Caramel’s Guitar Kitchen Special Edition V3 Wakasa Matsuba

Japanese guitar making meets traditional Japanese lacquer artistry.

Handmade in Fukuoka by Takeshi Katada, this Caramel’s Guitar Kitchen instrument brings an individual voice to our first selection of new guitars at Soul Drifter Guitars.

Based on the V3, the PT3 Matsuba features an alder body and a reddish-brown urushi finish that reveals the wood grain. The body and headstock lacquer work was undertaken by Hyozaemon, a traditional craft manufacturer in Fukui, using a thin wiped-lacquer technique.

For our guitar, we selected Japanese-made RISE pickups in both the neck and bridge positions, a gold Gotoh bridge and a white pickguard. The original Wakasa Matsuba “pine needle” pickguard is also included—a distinctive piece of lacquer craftsmanship that offers an alternative look.

Specifications

• Model: PT3 Matsuba / Prototype No. 3, based on the V3
• Made in: Japan
• Body: Alder
• Finish: Wakasa urushi
• Neck: Maple
• Fingerboard: Rosewood, 300mm radius
• Frets: 22, medium-wide
• Scale length: 648mm / 25.5"
• Nut: Graph Tech NuBone
• Pickups: RISE Guitar Pickups, neck and bridge
• Switching: CRL three-way selector
• Controls: CTS master volume and master tone
• Bridge: Gotoh, gold
• Tuners: Gotoh, gold
• Pickguard: White; original Wakasa Matsuba pine-needle-pattern guard included
• Case: CGK hard case included