K.Yairi YW500P, made in Japan 1978, natural gloss. We love Yairi guitars around here, and we're certainly not alone: they're a niche builder, but they enjoy a reputation as one of the finest acoustic guitar makers in the world. K.Yairi is a much smaller operation than the Yamaha/Greco/Takamines of the world; they're truly handmade guitars made by a small team of luthiers that initially were all trained by one master. They also run their own timber mill onsite at their workshop, air-drying their own carefully hand selected tonweoods often over decades before shaping them into instruments. That kind of focus leads to an exceptional experience in the hands: this is a magical guitar. Being a Martin-style dreadnought, it has the expected projection and strong, percussive low end, but it's balanced by an amazingly warm, complex midrange and an eloquent, expressive treble. The balance across six strings, the woodiness balanced against the sparkling clarity... this is what dreams are made of, folks. The three piece rosewood back is a viusal delight, and the tightly grained spruce top is a lovely example. Take a minute to appreciate the fact the nine ply binding around the top was done completely by hand... heck. The neck is slim and quick and features rosewood so dark you'd swear it was ebony. A previous owner installed the always-handy and unobtrusive LR Baggs Element Active pickup system, which is a simple piezo style transducer with a basic pre-amp. It's a natural, accurate pickup that translates the superb acoustic tone pretty convincingly. These early K.Yairi examples aren't getting any more common and will surely appreciate pretty steadily as the years roll on, not that makes any difference to you: you'll leave this one to your grandkids.

Model: K.Yairi YW500P
Made: Japan, 1978 (serial 17992)
Finish: natural, gloss poly
Body: square shoulder dreadnought style; solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides
Neck: mahogany, rosewood fingerboard, dovetail joint, 25.5" scale, 15" radius
Weight: 2.265kg
Pickup: LR Baggs Element Active system
Mods: pickup installed
Case: Yairi branded wood hard case, good quality and condition

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has a couple of little dimples on the end and front. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. The back has no major marks, just some dimoles near the neck joint, in the middle and on the bottom edge. The sides have no major marks, just some dimples on the bottom bout. The front has no major marks, but there are widepsread very small dimples around the whole body as well as some play wear on the guard and shoulders. Overall: very good condition (8/10).

Playing condition notes: action is moderately low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. Pickup and pre-amp all works as expected. Frets look pretty even and in good shape, 7/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 12/54 Moonshiners strings.