Grateful Dead Music Forum

by **brutusbuck45** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:06 am

Does anyone know much about Lotus Guitars. There is one on eBay that I was considering for Jerry Mods. It is a hideous transparent green that would either learn to live with, learn to like or strip the thing down and start over.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200 ... =824&kw=lg

Please comment on this listing if you have any info on Lotus- I would really appreciate it.

This is one of the few things I have been able to find on Lotus guitars:

http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4281&hilit=lotus

by **brutusbuck45** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:20 am

Well I think I answered my own question with some additional research:

The top of the line early 1980's models were made by both Cort_Guitars (neck-though models, early Korea) and Morris / Moridaira (neck-through models, set-neck Washburn Eagle copies, and decent Les Paul copies, Japan).

Both the early Korean Cort and Japanese Morris-made Lotus guitars are of exceptional quality, like the Matsumoku guitars of that era.

The Morris-made Lotus guitars are almost always lost in the mix of their other guitars but are truly amazing players and usually are the hardest and rarest to find as Lotus/Morris only made them for a few years (2-3 at most). These guitars all are solid-bodied and have exceptional necks that were made in the same factory as Tokai. There are only 3 models that known for sure that came from Lotus/Morris...1. is a Lotus L670B (is a direct copy of the 1980-1982/3 fender bullet MIA and MIJ, but not MIK) other than it has switches instead of buttons and headstock shape is different with a solid body and the same pickups but with no letters on top. 2. Is a vantage copy(or aria cardinal or ibanez artist) double cutaway (batwing) guitar/solid body 3 per side tuners on headstock rosewood fingerboard and neck-through (though may have had a bolt-on model), this was usually in a polished mahoghany or stained blue/white breadboard style and occasionally gloss white with 2 exposed pickups. 3. Is a more conventional Les Paul copy usually only seen in gloss black or tobaccoburst...again neck through with hardware similar to their double-cutaway.

These three models are easily on par with Westbury and the upper class neck-through Vantage guitars (both made by Matsomuko).

This guitar may be Morris-made model... hmmmm.

by **Rusty the Scoob** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:58 am

There was a music store near me in St. Paul about 10 years ago that had a good selection of Lotus Strat copies and they were awful. You could see the bridge physically twisting when you tried the whammy bar, and the rest of the hardware didn't seem any better, nor did the bodies or necks.

Sorry... they left such an impression of cheapness on me that I haven't forgotten the name Lotus ever since. Same logo too.

On the other hand the PRS copies could easily be totally different. I have three Memphis P-bass copies that are all great but have played other Memphis-branded instruments that were total garbage, for example.

by **tcsned** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 10:02 am

Rusty the Scoob wrote:There was a music store near me in St. Paul about 10 years ago that had a good selection of Lotus Strat copies and they were awful. You could see the bridge physically twisting when you tried the whammy bar, and the rest of the hardware didn't seem any better, nor did the bodies or necks.

Sorry... they left such an impression of cheapness on me that I haven't forgotten the name Lotus ever since. Same logo too.

On the other hand the PRS copies could easily be totally different. I have three Memphis P-bass copies that are all great but have played other Memphis-branded instruments that were total garbage.

I saw a handful of Lotus guitars come through my old music store - they were inconsistent. Some reasonable some dogs. I'd be wary of buying one I couldn't play first.

by **brutusbuck45** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 11:37 am

Hey thanks for your opinions, advice and professional input. I appreciate that. The guitar was local... so I was able to arrange meeting with the seller and was able to play it. It is actually quite decent- a little brighter sounding than I expected- but it was the RIGHT PRICE! It has neck-through construction, rosewood fingerboard, it has brass dot inlays on the board and sides (interesting), brass nut, the body wood appears to be ash. I was looking for something like this- a specimen, if you will, that was worth doing some mods, experimenting with refinishing, etc. I didn't want to spend a ton on the guitar but nor did I want to buy such a dog that it wouldn't be worth playing after put time, effort and few dollars into it. I think it will do.

Thanks again, y'all.

~B

by **Rusty the Scoob** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 11:50 am

Cool! Sounds like a great mod platform.

by **brutusbuck45** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 12:35 pm

Rusty the Scoob wrote:Cool! Sounds like a great mod platform.

Yeah! It should be pretty cool. It has very thick poly on it and horrible green stain. I have been looking at poly removal techniques... most say chemicals and heat gun before sanding. Rusty, I know that you have both built and restored basses, what are your thoughts on poly coat removal? Any chance the heat can cause problems with the body glue on the neck and wings?

by **JonnyBoy** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:12 pm

If it plays OK you should be fine. For me, Once playability issues are satisfied, you can address the real issues with the tone like pickups and electronics. As long as the intonation is good, the action is good and the frets are good (no buzz, burrs, level and polished) you should have a good player. The wood sounds quality, and the little things like the nut so you should be able to use it just fine.
I have come to realize how many cheap guitars are hit or miss, I always play them at guitar stores and some are plain horrible while others have true promise and great action. I just feel weird at guitar stores grabbing a guitar, especially when I am not buying anything, worth more than my car, although I will sometimes when I just can't resist myself...

by **Rusty the Scoob** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:13 pm

It would take a whole lot of heat to penetrate that deeply through the wood, I think.

The expert poly strippers are here: http://reranch.com/reranch/viewforum.php?f=1

They seem to use heat and nasty chemicals, and lots of sanding. Looks like a real pain.

by **JonnyBoy** » Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:28 pm

I have refinished wood doors for years, and I use a chemical acid based stripper and it works fine. USE GLOVES!!! and be careful with it and follow directions. Take ALL the hardware off and scrape it off carefully. Then sand the hell out of it with an orbital sander, then a finish sander. Rusty is right, it is a pain in the ass. Getting a good refinish is having a good pallet to work with and a dust free area to poly again. Be careful stripping, the tools can scratch the wood deep making the sanding part a pain and make the guitar look weird having to sand too far in certain places.