MADE IN 1970 S. KUROSAWA "2" - FANTASTIC RAMIREZ STYLE CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR

Brand: Yamaha
;Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan

MADE IN 1970 S. KUROSAWA "2" - FANTASTIC RAMIREZ STYLE CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR

Please read my 7 days return policy at the bottom of the page.

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If you are thinking about a purchase of a used vintage guitar you need to accept the fact that such guitars may have cosmetic flaws solely associated with their age, but not related to any particular damage. For example their finishes change their look over the years and are not glossy and crystal clear like on brand new guitar. In addition, such guitars may require fret dressing, new tuners, string action adjustment or a simple repair before they can be fully enjoyed. I see guitars as musical instruments, not as furniture. When I describe guitar as being in excellent condition I don't talk only about its cosmetics but mostly about its structural & functional condition, sound and playability. If you are seeking a perfect looking, low maintenance guitar you should abandon a thought about buying used vintage one, especially from me.  

I don't offer "sound samples" because they never reflect true sound of a guitar as we hear it playing in our own room. You can greatly change tonality of any guitar by using different strings.

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Sumio Kurosawa Model Standard #2 Guitar in excellent condition

This guitar has been made by Sumio Kurosawa in late 1960-ties/very early 1970s. At that time Sumio has been working at his uncle’s (Tsunesaburo Kurosawa) Hitachi Factory. Tsunesaburo after successful career as luthier founded one of the largest in Japan music store chain. “Kurosawa Guitars” were made at owned by Tsunesaburo Hitachi Factory. Some models were signed by factory’s top luthiers.

Sumio Kurosawa studied guitar making under his uncle, Tsunesaburo from 1958 and moved to Spain in 1963. There he studied with Aguado for a couple years and returned to Japan. Now he is a permanent member of Japnese Luthier’s Elite. It is not clear when Sumio established his own workshop. I have seen guitars with his label made in early 1970-ties. Therefore I assume that this particular guitar must have been made earlier than that. Since it has gold plated tuners I believe it was made after 1968. Original tuners however were quite damaged and I had to install new ones (that are similar to original).

Nowadays most of the Kurosawa guitars are made by his son Tetsuo Kurosawa , and those guitars sell for at least $5000 brand new at Guitar Salon International. Sumio makes only few highest end guitars per year and price them at least $1000 000 yen (exactly the same price as current price of Sakurai/Kohno top model Maestro). Sumio’s vintage work cost quite a bit in the antique market if you can find one in decent shape. His guitars sound similar to the Kohno guitars but have their unique treble tone, very balanced with great separation.

This guitar has survived so many years in perfect working and at least very good cosmetic condition. Close inspection reveals several very small and hardly noticeable dents, minor abrasions on its body. The largest damage is 1 dent on the bottom of a soundboard, still not that easy to see at first glance.

It is truly very high grade guitar that produces beautiful Spanish sound at very impressive volume. It proves that Sumio hasn’t wasted his time in Spain. Just like most other guitars made by Sumio, this one is made based on Jose Ramirez blueprint and in terms of the volume and sound properties is nothing but a true copy of Ramirez 1A model (is made from very similar materials). The major differences are: less impressive label, better playability and lower price of Kurosawa guitar.

Model “Standard 2” doesn’t indicate the price of this guitar in Japanese yen. It only indicates certain grade of the instrument while prices were adjusted year after year due to rapid devaluation of Japanese yen during 1960s & through 1970s. In my opinion this guitar in 1970 had to be priced at least 60 000 yen, an equivalent of 1 1/2 of yearly salary of Japanese college graduate.

Specifications:

Top: Solid Cedar Top/Lacquer

Back: Solid Rosewood/Lacquer

Tonality of this guitar suggests that this is one of Latin America Rosewoods (straight grain Brazilian Rosewood or other closely related species grown in jungles of Amazon river basin). Without a lab test there is no way to determin what rosewood it really is.

What is however very easy to find out by every experienced player is, that this heavenly sounding guitar could easily compete with $8000+ "high end" guitars available these days at "high end" US guitar stores.

Sides: Solid Rosewood/Lacquer

While Jose Ramirez was using native to Spain cypress to line the sides of

his guitars, sides of this guitar are lined with second layer of rosewood.

