MADE IN 1974 - MASARU MATANO CLASE 400 - RAMIREZ STYLE CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR

Masaru Matano Grand Concert Guitar Classe 400 made in 1974

This absolutely wonderful guitar, was made in 1974 at Masaru Matano’s workshop in Fukuoka, Japan.

This is not a copy of Ramirez guitars. It is greatly improved Ramirez guitar.

To learn more about Masaru Matano and his achievements you may need to read next chapter titled: "Asturias Story" located below this posting.

While evaluating true value of Japanese made vintage guitars it is very important to understand that due to rapid inflation in early/mid 1970s Japan, constantly increasing cost of labor and cost of imported materials, labeling of guitar models was being changed frequently in connection with their higher prices. Model 500 made in 1975 it is not of the same grade as model 500 from 1974 or model 500 from 1973. In fact, model 400 from 1973 (priced 40 000 yen) would be labelled as 500 in 1974 (priced 50 000 yen) and labelled as 600 in 1975 (priced 60 000 yen). In later years, certain models were made “for less” while their price remained the same. Therefore, model 600 from 1978 is no match to model 600 from 1975, or model 500 from 1974, or model 400 from 1973. I hope it is all not that super complicated to grasp.    

This guitar was priced 40 000 yen in 1974, while yearly salary of Japanese college graduate was around 70 000 yen. If compared with many other Japanese made guitars from that era, this guitar was absolutely underpriced.

In 1975, precisely the same construction & grade guitar would be labelled as Classe 500. In 1976 it would be labelled as Classe 600.  

This guitar not only rivals much higher priced Masaru Kohno models, but also every Ramirez guitar you can imagine. To recognize true value of this guitar, first you need to try all $8000+ “hand made in Spain” guitars available in your area, before playing this Matano’s masterpiece. This may very well be your “life changing” experience.  

This guitar absolutely deserves to be called a “Grand Master Concert Guitar”. It is very light, has incredible volume and is super responsive. Its tonality is simply breathtaking. The bounty of its overtones and sustain are exceptional. Despite its very high volume its note clarity and separation are simply superb.

All luthiers and only very experienced players know how difficult it is to create an instrument that offers all these mentioned above sound properties. In the “regular world” the higher the volume of the guitar the lower its note clarity, separation and overall tonality. Masaru Matano however wasn’t a “regular” luthier. He was called “the Genius of the Sound” for a good reason.  

The construction of this guitar is based on Jose Ramirez blueprints and enhanced by Matano’s 7th sense. During 1960s and early 1970s Jose Ramirez was making the same construction guitars and selling them at the prices equal to $10000 today. Many Japanese luthiers were using the same blueprint. This construction greatly reduces the effect of damping of the sound by player’s body. The sound of such guitars is ultra-rich and “amplified” at the same time.

Despite its age this Classe 400 guitar remains in excellent overall condition. There are several tiny dents and just few light scratches on the body of this guitar, none of them easily visible. There are also few minor indentations of the back of the neck. Despite all these imperfections, guitar seems to be barely used.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Top: High Grade Solid Cedar/lacquer

The soundboard of this guitar is thin that you may see and almost touch its braces. It is so sensitive that if you drop a rice grain on it you will hear a decent “rumble”.

Back & Sides: Indian Rosewood “laminates”

 “Laminated” is quite unfortunate term regarding Japanese made guitars. These "laminates" were made from 2 layers of solid wood glued together with natural resins. They were made so well that they performed as good as solid woods while being far less expensive in guitar production and far more resistant to cracking in regular use.Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Very Well Ebonized Rosewood

Masaru Matano’s Rosewood fingerboards are darkened and so hardened and smoothed, that offer the same looks and feel as Ebony ones

With at the nut: 51 mm

Scale: 658 mm

Action is set to 3.5 mm under E6 and 3.00 mm under E1 with still some of extra room on the saddle.

This guitar will be shipped in used hard case in still good condition.

 “Asturias Story”

Asturias guitars have always had a great international reputation for tone and built quality. Asturias guitars are still made at the same small workshop located in Kurume, Japan. This workshop employs about 10 highly skilled craftsmen, each of them capable making a guitar on his/her own. Since 1981 Asturias workshop is led by master luthier Wataru Tsuiji

This workshop in Kurume began making guitars in 1962, under the name Meiko Gakki co. and ownership of Masaru Matano. Masaru Matano was Japanese luthier legend, until today remembered in Japan as “the genius of sound”. He earned this title before 1962, after improving the sound of many old violins, including famous Stradivarius violins.

