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Made in 1988 Yukio Nakade 20 Classical Concert Guitar

This guitar was made in 1988 by Yukio Nakade, the youngest son of world famous Sakazo Nakade. Construction of this guitar is based on Ignacio Fleta blueprints.

Sakazo Nakade is considered “The Father of Modern Japanese Lutherie” and information about his career can be easily found on internet. Although all 3 Sakazo’s sons became luthiers themselves, only Toshihiko has achieved his father’s elite status. While Toshihiko could price his guitars at the same level as his father or Masaru Kohno, equally skilled Teruaki and Yukio had to accept lower prices for their equally fine instruments.

This guitar was priced 200 000 yen in 1988. Made from similar grade materials, very similar grade guitars Masaru Kohno Professional J, Sakazo Nakade 3000 or Toshihiko Nakade 30 were priced 300 000 yen. Yukio’s higher model 30, had more impressive looks (beautifully figured Brazilian Rosewood, showy rosette & purfling) and was priced 300 000 yen, while very similar in looks and grade guitars made by mentioned above Japanese elite luthiers, were priced 500 000 yen (Sakazo Nakade 5000, Masaru Kohno Special, Toshihiko Nakade Master 50).

I hope you’d understand that when buying an instrument signed by famous maker, you often pay more for the label than guitar itself.

As of today, if you wanted to order a brand-new guitar with Brazilian Rosewood b/s made by Japanese luthier it would cost you at least $8000. If you would like to place the same order with a leading Japanese luthier, the price would be at least $10000. If you wanted to order (currently) top Yamaha model GC70 you would have to pay at least $15000 for it. 

This Yukio Nakade’s 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.

A talented poet could easily write a poem about the tonality of this guitar. I will describe it very briefly as “heavenly”. Its ultra-rich with overtones, cello like basses are well balanced with sweet, piano like trebles. Its impressive volume is combined with very high level of note clarity and separation, and exceptional sustain. These are characteristics of “fine guitars”.    

Although body of this guitar bears several very light marks within its finishes (most of which are located on top, and most are hardly visible at first glance) overall condition of this guitar can be described as “excellent for its age. Guitar is structurally sound, its neck straight, while its fingerboard and frets remain in excellent shape.

Specifications:

Top: Very High-Grade Solid Spruce/ Fleta style 9 braces fan/ shellac

Back & Sides: Solid Latin America Rosewood/ shellac

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Scale: 650 mm

Nut width: 51.5 mm

The action is set to 4.2 mm under E6 and 3.50 mm with very little extra room on the saddle.

Guitar will be shipped in used hard shell case in very good condition.  

When contemporary Japanese luthiers are using 40+ years old soundboards to make “all solid woods” guitar it is priced at least $5000USD. Guitars with artificially aged (“baked”) soundboards are priced at least $4500USD. Solid top models with 40+ years old soundboards are priced at least $3500USD. American, Australian and European luthiers usually charge 50% more.

It is a matter of basic education (not beliefs) to realize that 40+ years old soundboard of this guitar alone is worth $2500USD. 


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 then 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.  

The logical way to estimate the true class of any given Japanese made instrument is to compare its price with the average annual salary of wage workers in Japanese private sectors. This salary was: 450 600 yen in 1965 - 825 900 yen in 1970 - 1 868 300 yen in 1975 - 2 689 000 yen in 1980 - 3 163 000 yen in 1985 - 3 761 000 yen in 1990 - 4 107 000 yen in 1995 - 4 082 000 yen in 2000.

Any guitar priced 100 000 yen in 1970 (labelled as No10 or No100) would be priced 200 000 yen in 1975 (relabeled to No20, No200 or 2000), 300 000 yen in 1977 (labelled as No3, No30 or 3000) and 500 000 yen by 1985 (labelled as No50 or 5000).

Starting in 1977 Masaru Kohno introduced his new models No40 priced 400 000 yen and No50 priced 500 000 yen. By early 1980s Kohno started using model names instead of numbers and was steadily raising their prices without changing model labeling. His very top model 50 became model “Special”, and a decade later it became model “Maestro”. Naturally, all other Japanese guitar makers were doing similar 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 early 1970s the lowest Ryoji Matsuoka (all plywood) 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 50, 60 and 80 were made with non-solid figured Brazilian Rosewood (double) back and sides and top model 150 was the only one made with solid figured Brazilian Rosewood b/s.

In 1980 the lowest Matsuoka model was (all plywood) 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 $8000.

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 very difficult to find out what are current prices of such guitars made by world’s leading luthiers.

Important message for Australian buyers:

USPS International Priority Mail packages destined for Australia have quite restricted size (max. length is 42” and max. length + girth is 97”). For these reasons I must use the case that is no longer than 41” and therefore it may be different than the one you see on the pictures. You should ask me for any other details prior to making a purchase.  

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Listed2 years ago
ConditionExcellent (Used)
Excellent items are almost entirely free from blemishes and other visual defects and have been played or used with the utmost care.Learn more
Brand
  • Yukio Nakade
Model
  • 20
Finish
  • Shellac
Categories
Year
  • 1988
Made In
  • Japan
Body Shape
  • Classical

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Victor's Guitar Gallery

Milton, GA, United States
Sales:381
Joined Reverb:2015

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