Home Forums Guitar Discussion Guitar Understanding CMI guitars and amps

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  • #22965
    1bassleft
    Participant

    Hello all, regulars and passers-through. If you have clicked on this because of a search engine looking for CMI info, please take a little time to post in a reply yourself if you have a CMI. I want to nail this complicated story so that everyone knows what they’ve got, but I’m not The Oracle (Delphi or Matrix) so please help me fix any misinformation or update any gaps. Thanks 🙂

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    • #68422
    • #68437
      1bassleft
      Participant

      The headstock logo for Chicago Musical Instruments can be seen in this auction for a typical, 80s-looking bass:

      http://www.ebay.com/itm/CMI-4-String-Electric-Bass-3-4-Scale-/120916347729?pt=Guitar&hash=item1c272d0b51

      EDIT: just noticed this Cleartone, block logo LP copy is not bolt-on neck and could be a bargain with a bit of techwork:

      http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CMI-Electric-guitar-LP-copy-made-in-Japan-needs-some-work-/251244218138?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a7f52871a

    • #68433
      1bassleft
      Participant

      1) Sometimes cheaper to replace the bass than the strings.
      2) Playing jazz? Still a few years left in them strings.
      🙂

    • #68470
      USGold
      Participant

      Those are some really nice looking strings on that bass 1BASS

    • #68435
      1bassleft
      Participant

      The picture would be helpful. AFAIK, genuine Gibsons did not have prominent reference to Chicago in the form of a CMI logo. Unfortunately, a lot of the image links here have died over the years but I should be able to load up the two styles of Cleartone and one type of Chicago CMI logos known to me and a pic of your logo should clear that up.

      Just to let you know, Cleartone CMIs have varied from very ‘loose’ copies (incorrect, parts-box hardware and thin ply or nato bodies) to more convincing lookers right the way up to proper set-necks etc on the LPs and SGs. A very common mod, when I was a youngster in the 70s, for the fairly serious players was to buy the good Japanese copies (many argued, better made than the US realities of the 70s) and fit Dimarzios. No-naming the headstock was also common.

      This Tele (from the start of the thread, IIRC) features what I consider to be the later Cleartone logo – as seen on their 1976-80 range of amps:
      #http://www.jedistar.com/images/cleartone_musical_instruments_guitar_head.jpg

      This bass logo has what I consider to be earlier Cleartones that tend to be less accurate (I have a very similar early 70s bass). Note the thinner, 3/8″ tuner shafts and mini keys. I doubt (but would be very interested) if a set-neck had this logo.
      #http://www.jedistar.com/images/cmi_elec_head.jpg

      I can’t find, by searching, the CMI logo used by Chicago that I’ve seen usually on 80s, pointy guitars but I’ll recognise it on yours if I see it. If yours turns out to be one of the better Cleartones, you’ve still done well for £60.

    • #68454
      Bedlam
      Participant

      This thread has me intreagued. In 1987 I bought a very scruffy cherry-red SG copy from a shop in North Wales for £60. After cleaning it up and restringing it, I discovered it had a superb neck. Someone had fitted DiMarzio Super Distortions in it, and only one of the coils in the bridge pickup ws working. The front of the guitar was split around the jack socket.

      After a while I decided to refinish the guitar as it played so much better than it looked. When I stripped the headstock facing I discovered a crown inlay under the black paint and the letters CMI.

      At the time I was quite excited as I knew that CMI was Chicago Music Industries. Later I learned of the Cleartone name and assumed my guitar was a copy after all. Looking at your thread has me re-thinking this.

      My guitar looks nothing like any of the ones here. It has a set neck for a start. Narrow fingerboard with block markers. Split-post tulip-button tuners. Large headstock volute. Large soapbar-shaped ‘Nashville’ bridge with long travel saddles. Solid wood body, very light. I’ve had to put lead weights in the control cavity to get it to balance on a strap. Very subtle chamfering. Single pickguard.

      My guitar is identical in evey respect to a 1975 Gibson SG standard in the music shop in town, except it doesn’t say Gibson on the headstock.

      Could it be that mine actually is a Gibson and the CMI under the paint referred to Chicago Music Industries? I’ll post a picture later.

    • #68471
      1bassleft
      Participant

      The neckplate in Q can be seen clearly if you click on the link to the auction for the doubleneck. Although ended, clicking on the pic in the auction brings everything up. Some links to additional auction pics don’t work but here’s a try:
      #http://i.ebayimg.com/t/CMI-Twin-neck-1970s-6-and-bass-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/$(KGrHqV,!rkFBCQ81N+!BQdVeMwPOw~~60_58.JPG

      😯 😀 , it worked!

    • #68452
      Tim
      Participant

      RE: CMI I know nothing I haven’t learnt from 1bassleft, however, i do love my Matsumoku’s and yeah, he’s bang on with: [quote=”1bassleft”]
      Nicely done, even if bolt-neck. Has the “Steel reinforced neck, Made in Japan” plates that, IIRC, others with better knowledge say is a Matsumoku identifier.[/quote]

      A shot of the neck-plate would be great (and any other detail shots…it’s all in the finishing with these things.

    • #68438
      1bassleft
      Participant

      😆 , I like what you did there, Jason; the joke as much as the rotation. In my defence, y’honour, the posting time was 01:00 and I’m ring-rusty. I’m back in action mostly because my son has now taken up the reins as a bassist and I’m scouring the web looking for stuff for him. I’ve just spotted another monstrosity to stick in the “ugly”thread.

      As Michael would testify, I am terrible for gluing in pics straight from Fleebay without hosting them permanently. Very annoying for the ubermod, and I apologize 🙁

    • #68460
      Jason
      Participant

      Wow – blast from the past!

      Nice looking axe you’ve found there.

      BTW – while you were gone some clever person must have invented new technology, because you can now do this to a picture: :mrgreen:

      #https://www.guitarsite.com/files/cmi-double-neck.jpg

    • #68445
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Here is a CMI (long C, like the amps), Marshall-imported lead/bass twin-neck SG/EB3 copy.

      http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CMI-Twin-neck-1970s-6-and-bass-/181028726428?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2a2627269c

      Nicely done, even if bolt-neck. Has the “Steel reinforced neck, Made in Japan” plates that, IIRC, others with better knowledge say is a Matsumoku identifier.

      Sorry to have vanished, especially as some really useful knowledge has been added instead of my guesswork. That lefty cMi LP interests me greatly.

      #http://i.ebayimg.com/t/CMI-Twin-neck-1970s-6-and-bass-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/$T2eC16F,!zcE9s4g0uu-BQdVcz2POQ~~60_58.JPG

    • #68464
      trevorbc
      Participant

      Well I read through the postings and hope to get some clarification on my cMi Les Paul. In brief, I bought this guitar from new in 1982 from Bells Music Store in Surbiton, Surrey. Over many years it had been in storage but since 2002 I have been using it with my GK3 pickup and Roland GR-33 in my home studio.
      Yes its a lefty and I’ve never seen another one like it in my travels. Can anyone help regarding its value?

    • #68434

      I’ve been watching ebay for a while and have seen many CMI LPs, an acoustic jumbo, and a few other models come us. I hadn’t seen a banjo, however.

      If anyone’s still following this thread – this came up today.
      http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280893897612&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

    • #68425
      roller1985
      Participant

      Hi… I have one of those rare cmi 335s in cherry. I’ve had it 3 years now, and would love to know more about its origins and what it’s worth?

    • #68458
      radio pauli
      Participant

      Thanx for getting back to me. That 335 is pretty stunning.
      Sorry to hear 1bassleft has stopped posting. I chose my CMI tele after reading what he and Steveshark had said. That and the pickup upgrade.

      This is the ebay link to mine, should be here by the end of the week.

      http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110746908084?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_500wt_949

      And here’s one I was watching that sold yesterday

      http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320765807018?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_500wt_949 😀

    • #68436
      Jason
      Participant

      Yeah it’s a shame about 1bassleft – he was indeed a wise man despite playing bass 🙂

    • #68431

      Thanks for posting! Looks like there isn’t much activity here now, and 1bassleft seems to have completely disappeared (which is very unfortunate in terms of his knowledge. I’ve PM’ed and have heard nothing in the past year.)

      I’ve been watching numerous ebay listings here in the US and in the UK to see what’s out there. There is an ES-335 (the first 335 I’ve come across, and for that matter only the second hollow-body, my ES-175 being the first) that I’d love to own but just can’t afford right now:
      http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280747394094

      There have been some amps, a Tele (the one you may have bought- if so I’m jealous!) and I think I remember a Strat that was up a while back. They’re few and far between, however.

      I know nothing other than what is in this thread and that my ES-175 is a great playing guitar. Good luck finding more out about yours! Post anything if you do find info! Seems the “Artist Model” may just be a standard- IIRC most everything I’ve seen in the way of Fender copies has that on it.

    • #68463
      radio pauli
      Participant

      Hello, I’m new to this site. I found it while looking up a British/MIJ Cleartone CMI Tele Artist Model that I just bought on ebay.
      It’s black with the block logo/large C running over the top and bottom of the MI (just like the two white tele artist models posted on here) It has a brass nut and the pickups have been changed for Seymour Duncan Tele52’s.

      I read on this site that the nut is a give away clue to it being built in Fuji,

      http://flatericbassandguitar.blogspot.com/2011/05/cmi-artist-model-fretless.html

      And some of the stuff I’v read on here suggest from the logo it was built after 72 and before 76 but I’m not sure about that.

      I’ll post picture as soon as it arrives.

      What I would really like to know is, What is the difference between a standard Cleartone guitar and the Artist Model?

      This is the best place to find CMI info, Thanx guys

    • #68459

      I have been meaning to get around to this for months, and after moving and remodeling a new house for the last 5 months, it’s finally out of the case and on display. Probably bought (in Boston, UK) around the late 70s or early 80s, and probably sat in a closet for its entire life. I ended up with it after my father-in-law passed away last fall. Nobody in the family recalls him ever playing it.

      Very low action and very light feel. For something that sat for around 30 years with no attention (and not in a case) it plays well and sounds good (there’s a little static when switching the pickups.)

      #http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3635/5816875204_dc8ac58f5d.jpg

      #http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3463/5816875076_54bb0cee85.jpg

      #http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2148/5816875144_c03f51a9fa.jpg

    • #68461
      FlatEric
      Participant

      Tim, Hi.

      Posted something on your other reply.

      I will dig the old fella out, have a look at the back plate and come back to you.

      Cheers. 🙂

    • #68449
      Tim
      Participant
    • #68426
      FlatEric
      Participant

      Hi. New to this place, only joined up this morning.

      I was doing some research on CMI and I came across this site
      and this posting.
      Lots of enthusiastic info.
      #http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy74/FlatEricPics/CMIFretless.jpg

    • #68467
      FlatEric
      Participant

      Hi. New to this place, only joined up this morning.

      I was doing some research on CMI and I came across this site
      and this thread.
      Lots of enthusiastic info.

      Having read through the posts, I thought I would put up
      some pics of mine but there seems to be a block on me putting up
      images via photobucket.

      So, click here and it will take you to the pics and details.

      No, doesn’t like that, either – I’m being such a Newbie 😀

      OK, let’s try this. . . . copy and paste this into a search
      and that should take you to it.

      flatericbassandguitar

      So, on the bassis that you have found it. . .
      anyone else got one like this??

      Perhaps someone a bit more knowledgable could reply and
      include my pics.

      Look forward to the deluge of replies.

      Cheers.
      Eric. 🙂

      From Middle England.

    • #68457
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Hello All,

      I’ve got another clue maybe…
      Due to my recent searches (and my growing addiction to japanese guitars, thanx to the outstanding performance of the CMI) I’ve found out some similarities between a few guitar brands.
      These where:
      Jedson Les Paul,
      EROS Les Paul (not the italian),
      Diamond SG

      The similarities were not just the whole look of the guitars (for me the Les Pauls were identical of course) but the small details, like the truss rod cover and especially the neckplate writings (they were the same: Made in japan, serial no. and Steel Adjustable Neck).

      So if anyone has a guitar of the above brands please share your knowledge about them and maybe we can find out together, which factory (ies) did they came from….

    • #68439
      unbeliever
      Participant

      Hello All,

      I’ve just got myself a CMI LesPaul, and I have to say this is one of the best buys I’ve ever made!
      My guess it’s a mahagony and maple sandwich construction, and it could be a maple neck with rosewood finger board. It is very heavy:)
      It has a very playable neck and a very strong, beautiful sounding pickups (maybe Maxxons??).
      I will try to post pics!
      I’m looking forward for any extra informations about this guitar (what years could’ve been made, which factory, and what kind are the PU’s etc.) It has both Made In Japan and Adjustable Neckplate signs on the neckplate and even a serial number)

      #http://kepfeltoltes.hu/101119/CMI_front_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

      #http://kepfeltoltes.hu/101119/CMI_back_II_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

      #http://kepfeltoltes.hu/101119/CMI_fron_II_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

      #http://kepfeltoltes.hu/101119/CMI_back_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

      #http://kepfeltoltes.hu/101119/CMI_head_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

      #http://kepfeltoltes.hu/101119/CMI_neckplate_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

      #http://kepfeltoltes.hu/101119/CMI_potik_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

      Thanks guys!

    • #68446

      Just found this auction with some extra info attached (please excuse if it’s been posted before- I’ve read the thread and don’t remember it.)
      http://cgi.ebay.com/CMI-Presicion-bass-VINTAGE-MADE-JAPAN-1980s-/120631084281?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c162c44f9

      In the UK, CMI was Cleartone Musical Instruments, an offshoot of Marshall Amplification – and this guitar is from Big Jim’s CMI.

      The first CMI guitars were made in the UK by Ned Callan (actually a pseudonym for luthier Peter Cook), but unsurprisingly, later guitars were sourced from Japanese manufacturers. And of course, the question is which ones?

      Many early Japanese CMIs feature 6-bolt neckplates – it’s not a positive ID, but these are associated with the Moridaira factory, frequently appearing on their Morris house brand. This guitar doesn’t have a 6-bolt plate, but the plain plate it has doesn’t suggest a particular maker.

