YUKINOBU CHAI No30 1996 - FLETA STYLE 640MM SCALE & 51MM NUT CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR - SPRUCE/LATIN AMERICA ROSEWOOD

Yukinobu Chai N030 1996 640mm scale 51mm nut

This guitar was made in 1996 by Master Luthier Yukinobu Chai being one of his high-end models of that era, priced 300000 yen. If today you wanted to purchase the same class brand new guitar made by leading Japanese luthier, you would have to pay no less than $6500. 

In 1996 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 could do it with his model Professional R. 

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) models but also many alto, soprano, bass, and contrabass guitars. Since Yukinobu's passing in 2011, his workshop is managed by his son Yukihiro, 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 great volume and response, combined with sweet lyrical tonality, with deep and rich (cello like) basses, and strong sweet, colorful trebles, all notes with overtones, with great 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.     

This guitar remains in "very good for its age" overall condition but comes with minor but multiple cosmetic flaws.

1.   Its top bears several very light dents embedded within the finish. They are visible only from certain angles and hard to show in the pictures. If they were reaching the wood they would be visible in the pictures.

2.   There is also one few inches long surface crack within the finish of the top. It doesn’t require any repair unless you chose so for other reasons.  

3.   There is also a cluster of very small cracks/scratches near the lower right edge of the soundboard.

4.   There are several light abrasions along the bindings.

5.   There are few patches of discoloration within the finish on the sides.

6.   At the bottom of the guitar, there is crack in the finish at the seam that connects side plates. It leaves the edge of one plate slightly exposed. There are also few tiny cracks in the finish at both ends of that center strip. However, there is no movement there because both sides are still held in place by center block and kerf wood strips on the inside. This is no need for any immediate repair unless guitar is dropped on a hard surface or often exposed to heat.     

7.   There are few dents on the back of the neck. 

8.   Original nut has surface crack and is chipped off a little on the E1 string side. It doesn’t lead to any intonation problems and there is no need to replace this nut unless you chose for prestige reasons.  

9. The glue residue around the heel (inside the body) maybe the sign of repair but it is hard to be sure about that while looking at the neck/body joint on the outside.

      Despite all these imperfections guitar is fully functional, while its straight neck, fingerboard and frets remain in very good condition. If it survived in “all excellent” condition I would have priced it at least $3500.

Specifications:

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

Back & Sides: High Grade Solid Latin America Rosewood /Cashew lacquer

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Scale: 640 mm

Nut width: 51 mm

Its action is set to 4.00 mm under E6 and 3.50 mm under E1, with some 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.