Arbiter Custom Model E-270 Model Solid Body Electric Guitar, c. 1975, made in Japan, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany body with rosewood cap, laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
In the early 1970s Dallas/Arbiter were a merger of the two firms then comprising one of the largest jobbers in the UK, famous in retrospect mostly for their electronics. Classic effects like the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, Arbiter Fuzz Face and the Sound City amp stacks are still well regarded, but the guitars they sold are less well remembered. Arbiter were Fender's exclusive UK distributor from 1966, and under the Hayman brand interesting original UK-made instruments were offered for a few years in the early '70s, with input from Jim Burns.
In the early '70s the firm also imported lower grade guitars from Japan under the "Jedson" brand, but by the time this 1970s Arbiter Custom Model E270 appeared they were upping the game using the main house brand on much superior product. This is a very flashy "lawsuit" era "Les Paul inspired" twin pickup electric made in Japan's Kasuga Gakki plant, on par with the best Japanese guitars of the period.
This set-neck solidbody has a flashy multi-bound rosewood veneered top on the mahogany body, something even Gibson did not offer! Further flash is provided by mother of pearl "vine" inlay all along the bound rosewood fingerboard, another original feature. The "open book" (i.e. Gibson shape) multi-bound headstock has a pearl "ARBITER" block logo and doodad below, with gold-plated tuners and "Custom" engraved on the truss rod cover. Other refinements include a contoured neck heel for upper fret access and tummy cut in the back of the body for added comfort.
The guitar features Maxon staple-pole humbuckers built by Nisshin Onpa, about the best Japanese pickups of the era and now considered collectible in their own right. All the hardware is the better grade of the time, similar to what Ibanez offered Overall this was an excellent import guitar for the period, still heavily Gibson-based built just before the major Japanese factories really upped their game into more original designs. Gibson sued the US importer for Ibanez in 1977 over the headstock shape and in the long run this probably helped Japanese push makers into establishing their own identity; this is the final generation of the "Copy era" product.
Although somewhat similar to period Ibanez (and other) higher grade Les Paul-styled models this is a very rare guitar in the US as it was a specific UK-import only model made exclusively for Dallas/Arbiter. This guitar amazingly comes with an original receipt indicating it was bought new in Manchester (identified oddly as an "Arbiter Artist (Fender)" with "custom' written in below) in 1976 for 150 Pounds (plus, amusingly, a set of Gibson strings at 2.75). We can't say if it was ever in any of the influential bands from that city, but probably not as it does not look much played since then!
Overall length is 39 3/8 in. (100 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This 50-year-old guitar is all original and quite clean overall, showing only typical light wear, most notably some deeper dings to the back and heavier loss to the gold plating on the bridge and tailpiece. The pickup covers have some wear along the edges. The original frets show minimal wear, the guitar plays well and is a cool example of the better grade of Japanese instruments of the period, with the UK connection making this a rare piece in the US. It lives in a more recent HSC. Overall Excellent Condition.
