Saxon

Saxon

Also known as: Selmer Saxon, Saxon Guitars

Unclaimed

Saxon was a brand name used by Selmer London, a major UK musical instrument retailer and importer, on a line of guitars built in Japan and (to a lesser extent) Korea during the late 1960s and 1970s. The range covered acoustic folk and classical models as well as electric solid-bodies, the latter heavily based on Gibson designs such as Les Paul and SG copies typical of that era's Japanese produc...

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Saxon was a brand name used by Selmer London, a major UK musical instrument retailer and importer, on a line of guitars built in Japan and (to a lesser extent) Korea during the late 1960s and 1970s. The range covered acoustic folk and classical models as well as electric solid-bodies, the latter heavily based on Gibson designs such as Les Paul and SG copies typical of that era's Japanese production.

A portion of the Saxon line — particularly the well-regarded Folk acoustic models like the 812 and 820 — was built at the FujiGen Gakki factory, the same Japanese workshop that produced instruments for Greco, Ibanez, and Fender Japan. Korean-built examples came out of the Samick factory. Models were typically sold only through Selmer's UK distribution network and carried the Saxon name on the headstock alongside model numbers rather than artist endorsements or signature variants.

Production wound down as the lawsuit-era copy market faded and Selmer's UK instrument distribution business changed hands. Saxon-branded guitars from the 1970s circulate today on the used market, where they are valued mainly as budget-priced examples of Japanese MIJ craftsmanship from the period.

Saxon has 2 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Guitar Amplifier Cabinets and Solid Body Electric Guitars.

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