YUKIO NAKADE 20 1988 - IGNACIO FLETA 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 ARE PRICED MINIMUM $15000USD.

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.

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.

As of today, if you wanted to order a brand-new guitar with Latin America Rosewood b/s made by leading Japanese luthier using 40+ years old woods, it would cost you at least $15000. If you would like to place the same order with a leading Spanish luthier it would cost you $25000. (Discontinued early 2025) top of the line Yamaha model GC70 was priced $18000 but it was made with (only) 20 years old woods.  

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 Brazilian 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.

The guitar will be shipped in a used hard shell case in very good condition. 

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 SADDLE. 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 highest end classical guitar models are priced at $20000USD level.