      If it was a Fujigen, however, it would be reasonable to expect it to have a typical Fujigen-style plate, with the “Made In Japan” stamp on the lower part, and possibly a serial number if it was ’75 or later. Likewise if it was from Matsumoku, you’d expect a “Steel Adjustable Neck” plate, or a Matsumoku-stamped one.

      What it does have is a white plastic TRC, of the sort that often appear on Fujigen & Matsumoku Fender clones. However, the neck doesn’t have the quarter-sawn 3-piece construction that you’d also expect to find.

      If I had to name the possible maker, I’d go for Moridaira – I don’t think it’s a Mat or a Fujigen, and it looks most likely that earlier CMIs were Mori. Is it any good? Probably. I have a Moridaira-built Washburn Wing series copy (branded as Hohner, of all things – it’s really odd!) and it is simply excellent – had it from new & it was pretty much the only guitar I needed for nearly 20 years.

    • #68462

      Anyone know where 1bassleft went? Seems his last post was in May. I have just aquired a CMI ES175 copy (I’ll post pics/info later) and figured he’d be interested. I’ve sent him a PM but haven’t heard back.

    • #68442
      andyardley
      Participant

      Hi all, New to this forum and after trawling through many ‘guitar forums’ I think I may have found the right one with the right people to help me! Here goes.
      I have a white CMI strat style electric guitar (picked up cheap) that I know nothing about. There are some threads on here with info but CMI but I am still confused and would like to find out some more info about mine.
      It has three pick ups, three tone knobs, 21 frets, a four bolt neck plate with ‘Made in Japan’ stamped on it and the ‘block’ CMI logo in silver on the head. I cannot find any serial numbers or model number. In fact I am unable to find any images anywher on the net of a similar one.
      As I am new I am still working out how to upload images but for the meantime there are some on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyardley/
      CAN ANYONE HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!

    • #68456
      olemuso
      Participant

      Well, I`ve had my CMI Artist Model Strat for a year and have had fun “doing it up” but the time has come to let it go as I`m trying to raise funds for a Fender Baja Tele 😉
      So I`ve stuck it on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250624595617&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

      I know my B.I.N. is very optimistic but the reserve is actually quite low. Anyway, it`ll find it`s own level. 😉

    • #68424
      scythe74
      Participant

      Thank you, Stacey-I was pretty sure that I was in the clear, but kept re-reading the post, to see if the end of one word…and the start of another…added up to anything crass.

      Anyway, sorry that those links just showed up as, well…links. It’s a ton and a half of a guibass, but both necks are eminently playable, the bass neck tending towards a short-scale (although I’ve not measured it), presumably for the sake of symmetricality. There’s no particular sense of headstock-heaviness, although the necessity of wearing it high, so you can reach the 6 properly, would probably help.There’s a three-position switch for 6/BOTH/4, and just one mono output. I’m pretty sure the skull volume knob is not original.

      I’ll go and look again at the info earlier in the thread, about dating the thing. Funnily enough, there’s a serial number for each neck…and they’re not consecutive.

      You guys are an absolute goldmine-anybody else have anything to contribute?

    • #68444
      olemuso
      Participant

      Hey, that`s excellent! I luvvit!!

      Do you play it much? What does it sound like? I`d really like one of those! 😉

    • #68440
      Stacey
      Participant

      [quote=”scythe74″]Hello? I just posted a reply, along with a few pics…only to be told I had used a ‘forbidden word’, and a moderator would get back to me. I wonder what on earth this ‘forbidden word’ could be? I did mention the word ‘BLUE’, but that would surely be a tad on the extreme side of puritan…

      Anyone?[/quote]

      Sometimes our anti-spam software we have implemented on our message boards picks up things as forbidden words by error, as was the case with your post.

      Many times over the day I check the held posts and approve them to be viewable. Once you have made at least 4 posts and are member for at least 7 days, the word blocker will bypass you and your post will no longer be held for moderation.

    • #68468
      scythe74
      Participant

      Hello people, have been reading previous replies with great interest, and thought I might add my two-penny-worth…

      Acquired about 8 years ago, from Blue Audio on Upper Street, Islington-is this ungainly beast. A CMI twin-neck! (Trumpets Blast)

      Tell me what you think/know/reckon…

      http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=16418803&albumID=2836972&imageID=64885083

      http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=16418803&albumID=2836972&imageID=64885087

      http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=16418803&albumID=2836972&imageID=64885089

      http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=16418803&albumID=2836972&imageID=64885085

      I have more pics, if anyone would like to see them…just thought I’d refrain from taking up a whole page on my first outing!

      Small backstory to this guitar…The guy in the store mentioned that he believed it to have been the property of comedian/musician Bill Bailey. About 6 weeks later, I happened to be working at the taping of a show for BBC Scotland, where said Mr. Bailey was appearing as a guest.

      I took the opportunity to sidle up to him between takes, and enquire as to whether he had indeed owned this beast. Having established that it had once been his (the dried-out remains of a gaffa ‘strap-lock’ are his legacy), I went on to ask him what use he’d made of it.

      Turns out that the intro to ‘Peaches’ is about the only musical gag he could wring out of it….

    • #68448
      olemuso
      Participant

      Hello scythe74. I seem to remember that happening to me when I first joined. I don`t think I ever found out what the word was 😕

    • #68455
      scythe74
      Participant

      Hello? I just posted a reply, along with a few pics…only to be told I had used a ‘forbidden word’, and a moderator would get back to me. I wonder what on earth this ‘forbidden word’ could be? I did mention the word ‘BLUE’, but that would surely be a tad on the extreme side of puritan…

      Anyone?

    • #68427
      Tim
      Participant

      Hey both, not seen 1bl for a while, normally he’d be all over this…I’ll see if I can rouse him, he does have a habit of jetting of to places Spanish.

    • #68466
      olemuso
      Participant

      I`ve seen a picture of the one you have, and I`m quite jealous. Mine is waiting for me to replace the selector switch then I`ll play some tracks and put up a link..

    • #68469
      roller1985
      Participant

      [quote=”1bassleft”]Hello all, regulars and passers-through. If you have clicked on this because of a search engine looking for CMI info, please take a little time to post in a reply yourself if you have a CMI. I want to nail this complicated story so that everyone knows what they’ve got, but I’m not The Oracle (Delphi or Matrix) so please help me fix any misinformation or update any gaps. Thanks :)[/quote]

      Hello. I Bought a CMI from”cash coverters” a few weeks ago. It looked very dusty, but I could see the quality of it. I got it home and googled this CMI, a name I had never heard of. Mine is a 335 Shape and is fantastic quality with low action, and the loudest pickups I have ever Heard!! I have also this week bought a Yamato (les paul shape) in Black which I beleive to be also made in Japan in the same era. The pickups look Identical. A wonderful guitar, and interesting to know about the

      http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/photo.php?pid=3888870&id=618163782

    • #68447
      sg-812
      Participant

      Hi folks, I picked up a SG-812 powered PA head. 6 channel input with reverb, foot switch control for reverb, and 100 watt X 2 output. Very retro and heavy. This thing was built like a tank, it has been used so much, a lot of the paint on the control board that tells what each control does is worn off, but it still works great. Gibson was able to email me schematics but I would like more info like a brochure or owners manual. Any other owners of this unique beast please let me know. As well as these things are built, I can’t believe I’m the only person who has one of these.

    • #68430
      olemuso
      Participant

      Looks like mine except it`s painted 🙂 I play mine now and then when I want a more gutsy sound than my CIJ Strat. Selector switch is dicky so I`ll have to sort it out.

    • #68450
      greglock
      Participant
    • #68428
      greglock
      Participant

      Hi again, just found this on ebay, they’re still turning up! Haven’t seen one like this before though

      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/cmi-electric-guitar_W0QQitemZ290343459311QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item4399d199ef&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

    • #68354
      rainy_daze
      Participant

      Mine is the same as the photo posted by Goodge on Mon Jul 28, 2008. Mine doesn’t have the metal plate covering the action-thingy on the head, and it doesn’t look like it was supposed to have one, unless someone poly-fillered the screw holes!

      Byeeee

    • #68344
      rainy_daze
      Participant

      Hellooo olemuso,
      I’m in the Midlands. ‘Me mam’ was born in L’pool, and we are frequently ‘up north’ – between L’pool and West Kirby. Didn’t get there during Capital of Culture year, but will soon.

      Cheers ears!
      😆

    • #68323
      olemuso
      Participant

      Hiya Rainy_Daze.
      No probs you coming on this thread – I don`t own it. In fact I hijacked it to put my pics on 🙂
      What part of the UK are you in? I`m in Merseyside.
      See ya around m8
      🙂

    • #68328
      rainy_daze
      Participant

      Hi,
      I’m in Britain, and I have a black CMI, and the logo is the same as the photo here of the white tele. copy – with the block-style lettering, with the ‘C’ that stretches to the end of the ‘i’. It was bought years ago, and only for the amp that came with it. It was dirt-cheap, out of the newspaper. I’d never really been aware of it as a model, in fact I found it rather odd as I’d not seen another with that logo, so I presumed it was a bit naff, really. I never could work out if it was CMI, or EMI. Part of the lettering has rubbed off. Mine is solid black, with a white edge; and it has 4 knobs at the bottom right (2 tone, 2 vol). I wish it looked like a tele, as that is cuter. It cost prob. no more than 15 pounds, amp. inc. I’m more for acoustic, and the amp is no great shakes, so I can’t say I have been knocked out by it.

      I’ve found your thread interesting, and I hope you don’t mind me pitching in.

    • #68352
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Good old Music Ground 😆 . Still got your Columbus, Lee? Team it up with a CMI and make a killing out of the store. Lots of motorways around Leeds for a quick getaway…

      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190303886123&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

      It’s not a Columbus, but a Commodore. There’s a smell of desperation about this attempt to offload.

    • #68358
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Nice though the CMI Strats and Teles can be, sellers just have to accept that they go for around £120 usually. Me, I’d keep it rather than settle for that but the market won’t pay more. I was wondering if you’d fancy a bit of work and taking on that LP. Hope it stays low for you 8)

    • #68342
      olemuso
      Participant

      The “Tele” only finished yesterday – he had a BIN of £250. Now he`s relisted it at £180. I think he`ll be very lucky if he gets that for it.
      The other one is worth watching tho, cheers 😉

    • #68355
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Right on cue, a CMI Tele with replaced scratchplate and 4-way selector (but original parts still included) is on eBay:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200335547320&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

      Probably won’t get the BIN of £180 and wouldn’t accept the money these can go for. If I played guitar decently, I’d certainly get one of these Marshall CMIs made in Japan for the money they fetch in open bidding.

      Despite the bolt-on neck and missing bridge and tailpiece, this LP copy could go cheap enough to warrant a look:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CMI-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-CHERRY-SUNBURST-RIGHT-HANDED_W0QQitemZ270379387633QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item270379387633&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1688%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

    • #68361
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I wouldn’t worry too much about originality with a CMI. I’ve seen them often with replaced (improved) tuners and no-one throws their hands up in horror. As long as replacements are done for good reasons it won’t detract from price but keeping original bits is always a good idea just in case.

    • #68370
      olemuso
      Participant

      Thanks for the info 1B….. you know your stuff.
      Obviously mine is no longer “all original”, having replaced scratch plate, pup selector, trem & block etc., but I have kept the old parts in case I decide to sell it.
      I`m currently waiting for a trem arm to complete my project.
      Sadly no amount of adjustment wold get the intonation correct so in the end I removed the neck and shimmed it so it sat about 1/8″ away from the body. The tuning is now virtually spot on. Another week and I`ll have it singing 😀

    • #68351
      1bassleft
      Participant

      The eBay CMI strat was relisted with a 185 start and still failed a bid (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190298486836). I can understand the seller not wanting it to go cheaply but the bolt-on CMIs don’t go for a lot of money. The set-neck LP copies will go over 250 but still too little is known about CMI compared with the Japanese Tokais, Ibanez, Greco etc.

      When it was first listed, someone correctly told him it was a Cleartone, made for Marshall and someone mistakenly addded the “Chicago USA” thing on the headstock, presumably thinking it would add value but the seller’s got unsure and done a confusing write-up which won’t help with the bids.

      IIRC, the CIJ 60s re-issues were alder and hard ash is noticeably heavier (70s strats and, particularly, the basses in natural ash are murder on the shoulders). Your CMI really does look like swamp ash from the pics and that’s a nice touch. The 50s strats with maple fretboards, that the CMI is emulating, had swamp ash bodies. AFAIK, swamp ash only comes from southern US states but maybe there are east Asian ashes that look similar and are also lightweight. I’m not a wood expert and, while having a bit of a search, learned a new word, “chatoyance”, that I must find a way to drop into conversation some day to make me look clever 😆

      Yep, people will bid for a genuine, 60s Fender part although the dated ones, like pups and pots are more sought after. Some people just can’t sully their vintage gear with a new part, however minor, and will pay for spares. Over on Plexi Palace years ago, someone started a thread “I’ve just paid $1500 for a 50s pickguard, am I insane?” and I gave a colourful reply. See here for a 70s (no more specific than that) selector switch tip – the little bit of plastic – that someone paid $15 for:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Fender-Switch-tip-Strat-70s-part-project_W0QQitemZ220387014164QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item220387014164&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318
      😯

    • #68347
      olemuso
      Participant

      Hi, 1Bassleft.
      It`s lighter than my CIJ `62 re-ish Strat, and that`s pretty light.
      I`m waiting on a 6mm trem arm and an extra trem spring then I`ll record some tracks with it.
      I`m not a rocker, I`m into Shadows music and other instrumental stuff.
      When replacing the pup selector I found that I still had the one off my old `69 Strat. I might see what I can get for it on Ebay 😉

    • #68346
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Thanks for putting those in, olemuso. There have been CMI strats featured here before but my Imagestation account got wiped with little warning and are now lost in the ether. There is one on eBay at the moment. It’s done the rounds with an optimistic 499 quid BIN and also attracted no bids with a 249 start. Left to normal bidding, they fetch upwards of 150 and I consider that a bit of a bargain (not as good as your bargain, though 😆 ).

      I don’t think they were offered au naturale so yours might be stripped by a previous. Nice looking two-piece and the grain is too interesting to be alder. more likely ash. Is it quite heavy? If not, it could be swamp ash which would have been imported into Japan. Nice guitar.

