BARGAIN - YOUHEI NISHINO No30 1982 - YAMAHA GC70 CLASS CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR - SPRUCE/BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD

YOU ARE LOOKING AT A WORLD CLASS INSTRUMENT PRICED AT THE BARGAIN LEVEL. CURRENTLY MADE IN JAPAN BRAND NEW GUITARS OF THIS CLASS MADE WITH OLD GROWTH BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD ARE PRICED MINIMUM $15000USD.  

Youhei Nishino was a Japanese luthier pioneer, obsessed in his search for the best possible sound of the guitar. He was born in 1937 and after graduating high school he apprenticed at Tsunesaburo Kurosawa’s workshop, working side by side with Sumio Kurosawa, Katsumi Arai and Takashi Yamano. In 1965 he established his own workshop with his brother Shunpei. However soon after both brothers went their separate ways.

While Shunpei’s guitars are not very hard to find on Japanese second-hand market, Youhei’s are very rare. The major reason for that is that Youheii preferred to work just by himself and was making very limited number of guitars, many of them of unique construction and many just “one of their kind”. Construction of his guitars was initially based on Spanish and German blueprints. He however innovated a lot, making all kind of double-structure models and very rare aluminum backed guitars.  He had no problem selling his masterpieces at very high prices. Seasoned players who tried Youhei’s guitars guitar had no problem to pay for them. The greatness of Youhei’s guitars might be the reason their owners don’t part with them easy.

Guitar you are looking at was made in 1982. Being priced 300 000 yen it was one of highest level Japanese made guitars of that era. The highest Yamaha models GC30A and GC30B were priced the same.

Here you have 3 other guitars from the same era sold at the same price:

https://reverb.com/item/88051613-made-in-1982-hiroshi-komori-no30-world-highest-class-classical-concert-guitar-spruce-brazilian-rosewood

https://reverb.com/item/77672994-made-in-1981-yukinobu-chai-no30-santos-hernandez-class-classical-concert-guitar-spruce-brazilian-rosewood

https://reverb.com/item/44740184-made-in-1983-shunsuke-yokoo-no30-masaru-kohno-class-classical-concert-guitar-brazilian-rosewood

If you wanted to purchase similar class brand new guitar made by Japanese luthier, you would pay minimum $10000 for it. If it was made with 45+ years old woods this price would be minimum $15000. Priced $18000 Yamaha GC70 is a great example.  

This guitar sounds simply fantastic. It offers immense volume, some warmth and plenty of sweetness, with rich in overtones (cello like) basses, round but crispy clear (piano like) trebles. All notes are well separated and greatly magnified by very extended sustain.

Experienced players will agree that similar class guitars made by contemporary Spanish luthiers are priced well above $15000USD.

Overall condition of this guitar can be described as "very good for its age". While it doesn't have any structural flaws, there are multiple very small dents and scratches all over its body. Its neck is straight with fingerboard and frets remaining in excellent condition.

Specifications:

Top: High Grade Solid Spruce/ shellac

Back and Sides: Solid Brazilian Rosewood/ cashew varnish

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Nut and Saddle: Bone

Nut Width: 52 mm

Scale: 650 mm

Action is set to 4.00 mm under E6 and 4.00 mm under E1, with no extra room on the saddle.

This guitar will be shipped in used Hard Shell Case.

THE ONLY PURPOSE OF THIS CASE IS TO PROTECT THE GUITAR DURING SHIPMENT. I WILL NOT PROVIDE ITS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OR MAKE ADDITIONAL PICTURES, NOR I WILL ACCEPT ANY COMPLAINTS. IF YOU DON’T LIKE THIS CASE YOU WILL NEED TO BUY A DIFFERENT ONE.      

WHEN YOU BUY ANY GUITAR, YOU MUST ANTICIPATE TAKING IT TO YOUR LOCAL GUITAR SHOP FOR FINAL ADJUSTMENTS CALLED “SETUP”. DEPENIDNG ON YOUR PLAYING TECHNIQUE, THIS SETUP ON USED GUITARS MAY INCLUDE NEW CUSTOM MADE NUT AND SADLLE. IF YOU HEAR STRING BUZZ IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT GUITAR IS DEFECTIVE. IF YOU PLAY HARD ENOUGH ALL BASS STRINGS WILL BUZZ OVER THE FRETS, UNLESS THEY ARE SUSPENDED VERY FAR FROM THE FINGERBOARD. UNLESS YOU PLAY QUITE GENTLY, YOU CAN’T HAVE LOW ACTION AND NO BUZZES. KEEP IN MIND THAT CELLO-LIKE BASSES ON HIGH GRADE CLASSICAL GUITARS HAVE THEIR NATURAL “BUZZ”.  

Real Value of Japanese Vintage Guitars

The key to understand value of vintage Japanese guitars is to acknowledge galloping price inflation throughout the late 1960s and 1970s with its peak of 25% in 1974.

During 1960s and most of 1970s model numbers of Japanese guitars were strictly connected with their prices in Japanese yen.

The same class guitar sold in 1970 for 100 000 yen (labelled as model 10), would be sold for 150 000 yen in 1972 (labelled as model 15), 200 000 yen in 1974 (labelled as model 20) and 300 000 yen in 1978 (labelled as model 30). Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised that two Yamaha GC10 guitars made 10 years apart are two instruments of totally different class. The same rule applies to all guitar models made by all other Japanese makers.

Japanese inflation slowed down in the 1980s. By the 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. For several economic reasons, since 1980s Japanese made guitars were becoming more and more expensive, while their exports slowing down. Today (2025) Japanese high end classical guitar models are priced at $20000USD level.