Fingerboard: Brazilian Rosewood

Scale: 660 mm

Nut width: 52 mm

Bone Nut and saddle

The action of this guitar was set by its previous owner to 3,80 mm under E6 and 3,30 mm under E1 with only very little extra room on the saddle. In order to achieve this action slotted part of the bridge was sand down by couple of mm. After such operation a use of beads at the end of string is highly recommended.

This guitar will be shipped in new hard case polyfoam case.

In order to ship a package with guitar to Australia at affordable rate +/- $150.00 (USPS International Priority Mail), length of such package can’t exceed 42” and its girth (2 x times width + 2 x height) + length can’t exceed total of 97”. If you want original or non-original hard shell case, the size of the package will qualify it only for USPS/Fedex Global Express Guaranteed  at $400.00 price.

Real Value of Japanese Vintage Guitars

The key to understand value of vintage Japanese guitars is to acknowledge galloping devaluation of Japanese yen in 1960s & 1970s. This devaluation was somewhat slower in 1980s. The best measure of this devaluation is Starting Yearly Salary of Japanese College Graduate (SYSJCG).

SYSJCG in 1965 was 19 600 yen, in 1969 – 34 600 yen, in 1970 39 200 yen, in 1972 – 62 300 yen, in 1975 79 200 yen, in 1977 121 200 and in 1980 - 163 000 yen.

During 1960s and most of 1970s model numbers of Japanese guitars were strictly interconnected with their prices in Japanese yen. In late 1970s and during following decades model numbers were no longer strictly associated with their prices. Many Japanese guitar makers introduced model names instead of model numbers. Others were still using model numbers with addition of letter abbreviations or other symbols.  

The best and only logical approach while evaluating real value (real grade) of vintage Japanese guitar is to compare its price in Japanese yen with SYSJCG during the year guitar was made.

Any guitar priced 100 000 in 1970 (labelled usually as No10) would be priced 200 000 yen in 1975 (relabeled to No20 or 2000), 300 000 yen in 1977 (labelled as No3, No30 or 3000). Starting in 1977 Masaru Kohno introduced his model No50 priced at 500 000 (skipping theoretical model 40). Soon other famous Japanese luthiers did the same. By 1983 Kohno started using model names instead numbers and was raising their prices as he was pleased. Naturally soon other Master luthiers did the same.

Knowing all of that, you can bet on that Masaru Kohno No50 made in 1982 is practically the same quality as Kohno No15 made in 1972, or Kohno no20 made in 1975 or Kohno No30 made in 1977. I know it for a fact.

The lowest grade models currently made by Matsuoka workshop are M75 and MH75. They are commonly considered as “beginner guitars”. Matsuoka model M30 made in 1973 is simply far, far better instrument. It is naturally better than model M50 made in 1977, model 80 made in 1982 or model M100 made in 1990. At present, the highest grade Matsuoka models are M300 and MH300. They absolutely stand no chance in competition with model M150 made in 1975… or model M200 made in 1977.

Returns

If you are not happy with your purchase you may return the guitar for a refund of a purchase price of a guitar.  The cost of shipping both ways will not be refunded.

All you need to do is to:

1.    Notify me within 5 days after delivery   

2.    Pack guitar the same way I do it, using the same box and materials

3.    Ship it back to me within next 2 days

Another words I expect this “trail” period to occur within +/- 7 days. Naturally guitar has to be returned in the same condition as I ship it to you. This is simply honest offer for honest buyers. My goal is to make your purchase as risk free as possible. I know very well that spending $1000 of hard earned money is not emotionally easy undertaking for majority of guitar lovers. I am sure that reading my feedback can ease a bit your “purchase anxiety” but it still will be there no matter how hard I try.

Victor                                                              

P.s. If you'd like to check my other posted on E-bay guitars click on the links below:

http://youtu.be/T8bkPi4jhss

http://youtu.be/W1FaCjodgZM

http://youtu.be/_3tJW9ljjdM

http://youtu.be/ExVwfhLy1gQ

http://youtu.be/XNdeSWxb2nU

http://youtu.be/mecVgriaKJ0

http://youtu.be/O9ErnhZhDxw

http://youtu.be/ceVTybPnq7c

http://youtu.be/Zyz8eZeTSRQ

MADE IN 1970 S. KUROSAWA "2" - FANTASTIC RAMIREZ STYLE CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR

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