TATSUHIKO HIROSE 20 1978 - 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 FIGURED OLD GROWTH BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD ARE PRICED MINIMUM $18000USD. DISCONTINUED IN 2025 YAMAHA GC70 WAS PRICED AT THAT LEVEL.

This guitar was made in 1978 by Tatsuhiko Hirose, being his top-of-the-line model.

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 1990s, (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 learn their entire and true story.

What is easy though, is to recognize true greatness of their guitars. 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 and Sakazo Nakade) 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) like Yamaha, Ryoji Matsuoka, Asturias or Takamine.

This guitar being priced 200 000 yen in 1978 was a quite expensive instrument. Made from similar grade materials, similar grade guitars made in 1978 by Masaru Kohno 30 or Sakazo Nakade 3000 were priced 300 000.

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 $8000. If solid figured Brazilian Rosewood is used for back and sides, the price “has no limit”. Japanese makers charge minimum $12000 for such guitars. Yamaha charges $18000 yen for its flagship model GC70.   

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 all characteristics of “fine guitars”.    

This guitar remains in “excellent for its age” overall condition. It doesn’t have any structural flaws and looks like it was barely used in the past. While its top bears just couple tiny marks, there are some very light scratches and rubbing on its back. What might be troublesome to some players, are hair like surface cracks within the finish located on the soundboard near the fingerboard on the E1 string side. Although frightened mind can see it differently, these are not cracks that penetrate the wood and they don’t require any repair (unless perfectionist decides otherwise). 

Sometime in the past a few inches long crack appeared on the back plate. It has been stabilized by the glue applied from the top.    

Very importantly everything else (including fingerboard and frets) remains in excellent condition, while its straight neck allows for comfortable action

Specifications:

Top: High Grade Solid Spruce/shellac

Back & Sides: Solid Brazilian Rosewood/ Shellac

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Scale: 650 mm

Nut width: 51.5 mm

The current action is set to 3.5 mm under E6 and 3.00 mm, while the second (original) saddle sets the action to 4.50mm under E6 and 4.00mm under E1.  

The guitar will be shipped in used original 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 high end classical guitar models are priced at $20000USD level.