How to Read Kazuo Yairi Serial Numbers

Baronial 27, 2015

G. Yairi YW-1000

M. Yairi YW-1000, made in Japan in 1973

Since it's my 35th birthday today I'one thousand going to mail this guitar even though information technology's non 100% set all the same, information technology was my altogether present to myself. As I mentioned before I recently became the proud owner of a 1973 K. Yairi YW-1000. It'southward something I've dreamed of for many years and afterward a fleck of hassle information technology finally arrived. The previous possessor didn't really give much of a clarification so I wasn't really certain what to wait. Luckily it sounds at least as good as I had hoped for, if not meliorate and it'due south structurally fine. Having said that, there were a couple of things that I wasn't overly excited almost, like the span and the scratches on the tiptop. I don't mind worn guitar just there is one big scratch that is still a existent eyesore for me, I'g certain I will get used to it and not even see it in a few weeks. The bridge is a chapter for itself, I really don't know what has been going on there. Information technology has been removed at some indicate and re-glued, it besides has two screws that I doubt were supposed to be there and on top of that someone has added a bit of rosewood to brand it higher and topped information technology of with a fret as the saddle instead of a normal slot and bone saddle. Every bit shortly as the woods shops open again here in Barcelona, a lot of shops are closed in Baronial, I volition get a slice of ebony and create a new bridge from scratch. Since I couldn't await a whole month to play the guitar I lowered the span and cut a saddle slot and installed a bone saddle for at present, which has worked fine. It's a beautiful guitar, it's smells wonder total and sounds even amend. This is my third Chiliad. Yairi and I have to say that it'southward without any doubt the best Japanese acoustics I've played and so far. I really beloved my One thousand. Yairi YW-130 and K. Yairi TG-40 only aught sounds equally good every bit this Chiliad. Yairi YW-g.

It's worn and has few scratches but nothing too serious, except for the bridge as mentioned before. I changed the machine heads to Wilkinson WJ28NGD open up gear in gilded, the original ones were in gilded also but virtually of information technology had worn off and on superlative of that they were really heavy. I love all the abalone binding and the hexagon inlays in the ebony fretboard. I'grand then gay for bling on guitars, the more the better, perhaps I'm the Liberace of guitars.

Every bit soon as I got the guitar I removed the fret, lowered the bridge by sanding it down and then I cut a proper saddle slot. Plainly the top of the span is rosewood on an ebony base so I had to paint the peak blackness to lucifer the rest. The span works fine but I'g non happy with how it looks then I volition endeavour my all-time to carve a new one in ebony and replace information technology.

The fist video is with the old makeshift rosewood bridge that the guitar came with, the second video is with the new ebony bridge that I carved myself from scratch, you lot tin can read about information technology here.

July 30, 2015

Chiliad. Yairi YW-m

Thou. Yairi YW-1000 Made in Japan 1973, Taken from my Instagram

I did it, finally I institute myself a K. Yairi YW-g. This has been a goal of mine for years, or at least since October 2013. You lot never meet them for sale in Europe and to buy one from the US or Japan would set you dorsum at least $1500-2000 plus import taxes and the chance that it gets confiscated in customs, some countries are really picky about Brazilian rosewood crossing their boarders. This K. Yairi YW-m was made in the 48th year of Emperor Shōwa, pregnant 1973, I love the Emperor based serial numbers. I will write a lot more about this guitar when I got information technology all ready, I need to re-glue the bridge get-go.

June 26, 2015

K. Yairi YW-130

Chiliad. Yairi YW-130 a Martin D-28 copy made in Kani, Nihon in 1977

I recently came over a 1977 K. Yairi YW-130, a beautiful Martin D-28 copy. I've been looking for a D-28 copy for a while, just out of curiosity to see the difference between the D-35 and D-42 copies that I accept. The Morris W-40 and Morris Westward-50 both have a 3-role dorsum which gives them a lot of bass and dial in the middle so perhaps a Japanese made D-28 copy would exist more bell similar and balanced, like a existent Martin, and I was right. The K. Yairi YW-130 sounds amazing, really clean and fifty-fifty all over, with awesome overtones that sneaks upwardly on you lot if you let it ring out. It has a solid spruce tiptop, rosewood back and sides with a simple ebony bridge and fretboard. I do love my Morris guitars and I think it's a great brand, but zero comes close to G. Yairi. The old K.Yairi TG-40 that I got a year a go is awesome likewise, just I think I prefer the sound of the new i. Maybe my acoustic guitar preferences has slightly shifted from the Gibson sound to Martin.

I didn't have to do annihilation to the guitar when I got it, I just changed the machine heads to Wilkinson WJ28NGD open gear in gold which I love. Information technology'south a bit worn and have a few dents in the spruce top that I'm planning to figure out how to soften a bit.

I've actually come to dearest guitars with the typical Martin volute, simply like my Morris W-fifty, and the double dots on the 7th fret, information technology's just beautiful. There is zippo ameliorate than a blackness Ebony fretboard on an audio-visual guitar. I thought ebony was like rosewood until I got my Goya T-18 two years ago and it just accident my mind, in that location is no nicer fretboard material.

K. Yairi YW-130 in a late 1970's Canadian catalogue, taken from AlvarezYairi

May 27, 2014

Thou. Yairi TG-40

Grand.Yairi TG-40 a Guild D-40 re-create from 1977. Every M.Yairi guitar is given nascence in Kani, a pocket-size community in the cute mountainside expanse of Honshu, Japan.

