Mansfield Guitars??????

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,yvon
Date: 06 Nov 10 - 01:22 PM

I have a mansfield guitar wich I purchased at a pawn shop,the sticker label inside says it was made in china in 2006,the nodel # md666vs,,,,,,,,,,,,,the guitar has a good sound,good action,and looks great,appears to have solid pine top,rosewood sides and back,,,,would anyone have any inf on this model??????????

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,kevin
Date: 05 Nov 10 - 08:24 PM

i have a mansfield f360 i bought it in montreal in 1973, mansfield was a guitar shop that was on mansfield boulavard in montreal, the company was around for a few years and was sold ( not sure to who ) the guitar i have has been through everything possible and abused for years, the guitar has a crack in the neck that has been fixed. i have owned about 20 guitars and have played many martin guitars, i would not trade my mansfield for anything, it is by far the best guitar i have played, now i do understand that they are not considered a top guitar but the woods are the same as martin spruce top and mahogany side and back. if this guitar is set up properly it is a gem.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Nynavic
Date: 21 Oct 10 - 06:46 PM

I recently bought a Mansfield Stratocaster HSS for $70 at a second hand store in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. There are no labels or numbers on the guitar, just the Mansfield logo decal on the headstock. After putting on Fender Bullet strings, lowering the action and adjusting the intonation to perfection it plays even better than the $4000 Gibson Custom Les Paul that I owned. This Mansfield is one of the nicest playing and sounding guitars that I've ever owned. It has a chime quality to the tone which I really enjoy. Whoever made it...did a fantastic job.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 10 - 12:22 PM

"Mansfield used to have their guitar made by Hoshino-Gakki in the 70's"

There is a lot of confusion about guitars that were supposedly made by Hoshino-Gakki or Ibanez. The first thing to know is that Hoshino-Gakki never made guitars *for* Ibanez. Hoshino-Gakki *is* Ibanez, or rather Ibanez is the foremost brand of the musical instrument company Hoshino-Gakki. Also, Hoshino-Gakki never manufactured Ibanez guitars or any other guitars past the mid sixties (only drums such as Tama). They contracted other companies (Japanese initially, later on Korean, Indonesian, and Chinese) to do the manufacturing of their guitars, such as FujiGen.

So when somebody says that such-and-such a guitar was made by Ibanez or Hoshino-Gakki, they are usually mistaken. They may have been supplied by Hoshino-Gakki, but, since Hoshino-Gakki is not really an OEM supplier, it is more likely they were built by one of the companies that Hoshino-Gakki contracted to build Ibanez guitars, which other guitar companies use as well. And even then, how can you really know for sure just who built it?

Which means that the quality of these guitars has nothing to do with Ibanez. They could be awesome, they could be crap, it all depends on what the contract was for (price point, features, wood grades, hardware choices, etc.) For example, Fender has used some of the same companies to make Squier guitars - does that mean Squiers are just as good as Ibanezes?

Mind you - I am not saying Mansfields aren't any good - I've never seen nor played one. I do own a Chinese Ibanez Artcore Custom and think it's quality is outstanding. Just trying to set straight a very common urban legend about 60-70's Japanese guitars being somehow connected with Ibanez and therefore of equal quality.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,brian wright
Date: 09 Sep 10 - 11:18 AM

i have a mansfield mw460 made in japan i need anything about this model of guitar ,

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Aug 10 - 12:59 AM

i have a mansfield guitar its old and its awsome as far as i know its a company out of new jersey they have a website. i have model g-105 and its pretty good its a classical guitar and its like from the 60s i think, best i know is the company went out of buisness then was bought by this dude in new jersey.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,buddaboy
Date: 25 Jul 10 - 06:47 PM

Has any one heard of a Mansfield 12 string acoustic model# 66012Vs, guy whats $ 200 for it what do you think

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,trevor christensen
Date: 25 Jul 10 - 01:22 PM

paid 20 dollars for my mansfield 1949 wanna no wat its worth ne one no

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: ollaimh
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 08:02 PM

i've seen several mansfields over the years. a friend of mine had a jumbo that was a poormans guils jumbo--a great beater. i bought a small body guitar, like a guld f 20 or maybe f30 for fifty bucks and busked with it untill i got an old yamaha i liked better then soldthe mansfiekd to a kid on saltspring island. it had a great soud as well.

another friend had a mandfield f5 mandolin copy. it was destroyed in a house fire , unfortunately. again a great beater. i recall him twangingintothe night on wreck beach in vancouver way back when.

so ithink most of the mansfields were superior mid range nstrments, amost equal tothe best yamahas, better than some

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,David from MTL
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 07:33 PM

Did some research and my Manfield F360 is 'identical' to a Makamine F-360. Is it posible that Makamine was also used to produce Mansfields. My Masnfield is solid spruce top, and solid rosewood base and sides.
Thanks
David from MTL

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,David from Montreal
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 08:59 PM

I have a Mansfield acoustic model F360. SN#7509180. My sister bought it at least 30-35 years ago. Don't know if it was new when she bought it. It is in great shape and has a great sound. However I am a very novice guitar player. If any knows about the F360 let me know.
Thanks.
David from MTL

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,piper
Date: 13 Jun 10 - 12:03 PM

I just bought a Mansfield 6 string banjo from a local pawn shop, it eems like a good instrument, well made, and loud. Cool to get a little unfo on the company. Thanks everyone!