    • #68353
      olemuso
      Participant

      This is what it looks like now.

      #http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b165/olemuso/Forum/CMI-April5.jpg

      New plate, selector, block & saddles and strap buttons. Had to redo the wiring but it sounds fine now.

    • #68322
      olemuso
      Participant
    • #68327
      olemuso
      Participant

      Hi all.
      I just bought, at local auction a dirty, rusty, smelly CMI guitar. Which is why I came here (from Google).
      It`s a Strat shape with a maple neck and board, 3-way pup selector and white scratch plate… not sure how many ply cos the previous owner has drawn and painted all over it, including round the edges.
      The logo is the block type and it says “ARTIST MODEL” alongside it, then “Complete Solid Body”. The neck plate says “MADE IN JAPAN” but I can`t see a serial or model number.

      I plugged it in and it appears that the pups are working but the electrics are pretty sad, needing cleaning or replacing. I think the amount of rust says it all.

      I`ll take some photos and post them. I haven`t seen a Stat type CMI on here, is mine the first? 🙂

      Gonna strip it now and see if can get it working to any standard.

      By the way, I got it for £9.38p 😀

    • #68332
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Setneck ES175 recently sold on eBay again. Marshall Cmi with the elongated “C”.

      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190281727031&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

    • #68339
      1bassleft
      Participant

      There have been a few CMIs on eBay, pretty similar to stuff discussed previously so I haven’t updated, but here’s something different:

      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110299898302&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

      Even though the Bigsby is an add-on, this is a very nice ES175 copy, with a set neck (I’ve seen a couple of LP setnecks in the past). Elongated C-style “CMI” logo.

    • #68350
      Goodge
      Participant
    • #68335
      Goodge
      Participant
    • #68333
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Goodge,
      Have a read of the sticky “posting pics on Guitarsite” and that’ll tell you how to post up pics of your guitar and your Selmer amp. If you wish to PM me, just follow the same procedure and I can collect from there. Alternatively, I can tell you my email address on PM and you can simply attach pics to your email.

    • #68338
      Goodge
      Participant

      Thats great, thanks for the reply, your a real detective!
      Bit busy gigging this weekend but will get some pics sorted and get them to you early next week. Where do I email to?

      Cheers,

      http://www.myspace.com/thegoodges
      http://www.thegoodges.co.uk

    • #68340
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Hello Goodge, welcome to the forum 🙂

      Steve Russell emailed me personally (I’ve helped him a bit with his Britamps site) to say that the “Chicago” CMI link with Selmer did not, in his opinion, involve guitars or basses. None of his Selmer catalogues makes any reference to offering guitars and basses. Your “extended C” CMI Tele will definitely be a Cleartone Musical Instrument, made in Japan and imported by Terry Marshall. Although I still cannot get a definitive “Yes, these were made at Fuji-Gen Gakki, like the other great Japanese lawsuit era instruments” answer, I am getting more confident they probably were in the later 70s. I have seen CMI copies of Gibsons with set-necks and FGG were one of the few Japanese makers at that time who were doing this.

      If you have an unlisted Selmer amp (solid state or otherwise) with pics, please send me a PM including your email address. I’ll make sure that Steve gets your info so that it can be added to his site.

    • #68360
      Goodge
      Participant

      In trawling through the many posts on this thread I have just seen a telecaster (although mine has not got ‘artist model’ on the headstock and has different pick up arrangements and hardware).
      I also saw 1bassleft saying about talking to steve russell about selmer amps selling guitars under the CMI brand after being taken over by the Chicago Music company.
      Well I am trying to get hold of Steve Russell as I have a rare Selmer practice amp from the seventies which he mentions on his sight but says they know little about.
      Well it my be of interest to note that this CMI telecaster was bought at the same time as the Selmer Futurama M 10 Solid State practice amp as a package in the late seventies! Does this lead to a connection or is it just a coincident?

    • #68334
      Goodge
      Participant

      Hi, I’ve recently been given a black CMI Telecaster shaped guitar from my brother in law which he says he bought new in the late seventies. It has the square extended C logo as pictured on one of the Les Pauls in the pics on this form thread.

      Can anyone tell me anything about this? Is it a Cleartone or Chicago Music Company guitar?
      And Can anyone tell me, is Cleartone basically now Ibanez and Chicago company is linked with Marshall/Gibson/Epiphone?

      Cheers

    • #68367
      ger5791
      Participant

      found your site coz i have just acquired a CMI guitar but there’s no any label attached inside the body, was wondring what year and model is it…attached some pics of it..really gives great sound…loved it and oh, bought it at a bootfair and was really so lucky to have bought it, was really worth more than what ive paid for it:D
      #http://s316.photobucket.com/albums/mm336/ger5791/th_DSC09455.jpg

      #http://s316.photobucket.com/albums/mm336/ger5791/th_DSC09457.jpg

    • #68330
      1bassleft
      Participant

      The J200 copy like myfoot’s was taken off fleeb – probably for a “Gibson” reference. I think it’s back, cleverly featuring “Gibson strings” in the title:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190231905983&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

    • #68331
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Being a lefty myself, I kept an eye on that Les Paul:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380014106188&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:GB:1123

      I’m guessing it has a bolt-on neck but, even so, you got it for a good price. It has the “extended C” logo that coincides with their amps that were made around ’76-’77 (but possibly all the way to ’79) and, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve seen curly, cMi logos with the star over the “i” on pretty low-budget Japanese models. I must take my camera into school to take a pic of the bass that one of my pupils has. However, if Robin’s cMi was bought new in 1980, that has to be among the last of the brand. Marshall ditched all those other brands once the Rose-Morris exclusive deal ran out in 1979. Park was resurrected in the ’90s for Korean-made combos, but CMI has remained dormant.

      Or did you get the cMi, lefty Les Paul?
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-CMi-Les-Paul-copy-left-hand-electric-guitar_W0QQitemZ250228128556QQihZ015QQcategoryZ20987QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      There is a bolt-on “extended C” EB0 bass copy currently on Fleeb:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CMI-Gibson-copy-EB0-Short-Scale-Bass-Guitar_W0QQitemZ380012153165QQihZ025QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      and a J200 copy acoustic like myfoot’s:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-CMI-J200-STYLE-JAPANESE-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ160175781554QQihZ006QQcategoryZ2385QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

      This would have had the “extended C” logo. The seller says CMI was the same as Antoria and Ibanez but we’re talking Music Ground, who are not averse to saying anything to boost the price.

      A 6-12 SG twin neck that failed to sell has the “extended C” logo:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110231920373&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

      The interesting bit is that a twin-neck collector was sure that these were made by Nippon Gakki and could date the CMI to 1975 from the serial numbers on the necks. I’ll try to contact the seller and informer for more info.

    • #68325
      BADELVIS
      Participant

      Just got hands on a left handed CMi Les Paul. It’ a beauty! I am wondering if this could be connected with Antoria. Both were British makes (don’t get me started on the modern Antoria label) and made at the same factory. I know Ibanez are also in the mix. I’ve also got an Antoria Rockstar from about the same time and the build quality seems similar.
      Incidently, I also bought an Epiphone Les Paul Special II and I’ve already sold it on (it’s a little project I’ve set myself). Not a chance of selling the CMi. I must say that these 70’s British/Japanese babies have certainly got something.

    • #68365
      robin
      Participant

      Hi ……………………..please ignore this entry , it was my first attempt to update the forum and it was blocked for some reason…………………….
      …only to pop up again later………it is really a duplicate of my longer entry……………………………………….
      .. I just stumbled across the threads for CMI guitars………I have two in my collection , both LP copies left handed . One has the curly logo with
      star , its a red sunburst which I bought new around 1980 from a shop I think was called Abercorn music near Woking..?????….never managed to
      find them again. Saw an ad. in Exchange & Mart for left handed guitars .
      I had a choice of two , the sunburst or a black one . Paid around £150 I think but I did a part exchange with a l/h Grimshaw .
      The second one is a dark brown sunburst which a friend found at a car boot sale five years ago . This one has the squarer logo and I always
      thought that this was simply an earlier production model . Both have the same headstock profile and tuners . Both have the ‘made in Japan’ on the neck plate . Both also have heavily filed frets , which needed quite a lot of shaping with fret files etc. to restore a rounded top shape .
      There are differences however , the older? brown one has r/h pots wired the same as for a r/h guitar , hence the pots turn clockwise to increase
      volume or treble , drives me nuts as it is back to front . I eventually changed the pots and screened with copper tape etc. star earthing too..its a quiet guitar now ..no hum..
      The newer? red one has r/h pots wired as for a l/h guitar , so the volume and treble increase in the correct sense ,but always seemed too coarse , I only recently realised that the pots were wrong when I did some resistance measurements , I am in the process of rewiring this guitar now.
      …….I was then stunned to find that my Epiphone LP also has the wrong pots fitted , again I was puzzled by the apparent coarse controls , which acted more like an on/off switch , and have now proved by measurement that it has the logarithmic pots for a r/h guitar , instead of the ANTI-LOG pots which should be fitted in a l/h guitar ….?????????????…..too bad its out of warranty or I could take it back I guess….?????….
      I could quite believe that the two CMI came from the same factory as construction seems identical , the main part of the body is solid with a ply wood arched section glued to the front , the red one has more edge trim and gold plated parts , which adds to my theory that it was a later model..???

    • #68368
      1bassleft
      Participant

      😯 , Robin. This has thrown me a bit. A few apols; one is that I didn’t notice your previous two text posts when I placed mine (a new page can do that to me sometimes). Secondly, and this apol is to anybody looking in on this thread, for all the dead links to pics in my posts. I know that eBay removes pics after a while, so I would cart them across to Sony’s Imagestation for a permanent home. Not so permanent; Imagestation has got out of hosting, taking my pics with it.

      The reason why I took curly cMi to be early Cleartone is that so many of them tended to be pretty low-budget Japanese guitars. True, I’ve seen good cMi guitars like yours, but I took them to be better-sourced and a transition to the CMI block logo. A girl at my school has a “cMi” bass and it is identical to my “Yamato” (apart from colour). Dodgy body wood, two-saddle bridge, nasty knobs and tuners and a Telecaster-sized, metal covered pup instead of anything resembling a bass pickup. Typical of early 70s Japanese budget makes.

      Also, while every cMi had a “Made in Japan” neckplate, CMIs tended to have a blank plate; yours is the first I think I’ve seen. Quite recently, I saw genuine setneck LP copies and these had the CMI logo. Hmmm, you’ve certainly turned my head upside down, Robin. Thanks for all the trouble you’ve taken with pics etc. I thought this thread was dying down but it looks like I need to do a lot more webhunting now 🙂

      Incidentally, a twin-neck 6/12 SG copy, with the CMI block logo and bolt-on necks, has just come onto eBay:

      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110231920373&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

    • #68336
      robin
      Participant
    • #68349
      robin
      Participant

      #http://www.robinjclark.com/USERIMAGES/DSCN1202.JPG
      #http://www.robinjclark.com/USERIMAGES/DSCN1203.JPG

      here are the pics as requested , ignore the compensated nuts , I fitted those…..

    • #68362
      1bassleft
      Participant

      That’s interesting, Robin. 1980 would be among the last of the CMI guitars. A curly logo, you say? I thought they were early versions (many of the English cMi appear to be less convincing Japanese copies) whereas the CMI with the long C wrapped over the blockprint MI strikes me as later (1975 onwards).

      I’m a lefty myself, and would be very grateful if you could put pics of your LPs up on this thread.

      On another note, I’ve only just found out that Standel amplifiers in El Monte, CA, have a long history going back much further than their brief ownership by CMI (Chicago, not Cleartone) in 1973-4. Their’s more to them than the SG Systems hybrids suggest, and they have started remaking their 50s models. Have a look at their website:
      http://www.standelamps.com/about_us/story/story_p09.html

    • #68329
      robin
      Participant

      …also both have a 500k linear pot for volumes…..and 500k logarithmic for the tone controls…however on the older? (brown) one the controls were wired in r/h fashion , ie increasing clockwise , as this is opposite to all my other guitars I changed the pots and the wiring generally , to work in l/h fashion , added copper screening tape and star earthing . Now it is a nice quiet guitar with no hum …..
      …the newer?(red) one had controls working in the l/h fashion , but with a log control for the tones instead of an anti-log as it should have been …they act like a switch , and go instantly from bass to treble with no graduation ……..they had to go and I recently rewired this guitar also in the same manner , copper tape etc. so now both guitars function in the same manner . The older?(brown) one has a slightly cleaner tone from the pickups , whereas the newer?(red) one has a more muddy sound..

    • #68356
      robin
      Participant

      The second one is a brown sunburst which a friend found at an auction five years ago , it has the squarer logo , which I have always taken to be an earlier model…
      ..there are many similarities which led me to this conclusion…….
      ..the headstock shape and the truss rod covers are identical…as are the tuners..
      ..the main body construction is the same , mainly solid with an arched plywood section glued to the front…
      ..the frets were heavily filed on both , need some shaping to restore a rounded top shape…
      …both have ‘made in japan’ stamped in identical manner on the neck plate…

    • #68359
      robin
      Participant

      just found this forum and can tell you about my two CMi guitars…..
      I have two LP CMI copies left-handed..
      One I purchased new from a shop I think called Abercorn Music near Woking somewhere . I found the shop advertising in Exchange and Mart
      I had a choice of two , a black one or the red sunburst I chose…this has the newer curly logo………..I paid around £150 but did a part ex. with a left handed Grimshaw so not too sure……this was spring 1980…

    • #68326
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I got an interesting Q in the acoustics section, linking Maya to a luthier called Tahara. Doing a search turned up some interesting info here:
      http://www.ezfolk.com/forums/forum16/762-1.html

      Maya was a brand name buying from various sources, with varying quality. It’s possible that CMI (Marshall) was dealing with Maya (or, more accurately, Rokkoman) rather than direct with factories given the similarities between their guitars. The high quality of the CMI 12-string may be a result of the work of Tahara-san.

      Watching the auctions, SG Systems (Standel, CA) amps are not fetching money. Complete combos (6×10, 2×15 and 4×12) fail to attract bids with a $300 start and the chassis taken from a 610 sold for just under $115.

