Mann Les Paul Copy

-Made in the mid 70's in Japan,gifted from my parents christmas 2008.
-TV Yellow Les Paul Jr. copy.
-Volume and tone control
-Decent tuning pegs.
-22 frets
-I don't know too much technical specs,I'm not that advanced.
-Pretty basic overall,but I'm basic too,so that doesn't really matter to me.

-Sounds great on pretty much any amp
-A little bit of buzz on a few frets,but they are cheap strings,and they are pretty low on the fretboard,so thats a variable.
-Great for alternative rock and blues(My 2 major styles)

-A few scratches and minor dents,but thats inevitable if its used live for over 30 years
-Tv yellow finish
-Placing and hardware looks ok to me,but take into consideration that I am a "n00b"

-Absolutley reliable hardware
-Has and will withstand live play
-Had it for nearly a year now and not one string has broke
-Solid straps
-Great finish,I could take a chisel to it and it wouldn't come off.

Never phoned in,no problems to phone about

1975 Japanese Mann Les Paul Jr. knock-off in TV yellow

Pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing save for the "Mann" pearloid inlay and the bolt-on neck

My father purchased the guitar for $100 in the early 90s with the original hardware. I inherited it in 2003 and found that it wouldn't keep it's tune and the soap-bar pickup buzzed and sounded horrible.

I promptly replaced the machine heads with Grovers and the pickup with a DiMarzio Tone Zone. The saddles were grooved, so I swapped out the bridge for a Tonepros AVT-II. I had the install done professionally and the whole upgrade came in around $400.

Now the guitar plays brilliantly and almost never requires tuning. It sounds great through virtually any amp. It compares with my $3000 guitars and I sometimes prefer it to them.

My rating applies to the original equipment.

the paint has a few belt scratches on the back but the finish is surprisingly clean for a cheap guitar over 30 years old.

The original electronics and hardware were rubbish but the neck/body are as solid as any I've seen. Clearly not expensive wood but I don't care.

apart from the aforementioned electronics/hardware, this guitar is totally reliable. I gig with it all the time and it has never failed me.

Totally great value if you can find one. New tuning pegs are an absolute must, though. The factory installed ones weren't worth the screws holding them on. Depending on your style and the condition of the pickup you may need to change that, too. Even with the upgrades I made, I'd be hard pressed to get a better guitar for the money. I would happily grab another if the opportunity arose.

Les Paul Custom copy. Finished in Black. Tuners were replaced when I bought it, 2nd hand are Grovers. Bolted on neck. Made in Japan. Rosewood neck. Nice Mother of Pearl inlay in head, and neck.
2 Humbuckers, Gold.

I purchased this used in 1973 or 1974, I can't remember which.
I'm now 47 and my kids (14 and 18) play. I have bought them their own guitars, but they like this one. I go to many music stores and without a doubt this blows all les paul copys away. Starting first with weight 8 3/4 pounds. This thing is solid. Has taken a lot of abuse over close to 35 years. Only missing the plastic head off the toggle switch.

I'm not a serious musician. I have many friends who are and they are suprised by the sound.

Action is excellent. I have not played a copy with better action anywhere. As for the setup. It's 35 years old. It still works perfect. What to look for on guitars nowadays compared to this is the detail work on the body. The Custom Trim on this guitar has a lovely thick white outline on the body, with 3 other interior thiner white lines. This is repeated on the back with just 2 interion white lines. It looks identical to a vintage Gibson Les Paul Custom, is the best way to put it.

Like I said, it's 35 years old and plays like it did 35 years ago.
My kids play it, I play it. It went to school in the 70's it goes to school and music camps now. This unit is rock solid. The finish looks nice and shiny still.

Never called.

I have been playing recreationally for say 35 to 40 years. We also have a Washburn Flying V copy for my one son, a Oscar Schmidt OE30-DL and an Epiphone acoustic, plus a set of Pearl Forum's for percussion and an old piano for backup.

I would definitely miss this if it was stolen, aside from the sentimental attachment.

Love the sound, the action and the fact it still is going strong.

Basic LP style Mann guitar. Made in Japan. I have several of these and they are considerably different for oneanother. These were made in Japan in the 70's and 80's. Labeled with Mann and Raven logo's for , and imported only by Great West Musical Imports of Vancouver BC. Made by Ibanez? Contracts were issied for production to the lowest bidder.
It is true that the early ones were very good and competitive with any manufacturer but later on in late 70's and in the 80's quailty suffered. The original ones in the early days sold for 48.00 in I believe it was National Dept stores on the lower mainland in BC.

7 out of 10. Early models were much heavier and much better sounding.

Not bad. In the early 70's if you took it home and a string broke in the first couple of weeks some shops just gave you a whole new guitar. Sounds far fetched but lots went for warranty and ended up in the dump.

The Raven/Mann product is durable. As far as I am concerned thay are a great guitar that you can rely on. Pick you favorite one or two and sell the rest, chances are you wont need anything else.

Warranty days are long gone. Parts are readily available in the aftermarket field.

Own lots of other gear and the Mann/Raven guits fill the nostalga routine for looks and good sound. If you buy one watch out for a straight neck,working switches and solid jack mounting. Tuners usually leave a lot to be desired but remember , they can be upgraded!

I'm not certain, but I have heard that Mann was an offshoot of Ibanez, back in the 70's. If so, it would explain the quality of this guitar.

Even though it is a bolt on neck etc, it plays so much better than
my gibson epiphone les paul by far. The large rectangular inlays
really make you think you are playing the real deal.

I own 3 Les Pauls, 2 of them real, 1 of them a Mann and I gotta say that
this guitar at least holds up to the others just fine!!!

Features:

22 Frets
2 tone
2 Volume
2 Humbuckers(Chrome)
Rectangular m-o-p inlays
Sunburst Finish
Fixed Bridge
The tuners aren't original, so I don't know what type comes stock.

This machine sounds excellent.
It suits my needs in the chunky hard rock rhythm dept.

The bridge pickup is fine but really hot/sizzley like typical gibson
pickups are, must be the alnico magnets. I'm going to diffuse this
bomb with a seymour Duncan screamin demon like all my other guitars.

The neck pickup, while rather weak, sounds like a hybrid hollow body
and Les Paul mix... Interesting combo really. Deep bass, but lacking
sustain on the higher notes / strings. Though that might be because of the age of this thing, who knows. It, too is getting replaced.

This guitar could easily take a 100,000 mile tour with maybe one
string change. The output jack needs to be replaced for sure due
to its age etc, before depending on it live.

I would never gig without a back up, but if I had to, I would
feel confident that this would hold up.

I've been playing 19 years, sometimes full time.
If it were stolen, I would maybe kill the thief but first congradulate
him / her on having such an ecclectic taste for guitars.