Kimbara
Kimbara
Also known as: Kimbara Guitars
UnclaimedKimbara is a house brand of guitars associated with Fletcher, Coppock & Newman Ltd (FCN Music), a UK-based musical instrument distributor. The trademark was registered in January 1968, and the brand appeared on classical, steel-string, and electric guitars as well as basses sourced from Far East factories. Production began in Japan, shifted to Korea in the late 1980s, and later moved to China i...
Kimbara is a house brand of guitars associated with Fletcher, Coppock & Newman Ltd (FCN Music), a UK-based musical instrument distributor. The trademark was registered in January 1968, and the brand appeared on classical, steel-string, and electric guitars as well as basses sourced from Far East factories. Production began in Japan, shifted to Korea in the late 1980s, and later moved to China in the late 1990s.
The Japanese-era instruments are the most prized among collectors. Classical and steel-string acoustics were built in Takamine's facility, while the higher-end electrics — notably the N114, N115, N116, and N117 models introduced in the mid-1970s — were made by Matsumoku. Kimbara acoustics outsold the electrics by a wide margin and remain more commonly found on the used market.
FCN also distributed two budget lines positioned below Kimbara: Columbus and, from 1977, Satellite. Kimbara-branded effects pedals were produced as well. The brand is mainly encountered today as a vintage marque, valued for the build quality of its 1970s Japanese output.
Kimbara has 2 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Solid Body Electric Guitars and Steel-string Acoustic Guitars. Their gear is featured by 1 artist, with the strongest followings in Pop. Notable users include Vadim Neef.
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