The listing includes brands from 1950 – 1980

Headstock Badge => Manufacturer

Apollo => Kawai/Teisco, Matsumoku
Aquarius => Kawai/Teisco
Ampeg => Magnavox/Ampeg
Angelica => Tombo
Antoria => Fujigen
Aria Pro II => Matsumoku
Arita => Matsumoku
Asama => Tombo
Astrotone => Kawai/Teisco?
Atlansia => Atlansia
Atlas => Kawai/Teisco
Audition => Kawai/Teisco
Avar or Ayar => Kawai/Teisco
Aztec => Chushin?
Bacchus => Asuka (Aska) for Deviser
Bambu => Chushin
Barclay => Guyatone, Matsumoku
Barth => Kawai/Teisco
Beltone => Kawai/Teisco, Zen-On
Black Jack => Kawai/Teisco
Bradford => Guyatone?
Broadway => Guyatone
Bruno => Matsumoku?
Burny => Chushin, Dyna, Fujigen, Kasuga, Matsumoku, Terada, Tokai, Yako(Taiwan)
Camel => Fujigen? (Hoshino)
Canora => Suzuki, Guyatone?
Caparison => Fujigen? Lida, (Hoshino)
Capri => Matsumoku
Cat’s Eyes => Tokai
Charvel => Chushin
Cimar => Hoshino
Cipher => Kawai/Teisco
Cobran => Chushin
Columbus => Matsumoku, Tombo
Combat => Combat guitars Tokyo
Condor => Tombo
Concert => Kawai/Teisco
Conqueror => Matsumoku?
Conrad => Kasuga, Matsumoku, Tokai
Continental => Tama (Hoshino)
Coronado => Guyatone
Cortez acoustic => Hayashi/Zenon
Cortez electric => Matsumoku
Cougar => Kawai/Teisco
Country => Matsumoku
Crest => Tama (Hoshino)
Crestwood => Guyatone, Matsumoku?
Crews => Cruise Co. Ltd, Tokyo
Crown => Kawai/Teisco
Custom acoustic => Hayashi/Zenon
Cutler => Matsumoku
Daimaru => Daimaru, Teisco (70’s)
Daion => Yamaki
Decca => Kawai/Teisco
Del Rey => Kawai/Teisco
Demian => Kawai/Teisco?
Dia => Matsumoku
Diasonic => Kawai/Teisco
Daion => Yamaki
Domino => Kawai/Teisco, Matsumoku
Drifter => Tokai
Duke => Kawai/Teisco, Tombo
Edwards => ESP (China/Japan)
El Maya => Chushin, Tahara (70’s)
Electra => Matsumoku
Elk acrylics => Elk
Emperador electric=> Kasuga, Kawai/Teisco
Emperador acoustic => Hayashi/Zenon
Epiphone Japan => Fujigen, Matsumoku (mid 80’s), Terada
Epiphone Korea => Choice, Korea Ins, Peerless, Saein, Samil, Unsung
Eros => Matsumoku?
ESP => ESP Electric Sound Products (Japan)
ES-S => Kasuga
Fender Japan => Fujigen, Terada
Fernandes => Chushin, Dyna, Kasuga, Terada,
F. Hashimoto => Maruha
FgN => Fujigen
Founder => Dyna , Yamaki
Fresher => Chushin(~78-80), Kyowa Shokai
Futurama => Guyatone
Gaban => Fukuhara =>
Gallan => Kyowa Shokai
Ganson => Kasuga
Gession => Tokai ?
G-Holiday => Kawai/Teisco?
Goldentone => Tama (Hoshino)
Granada => Matsumoku
Grande => Yamaki
Grandy => Tokai
Grapham => Terada
Grassroots => ESP (Indonesia)
Greco Japan => Fujigen, Matsumoku, Tokai,
Greco Korea => Cor-Tek (~1989)
Gretsch => Terada, FujiGen
Guyatone => Guyatone
Heerby => Kasuga
Heit Deluxe => Kawai/Teisco
Hisonus => Chushin
Hi-Lo, Hy-Lo => Guyatone, Kawai/Teisco, Matsumoku
History => Fujigen
Hohner => Moridaira (Morris) + Hohner Germany
Holiday => Kawai/Teisco
Holly => Suzuki?
Hondo => Kasuga, Tokai, Samick (Korea)
Horugel => Tombo
Howard => Guyatone , Hoshino, Matsumoku
H.S. Anderson => Moridaira (Morris Guitars)
Humming Bird => Humming Bird 1961-1968
Hummingbird => Suzuki
Ibanez => Dyna (1980s), Fujigen(1970s), Guyatone, Hoshino, Matsumoku, Tama
Ibanez acoustic => Lida
Ideal => Guyatone
Imperial => Guyatone, Kawai/Teisco
Inter-Mark => Kawai/Teisco
Jackson => Chushin
Jamboree => Tama (Hoshino)
Jason => Fujigen
Jedson => Kawai/Teisco, Yamaki
