Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

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auxiliaryjoel
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Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by auxiliaryjoel » Sat Jun 04, 2022 6:49 pm

I've tried out a few whacky Japanese Guitars in the Past. Some of them are pretty cool but often the stock tuners aren't great.
I just noticed a brand called Meazzi. And particular a model the Corsair.
Does anyone know form experience whether they'll stay in tune Fairly reliably?(with the stock tuners they come with) , and if using the tremolo arm will throw them out of tune?

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by ohm-men » Sun Jun 05, 2022 3:17 am

From my expirience with 60's/70's Italian made guitars, I can say it depends on the models.
I played/restored/rebuild a few of those and it all depends on the brand really.

Meazzi were originally accordion builders in the 40's and 50's in Italy, they switched over to guitars in the late50's, early 60's when they got in fashion.
Most of the Italian made guitars are plywood (most of the 60's that is. I don't think Meazzi made any guitars after 1970, but I could be wrong.)
Their designs were fantastic, but they lack U.S. crafmaship imho. (just saying these are not near the quality you's expact from an old Fender, Gibson...)

They had these wacky finishes they derived from their earlier Accordions. MOP on the bodies, weird plasticly gold binding, etc...(they also went with pick up sliders and added all sorts of cap's to alter the sound of the guitar, bass cuts, treble cuts, both, etc...)

Anyway, the hardware is a mixed bag. Tuners are so-so, some better then the others.
Some old models were made without truss rods on the student models. Some with really thick necks, others with tendencies to wrap. (almost impossible to repair)
If someone messed with the wiring, it's difficult to find out how they were originally wired.

Some of them have strange scales. I used to have a 26" scale Melody. Super for lower tunings, strange in E/e...
I've also seen short scales with 23" scale lenghts.

Pu's are sometimes really nice, but very, verly low output. At least on the ones I played.

When I started playing guitars, you could get these practicly for free, nowadays they go for premium prices.
They are cool, but they will never serve as your main guitar, unless you have a really good one.
Though in the 10 or so (Eko's, Crucianelli's, Melody's, etc...) I owned, restored or played, most had a lot of work to make playable.

Nowadays I tend to stay away from them. Although I love their design and wackyness a lot.
Just remember they were made in an era where people were just happy with any electric guitar. And the Italians wanted to stand out in that department I guess.

Today, even the cheapest electric you buy is a better made guitar then most of the old Italian ones, they just lack that coolness of Italian design.

My two cents, if you can spare the cash/or you can grab one very cheap, go for it
If you can't, I'd say no. Save up for something better or build repro/inspired model yourself using aftermarket parts.

I honnestly prefer German made guitars from this era over the Italian ones. Far less flashy, but much, much better instruments.
(Höfner, Klira, Framus, Hopf, .... to name a few)

There is modren brand called "Italia" that made a lot of re-issues of the older Italian made 60's guitars.
A tad more expensive then your gold logo Squier, but with a coolness you won't find elsewhere....
Last edited by ohm-men on Sun Jun 05, 2022 11:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by auxiliaryjoel » Sun Jun 05, 2022 3:56 am

Hey thanks heaps for the reply @ohm-men, that is a lot of great information.
Ok yep, that certainly clears it up for me. I love the interesting aesthetics but I am spoiled with the CIJ and American Jaguars and Jazzmaster that I own - so it sounds like I'd really notice the drop in playability.
I am gas-ing for something with some unique aesthetics.
I noticed that Eastwood are talking about remaking the Maton Fyrbyrds. Have you had any experience with the new Eastwood guitars?

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by X-Ray Spex » Sun Jun 05, 2022 1:54 pm

auxiliaryjoel wrote:
Sun Jun 05, 2022 3:56 am
Hey thanks heaps for the reply @ohm-men, that is a lot of great information.
Ok yep, that certainly clears it up for me. I love the interesting aesthetics but I am spoiled with the CIJ and American Jaguars and Jazzmaster that I own - so it sounds like I'd really notice the drop in playability.
I am gas-ing for something with some unique aesthetics.
I noticed that Eastwood are talking about remaking the Maton Fyrbyrds. Have you had any experience with the new Eastwood guitars?
Eastwood stuff is known for major QC issues, definitely try before you buy. Or better yet just get the original vintage version of what they're trying to reissue.
''It's not what you play, it's what you play'' - Troy Van Leeuwen

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by LVC » Sun Jun 05, 2022 2:49 pm

I've never played a Meazzi, bu I've played several vintage Italian guitars and ohm-men's description above is pretty much spot on.

