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1970's Univox LP Rhythm Blues - Original + New HSC - $750 (Manchester)
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Model: U1982
copy from the early 1970’s, ALL ORIGINAL.
Serial Number: 0067880
Non original LP Guitar Case (no label)
Here is a rare Vintage Univox item for the player, collector or both.
Unusual to find in this Condition!
Most other similar guitars for sale, have some non-original parts and show significant wear and tear including cracked binding, etc.........
A true gem from the golden age of Japanese craftsmanship, the Univox LP Rhythm & Blues Guitar from the 1970s is a standout piece for collectors and players alike.
This particular model, finished in sleek black, is in excellent all-original condition, preserving the vintage mojo that defines the Lawsuit Era of guitar making. Known for its low, low action, it offers an incredibly smooth playing experience—ideal for expressive blues bends and lightning-fast rock riffs.
The pickups are a highlight: powerful and articulate, they deliver a rich tonal palette that ranges from warm, soulful cleans to gritty, punchy overdrive. Whether you're channeling classic R&B grooves or pushing into heavier rock territory, this guitar responds with character and clarity.
To top it off, it comes with a brand new LP-style hard case, ensuring safe transport and stylish storage.
Made in Japan during a time when Univox was producing high-quality Gibson-inspired instruments, this LP Rhythm & Blues model is a rare find that blends vintage aesthetics with modern playability.
This is a seriously cool 1970’s Univox Les Paul copy, from the famed Lawsuit Era of the early 70’s. The guitar is in very good to excellent players condition. The action is set low. All electronics work well and the vintage knobs, switch and hardware have all of the vibes and feel good as well.
The tone knob wiring and capacitators have been updated, the originals are included.
Knobs and switches are all original and are super cool. They are original vintage wiring with 500k pots.
Also includes Rubber Toggle Switch Cover, shown in photo in case.
It comes with a new LP case! The case is in mint cosmetic condition.
This guitar is a super awesome vintage knockoff Les Paul, made in Japan, that sounds awesome.
Action is low. Has one small crack in binding.
Anybody who has played one of these guitars and amps remembers how great they played and sounded together. The necks on these MIJ LP's were incredible.
Write Up: Guitar Player Magazine
The Univox/Aria Les Paul openly copied its American original, but would never be mistaken for it because it continued many characteristics typical of Japanese production at the time; a bolt-on neck with the usual narrow fingerboard, sitting relatively high on the body, zero frets, block inlays (with rounded corners) and rounded ends.
The headstock was a copy of the Gibson open book. And, obviously, it didn’t have Gibson humbuckers, favoring instead a design with 12 adjustable poles in a metal cover with a narrow black insert slit in the middle, sitting on black surrounds.
Controls were standard three-way with two volumes and tones. The knobs were those tall, skinny gold kind seen on many early Japanese copies. Hardware was gold-plated. These first Univox Les Paul copies survived into the early ’70s, but were probably gone by around ’74. By ’71, the model was called either the Mother or the R&B Guitar Outfit and was available in either black (U1982) or gold (U1983) finishes. Also by ’71, the Univox logo had changed from the early plastic version to the more common outlined block letter decal.
The Japanese copy juggernaut got off to a fast start, and the second major Univox guitar was the Lucy, a lucite copy of the Ampeg Dan Armstrong, again produced by Arai, introduced in 1970. This guitar had a surprisingly thin bolt-on neck (especially compared to the Ampeg original) and a slightly smaller body.
The fingerboard was rosewood with 24 frets and dot inlays. This had a fake rosewood masonite pickguard with volume, tone and three-way select. Like the Ampeg, the Lucy had a Danelectro-style bridge/tailpiece with little rosewood saddle. Unlike the Ampeg – which had Armstrong’s groovy slide-in epoxy-potted pickups – this version had a pair of the chrome/black insert pickups jammed together at the bridge.
Other Japanese manufacturers also made copies of the Ampeg lucite guitar, notably carrying the Electra (St. Louis Music) and Ibanez (Elger/Hoshino) brand names, with versions of the slide-in pickups. In ’71, the Univox Lucy (UHS-1) was $275 including case. Just how long the Lucy remained available is unknown, but it probably did not outlive the original and was gone by ’73 or ’74.