Sigma Guitar Needs a Name!

Subject: RE: Sigma Guitar Needs a Name!
From: GUEST,Motorcity
Date: 27 Oct 16 - 05:50 PM

Thanks, Fossil! I'm not a Facebook guy but do have decent enough photos. Guess I'll poach onto Facebook through the account of one of my children. (At last, payback from a kid...)

The fit on this guitar is wonderful, but it appears to have a few slight finish flaws; can't tell (completely) if they were caused by a previous owner or are just from a discolored piece of wood. But the only reason I got this guitar is that an estate sale company had been told it was a "knock-off." I think that was a misunderstanding and the previous owner told the sellers it was second-quality...or something like that.

Subject: RE: Sigma Guitar Needs a Name!
From: Fossil
Date: 27 Oct 16 - 05:29 PM

You best bet would be to take a lot of photos of the guitar - front, back, headstock, any labels, stickers, stamps and serial numbers and put them on the Vintage Sigma Guitars page on FaceBook. Also read all the FAQ's on that site and as many of the posts as you can manage. The resident Sigma gurus, Richard Boettinger and Kevin Dunham are very generous with their time and expertise and most likely can give you a reading on your guitar's provenance. Sounds interesting!

Subject: Sigma Guitar Needs a Name!
From: GUEST,Motorcity
Date: 27 Oct 16 - 08:48 AM

Maybe this little puzzle can be solved by a guitar genius with a ph.D in musical history.

I recently acquired a Sigma acoustic ("Sigma Guitars, Est. 1970") that came WITHOUT a Sigma label. Based on my own rudimentary skills, I'd say it's of Japanese manufacture. I've snapped some photos (spatula headstock, early tuners, plain, thin, line down the back of the guitar) that may be a tip-off. But the most interesting characteristics were the square, black and gold "Picador" label and what was below it. I peeled back the label and was expecting to see the common Sigma/C.F. Martin/Model stamp underneath, but there was only the number "2".

My questions: What model and year is this guitar? But more importantly, does anyone know for sure how Sigma/Martin treated what I believe is a second-quality guitar (it has a splotchy glue job inside)and where this guitar actually originated? I've read some interesting theories, but the information is pretty vague and mostly unsubstantiated. Thanks for any feedback you can offer!