Home › Forums › Guitar Discussion › Guitar › CMI e200 guitar information?
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March 18, 2005 at 1:55 pm #21647BradParticipant
I just aquired a CMI E200 electric guitar, Plays great. Thin body, very light. uncovered tuning pegs,all strung together with a stamped(scroll type) metal plate,two single pickups I am trying to find out it’s age. And history, I could not find any serial numbers.Do I need to disassemble it? Any help would be nice. Thank you Brad
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February 17, 2019 at 9:28 pm #127704AnonymousGuest
I picked up a CMI E200 (SER NO. 8610XXX) in perfect condition from a pawn shop; although all posts I read say “Japan”, mine has a sticker on the back of the headstock that says “MADE IN KOREA”. Its fun to play and sound pretty good, BUT… its made in Korea- not Japan.
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October 11, 2012 at 7:51 pm #57558mumble0Participant
I happen to have the same guitar as you…
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February 29, 2008 at 9:23 am #575811bassleftParticipant
Good to hear from you, Huskey 🙂
I’ve updated the CMI thread recently. Any new nuggets of info always gratefully received… 😀
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February 28, 2008 at 1:49 pm #57543HuskeyParticipant
Hej 1baseleft.
Thanks for your reply.
It’s been ages since I last logged in so therefor the late reply.My CMI has a bolt neck.
Thank’s for the links for uploading pics, I will get back to you and send some but right now I am on my way to work.
Catch you later! 😀
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July 6, 2007 at 9:48 am #575621bassleftParticipant
Hi Huskey,
I have a sticky “How to post pics on guitarsite” that’ll instruct you how to put pics up, and there is another sticky, “understanding CMI guitars and amps” that would be a great place for your post and I’d welcome your info and pics. Is it a bolt-neck or glued in? I have recently seen some “Marshall” CMI Les Pauls with set necks. I must update the thread. Set-neck Les Paul copies were not all that common in the 1970s and it’s the strongest evidence I have yet that CMI might have used Fuji- Gen Gakki.
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July 6, 2007 at 7:32 am #57542HuskeyParticipant
Hows it going 1bassleft?
In reply to your attempt to uncover the true story behind CMI guitars and amps, I would like to tell you briefly about my CMI.
Les Paul in natural finish neck and main body. The main body is comprised of 2 sorts of wood with the upper layer surface made of what could possibly be beach and the back side possibly ash.
The neck is quite possibly made of beach and made of 3 pieces. The finger board possibly ash and has black suuare inlays at 1,3,5,7,9 frets and so on.Both body and neck are banded in ivory and black (plastic I should think?), though the neck is just ivory. Black scratch plate.
All the bit n pieces had a guilded finish (gold look) that started to show signs of wear.
It was bought in Birmingham, England around 1976 for around GBP 120.00
I have just had it revamped with new Grover machine heads and Jeff Beck (Seymore Duncan) pick ups, new toggle switch and wireing.
I dont know if it is possible to upload a picture og it, will check that out in a minuet if not, I would gladly send you a phote to your mail address.
Regarding the logo, it seems to me almost identical to the one one the first picture you have of the CMI amp with the exception of the’ C ‘is adjoined to the ‘I’ on the bottom edge and is in gold with a mother of pearl diamond like pattern on the head.
Hope this info has been usefull and please do get back and let me know what you find out.
All the best
Huskey
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July 5, 2005 at 7:09 am #575541bassleftParticipant
epi, this used to be the bane of my life. If you don’t mind, I’ll post this up as a new thread, so others can catch it. Sorry to do it this way, but it may be of use in the “how do I do this?” scheme of things. Thread to be called “posting your pics on guitarsite”
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July 5, 2005 at 4:12 am #57556EpiphonemanParticipant
how can i put my picture on here from my camera
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July 5, 2005 at 3:34 am #57569EpiphonemanParticipant
[quote=”lee_UK”]tokai-medhead.jpg_http//uk.geocities.com/[email protected]/[/quote]Hey whats up my computer was down for a while but i will try to get a picture of my CMI on here but remember it is in the proccess of being restored
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May 8, 2005 at 9:51 pm #57572lee_UKParticipant
Just for you Bass, this is top shelf centre spread tongue out stuff…
http://uk.geocities.com/[email protected]/THD2Dsc00654-med.jpg
http://uk.geocities.com/[email protected]/THD653-med.jpg
note where the ‘hotplate’ attenuator knob is??
