The ”Made In Korea”
gallery

These are the models that were produced in Korea.

Vantage was a brand started by Music Technologies, Inc. (MTI) around 1978. MTI was formerly known as Unicord, Inc., which created the Univox and Westbury brands [1]. The very first known model was a re-branded Hondo HLP called the V-100, most likely sold around 1978. By 1979, their guitars were mostly unique designs made exclusively by Matsumoku in Japan.

For more information on Japanese Vantages, see: Vantage-Guitars.com and Matsumoku.org.

This continued until Matsumoku closed in early 1987. Some time that same year, Samick began building Vantages and then purchased the Vantage trademark [2]. MTI cancelled their rights to it in April 1989 [3]. Coincidentally, Samick had a relationship with Matsumoku dating back to the 1970s, where they were tutored by the Japanese manufacturer, so they were a fitting new home for Vantage.

Samick kept the classic Avenger X (and later reissued the AV), while re-creating the VLP Spirit as the DL, and the VSH as the 635V. However, it was largely a new lineup, mostly consisting of contemporary “superstrats”. At first, a new pointy, “reverse” headstock was used, but in 1991, all models returned to classic Vantage headstock designs. Notably, there was only one neck-through model offered (the 928), which was a superstrat, unlike the neck-through models that Vantage is now known for (Coincidentally, Samick had built neck-through guitars in the style of those classic Vantages under various brand names during the early 1980s).

(The information above is collected from http://samick.wikia.com/)


Vantage Acoustics Guitars

VS-12

VS-15

VS-25-CES

VS-35-CEB

VST-33-CE-TBL

Vantage Electric Guitars

111T

ME-475 (aka 111T?)

113T

115T

118BDT

118DT

118GDT

118JT

118T

120T

211T

213T

218T

311T

313T

318GTM

318T

320T

418BFT

418FT

418T

420BDT

428BJT

428GTM

518BFT

518FT

718BFT

718DT

718DT-1

718FT

718GDT

718GJT

720BDT

720BDT-1

728G

728GDT

818BDT

818DT

818GDT

820GDT

830G

900

DL-305

DL-405

VG-405

VIE-10

VT-115A

VT-318 GTM

YS-500

YS-510

YS-511

Vantage Semi Hollow Guitars

635TG

635V (ver 1)

635V (ver 2)

635V/N-LH

635VG

645VTG

655

655-LH

655VG

665

670

670TG

670V

Vantage Electric Basses

225B

325B

330B

330B FL

330BG

525B

725B

725BA

725B FL

750B

VL-640B

VL-650B

VL-650BG

Vantage Acoustic Basses

VB-25-CEQS

Vantage Banjo

VB-55

VB-70

VB-80

VB-180

Vantage Mandolin

VM-1/TT

VM-1F/TS

VM-3

VM-6

VM-10