(SOLD) K.Yairi YT-1 Parlour Acoustic Sunburst 2011
K.Yairi YT-1, made in Japan 2011, gloss sunburst finish. We love K.Yairi guitars around here, they make absolutely superb instruments with so much charm and character. They're a small and tightly controlled operation, which allows them far greater control over their materials and workmanship than bigger builders. Everything is done by hand by a team of master luthiers trained by Kazuo Yairi himself: the bracing is shaped by hand, the traditional dovetail neck joints are carved by hand, the neck profile is planed and sanded by hand, the rosette is glued in by hand, the burst finish is rubbed in by hand... there are no shortcuts. Kazuo was famously tonewood obsessed, so they store, air-dry, mill and cure all their own wood too, which allows the builders to be super picky about which piece of timber goes into which guitar. This one is a cute little 00-sized parlour, with a 15-fret neck join and a cedar/mahogany body. The solid cedar top offers a lovely warm, dark, rich and expressive tone, it's a little less bright than spruce but still offers splendid attack and definition, just with a focus on the midrange instead of the top end. A good parlour should have an assertive midrange with a balance of snarl and complexity, and this absolutely nails the brief. This has the Yairi signature neck shape, which is a slim slightly assyemtrical soft V that fades to a C up the neck, which feels magical in the hands. It comes with a stylish vegan-leather plush soft case, a nice touch. You'll look forward to getting home to this one.
Model: K.Yairi YT-1
Made: Japan, 2011 (serial 47152)
Finish: vintage sunburst, gloss natural back and sides
Body: solid cedar top, mahogany back and sides, approx '00' size
Neck: mahogany one-piece inc headstock, rosewood fingerboard, dovetail joint, 25" scale, 15" radius
Weight: 1.660kg
Pickup: none
Mods: none
Case: Yairi branded deluxe soft case
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 and some glossing from play only on the back only. The back has some minor scuffs in the middle of the body, no major marks. The sides are pretty clean, just some dimples in the elbow area. The front has some minor dimples on the bottom horn and bottom edge and some light scuffs from play 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.