{"product_id":"masaru-kohno-no-7-concert-classical-1971","title":"Masaru Kohno No.7 Concert Classical 1971","description":"\u003cp\u003eKohno No.7 classical, made in Tokyo 1971, natural gloss lacquer. Masaru 'Ken' Kohno (1926-98) is probably Japan's most prominent 20th-century classical guitar maker. After graduating with a degree in woodcraft in 1948 from Tokyo College of Arts and Crafts, Masaru travelled to Madrid to befriend and study under master Spanish luthier Arcangel Fernandez. He also spent time as an apprentice in the workshop of Ignacio Fleta. In 1967, Kohno entered an international guitar making contest, presided over by Ignatio Fleta, beating thirty other entrants to claim the top prize. Many of Japan's other prominent builders got their start working under Kohno, similar to Ramirez in Spain. This is a pretty early example, so the models were numbered according to their original price in Japanese Yen: models started at No.4 and went to No.9 at the time, so this was a reasonably high end piece at the time. The operation moved to larger workshop in 1975, so guitars made from 1967-74 like this one were made in the original smaller facility by a smaller team, all closely supervised by Masaru himself. The details are outstanding: rose inlaid tuners, detailed headstock carve, amazing lightly figured Ebony on the fretboard, lots of detail in the hand-made rosette... all class. The Cedar and Rosewood used for the body are of exemplary quality: as you went up through the model numbers, the wood was more and more carefully selected and aged for more time, so we're well into the serious pieces for this one. The bracing is a Spanish-style ladder method, similar to builds by Fleta and Torres. The sound is very impressive: tight, tuneful bass with abundant volume and presence, shimmering highs with sweet sparkle and crystal clarity and a midrange that's as airy and wide as you could ever ask for. Being a 660mm scale, the articulation is very impressive. The back of the guitar has a couple of repaired cracks, so this has been priced accordingly; examples from this era with no repair history have been recently sold for $4-5k AUD. If you're after a brilliant handmade classical with plenty of history without tipping into five figure territory, this is an excellent candidate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel\u003c\/strong\u003e: Masaru Kohno Model No.7\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMade\u003c\/strong\u003e: Tokyo Japan, 1971\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSerial\u003c\/strong\u003e: NA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinish\u003c\/strong\u003e: natural, gloss lacquer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBody\u003c\/strong\u003e: solid Western Red Cedar top, solid Indian rosewood back and sides, concert classical shape, 365mm across, 93mm deep, Spanish-style ladder bracing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNeck\u003c\/strong\u003e: mahogany, Ebony fretboard, 660mm scale, 53mm nut, classical D shape\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight\u003c\/strong\u003e: 1.700kg\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMods\u003c\/strong\u003e: two cracks repaired in the back\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePickup\u003c\/strong\u003e: none\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.taylorguitars.com\/guitars\/acoustic\/features\/electronics\/expression-system%C2%AE-2\" title=\"Taylor Expression System 2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAccessories\u003c\/strong\u003e: vintage hard case\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCosmetic condition notes\u003c\/strong\u003e: minor finish wear. The headstock has dimples on the end and minor scuffs on the back. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples and some rub wear on the back only. The back has minor scuffs on the shoulders and some dimples along the back edge, as well as the two repaired cracks as noted above. The sides have dimples on the shoulders and bottom edge, no major marks. The front has dimples in the elbow area, bottom shoulder, bottom edge and back edge and some cuffs around the bridge and play wear around the sound hole\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverall: very good condition (8\/10)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlaying condition notes\u003c\/strong\u003e: Action is moderately low, neck is straight, intonation is good. Wearing fresh Rotosound normal tension nylon strings.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFret life\u003c\/strong\u003e: 9\/10, minor wear only\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kohno","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54312647491897,"sku":"kohno.0826","price":2795.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1270\/8995\/files\/KohnoMasaruNo.7ClassicalNatural1971-260806-01.jpg?v=1786080260","url":"https:\/\/topshelfinstruments.com.au\/products\/masaru-kohno-no-7-concert-classical-1971","provider":"Topshelf Instruments","version":"1.0","type":"link"}