Masaru Kohno No. 10 1974 Handmade Japan w/ Hard Case

Beautiful handmade 1974 Masaru Kohno classical guitar built in Tokyo, Japan. Kohno guitars are among the most respected Japanese classical instruments ever produced, and this early example has the warm, articulate response and craftsmanship that made his instruments internationally sought after.

This guitar was recently professionally serviced and plays great with comfortable action measuring approximately 3mm at the 12th fret on both E strings.

Tone is rich and balanced with excellent note separation, strong projection, and the dry, mature character you would expect from a well-aged vintage concert classical.

Cosmetically, the guitar shows honest vintage wear throughout including scratches, dings, finish wear, and general playwear consistent with age. There is visible finish wear on the treble side of the soundhole along with scattered dents and marks across the top and body. Overall it presents very well for a 50+ year old handmade instrument.

The back and sides have a beautiful dark grain pattern, and the instrument retains the elegant traditional Kohno aesthetic throughout. Includes original style hard case.

Our local luthier, Charles Dick, repaired the bridge. When we got the Kohno, the front part of the wood was missing so he matched the wood and repaired the front with the new piece. You would never notice it if you weren't looking for it, but I tried to capture a good shot of it in the above photos.
Charles also made a new heel cap for the back that matches perfectly.

This is Kohno's later years so it's the 660mm scale length with that nice boomy sound you would expect.

We also installed new high quality Gotoh tuners as seen in the above photos.

Please review all photos carefully for condition details.

Case: Hard

Scale Length: 660mm

Nut Width: 53.2mm

Fret Wear: 9.8/10

Action at 12F (6th): 3mm

Action at 12F (1st): 3mm

Weight: 1700grams

Overall Condition: 7.5/10

Cool Factor: 11 out of 10

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Internal Use (Bin) - G3