RE: El Degas MT-8

[Mandolinpicker]

Hey All,
New to the board, but have been lurking for the last bit. So I had been playing my girlfriend's EL Degas MT-8 all winter and really falling in love with it, but I had no idea how good it was until I got my new Taylor DN3 in the mail. In comparison, the MT-8 has an unbelievable tone, volume, and attack! So i started doing a bit of research. It is indeed a Korean made, with a serial number of 127097.

Now before it begins, I realize that the later models have lost the quality of build, but there is no laminate in this model, wood top, double back, and sides, and the feel and tone of the instrument is like a classic d28. I am really just trying to pinpoint a date, and to ascertain the woods used. Seems like a rosewood/sitka mix. Either way this thing sounds better and plays better than actual martin d-28's i've played. Ill send photos along if requested. Hopefully someone can help with the date. Thanks again, I have really enjoyed reading the forums here, take care y'all!

[charles]

The MT- models are usually pretty good from what I've played and seen, regardless of where they were made. The Japanese ones are usually just more desirable to buyers.

Definitely post some photos for us to pour over (use Photobucket, imgur, etc photo sharing sites and post the IMG links in a post to have them show up)

[Mandolinpicker]

Hey everyone!
Thanks again Charles. Here are a few pictures for everyone. The wood is really beautiful and aged well. My girlfriend scored it for $100 with a case from her cousin.
He ended up purchasing it from an older gentleman in rural Newfoundland. Hope someone can pick out some of the wood types, and maybe a bit more info!

http://imgur.com/a/7DJ0j This is a link to Imgur, a high quality image hosting site with a great reputation! Let me know what you Think!

[charles]

Looks like spruce for the top, mahogany for the neck, and... maybe koa (?) for the back.

[Barry]

Likely Mahogany neck and Spruce top which is yellowing nicely with age.
But the back/sides are hard to determine from the picture. I don't think it's Koa, that tends to have a more figured grain. Possibly a rosewood of some sort, or, it could even be a high quality mahogany?

[Mandolinpicker]

Hey guys,
thanks for the response. It is a well aged guitar, and the older gentleman who bought and used it for a few decades played the heck out of it, as the fret wear is unreal!
Thanks again, take care.

[Pistolpete7837]

I got this MT-8 from my wife's grandmother and it had missing keys etc. I fixed it and I started playing it. it sounds awesome. Serial Number 036087? what year was this guitar made?

[charles]

I got this MT-8 from my wife's grandmother and it had missing keys etc. I fixed it and I started playing it. it sounds awesome. Serial Number 036087? what year was this guitar made?

The serial number unfortunately won't help since no data on that system survives. What I would recommend is to start a new thread with some photos, including the sound hole label and headstock, which can be helpful in giving an educated guess on the era it would have been manufactured. (Unfortunately specific dates are basically impossible to provide)