Vantage Ghost

Nothing special. Early '80s. Solid body, thin, Les Paul shape. Brown furniture polish with soft gloss finish. Dual pickups with a base-both-treble switch. Plus an internal in-phase/out-of-phase switch for the middle position, you have to unscrew the plate on the back to change that switch position. I don't remember what pickups it had in it, my guitar guy replaced them with some kind of Schallers. I kind of regret that, the Schallers rock but are a little harsh for the guitar. The stock pickups were clean and warm, nondescript sound; after I'd played the Schallers for a bit I wished I had the stocks back. Best thing about this guitar, I see other reviewers agree, is the NECK! This thing is nothing special to hear or look at, but what a DREAM it is to play!

I play two-guitar rock, blues, clean and dirty. I'm too cheap to buy a "real" guitar, but I've played this one for decades in front of all kinds of audiences (bars, private dances), and this one combined with a decent amp and a small handful of toys has the versatility to get the job done.
But there aren't many other guitars I've picked up that DIDN'T sound as good or better. Put in some generic-sounding pickups and run it through some expensive electronics, it will sound fine, but nobody will ever hear one on the radio and say, "Hey, that sounds like a Vantage..."
Given the thin body and overall lack of heft, sustain is really pretty good. With a moderate amount of dirt it will keep singing as long as you keep your fingers on the strings.

I rate this a 10 just for the action. I've played with other guitarists playing everything ever made, and their universal reaction when they first try out my Ghost is, "Man, that is a nice fretboard! I can't believe how low the action is!" The thing about the low action is, I used to like to play medium/heavy strings (.013 to .056 typically) and I could hammer and bend them like they were .010's on that neck, for a nice beefy yet fluid tone.

I've had strings catch on the nut and the bridge

Can't speak to factory config. I was a hungry 20-year-old in 1981, in the guitar shop one day, when a guy carried in this Vantage Ghost in a hard case and said he'd never played it, got it as a gift a few months earlier, his wife was making him get rid of it. Asking $200 (1981 dollars). My guitar guy Chris checked it out and said he likes it but the shop had too many used guitars already. Then he turned to me and said, "For two bills I'd jump on this if I were you!" I took his advice.

Original electronics were junk. I had it re-wired, new knobs and switches, late 80's and it's been good since. Tuning hardware is average, easy enough to tune and it will stay. Bridge is kind of cheap, if were a pro today I'd replace it. Soft finish but has held up well, doesn't have the belt buckle wear you see on the back of Gibsons. Strap buttons sucked, I had to drill out and replace them after one pulled out during a gig. Fortunately it's small and light enough that with a little forearm strength and some creative posturing you can play without the strap.

Depend on it? I don't know how many gigs I've played since 1981, but I've never used a backup. Guess it depends on how girley you are about your music.

Not Applicable.

Plus: The fret board and action, see above. Quality vs. Price (the reason I give it a 10 in this category).
Minus: Everything else. Get it worked over by a competent tech and it will be fine.

I've cycled through a lot of gear over the years but I would never let this guitar go. Relatively small form factor and light, a dream to play, really versatile.

I would pay three for four hundred for one of these today without hesitation; would be hard to justify, unless money were no object, then I'd pay twice that just for the pleasure of playing.

Mine is a Matsumoku factory, probably early 80's, maybe '79. The serial sticker on the back of the headstock was gone when I bought it on eBay a year & a half ago.
Walnut body & set neck w/ rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, "The Paul" config w/ 2V, 2T 3-way selector by the stopbar. Two open black humbuckers.
Everything original except the strings, truss rod cover & two knobs. Walnut finish. Very few minor dings for a played guitar. I've probably added half of them.
Came w/ original hard shell case in excellent condition.
I also have an '84 Gibson Invader, black mahogany w/ ebony fretboard. They look very similar side by side, the differences are: the Invader has Zebras, the headstocks & the Gibson is heavier.

I originaly was looking for something else, but it looked good & I gave it a shot. It was supposed to be a backup for the stage, but I used it almost exclusively for almost a year. I play some blues ala Johnny Winter, Clapton, Cactus & Procol Harum, Prog & some newer rock.
This is a very solid guitar, plays like a dream, almost the sustain I have w/ my Gibsons. I've thought about swapping the pickups for zebras, but I like the fact that it's a little brighter than my Gibsons.
I've been using a Blues Junior that I got as a gift for a practice amp & a full pedal board. It works great for smaller venues & the bigger ones I mike. Also have a Peavey Blues Classic, & I've played it through a Marshall.
This guitar works for everything I've played, although I still use a Gibson for some of the heavier rock stuff.