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May 8, 2005 at 9:49 pm #57552lee_UKParticipant
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May 8, 2005 at 9:47 pm #57560
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May 8, 2005 at 9:46 pm #57586lee_UKParticipant
tokai-medhead.jpg_http://uk.geocities.com/[email protected]/
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May 8, 2005 at 9:44 pm #57584lee_UKParticipant
Tokai attention to detail, like you say, is top shelf stuff, here are a couple of pics, first ones ive uploaded so if it all goes ‘Hondo II’ (down the loo) then you can blame me. 2 pics:
http://uk.geocities.com/[email protected]/Tokai-Dsc00651-med.jpgthe headstock all original:
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May 8, 2005 at 7:32 am #575451bassleftParticipant
You choose well with your Bi-Valves and Love-Rocks, Grasshopper. Now you can walk over hot coals making melodious noises… 🙂
The late 70s Tokais are DEF a step up from these CMI (Bletchley or Standel) Japanese imports. I won’t bore everyone with why (for once 😉 ) but they are sooo great. My own Andy Marshall has a Tok Strat, and he treated it “so what” because the lucky git accepted it in lieu of £100 owed him. I showed him the attention to detail, the quality of woods, the QC which beat the pants off a Fender from the late ’70s. He’s got the idea now.
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May 8, 2005 at 7:06 am #57563lee_UKParticipant
I’ll have to take a picture of my Tokai love rock, the 1979 lawsuit model, its a double take of a Les Paul, Cherry burst with a apir of recently upgraded Duncan Pearly gates pups. Plays, looks and feels just like the real thing.
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May 8, 2005 at 6:05 am #575731bassleftParticipant
Sure enough, the Standel CMI was snapped up at its BIN of £100 ($200ish). If I weren’t such a lousy guitarist, I’d’ve grabbed it.
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May 7, 2005 at 6:05 am #575651bassleftParticipant
And, to tidy things up, here’s a Japanese CMI made for Jim Marshall’s Cleartone Musical Instruments in Bletchley, England:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=7321020993&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
and another headstock-logo-shot. Again the pic only lasts as long as Fleeb keeps it:
http://i6.ebayimg.com/03/i/04/05/38/94_1.JPGBTW, the lefty US CMI has a good BIN of £100. The contemporaneous Ibanez was also a bolt-on, so not to be dismissed. Fair bit of fretboard wear, though.
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May 6, 2005 at 5:22 am #575571bassleftParticipant
Brad et al, there is a CMI guitar on Fleeb attributed to the Gibson parent:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=7320645109&rd=1FWIW, this is also what I consider to be the Standel amp-maker cum Japanese-guitar-importer later taken over by Gibson. Here is the headstock logo, but this image will only hold here as long as Fleeb holds it in their records:
http://i20.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/02/3d/9f_12_sb.JPG
IMO, if you have this logo, you have a Standel CA guitar, imported from Japan sometime in the late 70s/early 80s.
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May 2, 2005 at 4:13 am #575711bassleftParticipant
Bit titchy, though.
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May 2, 2005 at 4:03 am #575371bassleftParticipant
Hello Epi,
I’ve never uploaded a pic on this particular forum. I’m doing my usual method, and maybe Michael can look in if it doesn’t work out here. Here’s a pic of my Marshallesque CMI:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/pd440c4856ba94661cf53b4abdeb7d338/f7bdf2a1.jpg.thumb.jpgHope this helps.
Post preview. Hey, it worked! Jolly.
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May 2, 2005 at 1:48 am #57490EpiphonemanParticipant
[quote=”Brad”]I just aquired a CMI E200 electric guitar, Plays great. Thin body, very light. uncovered tuning pegs,all strung together with a stamped(scroll type) metal plate,two single pickups I am trying to find out it’s age. And history, I could not find any serial numbers.Do I need to disassemble it? Any help would be nice. Thank you Brad[/quote]Brad did your guitar kinda look like a small strat in the shape.
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May 2, 2005 at 1:44 am #57526EpiphonemanParticipant
[quote=”Epiphoneman”][quote=”1bassleft”]Hello John, and welcome aboard. I don’t have a Bletchley CMI guitar; I have one of their (Marshall) amps.
Here’s the logo of a Bletchley-Marshall CMI guitar imported from Japan
http//cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=7316995468&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVWThe logo on the headstock is identical to my amp’s. If yours is similar, it will be a Japanese made guitar, late 70s, imported by Terry Marshall and sold in the UK between 76 and 81.[/quote] Can I get a picture of your amp and brads guitar so i can compare to mine cause i repainted and costomized it and if i showed you you probly wouldnt recognize the type of guitar it is.[/quote]
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May 2, 2005 at 1:36 am #57522EpiphonemanParticipant
[quote=”1bassleft”]Hello John, and welcome aboard. I don’t have a Bletchley CMI guitar; I have one of their (Marshall) amps.