JooDee => Dyna
John Bennet => Nakai
Johnny Guitar => Guyatone
Kawai => Kawai/Teisco
Kay => Kawai/Teisco
Keefy => Kawai/Teisco
Kent => Guyatone, Kawai/Teisco
Kimberly => Kawai/Teisco
Kingsley => Kawai/Teisco
Kingston => Guyatone, Kawai/Teisco, Tama, Terada (70-75)
Kinor => Tombo
Lafayette => Guyatone, Kawai/Teisco?
LTD 401* series => ESP (Indonesia) *and lower models
LTD 1000 series => ESP (Korea)
Lindell => Kawai/Teisco
Lindberg => Matsumoku
Lyle => Matsumoku
Luxor => Matsumoku
Mako => Matsumoku?
Mann => Fujigen
Marco Polo electrics => Guyatone
Marco Polo acoustics => Suzuki
Marlin => Fujigen?
Marquis => Kawai/Teisco
Maruha acoustic=> Maruha
Master => Kawai/Teisco?
Maxitone* => Matsumoku *differs from Tama brand below
Maxitone => Tama (Hoshino)
May Queen => Kawai/Teisco
Maya => Maya/Tahara, Chushin?
Mayfair => Matsumoku
Mei Mei => Kasuga
Memphis => Matsumoku?
Minister => Kawai/Teisco
Momose => Deviser
Montaya => Tombo
Montclair => Guyatone, Matsumoku
Moon => PGM (Prof Guitar Mfgr) Guitars
Morales => Zen-On
Morris electric => Moridara
Morris acoustic => Moridara, Lida
Mosrite => Tokai
Nady => Fernandes maker?
Navigator => ESP (Japan)1979+, Kasuga(70’s)
Noble => Kawai/Teisco
Norma => Tombo (60’s)
Omega => Guyatone
Opus => Magnavox/Ampeg
Orange => Terada, Kawai/Teisco?
Orlando => Matsumoku?
Ornetts => Fujigen (Kanda Shokai)
Orpheus => Guyatone
Orville + OBG Japan => Fujigen, Terada,
Orville Korea => ?
Pan => Matsumoku
Pearl electric => Matsumoku
Pearl acoustic => Hayashi/Zenon
Penco => Hoshino
Pleasant => Shinko (60’s)
Prestige => Guyatone, Kawai/Teisco
Queen => Tombo
Randall => Kawai/Teisco
Raven => Matsumoku
Recco => Kawai/Teisco
Regent => Guyatone?
Regina => Kawai/Teisco , Tombo
Rexina => Kawai/Teisco
Robin => Tokai, Chushin?,ESP
Roland => Kasuga
Royalist => Guyatone
Sakai => Kawai/Teisco
Satellite => Kawai/Teisco
Saturn => Guyatone
St. George => Shiro Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co
St. Moritz => Fujigen?
Schaffer => Kawai/Teisco , Tombo
Sekova => Kawai/Teisco
Selmer acoustic =>Magnavox/Ampeg?
Seventy Seven => ?
Sigma => Tokai
Silhouette => Guyatone
Silvertone => Guyatone, Kawai/Teisco
Sonix => Deviser
Sorrento => Kawai/Teisco
Star => Tama (Hoshino), Star
Starfield => Tama (Hoshino)
Sterling => Kawai/Teisco
Stewart => Matsumoku
Stud => Magnavox/Ampeg
Suzuki => Guyatone, Suzuki
Swinger => Kawai/Teisco
Takamine => Takamine
Takeharu => Suzuki
Tama => Tama (Hoshino)
Tamaki => Kawai/Teisco?
Teisco => Kawai/Teisco
Tele Star => Kawai/Teisco
Tempo => Matsumoku
Thumb => Terada
Tokai Japan => Tokai
Tokai Korea => ?
Tokai China => ?
Toledo. => Matsumoku?
Top Twenty => Kawai/Teisco
Toyota => Toyota (70’s)
Trump => Kawai/Teisco?
Tulio => Tama (Hoshino)
Univox => Matsumoku
Van Zandt => PGM (Prof Guitar Mfgr) Guitars
Vantage => Matsumoku
Ventura => Matsumoku
Vernon => Guyatone
Victoria => Kawai/Teisco
Vision => Matsumoku
Vesta => Terada
Volhox => Matsumoku
Vox => Matsumoku , Korg
Washburn(79-80) => Matsumoku
Westbury => Matsumoku
Westminster => Matsumoku
Westone => Matsumoku
Wing => ESP
Winston => Guyatone, Kawai/Teisco
Yamaha electric=> Fujigen, Yamaha/Nippon
Yamaha acoustic=> Lida, Kasuga
Yamaki => Dyna, Yamaki
Yamato => Tombo
Zenta => Guyatone
ZenOn => Zen-On
Zim-Gar => Star *see Tama (Hoshino)