You mentioned Japanese guitars, well I'd say Italian guitars were more on less on par with the MIJ production pre-mid 60s. There are a few gems to be found, but most models fall in the "wacky, cool-looking, fun to play, but pretty low quality" category.

ohm-men also mentioned the modern Italia brand. Their guitars are really well made (in Korea), better than Eastwoods in my experience. I love my Mondial Classic, it's my second most comfortable guitar after my CIJ Jaguar. Delicious vintage-style wackiness with modern quality and playability. They're not really recreations of vintage Italian models though, more like inspired by iconic guitar designs from all around the world, but with an extra helping of kitschy Italian-style sparkles and mother of toilet seat.

DiPinto is another brand that does a modern take on a vintage Italian model (specifically, the Galanti Grand Prix).
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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by ohm-men » Sun Jun 05, 2022 11:18 pm

LVC, you beat to it....
I was gonna mention Di Pinto as a good alternative to Italia guitars.
As for Eastwood, nice looking guitars, but too anemic feeling to me/given the price range.
There is just something about them that makes me feel, close but far from a cigar...
Perhaps because I played some of the originals they copied and found their takes on the originals lacking.
They tend to have a somewhat lowend feel imho. Could be just me.

As for cheaper "vintage copy" guitars, I find that Harley Benton does a good job for the pricepoint...
Their new Mosrite inspired line looks quiet good imho. Not sure they did anything vintage Italian inspired yet.

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by auxiliaryjoel » Mon Jun 06, 2022 3:03 pm

Hey cheers @X-Ray Spex and @ohm-men and @LVC
This is some really great info that you've all shared.
It makes me realise that maybe the wacky aesthetic comes with a drop in quality.
For example if I was to buy a Squier Mustang, or Squier Jaguar or Squier Jazzmaster at a similar price-point to for example an entry level Dipinto - would the Squiers have better playability and sound quality or would they and the Dipintos within similar price range all be on par?

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by SignoftheDragon » Mon Jun 06, 2022 3:53 pm

I have some relevant experience, although slightly parallel in nature, as I play 12-strings exclusively.

I've owned all three of the mentioned modern brands, (Italia, DiPinto, Eastwood) and would add Gretsch, Schecter, and Reverend into the same category: Decent-to-great guitars out of Korea, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that many of these come off the same factory lines.

Top to bottom, My recommendations would be:

#1- Italia. Based on my experience with the Rimini 12-string- the build, flash, and SOUND stand a little above the crowd.
#2- Reverend. Airwave 12. Great player. 24.75" scale length is my only complaint.
#3- DiPinto. Mach XII (Mosrite-ish shape.) great punk-rock Kerrannngggg! but not quite as tonally diverse.
#4- Eastwood. Their Surfcaster 12 is a great player, and sounds great- just missed the 'replica' mark by a bit much to gain my fervor.
#5- Schecter. (TSH-12, Corsair 12, etc.) Great appointments, great players, lacking in tone. (The Robert Smith Ultracure XII is definitely a standout exception. That thing sounds AMAZING.)
#6- Gretsch Electromatic. (Classic 12 hollowbody.) Decent finish, great looks, blah tone.

You'll probably find the squiers hanging around at the lower end of that scale- some are actually great, some need a lot of help. For the most part, the Korean class is a step up from the Squier lines.

Hopefully that helps a little to narrow the field if you're going modern.

Enjoy those two cents!

