BARGAIN - YUKINOBU CHAI No10 2010 - HIGH CLASS CLASSICAL ESTUDIO GUITAR

Yukinobu Chai Classical Estudio Guitar No10 2010

This guitar was made around 2010 at Master Luthier Yukinobu Chai's workshop. 

This guitar No10 was priced 100 000 yen in 2010 (being one of lower end models in Yukinobu’s lineup of that era) while Takamine C132S was priced only 50 000 yen. 

It sounds much better than brand new Takamine C132S currently sold in USA for $1949.00USD. 

It sounds better than many “all solid woods” guitars currently sold in USA for $3000USD. Although not a concert grade it is a very high-grade student level instrument.

It sounds much better than brand new Takamine C132S currently sold in USA for $1949.00USD. 

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.          

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.    

This guitar offers great volume and response combined with punchy and quite bright tonality, crispy clear round trebles, relatively deep yet clean basses, all well balanced, with great level of note clarity and separation, and moderately long sustain. With its current action it is also quite easy to play.

Despite bearing few very minor marks (couple tiny dents and several very light scratches embedded within the finish on its top, one string burn behind the bridge on E1 string side) this is practically unused instrument. Visible in the pictures "whitish lines" around the base of the neck are not signs of damage or repair history. This finish in the corners is illuminated by a camera's flashlight. About 2 inches long stretch of the finish between the bottom of the triangular rosewood plate covering base of the neck and the back plate has dried, and as result one can feel the very edge of the back plate under the fingertip. This again is not a sign of a damage or repair history. 

Specifications:

Top: Solid Cedar/7 braces fan/ gloss finish

Back and Sides: Indian Rosewood "laminate"/gloss finish

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Rosewood 

Scale: 650 mm

Nut width: 51 mm

Its action is set to 3.50 mm under E6 and 3.00 mm under E1, with still extra room on the saddle.

This guitar will be shipped in used old hard shell case.

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 SADLLE. 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”.