Looking for info - MT4

[vxn911]

I just aquired one of these EL DEGAS guitars today...a plain dreadnaught type model number looks like MT4. Serial # is blank. The person I bought it from said his father bought it in Toronto about 35 years ago. It has a natural finish on the front seems like a spruce top. The sides and back, I am unsure of...The headstock has a insert next to the nut that says the neck is adjustable....and it has a wierd steel saddle that appears adjustable. Can you provide any info on this model. It is a 6 string acoustic. Thanks. I bought it cheap.

[charles]

Hi, I split this off into a new topic so it would not get lost in the other one.

The MT4 is a copy of a Martin acoustic. Hard to say on the date of manufacture - El Degas did not use a traceable serial numbering system - if I see some photos I might be able to give you a ballpark and perhaps an assumption as to whether it is Made in Japan (MIJ) or Made in Korea (MIK). Might also be able to speculate about the wood on the sides & back.

The insert about the adjustable neck sounds like a new one to me - I'd love to see a pic of that.

The adjustable bridge sounds like a modification after the guitar was purchased... adjustable acoustic bridges like that are normally only found on some of the Gibson copies (as they were present on some of the guitars being copied).

[the52blues]

I used to sell the El Degas factory seconds in flea markets in the Toronto area. I had a deal with B&J the distributors. The MT series of guitars were the Martin copies and went from MT2 to MT19. MT 4 was one of the lower models that would have sold for under $200 back in the 70's. I sold them for $100 at the flea markets with slight imperfections.

[Barry]

Hey 52, I haven't been around for awhile and I'm just catching up...nice to have you here.
Sounds like you have some direct connection with the original El Degas pipeline. Charles has been going potty trying to find as much information as possible about the whole manufacture and distribution of this label.
If you haven't already posted about his elsewhere we'd really appreciate hearing about whatever you can share about this mysterious thing called El Degas!

[Poodiemama]

I still have my original MT4 that I purchased in the early "70s when I was 13. I picked it above others for its nice full sound, even though my dad tried to talk me out of it because he felt it was too big for a girl to play. Mine is still in almost new condition and I have played it a lot over the years. It had always remained my favorite even though I possess several other more expensive instruments. Mine has a space on the inside label for a serial number , but like yours that remained blank. It does not have an adjustable bridge however...I agree that this may be an add-on by someone. I don't remember exactly what I paid for my guitar, but I think it was around $200 with a cheap case. I remember going to the store each Saturday and the owner letting me play it until I had saved up enough money to buy it...baby-sitting (.25 cents /hour) and working on the potato harvester; to say the least it seemed to take forever, but it was worth it as I have had many years of enjoyment from this guitar and plan on keeping it forever.

[charles]

Thanks for sharing, Poodlemama. You should start a new thread and spoil us with some photos