1982 Guyatone Sharp 5 LG-1200 Vintage Guitar Metallic Red, Sharp Five

Up for sale, a 1982 Guyatone “Sharp Five” LG-1200 in excellent, 100% original condition, finished in custom color Metallic Red. This highly-coveted top-tier model was only produced briefly in the '80s and combines fine craftsmanship with unique surf-inspired design including a radically shaped alder body with prominent German Carve, Fender Jaguar-style single coil pickups, and a smooth, responsive vibrato. Designed by Jinichi Nagasaka (who would later design the Yūzō Kayama model in conjunction with Mosrite), this iteration of the Sharp 5 elevates the original design with heel-less set-neck construction and premium hardware. The Ventures themselves even briefly played their own custom-made Guyatone LG-1200s which can be seen in the epically bad music video for "Wipe Out '88."

Tonally, this LG-1200 delivers smooth single coil snap with lots of body and sweetness. There’s an upper midrange cut in the bridge position, and a bold, sparkling quality with the neck pickup singled out. The three-way selector switch functions as follows: B/M, B/M/N, M/N, and the three-way mini-toggle enables any of the pickups to be engaged on its own, toggling upwards will always engage just the middle pickup, and in the middle position (with all three pickups active) you can engage just the bridge and neck pickups in tandem. This Sharp 5 LG-1200 weighs 8lbs 7oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 9-42 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Shape: Medium C, measuring .850” 1st fret, .985” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony, star inlays
-Frets: Medium, no wear
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 ⅝”, brass, zero fret
-Tuners: Kluson-style, Gotoh
-Serialization: 2-prefix (1982)

Body Specs:

-Wood: Alder
-Pickups: Single coil x3
-Controls: Volume, Tone, Three-way pickup selector, Three-way pickup On/Off mini-toggle
-Hardware: Brass bridge with roller saddles, Ball Bearing vibrato, Mosrite-style machined knobs (gold-plated)
-Plastics: Three-ply white pickguard, aged pickup covers

The distinctive deep German carve on the top is another not-so-subtle nod to Mosrite, and cosmetic wear on the gloss Metallic Red finish includes buckle scuffing on the back, pick wear across the guard, and some dings and finish scratches. The gloss on the neck profile is clean and smooth with only a few small marks.

A padded gigbag is included.