Rare 1993 Masaru Kohno Maestro spruce top Bra. Rosewood s/b Classical Guitar

Description: Offered here is a very rare Masaru Kohno model “Maestro,” built in 1993. It is in very good condition. Specs and details below: Scale length: 650 mm / 25 ½ inches Top: Spruce Back & side: Brazilian Rosewood Nut width: 52 mm / 2 1/16 inches 12th Fret: 62 mm Action on the 12th fret low E string: 3.5 mm Hardshell case. I’ve owned a ‘78 Kohno 30, a ’92 Special, and the Maestro listed here. I enjoyed all three, but the Maestro listed here has been my favorite. Provenance and Condition: I bought the ‘93 Maestro from a fellow who has sold Kohno guitars for many years. This one came to me with a lot of play wear on the top. Most of it was under the neck, about 2 inches beyond the 12th fret, and at the top of the lower bout where one’s right arm rests and perspires. I also found a couple of nicked areas on the top, as if the guitar had bumped a microphone or music stand. (The sides and back have only surface wear.) Please study the pictures. Happy to take more. At the time of purchase, I guessed that the wear showed a guitar that was well loved and often played. I was right. This Maestro has the classic Kohno sound. It is warm, with full basses and clear trebles, a sound very much characteristic of the Spanish guitar tradition that Mr. Kohno sought to continue. The true sound of the guitar is best captured on a good sound system, like the speakers on a desktop computer. The speaker on a phone does not properly capture the fullness and warmth of the guitar. Restoration and Repair: I spent a lot of time playing the Maestro and eventually decided to refinish the top. I don’t usually make this kind of change to vintage instruments, but I decided that this guitar, which was only 30 years old, deserved a little restoration. I carefully stripped, sanded, and French polished the top. I did not do any repair to the back or sides as they were in excellent condition. I did superglue a few cracks in a couple of the tuning posts. The tuners work great. You probably know that Masaru Kohno is one of the great names in 20th century lutherie. Born 1926, in Mito, Japan, he began building guitars in 1948. In 1960, he journeyed to Spain where he studied Spanish guitar building with Arcángel Fernández. In 1967, his skills won him the gold medal (for sound) at the Liege competition, where jury members like Bouchet and Rodrigo scored his guitars higher than many contemporary master luthiers, including Friederich. Since then, many great guitarists have owned and performed on his guitars. Mr. Kohno passed away in 1998, 5 years after building the Maestro model offered here. Kohno model numbers are more than a little confusing. According to various folks on the Internet, Kohno models were based initially on the price of the guitar times 10. The problem in the ‘60s-‘80s with this approach was that the Japanese yen kept depreciating in value! So what cost 2,000 yen in one year might cost 3,000 yen in just a couple years, and so Kohno's model numbers had to keep changing. The model 20 was first introduced in 1973 or 1974. Kohno built his top model 20s with Brazilian Rosewood sides and back. As time passed and the Yen lost value, the model "20" became a model "30," which then eventually became a model "50" and so on. The top models were always with Brazilian and Spruce woods. So basically, if you see an Indian Rosewood model, it's a mid-tier Kohno and if you see a Brazilian model, it's a higher-end model. In the early 1980s, around 1983, Kohno started giving names to his models. Regardless of the year, if it is a "Maestro" model, it is the top of his creations. According to at least one Kohno specialist, for at least the first year or two of named Kohnos, there was no Maestro model; the "Special" was the top model. The “Professional” and the “Concert” models were mid-tier guitars from their introduction. So a 1983 Special was probably the top model from that year. But by 1992, the "Special" was one model beneath the "Maestro." Generally, by the 90s, both the Special and Maestro were Spruce/CSAR guitars, with the differences between the two models basically cosmetic. The Maestro has more elaborate purfling and some other cosmetic touches. Kohno graded his woods on a visual scale and reserved the most attractive Brazilian Rosewood sets for the "Maestro" model. If you know more Kohno details than I’ve pieced together here, please do share them with me. I’ve tried for several years to compile an accurate sketch of the history of Kohno’s models. Why am I selling such a fine instrument? Because I have way, way too many classical guitars. They are filling up my house. I’ve been collecting fine guitars for years. I’ve now retired from the hunt and am starting to sell off my treasures. I can’t accept returns unless I made a serious mistake in describing the instrument. I just can’t ship fine instruments out for testing and return. Travel through the shipping world is way too risky. So let’s work together to make sure this guitar is right for you. Only ships to USA addresses. I can’t ship this out of the States.

Price: 5599.99 USD

Location: Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

End Time: 2024-12-17T20:27:23.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD