K.Yairi SO-MH1, made in Japan 2016, hand rubbed sunburst satin. K.Yairi guitars attract a cult following; those that know them, love them, and for good reason. Yairi is a much smaller operation than the Ibanez and Yamahas of the world, which allows for a stellar commitment to quality and detail seldom seen these days. Unlike most other acoustic builders, Yairi are known to mill and air-dry their own tonewoods, which combined with absolutely flawless hand craftsmanship, makes for guitars with an exceptionally balanced and sweet tone. This particular model was an exclusive limited run for a particular store in Japan, so it's an unusual one. It's around the same dimensions as a Martin 00, so it's joined at the 15th fret and has a full depth, but the body is on the small-and-cute side of things. For a small guitar, this produces no shortage of natural volume and bass, it's quite remarkable. Yairi guitars are known for their exceptional balance across all strings, and this definitely has that in spades. The tone is full and rich, perfectly balanced, warm and open but still crispy clear on the top end... oh boy, what a guitar. The neck is a slim and comfy C style shape, built with the signature headstock join and and blessed with a gorgeous piece of rosewood on the board. Paired with the small body, it's never a wrestle to play and will surely perform admirably either on the couch or in the studio. Now, what to say about the finish... it's basically a work of art, right? The back and sides are an open-pore style super thin satin finish, while the top is a hand rubbed sunburst with a similar super thin satin sealer. If you buy it, I just about guarantee you'll never sell it, it's a future family heirloom.

Model: K.Yairi SO-MH1
Made: Japan, 2016 (serial 66552)
Finish: hand rubbed sunburst top, satin natural back and sides
Body: solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides, '00' size
Neck: mahogany one-piece inc headstock, rosewood fingerboard, dovetail joint, 25" scale, 15" radius
Weight: 1.600kg
Pickup: none
Mods: tuners replaced
Case: generic wood hard case, slightly too large but padded for the guitar, very good quality and condition

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor scuffs on the end. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. the back has a few light surface scratches in the middle of the body, they can be hard to see. The sides have a little bit of light rub wear in the elbow area and on the bottom bout. The front has a dimple on the edge in the elbow area, as well as some light play wear on the shoulders. Overall: excellent condition (9/10).

Playing condition notes: action is moderately low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. The frets look good, minor wear only, 8/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 12/54 Moonshiners strings.