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by hulakatt » Mon Jun 06, 2022 6:08 pm

I haven't tried any of the Meazzi guitars but I have 2 Meazzi Hollywood snare drums! Ahead of their time designs in hardware but without the metallurgy and quality to back it up as well as some of the best/coolest visual design. Most of their drums had hinged tension rods with claws and hoops instead of the tension rods going through the hoops. This allowed people to quickly change heads without completely unscrewing the tension rods. Very cool design idea that was later manufactured with quality and reliability from Tama IIRC. The Meazzi hardware wasn't the best metal and was prone to cracking.

I've replaced the claws and hoops on mine with better made, modern equivalents and they great sounding drums! With a very thin shell, they sound similar to vintage Sonor drums. Cool as hell drum wraps too :)

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by raphaël » Tue Jun 07, 2022 12:37 am

I've had a fair bunch of 60s Italian made electric guitars. I still have 3 Ekos and 1 Welson. Hollow bodies.
They all were/are sporting sets of Van Ghent tuners. So tuning stability was/is never an issue.
Maybe the Meazzis are too?
I love my Ekos as much as I love my Fenders. Maybe more, they inspire me way much. They are not cheap at all. Well, my Welson Playboy is a bit cheap to be honest, but my Ekos are far from it.
I'm gasing very hard on a Meazzi Hollywood Sceptre for years now. Hard to come by, and prices have skyrocketted since I start looking.

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by auxiliaryjoel » Tue Jun 07, 2022 2:45 am

Hey thanks for all the info everyone. It's often hard to get good info on these oddball guitars so this thread has been great.

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by baskervils » Thu Nov 17, 2022 6:15 am

Hi All! It's my first post.

I have three Meazzi guitars, an Old Jazz and a Corsair, with a third on the way... the infamous Hollywood Jupiter.

My experience so far, as far as intonation goes, has been excellent with Meazzi and Eko guitars. As with many European guitars, the pickups are inspiring and immediately sound like the 1960s or early 1970s. I can pretty much get something that makes me inspired as soon as I plug one of these in.

I have had less luck and been less taken with MIJ guitars myself. I have had several Teiscos, a Univox and a Guyatone Kent. They are OK, but I absolutely prefer Egmond, Eko and Meazzi pickups.

Eko pickups are kind of pleasantly papery and stack well. It sounds a bit like a Strat, but not exactly. There is enough of a difference to make Eko pickups distinct.
Eko Cobra

Meazzi pickups have a slightly metallic chime to them, kind of like if you mixed a 60% single coil Strat with 40% humbucker / Ric toaster mix. My Corsair, being a solid body, is slightly more aggressive but no less pleasant. The Old Jazz is a hollow bodied guitar, so the sound mixes a bit of the acoustic side, which sounds great. Also, the pickups are slightly out of phase, but in a well designed way. It creates a cool chorus effect. Because the weather is changing, keeping my Old Jazz perfectly in tune has required a little wrestling and tuning in Ableton, but a lot of my guitars have this issue when it is wet and cold one day and hot the next.

Meazzi Hollywood Old Jazz Example

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by tupherrecords » Wed Dec 07, 2022 1:33 pm

Meazzi farmed out the production of guitars to established makers, and solidbody models were made by Polverini Brothers in Recanati.

Meazzi Solidbodies

Van Ghent tuners were made in Holland and came stock on a lot of guitars in the 1960s. From Guild in New Jersey to Gemelli in Marche.

When someone tells you Italian guitars were all made of plywood, or spreads other reductionist conjecture around, press them on it. Without lived experience with the instruments, people have all kinds of notions. Italian workshops were mass producing stringed instruments for a long time before amplification, and that experience often shows.

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by baskervils » Sat Dec 17, 2022 5:47 am

I'd like to revise my statement about Japanese guitars. I found a few great ones recently, but the bodies needed a lot more work than the Italian guitars.

As a composer, I am always seeking guitars that inspire me to write songs. Meazzi guitars, especially, have been a pleasure to play with pickups that are sonically magic.

Fetish Guitars - Meazzi

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Re: Meazzi guitars - do they stay in tune?

Post by señormisterioso » Mon Dec 26, 2022 5:55 pm

I own two Jupiters. Both stay in tune.

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