KAZUO ICHIYANAGI 30 CUSTOM 1989 - YAMAHA GC82C CLASS CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR - CEDAR/HONDURAN ROSEWOOD

YOU ARE LOOKING AT A WORLD CLASS INSTRUMENT PRICED AT THE BARGAIN LEVEL. CURRENTLY CUSTOM MADE IN JAPAN BRAND NEW GUITARS OF THIS CLASS ARE PRICED MINIMUM $12000USD.  

As of today, Kazuo Ichiyanagi (alias Kazuo Toshi) is unquestionably one of the highest regarded members of Japanese luthier’s elite.  

Even though Kazuo started as an independent luthier in the mid1960s, he was associated with Fernandes Co., where he was responsible for design and production of classical guitar lineup from 1969 until 1990. During that time, he was making a limited number of guitars sold with his own label. Since his departure from Fernandes, Kazuo has been running his own workshop until today, currently being helped by his son Kunihiko. Until 2022 Kazuo’s signature guitars were sold in Japan for prices between $6500 (Indian Rosewood b/s) and $15000USD (Brazilian Rosewood b/s). Now they are priced 25% higher. 

The guitar you are looking at was custom made in 1989 and priced 300 00 yen in 1989. It easily challenges priced 50% higher priced Yamaha GC50C from the same year. It represents the same class as Yamaha GC82 today. If today you wanted to order from a leading Japanese luthier, a custom made guitar of this magnitude, you would need to pay at least $12000USD.  

In 1989 top of the line Masaru Kohno’s model Maestro and Sakazo Nakade’s Master 80 were priced 800 000 yen. For some well-established Japanese makers 500 000 yen models were the top of the line (Yamaha GC50, Toshihiko Nakade Master 5000 or Yukinobu Chai 50). For other makers 300 000 yen were the highest models (Sumio Kurosawa 30, Yukio Nakade C30, Osamu Nakade 30 or Ryoji Matsuoka M300) while for some 200 000 yen was the maximum they could charge for their top models (Takamine 20 or Kazuo Yairi YC20 Custom).

I simply don't know if Kazuo Ichiyanagi had any higher model in 1989. In 2005 his highest model Maestro was priced 500 000 yen.

In late 1980s his regular No30 model was made with Spruce top and Brazilian Rosewood or other Latin America Rosewod b/s. This No30 guitar however was made with Cedar top and yet sold for the same 300 000 yen. It was custom made for the guitarist who ordered a sweet and mellow sounding instrument with unique (perhaps the only one of its kind) headstock.           

This guitar absolutely deserves to be called a “Grand Concert Guitar”. It offers great volume, super response combined with warm, sweet, and mellow tonality, with high level of note clarity and separation, all greatly enhanced by great deal of overtones and great sustain. It truly is a beautiful instrument.

This guitar remains in “near mint” overall condition. Only very close inspection reveals a few very light marks within its finishes (most located on the top). Very importantly guitar's neck is straight, fingerboard and leveled frets remain in excellent condition. Tuners look and work like new.    

Specification:

Top: Fine Solid Cedar/Cashew lacquer

Back& Sides: Solid Honduran Rosewood/ Cashew lacquer

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Nut width: 52mm

Scale: 650 mm

The action is set to 3.70 mm under E6 and 3.00 mm under E1, with very little extra room on the saddle. 

This guitar will be shipped in original used hard-shell case in still 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.