I have no idea how it ws setup @ the factory. I made some minor changes when I got it. Adjusted the pickups up slightly, some minor fret polishing. Stays in tune, so no reason to change tuners. Unlike some of the other reviews I've seen, the wiring on this one is top notch & better than many of my American made axes.

Everything is in great shape, including the pickup bezels. Tuners & pegs are tight, no defects or flaking of the chrome on the bridge or stop bar.
I've used this for a couple of gigs w/out a backup, although I usually bring @ least two guitars.

DNA

I've been playing off & on for almost forty years & I'm gigging regularly again. If this guitar were stolen, I would hunt the bastard down & mangle him (or her) severely. One of my all time favorite stage axes, plays beautifully, great sustain & one of the lighter solid bodies.

Supposedly made in the early 80's.

Features: Basic Les-Paul style features. 2 humbuckers, mahogany body, set mahogany neck, etc...

High quality wood, and solid construction. It's not pretty...but...

Stock tuners, pickups, nut, and electronics were lousy.

Sound...divine. I just put a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge position of this guitar. It sounded good before, but now it's to die for. It REALLY does sound like a Les-Paul. You can get anything from this baby, warm, thick blues; wailing (and I mean WAILING) leads; I can even do that Satriani nasal thing now. I use this guitar mainly through a Boss Metal Zone modded by Analog Man, into a Digitech RP-150 for amp modeling and reverb, into my Ibanez TB100 half stack. Sounds just as good as the $3000 Custom shop Les Paul my brother used to have. The sustain on this thing is ridiculous...it just goes and goes and goes.

The stock pickups are bad enough to warrant replacement, but it still doesn't sound too bad because the guitar's natural tone is so good.

Finish is plain and kinda soft, not a major problem. All hardware placements are fine.

The one really big problem with this guitar was the nut. It tended to catch the strings and was poorly cut. I replaced it with a Gibson nut. The end result was MUCH better action and no more hitching. The action (in my opinion) is BETTER than the action of my bro's Custom Shop Goldtop.

I also replaced the tuners with Grover Locking Rotomatics. A very good investment, this thing is stable as a rock. I probably could've gotten cheaper tuners but I love Grovers.

I love the neck, it's perfectly sized. Plays well and smooth. It feels very solid (doesn't bend while you're tuning), and I've never needed to adjust the truss rod.

I replaced the electronics with a Les-Paul wiring kit from Stewart Macdonald. I'm not sure that was necessary, but it's a lot nicer inside now.

This guitar is a beast. It's cosmetically weak, but not structurally. The strap buttons are tight, and the hardware is solid. It's a very well made guitar. I'd take one of these over ANY Epiphone Les-Paul.

I don't even think Vantage still exists...

I've been playing for almost 6 years. This was the first electric guitar I bought, and probably the best. If you know what you're doing, this guitar can be as good as any Les Paul. If somebody stole this guitar I would hunt them down, kill their children, then cut their throats and watch them bleed to death. This is the one guitar I will NEVER sell. It sounds and plays better than any other guitar I've played. If you have the chance to get one of these, BUY IT!!! Chances are that you'll die before it does. If you come across one, or have one you wanna sell...feel free to contact me at: singlecoillover-at-yahoo-dot-com (replace the "-at-" with @, and the "-dot-" with a .)

Price paid: $150

Price after modifications: $295

Les Paul shape with rounded edges. Finish is natural mahogany with rosewood neck and no pick plate. It has the black dual open humbucker style pickups, the coolest part of the guitar and probably what sold me on it as a 15 year old wannabe. It has the standard tone and volume knobs(x2) and pickup selector switch.

Sound is decent although the neck buzzes a bit. I think it needs set up. I will probably get off my butt and take it in to have it set up properly now that I don't have to rely on a paper route to.

I must confess I'm only moderately pleased with the action. When I compared this to my friends Gold Top Les Paul back when we were kids it seemed a bit crude. The frets just don't have the precision. I wish I would have stretched for a Fender or Les Paul, or maybe an Ibanez. As it was I think I bought it on credit, paying for it with my $15 a week paper route. The finish is not bad but I wish it was a bit deeper.

I've used this guitar so little I can't really comment. It is actually like new so it's never had an issue. The last time I had it out I think I spent more time polishing it than I did playing it. I'm not sure if these things are really that collectable but if they were this would be a pristine example, if only for my lousy practice regime when I was trying to learn how to play it.

No comment.

I am a lousy guitar player and was banging on this guitar about 25 years ago. I'm now middle aged and really want a Strat. I'm not sure I agree with all of the high praise here, I always thought it was just a so so knock off that looked good but lacked the expensive feel of the real thing.

made in late 70s. bought new 1980. $225. us. 22 frets. 2 volume, 2 tone, 3 way pickup switch. double humbucker, 2. all maple body & neck, rosewood fret board.

lots of rock, some jazz. still plays great. neck still holds good form, great sustain. amp is peavey back stage plus. many effects, my fave, rockman acoustic pedal. guitar & that padal have great tone.

contours on front & back of body are nice.

playing this guitar for 26 yrs. this may. still going strong.

Made in late '70's or early 80's, at the Matsumoku factory in Japan;
with a solid mahogony body, set neck, rosewood fingerboard, it's a
faithful copy of Gibson 'The Paul',
The original pickups are long gone--it had mighty mite humbuckers when I got it in 1984, since replaced with a SD Custom Custom and a '59, which are absolutely perfect for this already very warm sounding guitar.
The neck on this guitar is as close to perfection as you're going to get on this planet, in my opinion.

I loved this guitar from the beginning, solid as a rock, obviously well made, and with this amazing neck, but it never sounded right with the mighty mites...the Duncans changed everything. This guitar is exactly right now--It's got it all, from crisp, clear, bell-like clean tones, to thick, warm, hot and juicy, dripping even, mid range tones, and yes, snarling and growling gutsy, lusty and crunchy lows...very warm, sensuous tones coming out of this little-known sleeper of a guitar, trust me. I'm basically a bluesy kind of rocker, playing and recording not so quietly at home through a Behringer Blue Devil.

Again, this fine guitar came with a perfect neck, and now it's got perfect pickups...all it really needs are some perfect tuners and I'll marry her...I mean, it. Actually, the finish is probably not quite as nice as you'd find on a Gibson, but it's more than adequate, and hasn't aged much in 25 years.

Will it withstand live playing?? This guitar will still be playing when I'm long gone. It's a solid axe..it's a shame they don't make 'em like this anymore. And to think I paid $125. for it, with a gibson case included.

None

I've been playing for 40 years now; early influences include Mike Bloomfield, Mick Taylor, Clapton, etc.. Along with this 'ghost', I've got a real '59 Les Paul Special, TV yellow and all original execpt for a Fralin rewind on the neck p90, a mexican strat with a duncan hotrails in the bridge, and an Epi LP junior w/p90 for slide...I mostly jam at home, and record w/cakewalk software, and haven't been in a band since 1972, but when the call comes, I'm ready.

Les Paul style. Year made unkown, bought used in 1990. 21 or 22 frets. Solid body. Dark wood stain finish. Attached neck, not screwed on. Two humbuckers. Two volume, two tone,one three-way switch. Rosewood fingerboard. I saw a picture of another Ghost on a vintage guitar website and the pickups looked different than I remembered, so the pickups on mine might not have been origonal.

The sound was about average, but see my comment about pickups above. It had good natual sustain.

Beutiful guitar. Felt and played great. Might have been adjusted at music shop (bought used), but I never needed to. This guitar was very well made. The neck was sooo smooth. Alway held tune

Everything about the construction was solid and dependable, lots of live use.

Don't know the company, never contacted them. Bought Used.

Only owned it for a few years. Poverty forced sale. Wish I still had it. Before I sold it several people borrowed it while I was traveling - everbody loved it.

I don't think Vantage still exists, but if you see an old one of any model hanging in a shop, give it a try - if you pay as much (or even a bit more) than I did in 1990, it's worth it.

I bought this guitar new in 1983,The guitar has two humbuckers which although not named are good quality and have a lot of weight to them. The electrics/switching are standard les paul type.The body is solid mahogany and is not particularly dense judging by the guitars overall lightness(weighs less than a strat). The ghost's crowning glory is the through neck, this was the only guitar available then, with a through neck, that came in at less than #500. the fingerboard is light rosewood.

I learnt to play on this guitar and so rather cornily consider it a bit of a soul mate . The front pickup gives a warm 'women' tone and was perfect for my hobby of ripping off santana. The bridge pick up gives a very sharp attacking tone ( think brian robertson of lizzy or slash). The through neck and light construction give the guitar a real living feel, the guitar sustains to in perpetuity. The warm, woody tone reflects the natural wood appearance and the ghost's overall back to nature vibe.

