1987 Sakazo Nakade No. 5000 Vintage Classical Guitar German Spruce + Brazilian Rosewood w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1987 Sakazo Nakade No. 5000 in near-mint condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. Often referred to as the “father of modern Japanese luthiery,” Sakazo Nakade and his brother Rokutaro introduced many classical guitar construction techniques to the land of the rising sun and were among the first ever Japanese luthiers. The brother Nakade began their careers as violin luthiers under Kinpachi Miyamoto and, in the 1950s, traveled to Spain and spent time under the tutelage of Spanish masters including José Ramírez III, Manuel Hernandez and Victoriano Aguado, whose instruments are widely considered to be some of the finest ever made.

Reflecting the Spanish-style of guitar both in terms of construction and tonal response, this No. 5000 was a premium instrument at the time of its production (just a few short years before Nakade’s death in 1993), originally priced at a whopping ¥500,000, with top-tier features including traditional Spanish six-fan bracing on the tight-grained German spruce top, Brazilian rosewood back/sides, ornate marquetry including an abalone tailpiece and complex rosette, and a lacquer gloss finish.

Tonally, this No. 5000 is dark, well-balanced, and exceedingly melodious, with a tender sweetness to the treble response and a harmonic richness in the low end that results in a moody, sonorous feel. Pensive, breathy, and deeply resonant, this guitar has all of the airy openness achieved via a spruce soundboard that has had years to open up and relax, and the decidedly thin bracing allows the top to vibrate maximally when projection is needed. A true concert-ready stunner, this No. 5000 weighs 3lbs 9oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with normal tension strings and optimal classical action.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Mahogany (ebony stringers)
-Shape: D, measuring .905” 1st fret, .985” 9th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony
-Frets: Slender, pristine
-Scale Length: 650mm (25.59”)
-Nut: 52mm (2.05”), bone
-Tuners: Hand-engraved strip

Body Specs:

-Wood: German spruce, Brazilian rosewood
-Bracing: Spanish-style six-fan
-Bridge: Brazilian rosewood, tall bone saddle, ornate abalone/mother of pearl tailpiece
-String Spacing: 58mm (at bridge)
-Marquetry: Ornate rosette, tri-tone purfling, rosewood binding
-Label: Dated 1987, signed by Nakade

Crack-free and decidedly well-kept, the gloss lacquer finish exhibits very mild humidity-related cloudiness on the back and rims (a common occurrence on instruments exposed to the Japanese climate), with cosmetic wear otherwise limited to a couple tiny dings on top. The lacquer gloss on the neck profile is smooth and clean, with a couple shallow marks that are not distracting to the palm while fretting.

A hardshell case is included.