Jose Oribe Guitarra Artesanna by K. Yairi KY-215 *Traditional Flamenco* - Vintage 1972 - Spruce/Cypress - w/ HSC

Unique Kazuo Yairi and Jose Oribe guitar; both leading luthiers in Japan the U.S. respectively.

Very unusual to have the Japanese Luthier identified on the guitars which Oribe specified, imported and inspected.

• Model KY-215 for Guitarra Artesanna
• Created for Jose Oribe's Guitarra Artesanna arrangement by Kazuo Yairi in Japan
• Inspected and Certified by Jose Oribe in December of 1972
• Traditional Flamenco Design including Ebony Peg Tuners and Golpeador/tap plate
• Spruce (or Cedar?) Top, and Cypress Back/Sides ("best estimate" due to appearance and Flamenco tradition)
• UPDATE: Received comments from an experienced guitar owner/evaluator and they are strongly confident the top is Hokkaido Spruce, and the back/sides are Mediterranean Cypress. And they added that H. Spruce was favored by Yairi as a native Japanese wood, and they had owned multiple guitars made by K.Y. with H. Spruce tops. Also the color of this type of spruce looks like cedar (with a wider, wilder grain).**
• Excellent condition Tweed Archtop Hard Shell Case (modern)

Complete set-up performed including:

• Clean and polish Body and Fretboard
• Saddle and Nut check and adjust
• Action at the 12th fret is 2.1 mm 1st string and 2.25 mm 6th string. This action may be appropriate for Flamenco, but you can have it adjusted by your local shop if preferred.
• Install new D’Addario Pro-Arte Normal Tension strings
• Remove surface dirt and fingernail wear on fingerboard, and oil it with lemon/fretboard oil
• Check frets for buzzing and polish frets for easier play
• Inspect guitar for cracks, joint separations and other major issues and document and fix as appropriate

This guitar has a very loud and complex voice. It has a rich bass component which may be unexpected in a Flamenco instrument but its strong attack will support Flamenco. This may be the overall best sounding nylon-strung guitar that has passed through my hands.

The guitar is in very good playing condition. There are assorted nicks and scratches from 53 years of play. Please see the photos to see it's condition. I have rated it as "good" instead of "very good" on this listing due to two repaired soundboard cracks.

• One is about 4.5 inches long directly under the Golpeador near the sound hole. The 2nd to last photo shows the crack from the top, and the last photo shows the repair and cleat from the inside.
• The second repaired crack is on the lower bout on the treble side and is 2.5 inches long. It may have been caused by a bump to the side of the guitar, but is repaired and stable.

Please let me know if you have ANY questions about this guitar; or would like more photos of a particular part of it.

I will package and ship it using appropriate guitar shipping materials and box, and will ship it via Reverb Safe Shipping.

Thank you for taking time to look over this unusual vintage Yairi/Oribe collaboration.