YUKINOBU CHAI No20 1977 - SANTOS HERNADEZ 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. 

This guitar was made in 1977 by Master Luthier Yukinobu Chai. 

Although he was originally a violin maker, 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 and 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. After selling several Yukinobu’s guitars from that era, I dare to say that they are of equal class with those made Santos Hernandez.        

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Santos Hernadez (1874-1943) was the actual maker of a famous guitar given by Manuel Ramírez (1864-1916) to Andrés Segovia in 1912.

Segovia visited Ramírez’s Madrid workshop to rent a guitar for a concert, but Ramírez was so impressed by the young musician's playing that he gifted him the instrument, which Segovia used for 25 years and referred to as La Inédita. This instrument is considered a pivotal tool in Segovia's early career and the establishment of the modern classical guitar. 

Hernández’s guitars were also played by other well-known guitarists, including Regino Sainz de la Maza (for whom Concierto de Aranjuez was written), Eduardo Abreu, and the Romero family.

Santos Hernández left the Manuel Ramírez workshop in 1921 and he opened his own store on street “Calle de la Aduana, 27” in Madrid. This new workshop became a place for social gatherings attended by the most established classical guitarists, including Andres Segovia, Daniel Fortea and Miguel Llobet, as well as flamenco players – Ramón Montoya, Sabicas, and Luis Molina.

Santos Hernadez together with Antonio Torres and Herman Hauser, is one of the most important guitar luthiers in History. For the past 100 years guitarists have valued Santos Hernández’s guitars for their charming, introverted quality of tone and the traditional sound.

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In the early 1980s Yukinobu Chai 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. 

In the early/mid 1970's Yukinobu was still a relatively unknown luthier and his prices were lower than those proposed by most influential Japanese luthiers of that era (Masaru Kohno, Sakazo Nakade and Yamaha). Until early 1974 Yukinobu's model 10 was made with solid figured Brazilian Rosewood b/s. Higher models were No15 and No20.

In 1977 model No20 was Yukinobu’s second best, behind model 30. Yet in 1979 the same grade guitar would be labelled as model 30, and by 1983 as model 50.         

Made with figured Brazilian Rosewood b/s model 30 was the top of Yukinobu’s line until mid1981, and only his custom-made guitars were priced higher. Since late 1981 the same class guitar was sold as No 50, being the only model made with figured Brazilian Rosewood b/s until 1995.   

This guitar was priced 200 000 yen in 1977. By late 1980 the same class guitar would be labelled as No30 and priced 300 000yen and by late 1981it would be labelled as model 50 and sold for 500 000 yen.

Just like many other less prominent Japanese luthiers of that era, Yukinobu Chai simply had to deliver much more for the same price. In fact, you will never find Kohno No20 that would sound even close to guitar you are looking at. This guitar can be compared only to Kohno’s top model No30 from the same year.   

This guitar offers immense volume and super response, combined with simply breathtaking tonality: sweet, colorful, ringing and somewhat metallic (violin like) trebles, deep somewhat metallic and full of overtones (cello like) basses, all well balanced, with superb note clarity and separation, and all with very impressive sustain. When chords are played this guitar behaves like a Symphony Orchestra. It is simply a gorgeous instrument to play.

If you wanted to purchase similar class brand new guitar made by leading Japanese luthier, you would have to pay no less than $15000. If you ordered such guitar made with old stock solid figured BR, 50 years old Yezo Spruce top and shellac finish it would be priced at least $18000.

This guitar remains in "excellent+ for its age" overall condition. Besides a few very light marks, the body of this guitar doesn’t bear any dents or scratches. It surely was played very little over its lifespan. Very importantly its quite slim neck is straight, fingerboard and leveled frets remain in excellent condition, while action is very "player friendly".

What is hardly visible in regular light (and greatly exaggerated in the pictures) is finish cloudiness a couple of "fingerprint-like" discolorations. Such features are quite common on Japanese guitars of that era, not only on those made by Yukinobu and most pronounced on guitars made with Brazilian Rosewood b/s. This finish cloudiness and "fingerprints" certainly don’t affect the tonality or playability of this very precious guitar.    

Such cloudiness occurs only within the finish while the wood itself doesn’t lose its natural color. It is a result of mixing finishes, like covering shellac with cashew lacquer. After cashew lacquer dries it is harder, more durable and scratch resistant than shellac. Later as the shellac ages it often becomes “cloudy”. The intensity of this cloudiness depends on what shellac formula was used. Sometimes instead of uniform cloudiness, there are only a few or several “fingerprints” visible. These “fingerprints” are traces of shellac pads. 

The great majority of Japanese luthiers while finishing their high-end models, were using very thin coat of cashew lacquer as the last layer over the shellac usually only on the back and sides. Some luthiers (like Masaru Kohno, Ryoji Matsuoka, Hiroshi Tamura) were using this approach also on the soundboards. Cashew lacquer is more durable and resistant to wear and scratches etc. and that is why Japanese were using this method. Therefore, when there is Cashew lacquer on the surface, it is very likely there is a shellac underneath.   

Should any of described above imperfections bother you, you can simply turn to American luthiers and with some luck you may get similar class instrument for below $25000. 

ALL YUKINOBU CHAI GUITARS MADE IN 1970s OFFER FEW HUGE ADVATAGES OVER GREAT MAJORITY OF VINTAGE CLASSICAL GUITARS: THEIR NECKS ARE SLIMMER THAN NECKS OF MOST VINTAGE GUITARS, THEIR ACTION CAN BE SET VERY LOW (IF DESIRED), THEIR GREAT RASPY RESPONSE TO RASQUEADOS AND BRILIANTLY CRISPY RESPONSE TO PICADOS MAKES THEM EXCEPTIONALY GREAT CHOICE FOR FLAMENCO PLAYERS.           

Specifications:

Top: Very Tight Grain Solid Yezo Spruce/Cashew lacquer

Back & Sides: Highest Grade Solid Figured Brazilian Rosewood/Cashew lacquer

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Scale: 650 mm

Nut width: 51 mm

Strings: Savarez Cantiga Premium Alliance Tension Forte

Its action is set to 3.00 mm under E6 and 2.50 mm under E1, just because it was possible (with no extra room on the saddle). Second (original) saddle sets the action at 3.50 mm E6 and 3.00 mm E1.   

This guitar will be shipped in a used original 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 highest end guitar classical guitar models are priced at $20000 level.