THE MIDS ARE GOOD, THE TREBLES ARE OK . IF ANYTHING IT COULD USE A LITTLE MORE TREBLE. I WAS SURPRISED AT HOW WELL BALANCED AND FULL THE OVERALL SOUND WAS. WITH DISTORTION "IRONMAN" SOUNDED RIGHT ON THE MONEY. WITHOUT DISTORTION YOU GET MOSTLY JAZZ TO BLUES TONES. THE BRIDGE PICKUP LACKS A LITTLE BITE BUT FOR WHAT I PAID FOR IT I AM NOT COMPLAINING.

IT'S FROM 1976 SO WHO CAN COMPLAIN? I BOUGHT IT OVER EBAY BECAUSE IT LOOKED NICE AND I HAD ONCE TRIED AN EPI G-400 IN A MUSIC AND LIKED THE NECK. THIS WAS A REAL SURPRISE. I REMEMBER THE G-400 AS HAVING A GOOD COMFORTABLE NECK BUT THIS KASUGA FELT LIKE IT HAD BEEN MADE FOR ME. VERY COMFORTABLE FROM THE START. WITHOUT ADJUSTING THE PICKUPS I WAS ABLE TO GET MELLOW, USEFUL TONES THAT WERE BEYOND MY EXPECTATIONS. THE GUITAR WAS IN PRETTY GOOD CONDITION FOR ITS AGE (MINUS SEVERAL DINGS -ONE DEEP ENOUGH TO EXPOSE THE PLYWOOD GRAIN UNDERNEATH THE BEAUTIFUL FINISH). THE FRETS HAVE LITTLE WEAR. ALL HARDWARE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. WITH A DOSE OF CLEANER THE POTS BECAME NOISE FREE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE RANGE OF THE DIALS. DITTO THE CHEAP PICKUP SELECTOR SWITCH. IT LOOKS LIKE THE GUITAR HAS BEEN UNDER SOMEONES BED FOR A GOOD NUMBER OF YEARS. LUCKY FOR ME. LASTLY THE ACTION WAS VERY EASY AND LOW USING LIGHT STRINGS. I'LL SWITCH TO NEW 10-46 GUAGE FOR A HEALTHIER, HEAVIER TONE. INTONATION WAS EXCELLENT.

I PROBABLY WOULDN'T USE THIS GUITAR LIVE IF ONLY BECAUSE ONCE PEOPLE FOUND OUT IT'S A 70'S IMITATION I WOULD BE LAUGHED OFF THE STAGE. IT SEEMS A BIT LIGHTLY CONSTRUCTED TO STAND BEING POUNDED ON STAGE HOUR AFTER HOUR ON STAGE. IT PROBABLY WILL BE USED AS AN EXCELLENT COLOR AND PRACTICE GUITAR.

KASUGA WHO? GESHUNTEIDT! I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE COMPANY UNTIL I SAW THE AD ON EBAY. I DON'T BELIEVE IT EXISTS ANYMORE.

OVERALL THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THATS ADDS UP TO MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS' PARTS BECAUSE OF THE INTANGIBLES. I WOULDN'T SAY IT IS FOR EVEYONE. FOR ME THE RICH TONE, VERY EASY ACTION, SMALL SCALE, AND VERY COMFORTABLE AND ACCESSIBLE NECK OVERCOME THE LACK OF A HARDWOOD BODY AND LIGHT WEIGHT. I PREFER A GUITAR THAT HAS SOME HEFT. I ALSO WOULD LIKE SOME MORE "TANG" OR BITE TO THE BRIDGE PICKUP BUT THATS EASY TO OVERCOME WITH REPLACEMENT PICKUPS. THERE IS NO USE COMPARING IT TO ANOTHER GUITAR. THEY ARE LIKE CHILDREN. ONCE YOU HAVE IT AND IT GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN YOU LOVE IT REGARDLESS OF IT'S FAULTS. I'LL PROBABLY LOOK FOR A "REAL" SG BUT THIS ONE WILL BE SPECIAL REGARDLESS.