      CMI Marshall amps, made in Bletchley, attract much more bidding but sellers put fantasy land start prices or reserves on them. A 50W Lead/Bass, similar to my 100W, started at $1800 and was pulled, possibly because the seller got an offer. I’m sure it’s the same one that had a $2000 BIN and failed to exceed $1200 a coupla times. A 2×12″ Bluesbreaker-style combo, sold by a Plexi Palace member I know of, went to $2750 without reaching its reserve:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280191242189&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=018

      Interestingly, a speaker and a chassis code dates the amp to 1974; that’s two years earlier than the CMI name is supposed to have been used by Marshall (note that PA head above that I said was more likely ’79 than ’74. Maybe I’m wrong).
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280191242189&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=018

      CMI (Marshall) guitars have come up, including setneck Gibson copies. A twinbucker Telecaster (’72 style) was an excellent copy and fetched a respectable 172 pounds sterling. Note that this (like all other quality CMIs I’ve seen) does not feature “Made in Japan” on the neckplate as the earlier, tackier CMI/Maya/Yamato types do. A change of factory, I reckon:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160200104430&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006

    • #68341
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I didn’t see either of those, myfoot; thanks for bringing them to my attention. It’s nice to know that the SG CMI heads are fairly prevalent and (better still, for my interest) not expensive. If I were to go for one, I’d prefer to have all that mad FX stuff to compensate for the SS preamp. Interesting items, thanks.

    • #68366
      myfoot
      Participant

      I actually saw a few of those 1b. I had my eye on that marshall/cmi pa head just to see what it went for . There was actually a few sgs as well. The 2 I watched got up to $ 300 and didn’t hit the reserve.
      Did you miss this one 1b? I thought of you when I saw it.
      http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-SG-TUBE-BASS-AMP-AMPLIFIER-HEAD-GIBSON-STANDEL_W0QQitemZ300094662510QQcategoryZ121159QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
      Went for $124.25
      #http://i19.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/90/a5/5631_1_b.JPG

      I was gone when this one ended but thought of dropping a bid on it as well
      http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220094848238&sspagename=ADME:L:RTQ:US:1

    • #68371
      1bassleft
      Participant

      An absolute plethora of CMI and related gear up on Fleeb that I haven’t got around to putting up. Let’s start off with this El Monte (Standel) SG systems CMI amp chassis:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pb594074efc344c5dd5a324977ec06b74/ea1a3907.jpg

      This is a frustrating one for me because I planned to purchase it. As myfoot will tell you, the full combos are notoriously hefty and it would be murder to ship one across the pond to me. This was just the bare chassis, that might be feasible to ship, and a starting bid of $99. I asked my mate in CA to bid for it but his electrician managed to knock out his entire wiring on the day of the auction. It went to a single bid for the $99 😡 . I even have one of the 8417 power tubes in my stash but, as mentioned previously, it could be set up to run 6550s or KT88s without much trouble. Anyway, here are a few more pics so that you can see the wiring and circuit boards for these amps. All of the 100W types, AFAIK are alike and only differ in their speaker content. Valve/tube power section (12AX7 phase inverter) and a solid-state preamp including phaser, reverb and other stuff. Would’ve been an interesting bass head I think.

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p59415f131646ec5d56ecde08dd6199e0/ea1a3902.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pb1fc00191a139601b8304cddc142128e/ea1a38ff.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8af587a005bd4410ccb4bb95e381517c/ea1a3901.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pb91fcdb2b496ab2604c26d91aab7427a/ea1a38fc.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p079cfdd79659dc989fb6875ed9135364/ea1a38f0.jpg

      Moving on, a Cleartone (Marshall) CMI PA 50W came up for sale in the USA. I advised my CA mate to consider a bid, but the seller pulled, probably expecting much bigger bids to come in. The external design is very similar to my 100W Lead/Bass:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd1aaacc3747093d140107bbd9171e224/ea1a391b.jpg

      but the internals are very different, and I don’t just mean the obvious fact that there are more inputs as you’d expect for a PA. This amp is not P2P turret-board wired like mine, but has a PCB and the chassis seems to have been factory-cut to accomodate it:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pce4b6ebe4a1408fba272547aa2e7cf95/ea1a3918.jpg

      Although the seller says the factory sticker says June 1974, I doubt it. I haven’t seen a pre-1976 CMI Marshall and (as I mentioned) the usual ’76-’77 CMIs are P2P wired, even though proper Marshalls and even Parks were PCB designs by 1976. I suspect the date on the sticker is actually 1979 (ties in with the PCB) but this, in itself, is interesting. CMI amps are supposed to have died out by 1977, although the guitars continued up to 1979 or 1980. Now, it appears, the amp brand continued longer than thought:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa69d6e325cd57735564b202845a96aab/ea1a390f.jpg

      Staying with Cleartone/Marshall, a number of pedals have come up. This is a clean-looking Fuzz-Wah-Swell:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p3ce93d918c1da7387cc0dd6104618ad5/ea1a391d.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pb71937b328dc0274341eb6f3207cd949/ea1a391c.jpg

      The seller reckons this was made by Sola Sound of London but bizarrely stated this was badged for “Chorley Musical Industries”; a Marshall offshoot. I live not far from the Lancashire town of Chorley, where excellent cakes are made but no amps and pedals that I know of. This pedal sold for a hefty 185 pounds Sterling and the buyer is a Park/Marshall collector I’m acquainted with.

      A dustier but similar one went earlier for 112 Sterling:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p56ff687b56d5299c78c048757823b742/ea1a38b9.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p9ea71a54be52e609e99c8bc0826d7c56/ea1a38bb.jpg

      For comparison, there is a Colorsound auction running at the moment:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230110301466&ssPageName=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX&refitem=330089359794&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget

      Final Cleartone pedal is a Fuzz unit that, for some reason had the DPDT switch replaced. The replacement wasn’t fitted where the original was but drilled through the CMI logo:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/ped2f9f4031aea7737fe6107eb8a10f44/ea1a3883.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p6696e70bfc0ef52f1d0cc06baa76719d/ea1a387e.jpg
      This didn’t prevent it fetching a whopping 208 Sterling, and again my Park-collector acquaintance was the high bidder.

      There have also been a couple of solid-state CMI Cleartone amps. These never fetch much and this first one was got by our very own mjet260, as much for the logo plate as anything:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd65812d8627946b1572d700fb00253ee/ea1a38ec.jpg
      and it’s the same model as a tidier example seen earlier in this thread.

      Also around (recently relisted) is a SS 100W Lead/Bass head:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p000345d6a8e20d7bbe876cfcd72f87e4/ea1a38e1.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p0d12032f2aa4d50f5a2b436fd68e746a/ea1a38da.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pdbbc1fa13ff09193be3457c6c6f99b3f/ea1a38e0.jpg

      I’ve spotted guitars/basses, and most of these are Cleartone CMIs, not the US market ones. Another 12-string, similar to the ones posted earlier here, sold (a fake Gibson logo was put on the headstock) for 149 Sterling. The seller stated this was made at Matsumoku. Again, I have to say I have never got the evidence for these Ibanez-factory etc claims that usually crop up on eBay sales:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd56432b76224490fd9f30b16614663b9/ea1a38ab.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p94e2cd105e428e527309af8187d2736f/ea1a38aa.jpg
      Although Ibanez did copy the J200, so did Maya (albeit far less convincingly) and I’ve mentioned before the similarities of Maya and Yamato to early CMIs. This retailer is selling a 1973 Maya J200:
      http://www.johnjohnrecords.com/html/instruments.html

      This Cleartone Gold Top sold for around 150 Sterling, which is better than recent CMI Gibson copies.
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe2367b1642ba90abe6d2f6302b06eec5/ea1a38ca.jpg
      Still I don’t think it was yet more Ibanez talk that pushed the price up so much as the retrofitted Ibanez tuners and a pair of Dimarzio buckers. Bolt-on or not, these CMI Gibbos look good value for the money they sell at.
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pec0b9dbf26b387cc5e6a3406337610ff/ea1a38bf.jpg

      A twin-neck CMI fetched a good 300+ Sterling price, but the pics weren’t very helpful:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p549245f850f4e0379f481680b1769674/ea1a3891.jpg

      I’ll finish off with a bit of Maya and Yamato guitars. I saw this lefty Maya Strat which looks more modern and a closer copy than is usually the case with them:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe97f97e64884348a10b1e46b51deb83c/ea1a5a6c.jpg
      but note the excessive black on the sunburst, particularly around the forearm shave. That’s a giveaway of a plywood body.

      A Yamato Mustang-style guitar is much more typical of that early 70s, not very convincing copy, look. Despite the dogy hardware, the neck is once again a nice-looking bit of maple:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4563f91424503b6810804189a5dd1a18/ea1a3892.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8288150d9504b8dfa83dcfb3038fa45f/ea1a389a.jpg

      and a Spanish seller has a near-mint one:
      #http://www.ellos.ws/pics/yamato8.jpg
      #http://www.ellos.ws/pics/yamato5.jpg

      A bass with what I consider to be the US-market Chicago CMI logo turned up in Germany (with the usual, pointy, 80s looks):
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p706ed6b1d1142e086e481127588d036e/ea1a38df.jpg

      And finally, just to really annoy me, I saw this oddball CMI clock. Now, in the US, CMI is Chicago Musical Instruments, right? We all know that. So I was a bit thrown out by this:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p628ceccf8bc4b8164b5c26f1f7ebfe70/ea1a3887.jpg

      It turns out that this CMI operates from Nashville, TN, right at this moment; selling keyboards and drums. Another CMI is all I need 🙄

    • #68348
      myfoot
      Participant

      picture lost so edited post

    • #68369
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I’ve seen it listed before, myfoot. I’m surprised Rick’s lawyers don’t jump on it; they’re like Rottweilers if they see their name mentioned on another bass (plus, they don’t hand out those rod covers lightly, either). For me, I don’t understand why CMI is mentioned. AFAIK, CMI (England) 4001-types were bolt-on necks. So were Greco, but this is a thru-neck which makes it a bit of an unusually high quality copy. Still, £499 is having a bit of a laugh.

    • #68345
      myfoot
      Participant

      I’m pretty confused by this one…it says Ibanez/cmi in the posting but the headstock says rickenbocker ( 😛 ) May be one for your collection 1b
      http://cgi.ebay.com/Ibanez-CMI-1970s-Vintage-4003-bass-guitar_W0QQitemZ110078506629QQihZ001QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      #http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/myfoot/9c97_12.jpg

      EDIT: the mystery is solved
      [quote]Rickenbacker truss rod cover (non original as original Ibanez/CMI one is missing)[/quote]

      EDIT Again ..isn’t there a post for something like this?
      [quote]
      Starting bid: GBP 499.00
      (Approximately US $976.89) [/quote]

    • #68343
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Another US-market CMI is on ebay; low-end “estate find” type of guitar:

      #http://i23.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/84/b8/68c8_1.JPG
      #http://i2.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/84/b8/6df6_1.JPG

      Apart from the beat-up looks, it’s in common with some other 60s Japan US CMIs seen before (loosely styled on a Fender Mustang) and has the logo found on pretty much all Chicago guitars, up to the 80s-styled instruments previously noted.

      http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130069182849&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:UK:

    • #68357
      1bassleft
      Participant

      😮 , hmmm. I was obviously way out on my “yours would probably fetch £100”, then. In defence, most perfectly decent solid-bodied CMI electrics don’t fetch much more and I thought the acoustic would have less “Marshall” appeal. HST, a very pretty 12-string like that one would appeal to many. I’m not qualified to do bazouki recommendations, you’ll not be surprised to hear 🙂

    • #68363
      MicroSark
      Participant

      It went for 205 GBP.

      Still undecided about selling mine, unless someone knows of a good deal on a bouzouki/mandola (electro/acoustic preferably).

    • #68324
      MicroSark
      Participant

      It will be interesting to see what that 12 string goes for. Mine is (I think, but I’m biased) in better condition overall. That one looks as if its suffered some unfortunate fading, unless thats just the lighting. Thanks for the heads-up.

      I’m in a ‘not selling it’ mood at the moment as I made the mistake of picking the damn thing up and playing it again . I’ll just have to buy a bigger house.

    • #68364
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Sarky, there is another CMI 12-string on ebay UK right now – very much like yours. Keep a watch on it while I try and organize its pictures up to here. The only thing about it is that the neck looks like beech and I’m not keen on the lacquer in some shots – I don’t know if it’s bad photography or some DIY refinish.
      #http://www.photomusic.co.uk/musical_gear/12string_main.jpg
      #http://www.photomusic.co.uk/musical_gear/12string_6.jpg
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-String-Jumbo-Acoustic-Vintage-CMI-1970s-Guitar_W0QQitemZ280054247019QQihZ018QQcategoryZ141186QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      Greg, great to see you in here and thanks for your kind comments – it’s a bit of a love-labour for me, having spent fruitless ages trying to find info on all the CMI story. 1976 was when Marshall started producing CMI amps and – I suspect – when that logo appeared. I’m now thinking that the “cMi” logo pre-dates the introduction of the amps. Whereas many cMi types are a bit crude and not very close copies, there is a Strat on ebay UK with a cMi logo that is pretty smart. I think this is one from the change of factory (or at least a change of specification) but just prior to the 1976 logo.
      #http://i16.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/7a/3d/a55c_12.JPG
      #http://i6.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/7a/3d/a73c_12.JPG
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-CMI-Marshall-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-Japan_W0QQitemZ260056937592QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      Duncan, we love GAS-sufferers here at G-site. Up at the top, near this thread, you’ll see a sticky of mine “how to post pics on Guitarsite”. Please do get the camera pointing at your basses and put them into the bass category – new topic very welcome. The general guitar cat will welcome pics of the six-stringers, too. What the heck, put some keyboards into “Accident and Emargency” just to complete the set 🙂

      Other CMI on the Fleeb. A Marshall-CMI LPS failed to make it’s £150 BIN:
      #http://i7.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/7a/23/7968_1.JPG
      #http://i3.ebayimg.com/06/i/000/7a/23/82af_1.JPG

      A US-market CMI bass, even allowing for malfunctioning P-pup and “so-what” 90s Korean looks, sold for an incredibly low $25:
      #http://i8.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/79/dd/22bb_1.JPG

      And a tale of two pedals. This Maestro Fuzztone is from Illinois and US-CMI, selling for just under $165. It’s obviously similar to the footswitch on myfoot’s Standel CMI amp from ca page 4 of this thread:
      #http://i20.ebayimg.com/02/i/08/ba/5b/d5_1.JPG

      while this Marshall-CMI phaser sold for a very reasonable £26. Note that this ped was made in Japan, despite Bletchley’s undoubted ability to knock up one itself if they’d’ve been inclined:
      #http://i10.ebayimg.com/03/i/08/a5/e6/e6_1.JPG

    • #68337
      MicroSark
      Participant

      I think the guitar shop was Jack Brentnalls.

