1978 Austin AG-15 Acoustic Guitar MIJ - Guild D-55 Copy

Description

Up for sale is a 1978 Austin AG-15 Acoustic Guitar This guitar was Made In Japan and is obviously a copy of Guild D-55 (except with a 3 piece back).  Don't let the Austin branding throw you off, this is a very high quality guitar with very nice tone woods.  My gut tells me this is a Terada built guitar, but I have no evidence to prove that.  These late 70's Guild copies with less tradition branding such as Cortez, Aria, Nashville etc, pop up now and then, but they are pretty rare.  I have never seen an Austin branded guitar like this and could not find another anywhere on the internet.
The guitar really sounds great, with a rich, full tone.  Solid spruce top, Rosewood back and sides, Mahogany neck, and a Rosewood fretboard and bridge.  Abalone purfling around the sound hole, front binding, and the back seams.  Guild style inlaid fret markers and an iridescent headstock Austin headstock logo.  The guitar is fairly heavy and is a very solid build.
The guitar does have a slight neck angle problem, but still plays great.  The belly had also bulged a bit causing the bridge to angle down a bit.  To correct these problems, a bridge doctor has been added to the guitar, the saddle has been shaved and the bridge has been "string slotted" to increase the string break angle over the saddle.  The result is a guitar that plays really well and sounds great.  No string buzz or dead spots anywhere on the fretboard.  The action on the low E at the 12th fret is about 3.25mm.  This is slightly higher than standard, but still within the normal tolerances.  I certainly did not have any trouble with the string height, and if you don't usually play up around the 12th fret, you are not really even going to notice.  There are a few small dings and scratches here and there, but mostly the guitar is in very good condition.
I mention all of this in the spirit of full disclosure.  It does not take away from the appeal, playability, tone or enjoyment of this guitar.  This is actually a very low price for this high quality of a guitar.  I am only listing at this price for a quick sale and a very happy buyer!  Includes a chip board case in almost new condition.  Guitar will be packaged carefully and insured against shipping damage.