Here’s the logo of a Bletchley-Marshall CMI guitar imported from Japan
http//cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=7316995468&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVWThe logo on the headstock is identical to my amp’s. If yours is similar, it will be a Japanese made guitar, late 70s, imported by Terry Marshall and sold in the UK between 76 and 81.[/quote] Can I get a picture of your amp and brads guitar so i can compare to mine cause i repainted and costomized it and if i showed you you probly wouldnt recognize the type of guitar it is.
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April 22, 2005 at 5:47 am #575241bassleftParticipant
Hello John, and welcome aboard. I don’t have a Bletchley CMI guitar; I have one of their (Marshall) amps.
Here’s the logo of a Bletchley-Marshall CMI guitar imported from Japan:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=7316995468&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVWThe logo on the headstock is identical to my amp’s. If yours is similar, it will be a Japanese made guitar, late 70s, imported by Terry Marshall and sold in the UK between 76 and 81.
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April 22, 2005 at 4:49 am #57531EpiphonemanParticipant
[quote=”Brad”][quote=”1bassleft”]Brad, take a look at this Wah-wah pedal
http//cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22669&item=7304423862&rd=1This is the CMI logo for Jim Marshall’s offshoot company Cleartone Musical Instruments. If your logo is the same, then your guitar was imported from Japan (Terry Marshall handled this side) from 1976 to 1981 at the very latest. By then, Marshall was free of the Rose-Morris deal and all those alernate-Marshall brands died.
Unlike Gibson, the Marshall website airbrushes Park, Narb and CMI out of its history. Doyle’s “History of Marshall” may help you. Sad, really.
Hey My name is john and i was wonderingif you could send me some pictures of you Cmi guitar cause i got one and it sounds alot like your discription my Email is [email protected]. thanx
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March 21, 2005 at 11:14 am #574851bassleftParticipant
It’s likely to be the Standel CMI, then. I think (for obvious reasons) http://www.harmony-central.com has more reviews of Standel CMI than Bletchley. Last time I looked, mine was the only English (and had to be titled “Cleartone blahblahblah).
Have a check of HC, Brad. I’d be amazed, and even more confused, if another CMI is out there.
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March 21, 2005 at 7:25 am #57489BradParticipant
[quote=”1bassleft”]Brad, take a look at this Wah-wah pedal:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22669&item=7304423862&rd=1This is the CMI logo for Jim Marshall’s offshoot company Cleartone Musical Instruments. If your logo is the same, then your guitar was imported from Japan (Terry Marshall handled this side) from 1976 to 1981 at the very latest. By then, Marshall was free of the Rose-Morris deal and all those alernate-Marshall brands died.
Unlike Gibson, the Marshall website airbrushes Park, Narb and CMI out of its history. Doyle’s “History of Marshall” may help you. Sad, really.
Thanks, Not even close. CMI Electric guitar E200, Any one else??
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March 21, 2005 at 6:56 am #575271bassleftParticipant
Brad, take a look at this Wah-wah pedal:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22669&item=7304423862&rd=1This is the CMI logo for Jim Marshall’s offshoot company Cleartone Musical Instruments. If your logo is the same, then your guitar was imported from Japan (Terry Marshall handled this side) from 1976 to 1981 at the very latest. By then, Marshall was free of the Rose-Morris deal and all those alernate-Marshall brands died.
Unlike Gibson, the Marshall website airbrushes Park, Narb and CMI out of its history. Doyle’s “History of Marshall” may help you. Sad, really.
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March 20, 2005 at 5:30 am #57498BradParticipant
mine has CMI (LARGE LETTERS)ELECTRIC GUITAR E 200(SMALLERLETTERS)all in one line. any more info? Thank you.
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March 19, 2005 at 7:10 am #575111bassleftParticipant
Hello Brad, I can actually help you out here. I own a CMI amp, but there are two CMIs, and both imported guitars from Japan, so it can be confusing:
CMI #1 is “Cleartone Musical Instruments” of Bletchley, England. Another name that Jim Marshall used (he also used Park and Narb) to get around an exclusive deal Marshall was tied into with Rose-Morris. If your headstock logo is a bit rectangular, and the “C” stretches over the “MI”, then it’s one of these.
CMI #2 is Chicago Musical Industries of Standel, California. They were taken over by Gibson, and Gibson people will still answer Qs about Standel products. Their logo uses a curvy font and, IIRC, the “MI” is lower case and the “i” has a star rather than dot over it.
Both were primarily amp-makers. CMI England were slight variations on the Marshall products and were made around 75-76. CMI USA made solid-state amps, also in the mid-seventies. Both companies went to Japanese makers and had guitars made for import under their brand names. From what I’ve seen, they’re not up to the standards of the Fuji-Gen-Gakki classics like the Tokai-Ibanez-Greco models. They are quite decent, though, and the few I’ve seen on Fleeb fetch even more than I think they’re worth.
If you have any more info, post it up and I’ll see if I can come up with more.
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