Japan manufacturer’s directory:

Atlansia (N. Hayashi) => late 70’s – date => Nagano
Chushin Gakki => 1960 – 1980 => Nagano
Cruise Co. Ltd, Tokyo => past 10 years => Tokyo
Daimaru => 1960’s – 1970 (later outsource to Teisco) Matsumoto Nagano ,
Deviser => 1994 – date =>
Dyna Gakki => 1970 – => Nagano
Elk Gakki (Miyuki) => mid 1960’s to 1975 =>
ESP => 1975 – date =>
Fujigen => 1969 to date => 3 plants in Matsumoto Nagano ,
Fukuhara => 1970’s
Guyatone => 1933 to 2013* now Tokyo Sound Co => Maebashi
Hayashi/Zenon => 1960’s – 1970’s =>
Hoshino Gakki / Tama => 1962 to 1967 / 1975-1979 =>
Humming Bird => 1961-1968 =>
Kasuga => ~1970* – 1996 => *1935 Nagoya
Kawai/Teisco => 1960’s – 1970’s? =>
Korg => 1992 to date =>
Lida Gakki (Ida) => 1958 to ?? => Nagoya, then Peerless brand in Korea
Magnavox/Ampeg => 1971 – 1980 =>
Maruha Gakki => 1970’s
Matsumoku => 1970’s – 1987 => Matsumoto, Nagano
Maya/Tahara => 1970-1980
Moridaira (Morris) => 1967
Nakai Gakki => 1970’s – date =>
PGM Guitars => past 10 years => Tokyo
Shinko => 1960 to 1966 => Korea in 70’s
Shiro Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co => 1963 – 1970’s
Star => 1962 to 1968 =>
Suzuki => => Kiso and Hamamatsu plants
Tahara => 1970’s
Takamine => 1962 – date =>
Tama (Hoshino) => 1962 to 1968* /1975-1979 *see Star
Teisco => 1946 –
Terada => 1960* – date => *began 1912 Higashiku ,Kanie , Shirakawa Nagoya
Tokai Gakki => 1968* to date => Hamamatsu *1947
Tombo => 1965 to 1970 =>
Toyota Kurosawa => 1970’s)
Yamaha/Nippon => 1960-1980
Yamaki => 1960 to date, now parts manufacturer only
Zen-On => 1960’s to 1968

Japan “non manufacturer” guitar production companies :

(some have been manufacturers for a portion of their long histories)

Arai Co., Ltd => Aria => 1956 – 1980’s
Fernandes => Burny , Fernandes 1969 – date => Osaka
Hoshino Gakki Ten => Ibanez => 1929 – date => Nagano , Quindao (2005)
Kanda Shokai => Greco => 1960 – date => Tokyo
Kyowa Shokai => Argus, Camel, Caparison => ~1970 – 2011 => Tokyo
Matsumoto Musical Instruments Association (or Union) => to late 1970’s
(member co’s and manufacturers included Kyowa Shokai, Chushin Gakki, Fukuhara Gakki, Nakai Gakki ) Nagano”