      I think I might have actually played that particular guitar while it was for sale in that shop – I played just about everything else they had in there at the time.

      My CMI 12 string was from Clements.

      Good to hear from another Nottinghamian!

    • #76687
      greglock
      Participant

      Oops! Pasted in the thumbnail urls instead of the main pics! Let’s try again.
      #http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwCZDyQX35Zw*I4R6p*w!RyBskZUhp3v9FW34tuk6b3IMnAzC94JK2!M7cywZjP7StSA!nXNrZbbcIbwrNV!Dh8Hryb1om7IXeEfnwnlUQI9Ruqli35FJsgWk!p3P2oG/2006_1127_175657.JPG#http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwCZDyAX2ZVw*I4R6p*w!VaYipoEAp9gzIwQt8fZQjdR90mfpZIMPWbYDsmTA9rdGLJlJdeGjX8OWDHPjh6LEgvq8eUenKNv*Z14RSruztKrMvieHtZPc0wRzhHBfDF8/2006_1127_175833.JPG
      #http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwCZDxgXr5Nw*I4R6p*w!UKjfu!805WHbkUphSyJViaBjVtTYmrrUYh66sh6spyAu8LDegxZ3r5ZTN9VIEQ63k*AYh2hNXsrathqYcZifldyepxevL8QAMCvahUrTbyc/2006_1127_180046.JPG#http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwA5DxoXNJRw*I4R6p*w!YAtuVI866GRwr99rK!I9gJ0t4mv10oxnQvAfjgu2d!WIt7zG2IALlybPsejXcPqlnCRQEMXJmcoseadZeth98tv2J2t27wJjG4kdDwNnc*U/2006_1127_180219.JPG
      I’m pretty sure I bought it around ’76 – I remember it being about £105-110 – quite a lot of dosh then.
      Microsark – it was the music shop on Market Street around where Selectadisc/SuperFi are now, can you remember its name? I think Clement pianos was at the bottom of Derby Rd.
      It’s in good condition and has a lovely neck and action. I’ve had a couple of breaks from playing, and also have a couple of other guitars, so it’s not been overused.
      I’ve just had it set up again and the frets polished by Callum at Zebra Muzik in Ilkeston, and he’s done a lovely job. Just the switch needed replacing. Other than that it’s as new. I’ll definitely play it more often now, and it’s been great to find out a bit more about it.

    • #76709
      greglock
      Participant

      😀 Delighted to report another Nottingham cmi – a Les Paul bought from new around 30 years ago. I’ve taken some quick pics and hope they can be seen OK.
      #http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/3C/30/GregandJaneLock/f/1c7.jpg
      #http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/3C/30/GregandJaneLock/f/1c8.jpg
      #http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/3C/30/GregandJaneLock/f/1c9.jpg
      #http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/3C/30/GregandJaneLock/f/1ca.jpg
      I’ll post some more info soon, but have found this forum a great read

    • #126745
      duncandisorderly
      Participant

      well, I had a feeling I’d finally arrived at the right place. thank you for the kind welcome. I should warn you- I have around 28 basses now, 8 guitars & about 30 keyboards of one sort or another. fender, rickenbacker, ibanez, moog, mellotron…. you get the picture. GAS gone mad, but I am also a working musician- 2nd career anyway.

      I wrote recently to a “guitar guru” (see what I did there?) from whom I’d bought a couple of tokai strats, to see if he knew anything about yamato. he didn’t mention the battleship, though I already knew about that… 🙂 but he did venture that the japanese manufacturers of the late 70s were given to experimenting with branding to the degree that if someone wanted a guitar range with their pet dog’s name on it as a “brand”, it would likely happen.
      anyway.
      my yamato was a respectable but skinny white jazz replica with reasonable pickups & hardware, except for the tuners. I changed these for schallers, but andy’s (of denmark street) only had the 2+2 sets, so two of them go backwards. it’s been like that since 1983, & I’m sort of used to it now. sometime in 1984, I decided that the thing was too skinny (feedback problems), & (on student money at the time) I acquired a no-name precisionish japanese instrument with a rubbish neck. this thing was in a rather fetching sparkly salmon pink.
      so the yamato neck, with it’s excellent finish & black blocks, was fastened to this hideous pink body with a small gap between the end of the neck & the end of the neck pocket.
      but for some modification to the scratchplate (to show off more of the pink), the addition of a 1/4 pounder (to make it louder) & a bass-cut switch, this is how my favourite bass is to this day. & it is my favourite despite competition from a 1974 4001 & a bunch of other desirables.
      I will post a pic when I’ve got one that does it justice & when I figure out how. again, many thanks.

      duncan.

    • #76676
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Of all people, I’m having some problems with uploading pictures at the moment. For now, I’ll just leave it at saying that CMI on the Fleeb (that’s ebay.com and ebay.co.uk) have items worth a look at. Just search “CMI” in guitars and you’ll see them. Click on “completed listings” too. I’ll try and sort pictures in the meantime…

    • #126744
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Hello Duncan and welcome. As a fellow Bassman, you’re also particularly welcome in our Bass Cat, too. This is as good a place, probably only, for Yamato info. I own one and, the reason it cropped up in this thread, is the great similarity they have to early cMi basses that I’m now fairly sure were imported by Marshall.

      Yamatos and Mayas were definitely made in Japan (incidentally, both brands share names with Japanese WWII warships) and tended to have unbelieveably horrible hardware, particularly the pups, tuners and bridge. Hang on, the knurled-metal knobs are awful, too. A Japanese factory must have been turning these out along with the cMi guitars and I very much doubt that it was Fuji-Gen Gakki or Nippon Gakki. My Yamato is vaguely Precision styled, with a body of odd-looking wood (also considerably thinner than stock Fender) and a copy of a Telecaster pickup. As you can imagine, it sounds nothing like a Precision.

      The reason why I still have it is because the neck is fantastic. It doesn’t have the block markers (I wish it did) but it is a beauty of rock maple, maple fingerboard and dot markers (Precision nut width, which I prefer) and that lovely vintage gloss finish that’s out of fashion now (I never find it as slow as people make out) but looks fantastic. Like you, I plan to put it together with a body, hardware and electronics that will do it justice. I have some Schaller M4 minikeys (in black) that should fit but I’d prefer to keep a more vintage look. I seem to remember Schaller also do keys with thin posts that’ll fit, but with larger machineheads.

      If you can post up a pic of your bass, I’d be interested.

    • #126743
      duncandisorderly
      Participant

      new here, bit of a bass collection going on (27 & counting) but the one I never knew much about & which I would scramble to rescue at the expense of all those ricks & fenders is….. a yamato.
      so have I come to the right place for info?
      actually, to be totally accurate, it’s a yamato neck now. I discarded the jazz body because it was too insubstantial & I had feedback problems. the neck is now on a precision-ish body of early 80s origin- probably an ibanez, because fender scratchplates won’t fit it.
      the original yamato was a jazz replica. maple board, black block markers. cheap nasty tuners (I have seen the exact same thing earlier in this thread on a CMI), which I swapped out for mini schallers (& so two of them go the wrong way!). the neck is incredible- smooth, fast, comfortable.
      but I was never able to find out where it came from. I bought the jazzer 2nd hand in early 1983, told at the time that it had been someone’s spare.
      I have the recent fender version of the same thing (a geddy, in fact) & it’s just not the same. feels cheap, insubstantial, flakey…. & another fender jazz neck with pearl blocks is better, but if it gets a knock the blocks start to lift out.
      so who were yamato? what’s the CMI connection? & is there any connection with FGG or tokai?

      duncan.

    • #76699
      mjet260
      Participant

      [quote=”1bassleft”]Here’s a very nice CMI 50W PA that sold on eBay today for £155, not very much compared with the prices Marshall valve PAs fetch. I bid myself, but couldn’t keep up with the bids as money is a bit short right now. Ironically, this thread probably helped push its price up. If the winner looks in, say hello and let’s have more pics, please 🙂

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid214/pf4f83bbe3478c2e2e87c816212350d38/ed0a5ce1.jpg
      NB, in common with other CMI valve amps, there’s no standby switch. A bit of Marshall cost-cutting that’s not great for valve life, unfortunately. Still, the Mullards in mine lasted a decade and so have the St Petersburg Svets. That’s on a weekly rehearsal/monthlyish gig basis.[/quote]

      I also bid but didn’t win. I wrote to the winner and will hopefully get some more photos soon – this will be key in my refurbishing of my own “Marshall-ized” CMI 100w head.

    • #76680
      myfoot
      Participant

      I wiish I could edit…could have gotten all of this in one post 🙂
      Anyway look at this 1bass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farfisa
      Found this on a google search for transicord . I see I can edit while I am logged in for this session..No post whore here 😆

      #http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/images/farfisatranschord.jpg

    • #76689
      myfoot
      Participant

      Here is what I received back so far [quote]The big plug says transicord. The 1/4 inch plug says external speaker.[/quote] I thanked him and asked if he knew if it was a SS or tube and if he could up a picture of it with the back off.

    • #76711
      myfoot
      Participant

      I sent an email to the seller….I’m curious to what they are too 😛

    • #76663
      1bassleft
      Participant

      The big’un in the middle was what I thought might be an ohm-selector. Could be a footie, but that’s a blimmin’ big plug for it. I’ve just counted and realzed that the socket is a heptal, not octal. Hmmm. difficult to know for sure what everything does because of the distant pic.

    • #126742
      myfoot
      Participant

      #http://i5.ebayimg.com/02/i/08/e1/26/8c_1.JPG looks lke a power outlet and fuse…could the bigger plug in the middle be for a footswitch?

    • #76715
      1bassleft
      Participant

      As mentioned in the original post, I do like that acoustic. Now, here’s a Chicago CMI amp that I’ve never seen before. Hard to tell if it’s valve, but that does look like an impedance selector socket (missing the jumper plug) on the back panel so I’m assuming it’s valve. Unusual for a combo, but (if it is a selector) then it’s a provision for using external cabs.

      http://cgi.ebay.com/CMI-Gibson-Full-Range-AMP_W0QQitemZ290045817567QQihZ019QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/p4e3fe5bf81f0a7f1c021e65a624d487c/ec391edc.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/pe6a32b3615f608504bfa44a4b9d545c3/ec391ea1.jpg

    • #76654
      MicroSark
      Participant

      Finally managed to take some pics of my CMI J200 12 string. An unusual guitar that I’ve had from new for about 27 years.

      It plays really well, and has the sweetest action of any 12 string I’ve ever played.

      It suffered a headstock break when it was about 2 years old when my then brother-in-law dropped it. This was reapired by a good luthier and apart from a few indentations from the clamps he used on the back of the headstock you can’t see the repair.

      I fitted a Dean Markely Sweet Spot pickup in it a few years back, and it records really well with it. The tone of the guitar, thanks to the huge body is amazing.

      #http://mysite.orange.co.uk/marksguitars/IMGP4070.JPG

      #http://mysite.orange.co.uk/marksguitars/IMGP4073.JPG

      #http://mysite.orange.co.uk/marksguitars/IMGP4074.JPG

      #http://mysite.orange.co.uk/marksguitars/IMGP4076.JPG

      #http://mysite.orange.co.uk/marksguitars/IMGP4077.JPG

    • #76659
      1bassleft
      Participant

      For sale on eBay UK is a “Satellite” Les Paul copy, with references to it coming from the “lawsuit” Ibanez/CMI factory. I really dislike this kind of puffing up the price of a rubbish guitar with unsubstantiated sales pitch.

      Despite searching high and low, I have no positive information that 1970s CMI guitars were made at Nippon Gakki, Fuji-Gen Gakki or any other association with Ibanez, Greco, Tokai etc. I can tell you for sure that Satellite have nothing to do with Ibanez at all (nor CMI, AFAIK). I was around at the time and Satellite guitars were, and are, cheap rubbish and among the nastiest playing and sounding instruments a beginner could be unfortunate enough to own. The only “lawsuit” a Satellite ever got was from angry owners trying to get their money back from the guitar shop.

    • #76685
      1bassleft
      Participant

      By the 1980s, although plywood was commonly used for bodies, necks would by now be maple. The fretboard would either be maple (blonde wood) or, more commonly, the darker rosewood. Cheaper, more sustainable Indian Rosewood is more often used than Brazilian rosewood nowadays. Indian rosewood does not look as nice and, on lower-priced guitars, doesn’t look great at all, but basically does the job. Early Korean hardware can be a bit lacking in inspiring confidence, too. The jack socket, in particular, is a bane to live with.

    • #76747
      Eirik
      Participant

      Hmm… The only thing I can see on my bass that can give some clue as to where it is from is a serial number, 8908121. My bass’ body also seems to be of some kind of cheap plywood or something… The neck seems to be out of maple or something like that (As my bass has a thick layer of gloss paint I can only see the wood through small scratches and blems). That ebay auction with the same kind of bass that I have stated that the fretboard may be of rosewood, It may be possible (I’m no expert at this), but the wood looks kind of nasty… But that may also be becuase it’s really worn. The tuners also seem very cheap on my bass, and they look identical to those of that cMi jazz bass that SteveShark posted on page 1, the bridge that was on before I replaced it also looks very similiar, though mine was more of a silver colour.

