Daion The '81 Gazelle 81G

Daion made some truly outstanding acoustic guitars in Japan in the early 1980s, and the ’81 Gazelle is one of the most distinctive. Part of the Year Series, it was the more upmarket of the ’81 acoustic-electric models, with a solid spruce top, beautifully figured arched rosewood back and sides, and a mahogany/rosewood neck with rosewood fingerboard. The body and neck are heavily bound and it's got brass nut, saddle and position markers.

The Gazelle has a striking round cutaway and oval soundhole, but the most unusual detail is the sharply shaped lower bout. Daion described this “negative bottom” as both a design feature and a practical solution for keeping the output jack clear. The result is a distinctly retro-futuristic guitar that looks unlike the conventional acoustic designs surrounding it at the time.

It is an electric-acoustic rather than simply an acoustic guitar with an added pickup. A high-output transducer sits directly under the brass bridge saddle, with separate sliding volume and tone controls mounted into the body. The system gives the Gazelle a bright, articulate amplified sound while retaining the direct acoustic response of the spruce top. The original slider controls are also a particularly interesting part of the design.

The craftsmanship on this example is excellent throughout, and acoustically it has the clear, lively character you would expect from a good spruce-top guitar. It is an unusual piece of early-'80s Japanese guitar making: technically ambitious, very well built and visually distinctive without simply imitating American designs of the period.

This example is fully original and in excellent overall condition, with more noticeable wear on the fingerboard. It comes with its original case.

Specifications

• Model: Daion The ’81 Gazelle
• Year: 1981
• Origin: Japan
• Series: Year Series
• Top: Solid spruce
• Back & sides: Arched rosewood
• Neck: Mahogany/rosewood
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Pickup: High-output transducer under the saddle
• Controls: Sliding volume and tone controls
• Bridge: Rosewood with brass compensated saddle
• Nut: Brass
• Soundhole: Oval
• Cutaway: Round cutaway
• Weight: 2.53 kg
• Condition: Excellent, with more noticeable fingerboard wear
• Originality: Fully original
• Includes: Original case