BARGAIN - YUKINOBU CHAI 30 1991 - 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 $10000USD.

This guitar was made in 1991 by Master Luthier Yukinobu Chai being one of his high-end models of that era, priced 300000 yen.

In 1991 great majority of Japanese 300 000 yen guitars were made with either Brazilian Rosewood or other Latin America Rosewoods b/s (Toshihiko Nakade Master 30, Yamaha GC30, Yukio Nakade No30, Ryoji Matsuoka M300 etc.). It sometimes was figured BR or other figured rosewood from South & Central America but quite often it was a straight grain BR. In that year very few luthiers were able to sell guitars with Indian Rosewood b/s for the same 300 000 yen. From what I know only Masaru Kohno (model Professional R) and Sakazo Nakade (model No3000) could do it. 

Here you have a couple other guitars from the same era sold at the same price:

https://reverb.com/item/44729040-sumio-kurosawa-30-1986-yamaha-gc70-class-classical-concert-guitar-spruce-brazilian-rosewood

https://reverb.com/item/84761012-hideo-ida-custom-1987-heavenly-sounding-classical-concert-guitar-spruce-brazilian-rosewood

The highest Yukinobu’s model of that era was No50 made with Spruce top and figured BR b/s, priced 500 000yen. Besides Masaru Kohno, Sakazo Nakade and Yamaha very few other Japanese luthiers had models priced over 500 000 yen.  

Although he was originally a violin maker, Yukinobu Chai started making guitars in late 1960s and over the years he became one of the highest respected luthiers in Japan. Most likely the major reason for that were very moderate prices for his truly wonderful instruments.

Yukinobu never apprenticed at any other workshop. In the 1950s he learned violin making based on books the real violins. He was also making other string instruments, before in the early 1960s he became seriously interested in making guitars. He naturally was looking at guitars made by many famous European luthiers, but was especially inspired by Antonio de Torres, Herman Hauser and Santos Hernandez. While he was constantly adding his own innovations, his guitars made from the late 1960s through early 1980s were mostly inspired by Santos Hernadez’s blueprints, which (on the outside) was manifested by Santos’s headstock design. Because I have already sold several Yukinobu’s guitars from that era, I dare to say that they are of equal class with those made Santos Hernandez. Since the early 1980s the great majority of Yukinobu’s models were made based on Ignacio Fleta’s blueprints. Yet he was also making limited number of Hauser, Torres and Bouchet models.            

In the early 1980s Yukinobu became the major supplier for Niibori School of Guitar Ensemble, making not only whole range of prime (regular size and scale) models but also many alto, soprano, bass, and contrabass guitars. Since Yukinobu's passing in 2011, his workshop is managed by his son Yukihiro, who is a great luthier on his own. Yukinobu's most famous pupils are Ichizo Kobayashi, Tatsuro Kobayashi, Sakae Ishi and Kuniyoshi Matsui.    

To my ears, Yukinobu Chai was one of the best Japanese luthiers ever and remains my favorite Japanese luthier since I encountered his guitars made in 1970s. I am totally not bothered by discolorations of finishes on his guitars from that era. After selling several of his guitars I know that truly experienced guitarists looking for a “truly special” instrument are not bothered by these cosmetic imperfections either. I deeply understand why Hiroki Niibori has decided to offer Yukinobu such lucrative contract.   

This guitar offers immense volume and super response, combined with sweet multilayered lyrical tonality, with deep and rich (cello like) basses, strong sweet, colorful and ringing (piano like) trebles, all notes with plenty of overtones, with superb note clarity and separation, and all magnified by great sustain.

This guitar was made based on Fleta blueprints with simplified Fleta style bracing. However, it mostly is Yukinobu’s own creation, and he gets all the credits for its wonderful sound.     

If you wanted to purchase similar class brand new guitar made by leading Japanese luthier, you would have to pay no less than $8000.

This guitar remains in "excellent for its age" overall condition. Its only flaws are of cosmetic nature, with cluster of very light scratches located on the lower right section of the soundboard being “the most conspicuous damage”. Several very light scratches and rubbing patches are greatly exaggerated on my pictures. Very importantly its neck is straight, fingerboard and frets remain in truly excellent shape. Because its original tuners had cracked roller pegs, they were replaced with brand new Gotoh set of similar design

Specifications:

Top: High Grade Solid Spruce/7 braces fan system/Cashew lacquer

Back & Sides: Solid Brazilian Rosewood/Cashew lacquer

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Scale: 650 mm

Nut width: 51 mm

Its action is set to 3.80 mm under E6 and 3.30 mm under E1, with practically no extra room on the saddle.

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