Kimbara guitars were initially made in Japan from 1968 to the late 70s. In later years they were made in Korea and finally China.
The name Kimbara was created by FCN (Fletcher Copock and Newman of London) who were the importers of these instruments.
Information on the factories that produced them is scant. But I own a “made in Japan” model with the same model number and there is very little difference I can find between the two
What woods and construction does the Kimbara 193/g use?
The Guitar has a Mahogany neck, back and sides with a rosewood fingerboard. the finger board has unusual and well placed diamond position markers. The guitar is bound with 6 ply binding on the sides and back. The back is a 3 piece construction made from wood.
The woods used are all traditional real woods, and this is immediately noticeable by picking it up as it is heavier than a lot of acoustic guitars made later. The mahogany neck features two, 3 in a line machine heads and has a rosewood board with oval inlays. The truss rod works so the guitar can be adjusted for set up.
There is a slight belly rise just behind the bridge and to compensate for this the bridge has been shaved down.
Some bumps and scrapes as shown in photos but the construction is solid and without any cracks.
This guitar can be played as it is and will sound good. If you spend a bit of time with it you could turn this into a good vintage player guitar.
This guitar can be played as it is and will sound good. If you spend a bit of time with it you could turn this into a good vintage player guitar.
Identifying the model number and country of origin?
The style of these guitars changed a lot over the years and although the woods remained much the same throughout the Japanese Kimbara range, the shape changed as well as the parts used. The best way to tell where and when the guitar was made is to check the name plate in the sound hole.
The text on this one reads "Kimbara specially made for FCN Music model No 193 6/G". This tells the viewer that the guitar was made in China somewhere between 1975 and 1985. By the fixtures and condition my best guess would be somewhere between 1977 and 1980.
The guitar has a few scratches and dings as shown in the photographs, but it is 35+ years old.
The sound quality is excellent suiting fingerpicking or a strumming style and there are no noticeable fret buzzes or or fret problems. Action is about
3mm at the 12th fret (low E string) and plays well.
For sale on ebay now
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