An excellent Musima model 1655 thinline electric archtop guitar, dating from circa 1960s.
Of East German origin, this model is very much one of the 'good' guitars of this period.
From my research, there were two versions of this model: pre (model 1655) and post-1973 (model 1657). This is one of the former models, which featured a far superior (slimmer) neck profile as well as a significantly thinner top (2.5mm, doubling in thickness to 5mm in '73). The result is an incredibly resonant, lightweight thinline electric guitar that is very playable.
These models are also revered for their use of 'Simeto' pickups, which I feel sound rather like a P90. These were not 'cheap' run of the mill pickups - they were developed at great expense in a laboratory under a contract with the GDR government. They have excellent articulation, note clarity and sound really sweet.
These models feature novel wiring (as did many East-German guitars), in the form of a notched 4-way switch with the following combinations: 1. Neck pickup, 2. Neck and bridge pickup, 3. Bridge pickup with high pass filter, 4. Bridge pickup with high pass filter and neck pickup with low pass filter. I find this has some utility for jazz players, and demonstrates some of the innovative and player-led guitar engineering going on at the time.
Plays excellently with a comfortable low action - very easy to work on owing to the bolt on neck, discretely accessed with 2 subtle screws to the back (making for easy shimming down the line - not that it needs it).
The guitar is in excellent condition and appears to be all original, looking to have been highly buffed and polished by the previous owner back to a factory gloss and remove minor blemishes in the clear coat. I really can not find anything in the way of notable dings or marks - the guitar looks to have been very well kept.
It comes with a very snugly-fitting Hiscox hard case, which is in good condition with all latches working.
One would struggle to find a better quality 60s jazz thin line in this condition, for this price. I'd half a mind to hold on to it, this guitar really surprised me - the pickups are particularly sweet to my ear.