MADE IN 1979 - TATSUHIKO HIROSE 10 - GREAT KOHNO CLASS CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR

Description

Please read my 3 days return policy at the bottom of the page.
Made in 1979 Tatsuhiko Hirose 10 Classical Concert Guitar
This guitar was made in 1979 by Tatsuhiko Hirose, the son of Hirohiko. According to some sources Hirohiko Hirose started his luthier’s career in late 1930s, most likely making violins and Japanese traditional string instruments. His oldest guitars are dated to early 1960s.
Hirohiko was one of many less known Japanese luthier pioneers who along with more famous Sakazo & Rokutaro Nakade, Hiroshi & Mitsuru Tamura and Masaru Kohno were adopting Spanish blueprints and modernizing Japanese Luthiery. Hirohiko was highly regarded in Japan and had enough clients, yet never became well known outside Japan. He was running small traditional workshop located in Nagoya, being helped by just one apprentice at the time. At some point in time his only apprentice was his own son Tatsuhiko and both names were printed on the labels. Tatsuhiko started signing labels in mid 1970s and continued his father’s tradition through at least late 1980s, perhaps even longer. Because of rather limited number of Hirose guitars popping up on second-hand markets and general scarcity of information describing these luthiers it is hard to decode their entire and true story.
What is easy though, is to recognize true greatness of their guitars. Good pair of ears, experience with 000+ “high end” guitars and dark room (without looking at the label) is all it takes.
Their guitars are the best certificate of Hirose’s luthier mastery. If compared with guitars made by most prominent Japanese luthiers of their era (Masaru Kohno, Sakazo Nakade, Toshihiko Kato & Hideyki Ezaki of Yamaha) Hirose guitars were greatly underpriced. Strangely enough to me, Tatsuhiko Hirose guitars were even underpriced if compared with guitars made by leading Japanese Gakkis (workshops employing teams of highly skilled younger luthiers) R. Matsuoka, Asturias or Takamine. After selling over 600 Japanese made vintage classical guitars, I truly know what I am talking about.
This guitar being priced 100 000 yen in 1979 was quite expensive instrument.
Made from similar grade materials, similar grade guitars made in 1979 by Masaru Kohno or Sakazo Nakade were priced 150 000 – 200 000 yen.
Equally priced, Yamaha GC10, Takamine 10, Asturias A10 and R. Matsuoka No100 from 1979 all sound like toys if compared with this Hirose guitar.
This guitar can easily compete not only with higher priced Japanese made guitars, but also with much higher priced instruments currently made by leading Spanish makers.
In fact, if Spanish luthier makes a guitar from 40 years old woods, it is priced at least 00. Famous Spanish luthiers charge at least twice that much.
Every experienced and honest player will agree with my statement soon after touching the strings of this amazing instrument. Describing its tonality as heavenly is the least I could propose. Somewhat metallic, yet ultra-rich with overtones, cello like basses are well balanced with sweet, yet crisp, piano like trebles. Its super volume is combined with very high level of note clarity & separation, and wonderful sustain. These are characteristics of “fine guitars”.
This guitar remains in excellent structural and at least “very good for its age” cosmetic condition. Its top bears several very tiny fingernail marks, few very small dents and few light scratches. The most noticeable “damage” is also located on the top, in the area normally covered by players arm. It is a set of abrasions on the binding and 3 parallel deeper scratches within the finish. Headstock bears couple marks as well. All other surfaces remain relatively clean.
Specifications:
Top: High Grade Solid Spruce/shellac
Back & Sides: Solid Latin America Rosewood/ lacquer
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Scale: 650 mm
Nut width: 51.5 mm
The action is set to 3.5 mm under E6 and 3.00 mm with practically no extra room on the saddle.
Guitar will be shipped in used hard shell case in relatively good condition.
Real Value of Japanese Vintage Guitars
The key to understand value of vintage Japanese guitars is to acknowledge galloping price inflation (devaluation of Japanese yen) during 1960s & 1970s. This inflation slowed down in 1980s.
During 1960s and most of 1970s model numbers of Japanese guitars were strictly interconnected with their prices in Japanese yen. By early 1980s and during following decades model numbers were no longer strictly associated with their prices. Some Japanese guitar makers introduced model names instead of model numbers. Others were still using model numbers with addition of letters and/or other symbols.
It is important to understand that two Yamaha GC10 guitars made 10 years apart are two instruments of totally different class. The same applies to any other Japanese maker/brand.
Any guitar priced 100 000 yen 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 new models No40 priced 400 000 yen and No50 priced 500 000 yen. By 1984 Kohno started using model names instead numbers and was raising their prices as he was pleased. The very top model 50 became model “Special”, and a decade later it became model “Maestro”. Naturally, all other Japanese guitar makers were doing the same pricing (labelling) upgrades.
Knowing all of that, you can bet on that Masaru Kohno No50 made in 1982 is practically the same grade instrument as Kohno No20 made in 1972, or Kohno no 30 made in 1975.
In 1970 the lowest Ryoji Matsuoka (all laminates) model was 10, followed by (solid top) models 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 and (all solid woods) models 100 and 150. Models 60 and 80 were made with non-solid figured Brazilian Rosewood (double) b/s and top model 150 was the only one made with solid figured Brazilian Rosewood b/s.
In 1980 the lowest Matsuoka model was (all laminates) 20, followed by (solid top) models 30,40,50, 60 and all solid woods models 80,100,150 and 200. By 1990 the lowest Matsuoka model was M40 and the highest was M300. By 2010 the lowest Matsuoka model was M50 and the top model was M270.
You can bet that Ryoji Matsuoka model 50 from 1980 is of the same grade as model M100 from 2000, model 100 from 1980 is of the same grade as model M150 from 2000, model 150 from 1980 is of the same grade as M200 from 2000 and model 200 from 1980 is of the same grade as model M300 from 2000.
It is important to mention that if modern era luthiers are using 40+ years old woods to make an “all solid” wood classical guitar, its price is minimum 00.
All vintage guitars made with Brazilian Rosewood are especially precious, including those made straight grain varieties and those with non-solid b/s.
Because response and tonal properties of Spruce soundboards are improving over time, long seasoned Spruces are far more precious than long seasoned Cedars.
It is not that very difficult to find out what are current prices of such guitars made by world’s leading luthiers.
Returns
If you are not happy with your purchase you may return the guitar for a full refund of original payment less any shipping charges.
All you need to do is:
1.
Notify me within 48 hours after receiving the guitar.
2.
Pack guitar the same way I do it, using the same box and materials and s
hip it back to me within 24 hours after "return notification".
Naturally if you expect to receive a full refund, guitar has to be returned in the same condition as I ship it to you.
P.s. If you'd like to check my "modest" playing skills click on the links below:
http://youtu.be/ExVwfhLy1gQ
http://youtu.be/XNdeSWxb2nU
http://youtu.be/mecVgriaKJ0
http://youtu.be/O9ErnhZhDxw
http://youtu.be/ceVTybPnq7c
http://youtu.be/Zyz8eZeTSRQ
http://youtu.be/T8bkPi4jhss
http://youtu.be/W1FaCjodgZM