    • #126741
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Here’s another early CMI US-market guitar, an E200 that looks to date from the late 60s or (more likely) 1970s. I’m assuming that these were imported and distributed by Chicago Musical Instruments and that this vintage would have been made in Japan (incidentally, Eirik – does your bass have any marking to establish country of manufacture?):

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/pe2ac2afb32f5b234c1bfcb6b9e7842e2/ec852686.jpg

      Obviously influenced by the Fender Mustang guitar, note how the US CMI logo is no different to later instruments such as Eirik’s. In common with some of the cheaper Japanese-made instruments of the 1970s, the neck may not be maple and note also the cheap tuners on this model:

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/pf39d8445ae133f3fbe58aeca7a69fb88/ec8525f8.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/p977154d97717fe869946f86b240f7994/ec8525a0.jpg

    • #76707
      Eirik
      Participant

      Haha… Then I got scammed when I bought this thing, I paid like $190 for it, but I did get a good amp with it.

      And your’e right, this is probably the best source of information on CMI, before I found this site, I didn’t even know there were more than one CMI 😀

    • #126739
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Wow, not as much as that catalogue supposedly is 😯 . I know it’s a 1934, but $400? Anyhoo, back to your bass – I’d be surprised if it goes much above $100 or 100 euros. There are so many brand new instruments from Korea and China that are decently made that sell for less than this amount that the 2nd hand 70s and 80s instruments have to have some reason to exceed this. The British CMI instruments may attract a Marshall fan or those persuaded by the Japanese copy reputation. I’m afraid the American CMI guitars do not have any such association and are probably just seen as no-name cheapies.

      All of the CMI info I’ve pieced together here came about from some dogged determination to make this thread the best place to get CMI info under one roof. I bought my CMI amp in 1981 and had a heckuva time finding out info and wanted to save others the trawl. Thanks to some brilliant contributions from others looking in and posting, this is probably the #1 on the list of most searches people might do when looking up these guitars and amps 😀

    • #76471
      Eirik
      Participant

      [quote=”1bassleft”]Hi Eirik,

      That bass looks typical of the 80s US CMI guitars I’ve seen (except for that finish – a bit like a Fender Antigua). All that I know is typed up on previous pages. I assume that the CMI is Chicago Musical Industries and, by this time, I would guess those instruments were made in Korea. A lot of that is guessing, though.[/quote]

      Thank you very much for the information, where did you find all this info on CMI? 😛 Iv’e been searching(googling) for what seems like an eternity and the best thing ive come up with is this CMI catalouge from 1934

      http://www.musurgia.com/products.asp?ProductID=734&CartID=7954031252004

      Are these basses worth any money (I’m going to sell mine)? The bridge that was on it seemed kind of crappy so I replaced it with a Fender bridge that I had laying around. I like the sound that it produces, though, I have always preffered passive pickups 🙂 .

    • #76562
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Hi Eirik,

      That bass looks typical of the 80s US CMI guitars I’ve seen (except for that finish – a bit like a Fender Antigua). All that I know is typed up on previous pages. I assume that the CMI is Chicago Musical Industries and, by this time, I would guess those instruments were made in Korea. A lot of that is guessing, though.

    • #126740
      Eirik
      Participant

      Hello

      I joined here googling after info on the American CMI. I happen to have one of these (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7417545667&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1 ) basses and the strange thing is that I live in Sweden and I got it from a Swedish auction site called Blocket.se. So I am really just asking for some info on the American CMI company and how the heck I ended up with this bass?

    • #76477
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Glad to hear it 😀 and thanks for all the input towards this thread. Keep looking in and, in fact, elsewhere round here 🙂

    • #76458
      myfoot
      Participant

      Yes sir ..new GUITAR cable took care of the problem Thanks so much for all your help.

    • #76463
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Excellent, thanks for the great pics 8) 😀 .

      On the other thing, don’t use amp-speaker cable to plug a guitar into the amp. Speaker cable is unshielded and it’ll sound horrible. It might just be enough to smother your piezo altogether. See if it works with the instrument cable.

    • #126737
      myfoot
      Participant
    • #76499
      myfoot
      Participant

      Yep, has Hi and Lo, I had him plug into both channnels and both HI and Lo and it made no difference. Anyway I went and bought a couple new cables (alll he has left around here are speaker cables ) so we’ll try it out today with those . Those pictures are still coming , I was cooking a hog yesterday and my wife forgot to pick the batteries up for me. And yes that hog was good 😛

    • #76456
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Hmm, that’s an odd one. Does the SG have “Hi” and “Lo” inputs? The preamp output from the AE will have a much lower impedance than a boggo guitar so the “Lo” input is a better bet. Even so, I have an active bass (again, preamp, not pup) and I plug it into vintage amps with no choice and it comes out just fine.

    • #126738
      myfoot
      Participant

      Won’t be long now for the pics..brought son home from college and he brought his camera with as I requested; batteries are dead 😯 anyway I’ll get some batteries and up pics probably later today . Question for the gurus : Why won’t his acoustic/electric play thru this amp? His strat ,sg and even his epi sheraton II play just fine ( very nicely I may add ) but his A/E does nothing. Is it because of active pickup? THe amp he uses at college (an old peavey tko ) plays just fine . Thanks for any info

    • #76559
      1bassleft
      Participant

      That’s a great piece of info for other Standel-CMI amp owners. I had read that support from Gibson et al for the products is still excellent. Unfortunately, Marshall don’t seem to mention their offshoots anymore (including their CMI) and I haven’t heard anybody praise the info available from them.

    • #126735
      myfoot
      Participant

      Shit , I was at daughters this morning and forgot to get her camera 😥
      @1bassleft I found this link today and thought of you (don’t know why)
      http://desmoines.craigslist.org/ele/209904537.html
      I was looking around my area trying to find parts for my amp and this turned up. Anyway I sent an email to Standel amps and got a reply from the president :

      Yes, Bob designed your amp. In fact, he was very proud of the SG amps.

      The 8417 was an incredible tube, designed at the end of the tube era by the
      old school designers and it had some really excellent specs. Because it
      came out so late, there were not too many products designed using it and
      there weren’t too many made. As a consequence, not many people or
      designer’s are deeply familiar with them. However, Bob always looking to
      take advantage of the best materials was very excited with it and really
      liked the results.

      Yes again, it is very likely you have the original speaker. I can say for
      sure that the Altec was an optional upgrade.

      And…Yes again, I would really appreciate a good copy of that schematic. I
      have the schematic Bob gave me, however, it’s not a very good copy.

      Good luck and best wishes,

      Danny McKinney-Pres.
      The Standel Co.

    • #76455
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Welcome Dean and thanks for the pics. As you’d have read by now (glad that this thread is turning up in owner’s searches 😀 ) your CMI is made in Japan and imported by Marshall for UK sale somewhere between 1976 and 1980. Earlier in this thread, you’ll see a list price of the time for your guitar. Am I right in assuming it’s a bolt-on neck? All other CMI Gibbolikes have so far been.

      The SG Systems amp in that catalogue:
      #http://ww2.datazap.net/ftp/stevenmorawiec/VVVV/53975.jpg

      looks to be covered in black rexine/tolex type material, but those big knobs are a Standel trademark look. Oh, and Angela’s parts URL is simply http://www.angela.com

    • #126736
      SubZero
      Member

      Hi there everyone.

      It’s my first post here, found the forum while searching for information about my CMI.

      For a few years now I have been looking for information about the company, as I have a CMI Gibson SG copy guitar. I don’t play guitar that often as I’m a drummer, but a few proffesional guitarists that I know have used my guitar, and say that it plays the same, if no better, than original SG’s.

      I’m going to upload a few pictures of it later on when I clean it up a bit. Just thought I’d post now before I forget! If anyone needs any information on it, I’m happy to try an answer and questions that I can.

      Thanks, Dean.

      #http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/SubZeroCK/03102006217.jpg
      #http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/SubZeroCK/03102006218.jpg
      #http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/SubZeroCK/03102006219.jpg
      #http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/SubZeroCK/03102006220.jpg

    • #76459
      myfoot
      Participant

      Be happy to if I can get ahold of a camera.May take a bit before I can get one of my kids to let loose of it for a bit. Found this today: It’s an ad on ebay, and I can’t tell if it’s the blue denim covring but looks just like this :
      http://cgi.ebay.com/53974-Very-Nice-1974-SG-System-Amplifier-Ad_W0QQitemZ230021809484QQihZ013QQcategoryZ37837QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

    • #76460
      1bassleft
      Participant

      As a 115, it might have been aimed at the bass player. It’d be good for that; relatively distortion free for a tube amp and the 15″ handling the low Hz. As you know, many a guitarist makes good use of valve bass amps (some bloke called Hendrix being one example).

      I had a look at good ol’ eBay for 8417s. Completed listings show that boxed-new pairs will cost around $100 but tested, matched pairs that have been used will come under that. That’s one option. Another is to convert the amp to a more regularly available tube. I looked up the 8417 on TDSL (http://tdsl.duncanamps.com/show.php?des=8417 and, as far as pinouts go, the 6550 and the KT88 are your best bet. You might get away with just a bias-adjust but I would think the worst-case is a bit of resistor changing that a decent tech can manage asleep.

      The only caveat is that the 8417 can handle whopping voltages and the SG-systems may well have applied them. The KT88 and certain 6550 variants can take it, but… IME, the old (gone) makers like General Electric (6550) and GEC/Genalex (KT88) made much sturdier tubes than the Chinese, Russians etc that are your source for new production. Unfortunately, GEs and GECs are as expensive or more than the 8417s are.

      Looking at moderns that can live in an Ampeg SVT (so should survive in yours) there are the Svetlana 6550C (recently ceased production), the JJ Tesla KT88 and New Sensors 6550 offerings branded Sovtek, Electroharmonix (EH) and their “reissue” Tung-sol.

      If you can manage a pic of your amp, it would be very welcome in this thread 🙂

    • #126734
      myfoot
      Participant

      Took a tube out and it said rca 7409s ,turned it to the other side and sure enough was 8417 stenciled on it

    • #76505
      myfoot
      Participant

      oops Sorry it’s a 115 and yes it has the single 15 speaker . I have had contact with someone who told me you could change out the 8417s with 6550 and just bias the new tubes . Is there a link to Angelas? I found a website after googling vintage amp knobs but didn’t have a whole lot of luck. BTW the fellow I corresponded with sent me the schematics that Gibson sent him.If anyone wants , I’d be happy to forward them on.

    • #76481
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Welcome aboard, myfoot. I did put up pics for an eBay listing of an SG-Systems CMI combo made in California but unfortunately the pics link has died. I should have permanently uploaded it to a host site. It had the denim-look cover that you mention. The 150 is a new one on me – does it have a single 15″ speaker?

      I re-read the reviews on Harmony Central (I guess you’ve seen them yourself). The SG amps all appear to have a SS preamp section, two power valves (tubes) and a single 12AX7. Some owners think the 12AX7 is for the reverb. I must say, I didn’t think so (why suddenly bolt on a valve-driven reverb to a SS preamp?) and I go along with one reviewer who is a bit handy with valve amps. He reckons that the 12AX7 is the phase inverter, driving the two power tubes. This makes more sense, and is a lot like the early MusicMan amps, which had a 12AX7 PI between the SS pre and the power section. Later MM amps missed out the 12AX7 and sound the worse for it.

      With yours being so old and relatively unused, I wonder what those power tubes are. If they are the originals (something I’ve never heard of – 8417s?) then they’ll be tricky to replace. It should be possible for a good valve amp tech to replace them with something currently available. So far, I’ve come across SG-CMIs refitted with 6550s (my preference), EL34s and 6L6s. My only suggestion for obscure amp parts is Angela’s. They may just have that knob you’re looking for somewhere in their stock.

    • #126733
      myfoot
      Participant

      I just acquired an SG System 150 combo the other day and while trying to find out more about it found this site.Near as I can tell the only thing wrong with it is it’s missing a knob . It’s got a blue denim covering on it , Maestro footswitch and vinyl cover . The gentleman I bought it from apparently bought it new and gigged with it for years.
      An acquaintance of mine asked if I wanted to buy an amp for my son and I told him he really didn’t need another one. I saw him the other day and asked if it was SS or tube.He said he didn’t know so he called the guy .This guys says he doesn’t know but it sounds real good. He reaches in and says that he feels tubes up there so I went over and bought it for $100 .
      Anyway there isn’t a whole lot of information out there on these, but what I can find sounds like these were very good amps. I guess I’d like to know if anyone knows where I can find a knob for this that matches the others.
      Like everyone else says “This thing is HEAVY”

    • #76485
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Here’s a very nice CMI 50W PA that sold on eBay today for £155, not very much compared with the prices Marshall valve PAs fetch. I bid myself, but couldn’t keep up with the bids as money is a bit short right now. Ironically, this thread probably helped push its price up. If the winner looks in, say hello and let’s have more pics, please 🙂

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid214/pf4f83bbe3478c2e2e87c816212350d38/ed0a5ce1.jpg
      NB, in common with other CMI valve amps, there’s no standby switch. A bit of Marshall cost-cutting that’s not great for valve life, unfortunately. Still, the Mullards in mine lasted a decade and so have the St Petersburg Svets. That’s on a weekly rehearsal/monthlyish gig basis.

    • #76461
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I have an automatic Fleeb search for CMI. If an acoustic ever pops up I’ll let you know so that you can see what it makes.

    • #126731
      MicroSark
      Participant

      Thanks for the info.

      I think I may just hang on to it. For the sake of 50 to 100 quid, it may as well take up a bit of wall space in the studio. I do still use it every now and again, and the tone and volume are immense.

      It’s not a guitar I ever play ‘live’, but it does get used for recordings.

      Thanks again.

    • #126732
      1bassleft
      Participant

      You have come to the right place 😀 . As the long-time owner of a CMI amp, I’ve been trying to make this a place where people can save themselves the info-hunting I had to do, and hopefully add a little more to the pool.

      Which you have done. If you bought it new in 1979/80, I think it’s among the last of CMI-branded guitars. In 1980, Marshall’s exclusive tie-in to Rose-Morris ended after 25 years and, AFAIK, CMI, Park, Narb and Kitchen-Marshall were dropped as brands (although Park resurfaced for those Korean-made, budget tranny amps). The fact that yours is an elongated C logo suggests that this stayed to the end.

