Raven A-200

Help! This Raven A200 acoustic has the appearance of a classical guitar, but with a normal acoustic bridge. This guitar is quite old and heavy and does not say "Made in Japan" but only "Japan."

The full label says "Raven" and below it, "Great West Imports Ltd" and "Imports" is mispelled to only say "Mports." Apparently, Great West Mports was only marketing to Canada as it reads, "Vancouver-Edmonton-Winnipeg-Toronto-Montreal."

This guitar is an anomaly. The visual appearance and size is that of a classical guitar. But the bridge is acoustical and there is an original shoulder-strap peg at its base. My question: Is this one of the first guitars made by Raven, a Beta version, where the Japanese workers put acoustical parts on a classical guitar?

Because of the mispelled label, this is undoubtedly a collector's item and one of the very first Ravens. It is a heavy and well-made guitar with a steel-reinforced neck.

This Raven A200 has a very rich and full sound. Very resonant. I'm not sure I have found the right string combination, as I'm not sure what they had in mind, whether Raven marketed it with classical or acoustical guitar strings. The look is too classical to be an acoustic, but I don't know. It is truly a classical with a black pickguard.

Here's an even greater mystery: The tuners. On the reverse, the two identical classical-looking plates: each of the three tuner plates are identical, but different sizes! But close examination shows these both match and are original! One was not put on later as a replacement. This is all original. As the guitar faces you, the three tuners on the right are white, the three on the left (for the high strings) are deeply yellow. What is this about? All six are original and nothing has been replaced.

My thoughts: Raven in Japan, in its earliest days, may have had a "marketing strategy" for the West, attempting to win the classical and acoustic guitar market with this synthesis, while not fully understanding either. There are distinctive European elements, but with what would appear to be Japanese elements in its final composition...

The guitar is attractive, heavy, well made, laminated with a classical appearance. One note resonates over ten seconds.

This Raven A200 has a very rich and full sound. Very resonant. I'm not sure I have found the right string combination, as I'm not sure what they had in mind, whether Raven marketed it with classical or acoustical guitar strings. The look is too classical to be an acoustic, but I don't know.

As to be expected, while playing the lower chords fine, the intonation is slightly off, requiring an adjustment.

I have been playing classical over 30 years...