Elk was a Japanese guitar, amplifier and music-electronics brand during the 1960s and 1970s. Elk instruments were high quality and mostly distributed within Japan. A few models were sold overseas: for example the Elk 1972 English language catalog only lists three guitar models: a solid-body electric (the cutlass), a bass (the BS-400) and a thinline semi acoustic (the galaxie - designated the X-1000 model in the English catalog and SA-180 in the Japanese one).

The ELK Galaxie was a thin-line semi-acoustic with bound F-holes and book-matched maple sides and back. The bolt-on neck joined the body at the 19th fret. Fingerboard was rosewood with zero fret, block position markers and ivoroid binding. It had two micro-adjust pickups with individually adjustable pole-pieces and plated covers. Controls were a three way pickuo selector switch and a volume and tone control. It had a black scratch-plate, roller bridge and a Bigsby style tremolo.

Thomas got this Elk during the 1970s

I purchased one from a friend back in the 70's. This is one of the nicest guitars I have ever played. The neck is very thin. I haven't seen one like it anywhere. It looks like a Gibson Es-335, with wammy bar.

This guitar has the serial number 4329 and then at the last fret the number 0650.

This one lost its scratchplate at some point. The headstock logo - with a moosehead and ELK in capitals is different from the guitars in the ELK catalogues. They were using the capitalised ELK and a diamond in 1972 but not the moosehead and by 1975 they were using just a script ELK logo on the headstock - so I would guess this model was made between 1972 and 1975. This is a relatively rare guitar and I have no idea of the value - but high quality Japanese guitars of this era have become collectible.