Mann AI-300

dave m. i own a mann guitar- an AJ-312. It was my fathers. I dont know what year it is. it has a 3-piece back which ive never seen before. it has excellent sound. ill never get rid of it. i play it all the time. any1 has info on it id love to know about it.

my aunty paid $74 canadian back in 1981.
this guitar is in mint condition still.
it looks to me like the back and sides are curly maple, with a sitka spruce top but i could be wrong. i believe this guitar was made in korea because their is a litle sticker on the back of the neck saying made in korea. the model of this guitar is AJ 311.

this guitar sounds excellent for the price paid.
it has a nice rich sound

the action is graet with the adjustable saddle and the finish is great does not look over a year old and the guitar was baught in 81.

i thik this guitar is overall great and i dont think theres is many cons about it except maybe the neck feels a litle big for me.

great guitar for age and price

Some confusion about the model as the sticker is faded a bit. It DEFINATELY SAYS "AJ" but I can't make out if it's a 3 or an 8 so it's a 300 or and 800 model. Nothing to check against cause there's no info anywhere on these things anymore.
Acoustic steel string guitar. Maple neck (painted black and I've worn most of the paint off in spots where I play alot) with dots.
Solid top, no electronics. Basic acoustic guitar overall.
I replaced the machine heads with some better ones years ago.
Purchased this guitar back in '82, or '83 (?).

Sounds better after all these years. Definately not a bad guitar considering it was a cheap knock off kind of guitar back when I bought it. Fingerpicking, blues, rock, whatever..it's a basic acoustic.

Sound could be better even though it has seasoned very nicely.

I don't like the painted fretboard but the adjustable bridge/saddle is nice (two screws to raise and/or lower the saddle). I also replaced the pick guard years ago with a "nicer" looking one.

It actually plays very nicely. Playability factor has always been there after the initial set up and lowering of the action.
The neck has hung in there over the years despite getting banged around. The neck has a few quirks but overall has held it's own for so many years.

I had a professional redress the frets on it recently and it plays almost like new again which was never anything to scream about sound wise. I've had comments about how it "feels good" to play and "not a bad little box" kind of thing but if it weren't for some deeply sentimental attachement I'd prefer a much higher end acoustic.

It has character and produces a decent enough sound for acoustic blues that works very well. Let's face it guys like Robert Johnson and such weren't exactly playing on Martins!

I've been able to play this guitar pretty hard over the years without too much trouble. Take it live??? God that would be embarrassing just cause it's such a "beater" but it could do it I suppose.

Parts were cheap on the guitar to begin with.

I replaced the strap buttons years ago with solid ones.

Never dealt with company. Company gone now. No trace.

Manns are kind of "ghost" guitars now I understand.

Playing for decades.
If it were stolen lost or destroyed it would break my heart because of A. who bought it for me B. who played it one time (you wouldn't believe me) C. Some other deep meanings that I won't share.

Mann guitars were apparently made in Japan in the 1970's by Ibanez, there are no stickers indicating place of manufacture but I'm guessing Japan. This is a jumbo body, sunburst dreadnaught acoustic. 20 frets, 40" long, body 19.75" long x 15" at widest x 4.5", approx 5 lbs. Excellent pickguard with bird, red roses and green leaves. Pearl inlay markers, pearl trim around both body edges, pearl trim on three neck sides, Mann name on headstock is varnished-over decal. Standard tuning pegs which keep tune. Strings are secured to bridge with classical guitar-type pegs. I'm not sure of body/neck wood types. This is your classic country-western styling acoustic guitar with a big body. Workmanship appears to be quite respectable and has a good solid feel.

This was bought with the intention of selling on Ebay auctions (Ethicomm). It came with four well-worn strings so I'm not sure of it's true sound. Potentially, it should sound good with good quality strings. No buzzing or odd sounds.

Action is is high so needs adjustment. Nut is chipped and broken in places so needs replacing.

Should withstand live playing and would make a great everyday acoustic guitar. Tuning pegs and bridge are in great shape, body is solid and undamaged. Whether it would be good for live performance is difficult to say, perhaps with a pickup or microphone. Strap buttons are solid.

No company to call. Ibanez would probably have little information on it. Very little on the internet concerning Mann guitars. Repairs were done on headstock. It appears guitar was laying on floor and someone stepped on headstock with full weight. The result was a 5" U-shaped crack which was repaired with good epoxy but finish is slightly rough.

I've been playing for 30 years and liked the guitar but not enough personally for fixing up. I wouldn't buy it again if it were stolen but to a collector this is worth having. Bought for $23.76 Canadian in Vancouver, Canada area.