1971 Masaru Kohno No. 7 Vintage Classical Guitar, Cedar & Rosewood w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1971 Masaru Kohno No. 7 classical guitar in excellent, 100% original condition, complete with the original hardshell case. One of the most prominent and influential figures in Japanese guitar manufacturing, Masaru “Ken” Kohno began his tutelage in Madrid in 1959 at the workshop of revered Flamenco and classical luthier Arcangel Fernandez. After returning to Japan to refine his craft, Kohno received first prize at the Liege Concours National de Guitares a few short years later in 1967. The chairman of the adjudicators at that competition was the “Stradivarius of the classical guitar” Ignacio Fleta, who remarked that Kohno’s guitar was “very much like his own.”

This No. 7 features a ladder-braced cedar top, Indian rosewood back and sides, solid mahogany neck, and ebony fingerboard, with a lower bout width of 14 1/2“. Tonally, this guitar yields rich expressiveness akin to the “Spanish sound” guitars produced by legendary luthiers like Fleta and Torres, with warm, rich-yet-airy lows, shimmering treble articulation, and great natural bloom in the midrange ideal for sonorous melodic playing. Weighing 3lbs 10oz, this Kohno No. 7 has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with normal tension strings and ideal action.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Mahogany (one-piece)
-Shape: Classical-style D, measuring .850” 1st fret, .970” 9th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony
-Frets: Slender, no wear
-Scale Length: 640mm
-Nut: 50mm, bone
-Tuners: Open-gear strip, rose engravings

Body Specs:

-Wood: Cedar, Indian rosewood
-Bracing: Spanish-style ladder
-Bridge: Rosewood, bone saddle
-String Spacing: 55mm (bridge)
-Marquetry: Ornate rosette, multi-ply purfling, rosewood binding
-Serialization: Label dated to 1971

This is a crack-free example, and cosmetic wear on the gloss cashew lacquer finish includes pick scuffing and several dings on top, with just a few smaller nicks and scuffs on the back and rims. The gloss on the neck profile exhibits faint cloudiness in the clear coat, with a few shallow marks along the profile length, none of which are perceptible to the palm while fretting.

The original brown tolex hardshell case is included.