Vantage VP-700

Made in Japan by Matsumoku in 1977. 22 frets. Body center is a 7(!)part maple/walnut laminate. No veneer, solid and all the way through the body. Body sides are made of solid ash. Fat square glued-in neck(long neck tenon!) made of 3 piece maple laminate with a 1 piece headstock (not glued on). Rosewood fingerboard. 0 degrees body/neck angle. 25 1/2 inch scale. String through body fixed bridge. 2 open coil passive humbuckers (MMK? Maxon?) with 2 volume, 2 tone, 3 way switch and coil tap switch. Thick and hard poly finish, a bit dull, scratched and dented. Gibson LP Junior DC sort of model, flat top. Grover tuners, not original but who cares.

This is a *****in' classic rock guitar with a fat sound and a long sustain. I use it at home mainly with a Roland Cube 60 amp. You can play jazz on it although the humbuckers are quite powerful. The coil tap switch adds a thinner sound which is usable for rhythm playing and clean stuff. It doesn't turn this Vantage into a Fender of course.

Remember THIS GUITAR IS OVER 30 YEARS OLD. The setup is a bit of a problem, i can't get rid of a rattle just behind the 12th fret. This is annoying since i use this part of the neck quite often in E minor pentatonic. I could dress the frets but below the 12th fret everything is OK. Adjusting the pickups is a bit of a problem since the pickup rings are angled and the top is flat. So i'll order new straight rings, problem solved. The bridge saddles were a bit rusty but i managed to adjust saddle height. The finish looked dull, i polished the body with car polish and the waxed it with Turtle wax. Getting better already but not perfect. The condition of the frets is pretty good considering the the guitar's age.

There's a dent in the side of the neck near the 3rd fret, the guitar must have fallen sideways or something like that. No cracks or splits that might give me problems though. This neck looks like it's indestructible. I'll have to replace 2 volume pots and the coil tap switch to make it reliable. Then i wouldn't hesitate to do a gig with it. It stays in tune perfectly with the Grover tuners.

Matsumoku was a Japanese guitar factory making guitars in the 1970's and 80's. So no support although there's lots of info online. Parts can be a problem, i looked high and low on the 'net for the exact right type of knobs, there was 1 non-original knob on it. Finally found a site in the USA who had them. The Japanese use the metric system like us Europeans, unlike the Americans with their inches, miles, gallons etc...

I'm an old dude who is still addicted to the guitar after 30 years. I have had, and still have, lots of guitars, maybe too many. This vintage Vantage was a used cheapie from the 'net so i wasn't too critical about the setup. That turned out to be the weak point. It's a big neck, long scale so the string tension is a little higher. And i can't set it up as low as i want because of a rattle above the 12th fret. It's top heavy with the big Grovers. And it has a 0 degrees neck angle so playing an F barre chord in the first position takes some stretching out. This is a guitar for real men :-)
OTOH the build quality is stunning, it looks indestructible, very nice woods, solid hardware. Humbuckers that look and sound like 70's DiMarzio's, they ROCK. Endless sustain, not across the entire neck but in many positions. It has it's own character but compare it to a Gibson LP Studio, easily 5 times more expensive on the used market. Then the Gibson plays easier, has a better balance strapped on and has a nice mellow sound. The Vantage easily gets you the same sustain and a more aggressive sound due to the maple used. Should the Gibson fall over backwards then it has a cracked headstock. The Vantage looks like you couldn't destroy it on purpose.

not sure when or where its made , if i had to guess i'd say early to mid 80's, 23 fret through body neck , wicked action, dual humbucker pickups, 3 position selector and a coil cut switch(octave switch), good finish ,,, it reminds me of an old long surf board pattern .

this is the most powerfull guitar iv ever owend ,, great sound for metal ,punk rock and even country ,, an amazing range of sound can be produced with this guitar , it can be tuned really low and still cary a graet deal of resenent sound, from a bright country sound to the darkest of metal powercords,, i didnt like the stock tuning keys (sliped alot)so i did some reserch and found ,, some made by PING, that where almost exatct, other than being a diferent color.

