Evangeline! - Vintage Japanese Les Paul-Style Guitar | c.1976–1977

Meet Evangeline

Vintage Japanese Les Paul-Style Guitar | Sakai Mokko Attribution | c.1976–1977 | Tobacco Sunburst

Adoption Fee: £395

There are three people in The Stray Chord household, and not one of us is particularly fond of Les Paul-style guitars.

Naturally, Evangeline has made fools of us all.

Believed to have been manufactured around 1976–1977 at the Sakai Mokko factory in Nagoya, Japan, Evangeline is a remarkable vintage Japanese instrument whose anonymous headstock conceals some genuinely impressive craftsmanship.

Although her original retail branding cannot be confirmed, her construction is consistent with guitars produced for Hondo and Hondo II during the late 1970s.

A Spectacular Figured Top

Evangeline’s most immediately striking feature is her extraordinary arched top, believed to be Japanese sycamore, beneath a rich Tobacco Sunburst finish.

The warm amber centre reveals beautiful, flowing grain, framed by deep burgundy-brown edges. It’s some of the most attractive figuring we’ve encountered, and photographs only begin to do it justice.

Beneath the top sits a mahogany laminate body featuring the characteristic ‘pancake’ construction of the period. The glossy finish has survived remarkably well, with age-appropriate cosmetic marks that reflect almost fifty years of history.

Vintage Japanese Construction

Her solid Asian mahogany neck, most likely nato, incorporates a factory scarf joint, a construction detail associated with Sakai Mokko instruments of this era.

The rosewood fingerboard features cream binding and medium, relatively flat-topped frets that retain a comfortable vintage feel.

A 24.75-inch scale length provides familiar short-scale playability, while the rounded neck heel and well-balanced body make her particularly comfortable to play.

Her original single-action truss rod remains fully functional.

A Truly Exceptional Vintage Sound

Evangeline is equipped with two period Maxon PAF-style humbuckers, believed to be original to the instrument.

With approximate readings of 7.5–8kΩ, these pickups deliver a wonderfully expressive vintage response. Expect punchy bass, rich midrange growl and crisp, articulate treble, with an especially satisfying woody character when driven into overdrive.

Her vintage Japanese electronics include 500kΩ volume potentiometers, 250kΩ tone potentiometers and 0.022µF green-drop Mylar capacitors.

The result is a versatile instrument capable of everything from warm, rounded cleans to thick, saturated classic rock tones.

We genuinely consider her one of the best-sounding guitars we’ve had through the workshop.

Professionally Restored and Set Up

As with every instrument rehomed by The Stray Chord, Evangeline has received our comprehensive workshop service, including fret levelling, crowning and polishing, a thorough clean, electronics and hardware inspection, and a complete setup.

She plays beautifully, sounds extraordinary and is pleasantly manageable in weight for a Les Paul-style guitar.

There are plenty of guitars with famous names and impressive price tags.

Evangeline has almost fifty years of history, an exceptional figured top, wonderful vintage pickups and a voice that managed to convert three people who weren’t particularly interested in Les Pauls.

We think that’s considerably more interesting.

Evangeline is ready for her next chapter.

Rescue • Restore • Rehome