      Cholula has posted on this thread about his combo amp and also in an amp forum. Until I hear differently, this is what I think happened:

      Marshall imported guitars from Japan, starting some point after 1965. I’m now of the op that early British market guitars had the curly “cMi” logo with the star over the “i”. To begin with, these were not of amazingly high quality, although there is a transition period where they got better and made a fair resemblance of Fenders and Gibsons etc. Around 1972, Marshall amps ceased to be point-to point (P2P) or, more accurately, tag-board hand-wired and shifted to PCB. Park amps continued to be P2P after this date, maybe up to 1976.

      Then, in a brief period, a range of P2P CMI amps came out (+ some trannies) seemingly disappearing off the market in 1977. All Bletchley CMI amps I’ve seen have the elongated “C” logo. My guess is that they were to use up remaining P2P components (my 1979 Park is PCB) and guitar logos changed in 1976 to match the amps. Those components used up, amps made were either Marshall or Park but the CMI name and logo carried on with the guitars which were now of considerably better quality (I still have no evidence that Fuji-Gen Gakki were making them) until 1980.

      Your acoustic is a quality guitar (£125 is a lot for 1979, and I’ve already mentioned electric CMIs with similarly heavy price tags). Sometimes, on eBay, a CMI will fetch a decent price if the Marshall link is fully explained. Other times, it doesn’t work and they struggle to make £100. Personally, I think the Marshall link is less emotive with acoustic guitar players, and there’s that headstock damage. It’d be wise to put a £50 reserve on it because it might not make it and it would be a shame to let it go for such a pittance through buyer ignorance.

    • #76502
      MicroSark
      Participant

      Apologies if this is the wrong place to post this – this is my first post to this forum.

      I own a CMI acoustic 12 string, and I’ve been looking for details about it’s origins and possible value, as I’m thinking of selling it at some point (I think about this at least once a year, but then pick the thing up and play it for a while and change my mind).

      I’ve looked everywhere for details, but this is the only forum or info I can find that seems to know anything about these guitars at all.

      The logo is the ‘Big C’ one, i.e. the Jap import. The guitar is the same shape as a Gibson J200, but with the extended headstock for 12 strings.

      I’ll try to post some pictures of it when I get chance to take some, but the guitar has all blond wood back and sides with some pretty inlays, slightly darker table, black headstock with the familiar CMI logo n gold with the big C, and silver machine-heads. The bridge is I think rosewood, with a metal saddle-raiser that allows the saddle to be moved up and down with 2 screws.

      I bought it from new from Clement Piano’s in Nottingham about 1979/1980 at which point it cost about £125.00.

      It had an ‘accident’ about 2 years after I bought it when my then brother-in-law dropped it and broke the headstock. This was repaired by a local luthier, but you can still see the scars if you look hard enough. Must have been a good job though as it’s never caused any problems since.

      It has a gorgeous tone – deep and rich, and the lowest action I have ever seen on a 12 string.

      If anyone has any idea about it’s possible saleability or value I’d really appreciate the advice.

    • #126730
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I love the look of that Tele, right down to the 3-saddle bridge. I’ve been on holiday since your post, but I hope you haven’t sold it yet. It oozes character.

    • #76469
      joemac
      Participant

      I came across this forum doing a search on google, and thought I’d add my guitar to the list!

      I bought this on ebay about a year-ish ago, it’s a CMI Artist Model Telecaster, the same as the one on the other page of this thread. It’s a bit battered, but it’s got character! The pickups have been changed to Fender Texas Specials, and the electronics have all been upgraded, and it plays very nicely!

      #http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a21/mojocelery/25_3.jpg

      I’m thinking of selling it on soon too, but I hope somebody will pursuade me not too!

    • #76493
      1bassleft
      Participant

      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280009519521

      Another cheap, naff-looking CMI from the US confirms that Chicago probably got involved with budget guitar importation decades ago.

    • #76496
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Here’s an interesting fleeb find. An old CMI from the US:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-CMI-Electric-Guitar-RED-809_W0QQitemZ270022554511QQihZ017QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      #http://www.recordsontheblock.com/809/1.jpg

      It looks like a manky old Japanese-made cheapy but notice that the CMI logo is the same as later US-market CMI guitars. I’m now getting convinced that the “cMi” guitars are English-market and probably Cleartones. Perhaps they used this logo before switching to the other logo to match their ’76-’77 amplifiers?

    • #76514
      1bassleft
      Participant

      More finds from my CMI searches. One is a Maestro Boomerang wah pedal:
      http://cgi.ebay.com/MAESTRO-BG-2-BOOMERANG-WAH-VOLUME-CMI-ELECTRONICS-USA_W0QQitemZ7421380498QQcategoryZ41413QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
      with the serial plate stating “product of Gibson Inc”. Ironically, the seller is in Fullerton, CA (home of Fender).

      He’s also selling a Gibson G-20 transistor combo made by CMI, El Monte, California:
      #http://i19.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/90/d2/1a_12.JPG

      There is a British, Cleartone CMI Lesp Paul copy for sale, with headstock damage.
      http://cgi.ebay.com/1970s-les-Paul-Style-Guitar-By-CMI-PROJECT-49-00_W0QQitemZ7421879739QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      Note that it’s a bolt-on, but the body wood, bindings and hardware look to be good quality.
      #http://i14.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/5e/c0/13_1_b.JPG#http://i3.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/69/d1/3f_1_b.JPG

    • #68229
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Another American “C M I” bass on FleebUS. Like the others, it’s pointy and 80s looking:

      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7417545667&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

      Haven’t seen a US CMI that’s anything other than this type of thing.

    • #68231
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Here’s one of the Gibson-parent CMI amps on FleebUS. It’s an SG-systems amp, 2x6L6, p2p wired. Worth having if going cheap:

      http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-CMI-56-212-Tube-Guitar-Amplifier-w-6L6-Tubes_W0QQitemZ7413040939QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      Am I wrong or are those Hammond transformers? Bulletproof iron.

    • #68217
      cholula
      Participant

      Yes the capacitors can be a problem. I had a couple of custom built heads made for me and the builder told me that if I am not playing one or the other regularly to turn the power switch and stand by on when noit plugged in and it will release a charge held in the system to take care of this problem too. I am not sure if this works or not, but I do it.

      I am waiting patiently for my 50 watt head to come back right now, and then playing it soon. I know they are known for the brilliant distortion, but the cleans are great too!

    • #68215
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I’m the same, Cholula. I don’t think my CMI head can be taken off me without using a crowbar on my dead fingers. The best thing is to use it regularly; even for a quick playing session. I left mine unused for a few months and at least one of the filter capacitors has started to break down. They last much longer if played regularly. OK, it’s easy enough to replace them, but some people seem to think that replaced caps is a bad thing and value the amp less for that reason( 😯 )

    • #68195
      cholula
      Participant

      Hi,

      Thanks for the note. It is a great amp, and it would take an act of God to get me to sell it. This one is a keeper and GBP 500 would not even come close to what I would consider accepting were I to sell it.

      The turret board construction and PTP wiring are phenominal and it is this type of work that leads me to believe that it will be giving me another 30 years of service down the road…

    • #68228
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Very nice. Cholula. Serial # is very close to mine (not surprising; ’76-’77 is about the only time the amps were made). Point-2-point and turret board construction (contemporaneous Marshalls were now using PCBs), plus the Drake transformers.

      Don’t let that one sell under £500, whatever you do. Apart from being great amps, avid Marshall collectors do like to get hold of the better CMIs, just to complete the set.

    • #68197
      cholula
      Participant
    • #68211
      Michael
      Participant

      Hi Cholula…

      There is a guide for posting pics at https://www.guitarsite.com/hotlicks/viewtopic.php?t=658

    • #68202
      cholula
      Participant

      I have a 2×12 cmi 50 watt amp, but am not sure how to post pics here. It is built on a park tremelo chassis and has mid 70’s rola greenbacks in it.

      if someone can tell me how to upload pics I would be happy to.
      thanks

    • #68235
      Plankspanker
      Participant

      I’ve just found this forum whilst trying to find some info on CMI guitars, which until this site I hadn’t found much at all.
      I’ve got a CMI Gibson ES copy which I’ve had since the mid eighties and which I’m fairly sure the person who I got it off had had since the mid to late seventies.
      I’m sorry I haven’t got a picture but it has the CMI logo with the lower case c upper case M and lower case I with a star instead of an dot. The logo is in silver text and until I read this forum I had no idea what it stood for, I’m still not sure from what I’ve read as to if it’s a Cleartone or Chicago (CMI)?
      The guitar has a great sound with great sustain. It hasn’t got a bolt on neck or anything like that and it has a brass nut unlike some of the Gibson ES copy’s I’ve seen, as well as having a proper Gibson style tailpiece with a diamond design which I’ve never seen before. The diamond design is also featured in the dark blue velvet lining of the hard case, which it came in. All in all it’s a beautiful guitar, really well made with a great dark red finish.

    • #68204
      mjet260
      Participant

      Thanks for the quick reply, 1bassleft. I was very pleased to find some serious info about CMI gear – your post (linked via Google) was about the only sign that they ever existed!

      I have done shamefully little with the PA since receiving it, but as I now know more about it I think I’ll do some rehab work on it. To start with, I’ll have the thin carpet covering stripped and put some Marshall-esque tolex on it. The knobs look to be original but the faceplate was stripped and cheesy stencils done on the indicator knobs. I suspect the Marshall logo was just pasted there because the previous owner figured that Marshall looked cooler than CMI. I think that I might be able to get a repro logo stenciled or screen-printed on (with new numbers too) although that might take me a while. I would very much like to get this thing into as close to original condition as possible.

      Once I take it in to my amp-builder buddy’s shop I’ll take more detailed photos of the tubes and general set-up. I’ll do another posting once that’s done.

    • #68227
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Mjet, that’s a really interesting post. It looks like a CMI lead/bass 100W power section with a preamp similar to the Marshall Master PA. It also looks like a quad of Mullard xf4 power tubes there; in very good health. That’s a very fine score and I’d be interested in hearing what the preamp section is like. IME, if the power valves are Mullards then the pretubes usually are, too.

      If there are 6 ECC83s altogether, my guess would be that each channel has its own pretube for gain and eq, another ’83 for mixing and one more for the phase inverter. Any more info you post up would be very interesting.

    • #68191
      mjet260
      Participant

      A few months back I grabbed a mystery “Marshall” amp on ebay.de. The price was great so I figured I’d buy first and ask questions later.

      Turns out it was a CMI PA with some mods that had been done to it over the years to make it look “more” Marshall-esque. Sounds great, and now that I’ve actually started to get a grip on its original appearance, I’m going to set about restoring it to as close to stock as possible (and reasonable).

      #http://www.hadton.com/fdp/mystery_marshall.jpg

      And here’s the catalog scan of the unit:

      #http://www.hadton.com/fdp/cmi_detail_doyle_book.jpg

    • #68222
      1bassleft
      Participant

      A US auction for the Californian CMI “SG Systems” mixer:
      http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-CMI-SG-System-812-AHD-6-Channel-Mixer-NR_W0QQitemZ7404956678QQcategoryZ119022QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

      On the infoplate, the “CMI” does resemble the guitars seen on FleebUS selling as CMI:

      #http://i5.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/c9/9b/77_1.JPG

    • #68205
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Pics would be useful, then I’ll try my best.

      1BL

    • #68230
      nbl968
      Participant

      So, today this awesome biker hessian neighbor of mine came by and gave me a huge cab with 1 15″ speaker and 1 12″ speaker – on the front pannel it says it is a Harmony 570….and I cant find anything out about it.

      He also gave me a CMI combo/head, model G80. I say combo/head because the thing is shaped like a giant head, but it originally housed 2 10″ speakers. It was modified however, and the 10’s were replaced with cheap 8″ speakers – no biggie, I dont mind finding some new speakers to put in there and I plan to eventually put an output to connect to another cabinet anyway. The amp is 120 watts, and features two independent channels, one normal and one for reverb. Both channels have hi and lo inputs, volume, treble, and bass controls; the reverb channel has additional reverb volume, speed, and intensity controls.

      This thing is a big heavy sucker and plays really well. I dont usually go for such a clean sound but the reverb sounds awesome and you can control the feedback really well, which sings and roars.

      Sorry I dont have any pictures – I definitely will post some as soon as I can. If anyone could give me some information about this thing though, I would really appreciate it!

    • #68233
      1bassleft
      Participant

      EDIT: I’ve sorted your pic, Max and thanks very much. The amp side of both CMIs is very much a subject for discussion here. I’d look forward to more info and pics when you get them.

      That Goldtop sold for £99 with just one bid and another double-cutaway on eBay UK only raised £105. I think they’re better guitars than that sort of money; certainly the block logo CMIs. The double-cutaway seller kindly allowed me to post up his pics after the auction ended.

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p4726d3d620f52c720d27525655b0988a/efe546df.jpg
      The bridge humbucker is apparently an aftermarket job.

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p804208edc8198602dce1ed385637ad23/efe546c5.jpg
      Definitely a Marshall CMI logo.

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pf365c81f4e417ddc7fccdb34dbe19e0d/efe546b5.jpg
      Bolt-on again, no sign of any markings on the plate.

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p319cbdd3d05e444f85dca914e4ec404c/efe546aa.jpg
      Not the original tuners. You can see the screwholes for the previous set.

      Also, there is an auction up for a Park transistor amp:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Park-Marshall-8-Watt-Guitar-Amp_W0QQitemZ7402071398QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
      This is a 70s Park, not the Korean-made things from the ’90s. Around the back, a completely different CMI logo can be seen. I still have no idea where these “cMi” guitars have come from:
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pb191455ff9c8e84c890fae494ed7f8a4/efb11049.jpg

      So, apart from the block logo, I’m still no nearer to confirming which CMI guitars were Marshall or someone else, and the Fuji-Gen Gakki story is still just that; a story.

    • #68198
      Maximilian
      Participant

      Hi there Guys,
      I have just purchase a CMI amp, not Guitar so am proable in the wrong forum,
      but like everone else I know very little about them, Mine is equipted with 3 10′ celition red lable speakers (never see 3 in one cab befor) and is named the MAXIMIN 30 W tremelo Master (which i belive equates to a pitch/ wave range ind amplification terms), I also know that they were fairly unsucessful as a cheap amp in the 70’s and only made for 1 year 76-77 I think. and also many did not make it past the proto type stage mine says July 1977 Z501 as a serial number 🙄 on the back. any info or direction to another sit would be a great help I will try and post a pic, (havn’t recieved the amp yet and will send picks of the inside when it arrives. #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p3929fc28e23ef1f0f187d1d1c13afb3b/efae4380.jpg.