My new Yard.Yairi TG-40 has finally arrived, after 40 days stuck in Spanish customs. I have mentioned earlier that information technology's a lot easier to import things from Japan to Espana compared to buying things from the US, well that was a lie. I accept bought three electric guitars, mainly Greco's from an eBay seller called Tokyowax. They all arrived inside 48 hours then I stupidly causeless that everything from Japan would go far quickly and without any issues, simply no. Tokyowax uses DHL Express and they tend to deliver things within ii-five days and yous pay the taxes directly to them when they deliver the guitar. It wasn't that easy with European monetary system Japan, that parcel went directly to customs in Madrid and spent 40 days in their lazy company. How tin can anything accept that long? Grand. Yairi could probably take congenital me a new guitar in that time, if he was nevertheless live. It seems like the merely choice now when buying guitars on eBay is to utilize the Global Shipping Program, that worked for my Goya 163 at least. Anyway, the guitar is amazing so information technology was well worth waiting for.

Information technology has a really nice tone with great bass response. It easily has the best bass of all my acoustics, even better than my Morris Westward-40 which has that Martin D-45 bass sound, this is nicer and a lot clearer. I guess it sounds like an old Guild D-40, at least if I can trust the Youtube clips I have seen since I haven't had the risk to play one myself. Information technology actually reminds me a bit of a Gibson Jumbo, similar I mentioned in my Gibson J-45/J-50 postal service: "The Yairi TG-40 is a Social club D-40 re-create, which was introduced in the Sixties as a competitor to Gibson's J-45. The Guild D-40 became famous as the Bluegrass guitar for their even response over all the strings and I actually like the sound of them, it's actually non too far off from a Sixties Gibson J-45. With a bit of luck it'south going to be an awesome Yairi copy of an Guild which might sound a bit like a Gibson."

I didn't have to practise much to it, information technology was ready to play when I got it. Notwithstanding, the pickguard was loose so I had to remove that, clean it up and so gum it back again with my trusty fish glue. When the strings was off I quickly polished the frets and oiled the ebony fretboard. I as well installed a jack for myLR Baggs M1 and a strap button.

I bought this One thousand.Yairi TG-40 from a really nice eBay seller called montebell86 who was a pleasure to deal with. The guitar was listed as "Taniguchi Gakki" Japanese guitar shop original model, very rare. Solid spruce top, sides and dorsum in solid mahogany, neck in Honduras mahogany, span and Fretboard in black ebony. The characterization states it was made in 1977 but the serial number starts with 51 which was the 51st year of Emperor Shōwa and puts it to 1976.

I got this K.Yairi TG-twoscore adequately cheap since the pickguard needed to be reglued and 1 auto head wasn't working properly. It as well has 2 cracks, one on each side that has been professionally repaired and tin can't be seen from the outside. Since the auto heads needed to be replaced I decided to change them for Wilkinson WJ-309 in gold, simply like I did on my Levin 174

Here is a quick little comparison between the K.Yairi TG-40 and my Morris W-40, they audio pretty similar and I don't think I would be able to tell them apart in a bullheaded test. Well the Morris has a bit more bass and is a slightly weaker on the treble side, I feel that the Yairi is more even over all the strings.

Thousand.Yairi TG-40in the Japanese catalogue from the belatedly 1970′s. List cost ¥60.000, around 420€, which must have been a fortune dorsum in 1977. So again, this was a fairly inexpensive guitar for being K Yairi, the summit model cost ¥200.000, near 1400€.

Oct 31, 2013

K. Yairi

The near cute Martin D-45 copies in the world, a 1976 K. Yairi YW-1000

I'm extremely happy with the two Morris I have and think that Terada is i of the better acoustic guitar builders in Japan. Having said that, I think everyone that is in to Japanese acoustics dream of owning a Grand. Yairi, at least I do. Unfortunately they are a chip too expensive for me, I'm certain they are worth it but you lot can get an old Martin, Gibson or Guild for that coin. One thing that I really like with Yairi is that they use the year of the Emperor of Japan to determine the production year of their instruments, how crawly is that. Encounter the list beneath.

Skillful materials are hard to find so information technology'southward better to make guitars through express product by hand instead of mass production. Trees are very important "precious" things and then we should brand good apply of them. Guitars made with "heart" are the best utilise of copse.  Kazuo Yairi

When was my Yairi made?
By reading the number stamped on the heel block of your Yairi, you can tell in which year information technology was made. The first two numbers correspond to the year of the Emperor of Japan at that time, see chart below. The second 2 numbers refer to the month of production. Taken from The Fellowship of Acoustics

A.D.       Emperor                Year
1970      Shōwa                    45
1971                                      46
1972                                      47
1973                                      48
1974                                      49
1975                                      50
1976                                      51
1977                                      52
1978                                      53
1979                                      54
1980                                      55
1981                                      56
1982                                      57
1983                                      58
1984                                      59
1985                                      60
1986                                      61
1987                                      62
1988                                      63
1989       Heisei                    one
1990                                      ii
1991                                      3
1992                                      4
1993                                      five
1994                                      6
1995                                      7
1996                                      8
1997                                      ix
1998                                      ten
1999                                      11
2000                                      12
Stop of Emperor Date Lawmaking
2001                                       01
2002                                       02
2003                                       03
2004                                       04
etc.

Emperor Shōwa and hereafter Emperor Heisei on 10 April 1959

derricksoncamedid.blogspot.com

Source: https://claescaster.com/tag/yairi-production-date/

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