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,C
Date: 08 Jun 10 - 10:21 PM

I have one of the Mansfield mastertone style tenor banjos. Picked it up from a used instrument shop in Calgary, payed a decent buck for it was worth it considering what a new tenor of the same quality would have cost me. I seen another one the other day on a gig actually, in Nova Scotia. I'd like to find myself one of the LPs.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 07:00 PM

I just bought a $80 Mansfield acoustic Gibson Dove copy model 693 the first 2 digits of the serial number is 74 so I am guessing it could be 1974?? Looks exactly like a gibson and appears to be solid rosewood back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck? It needs a little adjustment but sounds fantastic. I wish I new more but sounds just as good as a $2000 guitar.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Razz
Date: 26 Mar 10 - 05:58 PM

I have a Mansfield classical guitar that my mother gave me years ago. She told me her grandfather gave her the guitar. Unlike all of you, mine doesn't say anything on the headstock and it doesn't say what country made it or what year it was made. All I know is the sticker says "Mansfield handcrafted guitar model No.0119. Can anyone hepl me out please??

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 29 Dec 09 - 11:09 AM

I once had two Mansfield toilets in my house. True story! They had a pneumatic flushing device that would suck pigeons right off the roof! I never knew they made guitars, though...

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Dan C.
Date: 29 Dec 09 - 03:30 AM

Ok, I see all this talk of Mansfield guitars, but I have a canary yellow Mansfield BASS that is basically a short-scale Fender tele bass copy. It's VERY light and I can't find any info on it online. Has anyone else ever seen a Mansfield bass?

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Mark
Date: 16 Dec 09 - 09:11 PM

I bought my son Mansfield dove model #693 off kijiji clasifieds. The guy i got it from said it was purchased at Goldstiens music in Saint John NB in the early 70's. I was in touch with peates music and he verified it that it was one of the 70's mansfields.It looks like a Gibson dove. There are pictures I sent them on there web site.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Eugene
Date: 13 Dec 09 - 11:41 AM

I also have a Mansfield,les Paul copy which I bought new in the early 70s,Its a dream to play and never been set up.its amazing rite up the neck and sounds killer thru a fender pro reverb amp,also early 70s issue.Mine is Ivory in color or thats what they call it but it looks to have a goldish tint at any rate its a great guitar for I think around 300.00 dollar range and that was with a custom case.Iam in N.B. Canada and I also have a few friends around the area that also have mansfield acoustics.Nice to see the other comments on these great old guitars and how they have stood the test of time,which I think tells the tale on construction quality.
                              Best to All. Eugene

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,DMcL.
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 07:47 AM

Hi Stew:
I have to agree with you re: sound vs. Martin; however, I have had several Gibsons over the years and this Mansfield now sounds better than all of them and comes very close to a Martin or Taylor.

What I really like about the Mansfield (at least with this model) is the adjustable saddle. Great for setting the action. There has never been any work done on the guitar and apart from a few pick scrapes, it still is in very good condition for all it has been through. The intonation is dead on.

My granddaughter can have it back when I expire!

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Stew
Date: 18 Oct 09 - 07:13 PM

I worked at Peate Musical when they were on Mansfield right next door to a neat old tavern. This was in the 50's. They left downtown and moved up around Decarie and the Metropolitan Blvd around 1968-1970 or thereabouts. A buddy of mine bought a Mansfield acoustic flat top guitar and as I recall it played okay but a wee bit short of Martin and Gibson in tone. I always assumed it was made in Canada, but as this thread points out it was probably made in the east.
Stew

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,DMcL
Date: 18 Oct 09 - 06:31 PM

I have a Mansfield acoustic, model F340 that I purchased at Peate's Music in 1967. I used it for a "beater" (parties, etc.) and did not really care a great deal for it as it was a "quiet" guitar and nothing really to look at. But what do you expect for $60.00 bucks or so (I can't remember the original price.) I had it here at home until about 5 years ago and gave it to my granddaughter as a beginner's instrument. I picked up a Yamaha electric/acoustic AP4 in the meantime and found it to be so-so.