      EDIT: working pic uploaded by 1BL

    • #68232
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Thanks for posting, Brian. I’ve received word from Steve Russell; Selmer guru and such a good egg that he is Salmonella-free and immune to bird ‘flu 🙂 . After looking at the Selmer ’72 price list, he’s found no obvious “cMi” link, so that stymies one of my theories. He’s also sent me a fantastic scan of “Beat Magazine” from August 1979, showing the RRP for “Cleartone” guitars and amps.

      Until I find a good way of posting it, I’ll just get by with a quick summary for now. This all refers to the Cleartone CMI guitars available in Britain; please post here if you have other information on Chicago guitars.

      In 1979 (this is a year at most before Jim Marshall was out of the Rose-Morris deal), Cleartone offered a number of guitars under the CMI brand. “SC”, “TL”, “LS”, “SG”, “ES”, “PB”, “JB”, “EB” and “RK” codes don’t require a leap of imagination. The price list indicates that, in ’79, the CMI was not a guitar for mugs. A CBS-Arbiter Fender Tele was then retailing around £300. A CMI ranged from just under £100 to over £200, depending on the particular model, and was a bit higher than the Antorias of the day.

      There’s wide price-spread though, so it’s caveat emptor until more history can be built up. I won’t put up the scan but if anyone would like to see it or enquire about their model number, make a post here and I’ll chime in or email you the scan.

      1BL

    • #68186
      BrianJ
      Participant

      [quote=”BrianJ”] Hi everyone. I’m new to this kind of thing so please be patient if this post comes out completely garbled! ‘:?’
      Oz has put me on the right path – I hope!
      I’m the keeper of the LPS DC that’s reviewed on HC. Here are some pics of the guitar.
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p1708b3b6b0789556c722f905599b0aae/efdabb96.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p66ec706f005484d5e1d7d7f14e0d6bf3/efdabb9d.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pf0c85dfabd89ab7e122a78abc5f6db5f/efdabb82.jpg
      Note that the machine heads are identical to Ibanez and other reasonable quality Japanese guitars of the late 70s

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pd11f65de5e5a92f6b5f71a38f7d23050/efdabb7c.jpg

      The body is all mahogany with block construction between two thick veneers. Great fast neck that’s also mahogany with rosewood fretboard. Finish is really tough and the bolt on joint is well made.

      The pups are dog ear P90 clones that actually sound like the real thing and have the same impedance. I’m wondering if these Japanese firms bought them in from Gibson? The covers are brass with black satin lacquer. My local guitar store man who has been in the business for over 35 years tells me that the CMI DCs were only around for about a year or so and were very expensive – he says around £150 in 1978 – so they didn’t sell well. Thanks to Oz I now understand a lot more about these guitars. If you want to hear one it is played on the Belita Adair album called Dark Erotika. http://www.musicnoyz.com/artists/bands/9/ Its played by Steve Mills, who has a modified CMI LPS. [quote][/quote][/quote]

    • #68226
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Steve Russell of the Selmer site has come back to me. As far as he knows, the Chicago MI takeover never resulted in Selmer selling guitars under that brand. He’s looking deeper but, in the meantime, he’s found a 1979 Cleartone CMI guitars ad from a magazine. He’ll be scanning it for me and I’ll update ASAP.

      Also, Brian will be posting his CMI LPS soon (a very nice one, bolt-on but decent looking mahogany etc) and I have pics of another double-cut to put up. Meanwhile, have a look at this LP Goldtop imported by Marshall:

      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CMI-not-gibson-LES-PAUL-GOLD-TOP-1970s-LAWSUIT-ERA_W0QQitemZ7397248279QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
      #http://i15.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/7b/3c/71_12_sb.JPG
      #http://i1.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/7e/b6/e3_12_sb.JPG
      #http://i1.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/7e/ba/15_12_sb.JPG

      Definitely not ply, and decent quality hardware.

    • #68224
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Steve, thanks for the great post. I would love to hear more, if you can talk to Terry. My top Qs would be, “Did Cleartone ever change their logo from that block CMI to the scripty cMi logo?” and “Did Cleartone use Fuji-Gen Gakki, and/or any other Japanese factory?”

      Looking back at your Jazz bass, it’s interesting to compare it with the much better quality Jazz copy above, even though they are both “cMi” type basses. I’m wondering now if only the “cMi” quality varies from poor to respectable – I can’t be certain if the block CMI ever had an example of the not-so-good.

      I mentioned Maya and Yamato as being very similar, well here’s my Yamato semi-precision. I’ve seen identical ones as Maya and cMi. You’ll notice the hardware similarities to Steve’s cMi Jazz (pups, bridge and tuner). It also has a neckplate simply stating “Made in Japan”.

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p12de115d914b32254792733dcee066e2/efe29274.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p2b49510a4e106e914a71fb7d5bb1f8eb/efe29177.jpg
      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p50b8400e2a09c594104648883f9bc57f/efe290af.jpg

      The body is either ply or the weirdest looking stuff (can’t be sure from the internals; the paintchips reveal some nasty looking wood). There is no way Jose that these came out of FGG, so not every cMi/CMI fits that story. (EDIT) I still don’t have any indication that any of the CMIs were built by Fuji-Gen Gakki.

      Hopefully, by now, you can see that a CMI with an extended “C” block logo is a guitar imported from Japan by Marshall (unless it’s an amp, in which case it was made in Bletchley alongside the Marshalls). The “C M I” logo seen on those ’80s guitars in the USA I am assuming were sold by Norlin using CMI as a brand (please let me know if you disagree). American amps with CMI on them will be the Standel made SG Systems amps mentioned above or Kalamazoo amps (http://www.rru.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/Kalamazoo/) so ANY valve CMI going cheap is well worth having.

      The cMi logo guitars (I’ve never seen an amp) are made in Japan. At least some have never been anywhere near any “lawsuit” factory and I’m wondering who the brandowner was. If it is cMi not just “Mi”, then my guess is either Cleartone guitars imported and sold before the amp line started (1976) or another possibility…

      The British arm of Selmer was taken over by Chicago Musical Instruments in the 70s (http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/gallery/gallery3/stor.html for Steve Russell’s excellent Selmer and other vintage Brit amps site). Perhaps, because Chicago were certainly not interested in Selmer’s amps, they began importing budget guitars into Britain using the CMI brand? I’ll see what Steve knows…

    • #68219
      SteveShark
      Member

      Hi there!

      I’m new here by accident but 1bassleft contacted me via email and asked me to post details of my two CMI guitars.

      So, here goes – if I mess the HTML tags up, then go to:

      http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_mudshark/sets/72057594077196720/

      Here you can find all the photos I’m linking to here and in much larger sizes and better quality.

      1) CMI Jazz Bass – made in Japan

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/cmijazz.jpg

      I got this in the mid 1980s as I needed a bass to lay down bass lines on my 4 track. I paid something like £40 for it in a music shop in Bedford. It played in tune and didn’t sound too bad at the time.

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/jazzbody.jpg

      The body is laminate and, as you can see the pickups are cheap Tele types – the black plastic plate that the bridge unit is mounted in is obviously meant to be covered but I haven’t got the cover.

      The neckplate says “MADE IN JAPAN” quite clearly.

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/jazzplate.jpg

      The tuners are rather nasty – they’re those sort with the pressed covers and the pegs are totally wrong if the makers wanted to produce a copy.

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/jazztuners.jpg

      The logo is the curly CMI sort with the truncated “C”.

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/jazzlogo.jpg

      The bass has lost a thumb rest somewhere along the line as well as the bridge cover.

      All in all, it’s a pretty low-rent instrument although it does play in tune and makes quite a good dead “thud” which is suitable for whacking out the odd reggae bass line when the fancy takes me.

      2) CMI Telecaster

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/cmitele.jpg

      I acquired this in about 1990 when I exchanged a rather nasty Korean Squier Strat for it in a local music shop. I had to pay VAT on the Tele to clinch the deal and IIRC it cost me about £14 which puts the shop price of the Tele below a ton.

      It has a solid body, which I discovered when I had to realign the neck in the pocket. I also removed the brass nut – I don’t know whether this was stock – and replaced it with a tusq one and it’s had several nuts which I’ve fitted depending whether or not I want it for slide playing.

      The tuners were rather good cast and sealed Gotohs when I got the guitar but I replaced them with a set of Grovers that I had lying idle.

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/teletuners.jpg

      The logo is quite clear – it’s the block sort – and it’s accompanied by the words “Artist Model”.

      The string retainers aren’t original. They replaced the old sort made of pressed metal. These came from the Korean Strat as I had the Tele in my possession before I let the Strat go. Slightly naughty of me, but the guy I was dealing with was a much bigger shark than I was 😉

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/telelogo.jpg

      The neckplate is blank.

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/teleback.jpg

      As you can see it has a three piece bridge which is fine, even though some people say the intonation is a compromise with these. It plays perfectly in tune! Brass saddles too.

      #http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/telebody.jpg

      It’s actually a rather good guitar. It feels and sounds like a Tele and I have a MIM Nashville and a US Standard to compare it to.

      Living in Milton Keynes – which includes the home of Marshall in Bletchley – I am lucky enough to count Jim Marshall’s son Terry as a friend and now that I’m aware of 1bassleft’s determination to unravel the story behind the logos I’ll see what Terry can add to all this.

      I hope I’ve provided enough detail – I’ll be only too happy to provide more if possible.

      If you want to see the rest of my “collection” then most of them are shown in:

      http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_mudshark/sets/1670159/

      There’s also some other photo sets there which should give you a general idea of where I’m at musically.

      Steve.

    • #68216
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Also, Brian (who I reckon did the HC review of a LPS guitar) has asked me if CMIs imported into Britain were made at the Ibanez factory, because the CMI tuners look identical to his old Ibanez. I’m hoping he will put a pic up of his LPS, because so far I’m doubtful. A Fleeb dealer listed a CMI odd-looking Precision as Fuji Gen-Gakki (the plant that made Ibanez) and I disagreed with him. His CMI precision had that Telecaster-like pup that Musicmasters had, and really naff mini-tuners. I own a Japanese “Yamato” bass that’s exactly the same and have seen one branded “Maya”. I’ve also seen a Maya Jazz with block markers that look like the “other logo” CMI jazz:
      #http://i5.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/53/1f/f3_12_sb.JPG

      Frankly, all CMI basses I’ve seen (including the 4001 copy I mentioned) and the Maya/Yamato brands are not up to the usual standards of FGG Ibanez, Greco and Antorias of the same period. Mustard mitt, the CMI guitars I’ve seen have been better, though bolt-on necks, even on a Gibson copy. Better than those 70s brands like Satellite, Avon and Columbus that came out of Japan, but no Tokai beaters. Maybe CMI used different factories. Again, I’d really like to see pics of your guitars – American or British CMIs.

    • #68196
      1bassleft
      Participant

      OK, so after posting a reply to this thread, https://www.guitarsite.com/hotlicks/viewtopic.php?t=199&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=20, I’ve often been asked about CMIs, or see the info used (sometimes abused) in an ebay listing.

      The confusion comes from the fact that there are two CMIs; Cleartone Musical Instrumants of England and Chicago Musical Instruments of the USA. Cleartone is an offshoot company of Jim Marshall and Chicago Musical Instruments owned Gibson from the mid 40s. At the time of writing, the three CMI guitars reviewed on Harmony Central were all bought in England:
      http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/CMI/

      There are no bass reviews, although I often see CMI basses for sale. There are a lot (relatively) of CMI amp reviews,

      http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data/CMI_Electronics/

      all for the Standel, CA amps. I have done a review of my British one, which is listed under “Cleartone Musical Instruments”. Forgive the mistakes, I was only just starting to learn about the things when I wrote it.

      This is what a Cleartone Musical Instruments amp looks like, and notice the logo design:

      #http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid147/p783df0433b39c3f3b85b5046bd7ecdf4/f635a808.jpg

      If your amp or instrument has this logo, it is DEFINITELY a Cleartone. The amps were made in Bletchley and the guitars were imported from Japan. This FleebUK auction for a solid-state CMI amp also has the same logo:
      http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7418404886&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:UK:1
      #http://i9.ebayimg.com/04/i/05/63/12/25_0.JPG#http://i6.ebayimg.com/04/i/05/6d/48/80_0.JPG

      I have seen the same logo on a Rick 4001-style bass (in the flesh) and various Fender-style basses and guitars. But I’ve often seen another style of logo, with a lowercase “c”, uppercase “M” and lowercase “i” with a star in place of the dot. Here are some examples:
      #http://i16.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/4c/63/8c_12_sb.JPG
      #http://i4.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/3c/a6/c5_1_b.JPG

      Now, I assumed this was NOT Cleartone, and actually told a Jazz seller on the Fleeb that it’s not Marshall-imported. I figured it was the Chicago CMI. I’m starting to wonder, though. First there’s a lot of this logo selling on British auctions, which is odd if they’re imports of an American company. Also, I’ve seen virtually identical guitars with the two different logos; I’m sure they’re from the same factory. Next, I suddenly had the sense to look up CMI guitars on US auctions. Here’s a couple of them:

      #http://i10.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/5f/93/24_1.JPG
      #http://i20.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/5a/0a/27_1.JPG
      #http://i10.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/4c/0e/23_1.JPG
      #http://i16.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/46/20/92_1.JPG

      This is a different logo again, but both the guitar and bass have an 80s, Aria look to them and I would bet that they’re not Japanese. I’ve found a picture of the Standel CMI SG212 amp of the 70s, but no logo:
      #http://home.att.net/~ahifinut/cmi_guitar_amp1.jpg

      If anyone has any CMI amp or guitar PLEASE POST HERE. I want to try and sort this out. Pictures and any history would be appreciated and see my other sticky thread “posting pics on guitarsite” to find out how to do it easily. As the police say, any information, however little you think you can tell, will be of use. I’m particularly interested in logos and definite information about where it was made.

      Thanks.

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