KAZUO ICHIYANAGI 20 1977 - ROBERT BOUCHET 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 MADE WITH FIGURED OLD GROWTH BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD ARE PRICED MINIMUM $18000USD. DISCONTINUED IN 2025 YAMAHA GC70 WAS PRICED AT THAT LEVEL.

Although the original label is missing, the original store tag survived. This tag bears Kazuo’s name, model number 20 and date 10/30/1977 (52nd year of Emperor Showa’s reign). 

As of today, Kazuo Ichiyanagi is unquestionably one of the highest regarded members of Japanese luthier’s elite.  

Even though Kazuo started as independent luthier in mid 1960s, he was associated with Fernandes Co., where he was responsible for design and production of classical guitar lineup from 1969 until 1990. During that time, he was making limited number of guitars sold with his own label. Since his departure from Fernandes, Kazuo is running his own workshop until today, currently being helped by his son Kunihiko. Until 2022 Kazuo’s signature guitars are sold in Japan for prices between $6500 (Indian Rosewood b/s) and $15000USD (figured Brazilian Rosewood b/s). Now they are priced 25% higher.

Just like many other Japanese luthiers, Kazuo was inspired by great European luthiers like Antonio Torres, Hermann Hauser or Santos Hernandez. This guitar was certainly made based on Robert Bouchet’s blueprints. Its Bouchet’s style headstock and rosette are not chosen by accident. Even though there might be some differences in construction details, this instrument can easily challenge the “originals”.      

Guitar you are looking at was priced 200 00 yen in 1977. It easily challenges (priced 50% higher) Masaru Kohno No30 from the same year.

This guitar represents the same class as Yamaha GC70 currently priced $18000USD and decisively higher class than Yamaha GC82 sold for $10000USD. 

In 1977 top of the line Masaru Kohno’s model 50 and Sakazo Nakade’s Master 50 were priced 500 000 yen. For many well-established Japanese makers 300 000 yen models were the top of the line (Yamaha GC30, Mitsuru Tamura 3000, Toshihiko Nakade Master 3000, or Teruaki Nakade C30). For several other makers 150 000 yen was the maximum they could charge for their top models (Ryoji Matsuoka No150 or Kazuo Yairi YC150).

As of today, there is no way to get in Japan a brand-new French Polished classical guitar made with solid figured Brazilian Rosewood b/s for less than 15000USD, unless it is made by totally unknown maker.

This guitar absolutely deserves to be called a “Grand Concert Guitar”. It offers great volume, super response combined with sweet and somewhat dark tonality, high level of note clarity and separation, all greatly enhanced by great deal of overtones and great sustain. Even though it is made with Spruce top, this guitar offers some warmth and is not as bright as most other guitars from that group. It truly is a beautiful instrument.

This guitar remains in “very good for its age” overall condition. While it doesn’t have any structural flaws, its top bears multitude of light dents or scratches, with only few being conspicuous. Its back and sides bear only few light scratches, while all other surfaces are relatively clean. Very importantly its neck is straight, fingerboard and leveled frets in very good condition. Original tuners were damaged and were replaced with new Gotoh set.  

Specification:

Top: Solid Spruce/Shellac

Back& Sides: Solid Brazilian Rosewood/ Shellac

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Nut width: 52.30mm

Scale: 650 mm

The action is set to 4.00 mm under E6 and 3.3 mm under E1, with practically no extra room on the saddle.

This guitar will be shipped in original used 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”.  

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.