chaypup Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Came across these rather sexy things and wondered if anyone here had one/knew much about them. It appears they were made in the Yamaki factory between '79 and '84 although I've seen a few mentions of them being Matsumoku (which I doubt) Here's a few pics which I used from here: [url="http://gallery.daionguitar.com/"]http://gallery.daionguitar.com/[/url] [attachment=78944:00002daionbass.jpg] [attachment=78945:00003Daion.jpg] [attachment=78946:00004Daion.jpg] [attachment=78943:000001Daionbass.jpg] Are these more common in the States and OZ than here? Any info appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 (edited) Ah - this is where being a trainee oldie comes in handy... I have a Daion 12 string acoustic that I picked up SH back in my music shop days. They were built in the Matsumoku factory back in the 80's but never really took off - I'm guessing the Westone's and Aria's obliterated the brand before it really had a chance to get hold. I don't remember there being a major UK distributor (certainly not one of the big names like Arbiter, FCN or Rose Morris), so they are few and far between over here. They are probably worth a small fortune these days in the right market - I had my 12 valued and it was the best part of £800 20 years ago! Edited May 4, 2011 by icastle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Daions weren't made by Matsumoku - like Chaypup says, Yamaki appears to have been the factory. There's some confusion possibly based on the closely related early Washburns - these were originally sourced from Yamaki but it seems around 1982/3 production of the same models moved to Matsumoku. If you compare the two, the level of attention to detail on the early ones is almost anal - check out the brass ring board inlays (which you'll see on early Washburns & Daions, as well as identical hardware), grain-matched & lacquered wood control cavity covers etc. My first expensive bass was a 1981 Washburn B20 Stage Series, the thing was a work of art. I presently have a Matsumoku-made Washburn SB40 from a year or so later, and while it's a beautifully made & very playable bass, the level of detail & finish is a lot more standard than my old Stage. Anyway, vintage Daions are incredibly rare, particularly over here - in fact I don't know if they even had a UK importer - and when they do come up tend to be wildly expensive. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaypup Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 Thanks Jon - I was hoping you'd show up on this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 I think there are some articles out there about the whole Yamaki/Daion/Joodee/Yamada etc link-up & what the relationships between the brands & companies were. I'll have a dig around later on & see if I can find them. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassaussie Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) Daions were sold in Australia for a while in the early 80s. They were sorta popular, I think there was still this "Jap Crap" stigma attached to them, which was pretty silly, as they were amazing instruments. Like Bassassin said, they were very well made instruments, very nice to look at, and quite ahead of their time in relation to the way the felt. I can't remember the names exactly, but I can recall Power and XX being part of the model names. EDIT: Quick Google search, and I found this [url="http://daionguitar.com/index.php"]http://daionguitar.com/index.php[/url] Edited May 5, 2011 by bassaussie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizbat Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I still have my Daion les paul copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaypup Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 I found one! ...and I'm picking it up on Sunday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 There's plenty of info on these on the net and even a Daion Guitars Forum. They come up on ebay regularly and this was sold last week............ http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Daion-Fretless-Electric-Bass-Very-Rare-No-Reserve-/200919302567?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2ec7b941a7&nma=true&si=dBnWw0%252Blm7%252Bi3PvJIp3TcBiJoak%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaypup Posted May 11, 2013 Author Share Posted May 11, 2013 I only see the basses come on eBay maybe 3-4 times a year. Guess who bought the one you linked to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 [quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1368234658' post='2074857'] I only see the basses come on eBay maybe 3-4 times a year. Guess who bought the one you linked to? [/quote] Nice. Looks good!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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