Kohno No. 20 Spruce/RW 660mm 1972

Masaru Kohno was a world renowned builder of fine classical guitars.

"His international debut came in 1967, when he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Elizabeth's Concourse International Guitar Building Competition in Belgium. On the judge's panel were, among others, Ignacio Fleta, Robert Bouchet, Joaquin Rodrigo, and Alirio Diaz. Since then, many players of world renown have used Kohno guitars; among them are Julian Bream, Oscar Gighlia, and Sharon Isbin, to name a few." -

We are pleased to have this fine concert guitar here at our showroom. This instrument has nice balanced low end energy and plenty of presence in the trebles. Complex and nuanced tones found in this guitar are certain to impress any lover of finely built classical guitars. It is constructed with a two piece Brazilian Rosewood back & sides, and a well aged spruce top. This guitar has a very unique straight belly bracing pattern, like a Tatay design, which certainly does not diminish the sonic quality of this instrument, and adds to some of the lore that surrounds both Kohno as a builder, as well as different patterns affects on the sonic integrity of a fine instrument. Coupled with its longer 660mm scale length, this is a truly remarkable and special build unlike many we see through our doors.

Cosmetically this guitar shows a fair bit of wear, having been owned by a flat picking guitarist in its past career - with wear present on the soundboard, along its sides - notably around the heel of the neck where the finish has began to flake - and some lighter surface scratches on the back. Structurally it is strong, and has a cleat internally from a past center seam separation that is no longer problematic. Typical string wear is present behind the bridge.

The neck is nice and straight with a comfortable profile with ebony support strips and a thick ebony fingerboard and a 53mm nut width (caliper reading 52.8mm). The neck is very straight currently with a comfortable and low action that measuring a comfortable 9/64" in height at the twelfth fret on the sixth string, and 8/64" on the first string - a comfortable setup at this scale. The saddle has been replaced with what appears to be a graph tech compensated option, so the next owner might consider, for classical playing, installing a bone nut to their preferred height. Original tuners function as they should.
A superb piece of guitar history suitable for a collector or any player looking for a high end performance guitar with a slightly longer scale. Comes with a hardshell case. Weighs 3.75 lbs