Folk-style acoustics featuring smaller, more comfortable bodies.
For decades, Morris guitars have stood as a proud pillar of Japanese craftsmanship. The story of how this respected brand began is itself a piece of guitar history. Toshio Moridaira, the company's founder, was the first distributor in Japan to carry both Fender and Gibson lines, and in 1964, he visited the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where an employee nicknamed him "Mori". That nickname became the foundation for the brand's name when he founded Morris Guitars in 1967. The company originally operated as Yoshino Musical Instruments in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, producing its first acoustic guitars in March 1967 before rebranding to Morris in February 1972 and beginning mass production.
Let's look at some real-world examples to see this in action:
Morris produced a number of 12-string acoustic guitars throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The B702 is one documented example of a 12-string model from this period. morris guitar serial numbers
Higher-end models prominently feature the signature of the master luthier or a specific factory designation (e.g., Custom Shop). Step 2: Decoding the Serial Number Formats
Typically found on a paper label inside the soundhole or stamped directly onto the neck block (the wooden block where the neck joins the body).
Many 1970s and 1980s Japanese-made Morris guitars use a 6-digit system. Toshio Moridaira, the company's founder, was the first
Serial numbers for Morris guitars are a useful but imperfect tool. Accurate dating relies on combining serial analysis with label examination, construction details, and corroborating documentary evidence. Collaborative data collection among collectors and releasing digitized archives of catalogs/import records will improve dating accuracy.
, you are likely holding a high-end replica of a Martin blueprint. Significant Eras About Morris Guitars
If your Morris is an electric model and the serial number is missing, you can date it by checking the (volume/tone knobs). Open the back control plate. Look for a 7-digit code (e.g., 1378042). Let's look at some real-world examples to see
on the label is often the most reliable way to narrow down the decade. Common Model Prefixes Key Characteristics Late 1960s
: Generally refer to the sequential production number.
During the initial "lawsuit" era and the immediate years following, Morris utilized fairly simple and sometimes inconsistent serial number stamps.