Kasuga f-12 1990's ?

[frankenstein]

just wondering if anyone knows anything about kasuga f-12 mandolins from the '90's.. any info would be appreciated.. prices ??

[frankenstein]

back..

[MikeEdgerton]

A quick search turned up a few hits. They are here.

[frankenstein]

thanks Mike, a little info there but i'd like to know more on the construction , woods ( solid ) ? , and general quality and such.. thinkin' of grabbing one as a traveler..

[MikeEdgerton]

Well, if you get it let us know what it's like. There's very little information available and you could be the one that provides the cafe community with more.

[mandozilla]

The first F style I owned was a Kasuga...that was around 1979...played it for about 1 year then got frustrated with it...neck was like a baseball bat...so I did the "El Cabong" thing with it and busted it up pretty good...Then I went out and bought an awesome Kettler MF5...I sort of glued the Kasuga back together and it hangs on the wall in my den to this day.

[frankenstein]

"EL CABONG " i like it !! guess you've answered my question. thanks MUCHO.

[Desert Rose]

Remember Kasuga was the factory that made all the Non Maruko Kentuckys, Alvarez mandolins and almost all other oem mandolins comming out of Japan

They knew what they were doing and you got what you paid for, the more you paid the more you got
My first F was a Kasuga and it sounded great, replaced it when Sumi GAVE me Sumi S f 5 number three!

Scott

[mandozilla]

As I recall it cost around $300.00 in 1979...I wonder what that be in todays dollars?

[Bill Snyder]

As I recall it cost around $300.00 in 1979...I wonder what that be in todays dollars?

$943.77

[frankenstein]

As I recall it cost around $300.00 in 1979...I wonder what that be in todays dollars?

$943.77

cool, sell as a vintage wall hanging..

[BlueMountain]

Let's see, last fall I bought a very pretty A style called "The Kasuga." Very nice quality of work. After I reglued a loose tone bar and dressed the frets, it had great action and sounded nice. Not like a great mandolin, but like a nice PacRim mandolin that plays like butter. As I recall, I sold it for $300, which isn't bad at all, given that I put five or six hours of work into it. Sold it to someone on here, I think, who wanted it for a friend or a child. The one you are looking at looks nice, and probably $300 to $400 would be an okay price if it doesn't need any repairs.

[mandozilla]

The first F style I owned was a Kasuga...that was around 1979...played it for about 1 year then got frustrated with it...neck was like a baseball bat...so I did the "El Cabong" thing with it and busted it up pretty good...Then I went out and bought an awesome Kettler MF5...I sort of glued the Kasuga back together and it hangs on the wall in my den to this day.

Well I have to eat some crow with these comments I made about my Kasuga mandolin back in '08. When I made those comments, I hadn't touched the thing since 1982.

A few days ago I got curious. I put a new set of strings on it, made some bridge/truss rod adjustments for intonation and was quite surprised. It sounded pretty good but tight...or as tight as tight can be on a damaged mandolin.

Plays nice too.The neck is NOT like a baseball bat as I had remembered but rather like I like 'em, narrow with a shallow V profile...anyway, I've got her on the de-damper right now and we'll see if it wakes up (if a damaged mando can wake up) in a few days.

It is a Kasuga 'Custom Model M-120BS' Serial # 0164. Made in Nagoya Japan ca 1978. The label is a riot, it says; "KASUGA FLAT MANDOLINS are true to their pet each one crafted like a good guitar" Whatever the H**L that means?