From day 1 I found this a very easy guitar to play. The frets are medium size and finished to a well tapered profile.Lightning fast action.The production standards at vantage where incredible,as one would expect of a japanese guitarshop they where, after all, competing with Yamaha and Ibanez.

I've owned this guitar for 21 years .The guitar has certainly aged better than I have .It remains pristine and has never required any attention beyond the occasional clean. Thoroughly durable.

I don't know ( see above)

like many people I have acquired more guitars than I sensibly should have (14 at last count) This is the one I would grab if there was a household conflagration.I sincerely intend to be playing this guitar when I'm 99 years old.

mine came with the original finish, and looks exactly like this: http://www.therathole.org/guitars/models/vantage/ghost/ghost.html (with all-black humbuckers)

no idea what brand the pickups are... the guy in the store thought they were gibson pickups, but i'm leaning towards the 'inexpensive no name brand, clever visual imitation' side of the story

see the guy below me or that url for features.

nice range of tones, from dark and thick (neck pickup) to bright and twangy (bridge pickup)... and anywhere in between using the blended mode and tone knobs. benefits from distortion, naturally. no complaints.

don't know how it came out of the factory, but as it is now it plays very well. i set the action fairly low... there is some fret buzz but it doesn't come through the amp so it's all good.

sometimes during playing there's a slight rattle. i haven't been able to pinpoint it, but i think it's either the springs in the tuneomatic bridge, or the springs inside the guitar near the pickups (don't know what their function is). it's annoying, but fairly subtle and not always present. 1 point off for that.

also 1 point off for the finish... with even slightly sweaty hands the finish on the neck feels sticky and difficult to slide on. good thing i'm not a sweaty hands kind of guy.

it's 20 years old and it looks like it could live another 20 more. solid mahogany!

don't try to pull the old 'smash the guitar at the end of the show' stunt because it probably wouldn't break and then you'd look real dumb :O

company no longer exists

when i went into the store i was looking to buy my first electric. i tried out some crappy hamer first, liked it, took it home, decided i hated it, and brought it back. the next one i tried was this one. i immediately felt that i had found the right guitar and bought it. in retrospect it was a bit of a blind purchase, but i'm very glad i have it instead of one of those shoddy "beginner guitars" other people i know have.

the one thing that bugs me: i wish i had tried to negotiate a lower price when buying this guitar. i have no major complaints about the instrument and enjoy playing it very much -- as the dude below me says, this is an exceptional copy -- but what i paid is just too high for a used 20 year old no-name guitar. that said, given the shoddiness of most of the other low priced guitars i checked out, i'd probably buy this one again for the same price if faced with the same decision.

convince someone to sell one of these to you cheap, and you'll be getting a real steal.

btw, if anyone else has one of these, email me about it... i'd be interested to hear how yours has held up over time etc.

Made in Japan in the late seventies/early eighties by the Matsumoku company (not the more recently revived Samick-owned brand).
It's a copy of the Gibson 'The Paul' so has the Les Paul style twin humbuckers with four controls (two volume, two tone) and three way switch (located down by the pots as with 'The Paul'), tunomatic bridge and stop tailpiece.
The body is solid mahogany with a set neck (Gibson scale) and is painted (not original finish). Standard pickups are only two-wire.

Sounds pretty good - especially through my Laney LC30 on both clean and gain channels. Sound is versatile in that Les Paul way - i.e. goes from warm and mellow to bright and clear (although obviously not Strat-like). The bridge pickup can sound a bit thin and trebly when used clean but excels for crunchy to downright dirty gain settings.

Don't know how it left the factory - it would have been a while ago - but it's very easy to play with a nice light action and a thin but rounded neck. The guitar is generally finished pretty well - although now shows some fret wear under the treble strings.

Jack socket occasionally needs tightening. Strap button eventually stripped thread and pulled out of body but I plugged it and re-screwed and never had another problem.

It's obviously done quite well to get to this age without major issues, but one area of vulnerability is worth mentioning. The neck is one piece, quite thin behind the nut and has the Gibson tilted-back angle so it is prone to peg-head breakage (which is exactly what happened recently in a not-very well fitting case). Must have been at least 25 years of abuse before that so all things considered I guess it stood up quite well.

Long gone - the brand is now owned by Samick and I don't think they'd have very much to offer in the way of help if required.

Although not a Gibson, it's a nice guitar and a much loved axe. Sentimental reasons as much as anything but two things make it shine above many more expensive guitars:
1. It has one of the most comfortable and playable necks I've ever come across.
2. It's solid mahogany with a set neck and has the accompanying tone. How many copy guitars can you say that about?