Aadvance to just recently. The Mansfield was a bit large for my granddaughter so she really did not play it much. I picked it up to strum while at the house over Thanksgiving and I could not believe my ears! The solid spruce top has aged of course and the sound was something else. It still does not have a "big" sound but it was so balanced and low action that I swapped the smaller Yamaha with her and now have the Mansfield back at home.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,kevmc
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 06:20 PM

I have a Mansfield acoustic. I got it from my cousin, I think, years ago. He got it from a relative, too, I think. Looks like an old Ibanez. Says "MADE IN JAPAN" on the back of the headstock. Plays well and sounds good. But it was beat up pretty good. I replaced a missing tuner. And the guitar was splitting in the bottom right. So, not being able to afford $160 to have a luthier fix it, I used a few tuny nails and duct tape. Works fine. It has a nice flat fretboard. Seems to have some slight tuning instability, though. But it has a nice rich tone.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,mns owner
Date: 01 Apr 09 - 11:04 PM

very cool to run across this thread. I've owned a mansfield electric since the mid 90s and never really knew where the brand came from. Thanks for clearing it up!

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,~G~
Date: 28 Mar 09 - 12:10 PM

I am glad to see that my post on guitarsite in 2004 went its way... (http://www.guitarsite.com/discussion/messages/79220.shtml)

Since this seems to still have some interest, I would like to add more information to this post about the Mansfield guitars. These discoveries were done after a lot of research on the net, I have found and confirmed at least some of the "mystery" hanging around the Mansfield guitars.

Mansfield was actually an OEM brand from a canadian distributor named Peate's Music store, located on Mansfield street in Montreal. They still have a website with an interesting archive page where you see Martin guitars starting at 24 dollars... Wow! What a bargain! http://www.peate.com/peatearchives.htm

But they no longer have a store, so the 24 dollars Martin deal is off!!!. I think they also operate under a different name and are mainly operating as musical instruments distributors.

I have contacted them in 2004 and they were kind enough to confirm that Mansfield used to have their guitar made by Hoshino-Gakki in the 70's:

"The interesting story behind Mansfield is that years ago, before Ibanez became such a strong guitar line, the manufacturer of Ibanez in Japan used to make OEM guitars for musical distributors throughout the world.

They were approached by Peate Musical Instrument Distributors about 30 years ago to make guitars for them. At that time the Peate warehouse was located in Montreal on Mansfield street. Now you know how the guitars came to be called Mansfield. Subsequently, Peate Music went to other guitar manufacturers for their "Mansfield" guitars up until about 10 years ago. The association with Ibanez manufacturing was discontinued about 25 years ago, so whether your guitar was made by the Ibanez factory in Japan or elsewhere is still an open question."

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Greg Scott
Date: 28 Mar 09 - 12:08 PM

I have a Les Paul Copy that is a Mansfield. There is a few web sites that deal with them. I bought mine for around $350 in 1980 and I have played it ever since. To say I love it is an understatement.I would not trade it for a brand new Les Paul.
Greg Scott

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,jay
Date: 28 Feb 09 - 06:34 PM

I owned a Mansfield guitar in the late nineties. I bought it off a retired guy in Calgary that quit playing and he told me he had bought it new from a shop in downtown Toronto in the late fifties I believe. I am not %100 positive on that but the guitar was definitely old and the amp I bought at the same time was purchased with the guitar. Anyways the guitar played like a dream, stayed in tune perfectly (I never even took it in to get it set up), and to top it off it was a very nice looking guitar. I have yet to find a guitar that plays as well with such low action and there was zero fret buzz anywhere on the fret board. Unfortunately I sold it so that I had the NAME BRAND EQUIPMENT which was dumb because I have yet to come across another guitar that comes close to its playability except for maybe my Gibson BFG which I grow fonder of everyday. So if I were you and I had one and it played nice and stayed in tune I would keep it. Thats just my opinion though. Cheers from Canada.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: GUEST,Greg
Date: 23 Jan 09 - 09:23 PM

hey i saw a mansfield copy of a fender telecaster, th guy wants 150 for it, i think he is ripping people off, not only that, it had a busted nut.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 10:43 PM

My first banjo was a Mansfield. It was a fairly well made Aluminium pot Japanese cheapie. I have seen other Mansfield banjos that are great copies of Gibson Mastertones, some even have ornate engraving and gold plating. I would think that given your investment that you either have a pretty good deal, a very good deal or a great deal.

LL, are you in Canada? I have this theory that Mansfield was a brand name for products bought by a Canadian retailer.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: Lyrical Lady
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 10:03 PM

Thanks Mooh.that is very helpful indeed.
LL

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 09:10 PM

I wouldn't take this as gospel, but I believe Mansfield Guitars were Asian rim built, likely Japan if my suspicions are true that they were '60s &/or '70s imports. If that is true it is also likely they were copies, maybe even decent ones, of established well known brands of the day. If yours is playable, and sounds okay, you likely weren't ripped off at $50. Is it solid top or laminate? Enjoy.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: Lyrical Lady
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 08:42 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: Once Famous
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 10:09 PM

This guitar was made by the Jayne Mansfield Guitar Co. which went out of business when she lost her head over being competitive with Stella.

Subject: Mansfield Guitars??????
From: Lyrical Lady
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 10:02 PM

My sweety was given a Mansfield guitar #694. It was payment for a $ 50. (can) debt owed to him. Does anyone know anything about these guitars and did he get his monies worth!! LOL

LL