i did need to adjust the actio a bit but nothing serious,, i am looking into geting a replacment pickup selector switch, im not able to select the neck pickup, due to over use the copper switch pad has detiriorated to the point of being uselessother than that , its awsome very dependible

i have used it a few times live (party gigs)and never had an issue.with this guitar in your hands you dont need any other guitars,,i play it exclusivly,, dont get me wrong i like the classic fenders and washburns but this vantage is my guitar of choice,.

i dont think VANTAGE is around any more,, im not sure but i think Samick guitars has the rights to the brand name VANTAGE ,,so you might be able to get some info outa them ,,,

iv had this guitar for 6 years now,i would definitly replace it if it was stlone (if i could find it )i would say for sound it has most guitars beat , you just cant find this guitar in guitar shops ,, i traveled to nova scotia to buy this one from a friend of a friend .im from london ontario .

Made in Japan sometime in the mid-eighties. Very good looking guitar with a light brown wood finish and a lighter wood "racing stripe" down the middle. Two humbucker pickups (not original) which sound great. 22 frets. 3 different pickups with separate volume knobs. It also has what I think is a coil-cut switch, but it doesn't sound like it makes much of a difference while playing.

I play mostly 90's rock and some punk and it suits that style perfectly. I use a lot of distortion when I play and it sounds great with it. It buzzes sometimes when I'm not playing. It also sounds great for lead solos when you just shred through a riff. It can really scream.

This guitar has great action. The one thing I would have to say I love most about the guitar is the neck. It's amazing for ripping through solos or for power chords or for anything. There are a few scratches and nicks in the body but I did buy it used.

This is a very solid guitar. It looks and feels like you could drop it off a building with no trouble. I've had it about four months now and no problems yet. I'm sure it could be played live.

The Vantage company is long gone.

I've played Fenders and Gibsons and this guitar definitely holds it's own against the big names. If it was lost or stolen I would definitely buy it again, if I could find another one. Which brings me to another reason I love this guitar, you rarely see them around, which is cool. I compared the Vantage to a Mexican made Strat and it was no contest. Great guitar!

Walnut solid body with maple thru the center and a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. Beautiful hi-gloss finish. Not sure what year it was made but I bought it used in a music store in 1982.

I still have all of the original equipment on the guitar. I play 80"s heavy metal and I think it sounds great. I also use a Boss distortion pedal and have a 400w Sun Beta Lead dual channel amp. The only thing I wish it had was a tremolo bar.

Fit and finish are perfect. Did need adjustments to make the action better.

I've owned it 25 years and it looks like I bought it yesterday. The top strap button needs to be tightened each time I play, but other than that it's great. Very dependable.

Never had to do anything to it. Wouldn't know about warranty because it was used.

This was my first guitar and still is my primary. I liked it so much that I bought a Vantage Bass guitar identical to this one. It also has the same great quality, fit and finish.

22 frets

It kicks ass.

All of the Vantage guitars i've seen like mine have all been a dark brown almost red colour... mine's a really light yellowish brown.

i've had to replace the original switches, and machine heads, but i' also the second owner

I can't find any actual information on this guitar

I've had my Vantage for 10 years now, and I play it every day and I've never played anything that compares to it.

Beautiful 5-piece body, maple/walnut?? Nice-looking finish but not very durable. 3-way tone, humbucking pickups. Pretty solid little guitar.

Used for everything from punk rock to lounge jazz through a Marshall DFX250. Rich vibrant tone, but a bit buzzy without humbucking. Great range, I could play this as a bass and get away with it.

Action's a little heavy, and the bridge isn't great quality. Other then that, no problems.

This guitars seen a few decades, and other than the strings has all of the original hardware. Could use a new bridge by now. Very dependable guitar, though!

This was my first electric guitar, and I haven't seen many that compare over the years. I got my $350 worth a long time ago, and I still play it every day. This guitar likes Dean Markley Blue Steel strings alot.