Meiko Gakki workshop was making classical guitars in rather limited numbers, with emphasis placed on quality. Initially these guitars were sold under the Meiko Gakki label and just signed by Matano. Sometime in 1968 the labels were changed to Masaru Matano “Costructor de Guitarras” (and Meiko Gakki was placed below Matano’s name). Sometime in 1974 “Meiko Gakki” disappeared from the labels. During years 1974-1975 Masaru Matano introduced yet another series of guitars with their own unique design labels that had just Masaru Matano name on them and were marked as made in Fukuoka, Japan. This means that Kurume workshop wasn’t the only one Matano owned at that time. Well that is not all. During the same years 1974-1975 Masaru Matano with another group of associates was making wonderful La Esperanza guitars marked as made by Ongaku Geijutsusha Co. While most of Masaru Matano - Meiko gakki guitars had Cedar tops and Matano’s unique design headstocks, La Esperanza guitars had mostly Spruce tops and Ramirez style headstocks. La Esperanza guitars had exactly the same style labels as those used on Matano – Meiko Gakki guitars. While great majority of Matano’s own label guitars were not signed by him or anybody else, La Esperanza guitars had labels signed by their actual makers. Esperanzas made by Matano himself have his signature their labels. It is quite likely that La Esperanza guitars were made at Matano’s Fukuoka workshop.  

It is not a secret that (just like most other luthiers in the world) Matano always had a team of highly skilled associates. One of them was Tatsuo Tanaka. In late 1960s, Tatsuo was the only Matano’s associate, who could put his name on Meiko Gakki label. Tatsuo Tanaka could have been Matano’s partner at that time, but this is not confirmed by any published records. Also, there are no written records revealing the names of other Matano’s associates. It is very possible that Hiroumi Yamaguchi and Eichi Kodaira were among these associates. Both these luthiers started their own workshops in early 1970s and prospered well on their own, but joined “New” Asturias team in 1980. In 1980 Matano’s Kurume workshop was taken over by Rokkomann Co (Japanese leading lumber importer) and “New” Asturias workshop came into life. The details of this transaction are totally unclear and Matano’s disappearance in 1981 never explained to the public. Since 1981 Asturias workshop is led by Wataru Tsuji, a younger luthier who started to work for Masaru Matano in 1977.

In 1981 “New” Asturias workshop started to use serial number system on their labels. The design of Asturias labels (unchanged until today) was created sometime in mid1970s and used on some Masaru Matano’s guitars, while other guitars still had “Masaru Matano - Meiko Gakki” labels. Some of these earlier Asturias labels were printed as “Asturias by Masaru Matano”. Very few of these early (before 1980) Asturias guitars were ever signed by Masaru Matano.

Hiromi Yamaguchi’s name for the first time appeared on guitar labels in early 1970s. Yamaguchi established his own brand: “Cervantes” Concierto Guitarras. His Cervantes guitars, not only looked like Masaru Matano -Meiko Gakki ones, but were made exactly the same way, and sounded as great as Matano’s creations. The only difference were headstock designs. After Yamaguchi joined “New” Asturias team in 1980, he (or just his workshop) was still making Cervantes guitars. Cervantes guitars were made until 1982. In the same year 1982 Hiroumi left Asturias team and started building guitars under his own name. Hiroumi retired sometime in early 1990s. Eichi Kodaira, since early 1970s was making 2 lines of guitars, one with his own name on the labels and second labelled as Ecole Guitarras. Ecole guitars had more ornamental extras and were considered as more luxurious brand. Within “New” Asturias team, Eichi Kodaira was responsible for making all AST models. Sometime in 1983-1984 Eichi and a group of his closest associates moved to another workshop located in Suwa (Nagano Prefecture) and started making Asturias Kodaira guitars, identical with AST models earlier made at Kurume workshop. Yet few years later, Eichi stopped making Asturias/Kodaira guitars and continued making AST models just as Kodaira guitars. His workshop operates until today with only 3 employees: Eichi’s son and 2 other Kodaira family members.

All guitars made by these Asturias associated luthiers are very high grade, well regarded by a lot of international players who consider them as the best mid-price range classical concert guitars. It is also very important to tell you, that guitars made by these makers have always been very moderately priced if compared to similar grade guitars made by Masaru Kohno or other Japanese Elite luthiers. During 1970s until 1980 Masaru Matano’s top model was Classe 1000 (priced 100 000 yen). This model was the only “all solid woods” one in Matano’s lineup. This guitar however could easily compete with Masaru Kohno #20 from the same year. Until 1982 top Cervantes, La Esperanza and Ecole models were also priced 100 000 yen.

 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 86 200 and in 1980 - 100 000 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 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. Model 50 became model “Maestro”, model 40 became model “Special”, model 30 became model “Professional-J”. Naturally other Master luthiers were doing the same name/price changes.

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 1976. Kohno No40 made in 1982 is exactly the same grade instruments as Kohno No15 made in 1972 or Kohno No20 made in 1975.

It is very important to mention that if modern era luthiers are using 40 years old woods to make a classical guitar, its price is at least $8000.