I tried the Yari out (£600+ Hiscox case,haggled down from £800) against a Martin Clapton signature (£2K) .The Martin was like dead matchwood in comparison.

My Yari has a great spread of sound , all strings ringing out true in balance,and it really pushes the sound out.

After a year it is now only needing a neck adjust, but don't be fooled by the lightness of the body my Yari has seen some serious road work and performed beautifully.

I have owned a Yairi DY61 for going on 10 years. I just seems to get better as time goes on. It is a signature model, slope shouldered dreadnought with a solid spruce top with book matched solid burled mahogany back and sides (gorgeous and 3 dimensional), wood binding, mother of pearl inlays, a mahogany neck, an ebony fretboard and gold hardware. I love this guitar. There is no plastic anywhere on it. The nut is bone.

It was pretty cool how I acquired it. I had always wanted a Yairi since I saw and played one my friend had back in the early 70's. I found one for sale (about $700) in a music shop window around 1995. It was pretty much the same model that I have now, not a signature model, and for some reason the bridge was kinda wierdly reversed. Anyway I put some money down and finally paid it off. I noticed that it had a square darker spot on the top like a for sale sign was on it and the sun and been baking down on it for a long time. Then I noticed that there was a crack along the heel of the neck. Since the instrument had a lifetime guarantee I took it back to the shop. They sent it home to the manufacturer. A few weeks later they called me and told me that it couldn't be repaired and offered me a replacement. They gave me a list of guitars that I could have, but none of them were the same model. So I told them I wanted basically the same model. They told me that they didn't make it anymore, but had the signature model that retailed for $1500 and that they would send it to me for an upgrade charge of $50.00! So, obviously I went for it. That's what I call great customer service! In the mean time I won a $50.00 gift certificate from the same music shop. So that paid for it.

All I can say is that Mr. Yari makes a really fine instrument. He knows his woods and evidently has his own old wood stockpile. He's been making guitars since he was young and he is an old man now.

http://guitars.net/bozojapan.htm

In the late 1970's Bozo was approached by Kazuo Yairi, more recently of Alvarez-Yairi fame and contracted with him to produce a series of guitars designed by Bozo, but to be built in Japan under license. There was about a year and a half production run with models very similar to the masters' hand made US models

more here: http://www.guitars.net/bozo.htm

I used to have one and wish I still did. "Handmade Guitar Heaven" Wayzata MN ... years ago. The travelling guitar scout brought back a Bozo 12-string for Leo K and a 6 string to sell. I played Leo's 12 string before he saw it, and bought the other. Handmade by Bozo, not the Japanese versions.

I guess he got black lung very shortly after that.

Wonderful guitar it was. Huge sound all the way across, bright clean and even, and the bass was clear and strong. No thumpety mud.

i personally have owned an anniversary edition dy85 since 1977 which is gorgeous and is the most trouble free guitar, despite massive gingerbread, that i have ever owned.

It was an interesting purchase. I had just received a bonus and was driving downtown when Mike at the music store called me to say he had just received the Yari. I was about a block away from the store at the time, made a right turn into the parking lot, entered the store as he was unpacking the guitar. We pulled it out of the case and I bought it on the spot. I was the first one to lay hands on it, sort of a virgin guitar.

quote:

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Originally posted by DWS:
Is Alvarez Yari the same as Yari? I seem to recall hearing that there were actual Yari guitars, hand built in Japan, then the Alvarez one, which are factory built under license....can´any one clear this up and also if there is a difference which guitars are the ones you guys are raving about?

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There are also S. Yairi guitars out there. Made by Sada Yairi, father of "Yairi & Sons"(?) I don't know the true relationship between Sada and Kazuo Yairi, Father or Uncle. What I do know is in the mid '70s S. Yairi began delivering handmade Martin style dreads and parlor guitars to the US market. I have a 1975 750 (D35 style). It has aged wonderfully and I hope to do a side by side comparison with a 1951 Martin D18 come summer. The people that have them prize them greatly.

I have an ad that profiles Sada Yari(circa 1975) at that time he was reported in his seventies.
So Kazuo could easily be the next generation Yairi. Sada Yairi, I believe was noted for his violin building prior to his guitar venture.

LAter I owned a 1971 S. Yairi Classe 800 (one from the top of the
classical line which was a 900) I traded a violin bow for it. Fine
guitar.

I also have a 72 Classe 600 S. Yairi classical. Also a very fine
guitar.

It is my understanding that K and S Yairi were related but either
cousins or uncle and nephew.. not father and son or brothers.

The S Yairis appeared to me to be more "hands on" built than K. Yairi
and nothing like Alvarez Yairi which were full on production guitars.

After rereading my post, I sound like a manufacturers rep. I am not. Sorry to come across that way. I just really like their story and their guitars. I own a DY 57 and I am probably going to order a custom job soon. I've played a bunch of other guitars, but the Yairis just do something for me.

I hope that clears up some of the myth and confusion.

I've no idea what wood it's made from, but it's numbered WH50 23368, dated 1981, and is stamped inside
SADA.YAIRI
NAGOYA
MADE IN JAPAN.

Does anyone have any idea of its history, quality and value?

Ruth

quote:

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Originally posted by Tom Austin:
I've got an Alvarez-Yairi YB1 Baritone. GREAT guitar. I don't know why more people don't make acoustic baritones. Santa Cruz, National, Yairi, and various small luthiers make them, but that's about it as far as I know.

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Tacoma's been making a production baritone for at least a couple of years now, and I just saw in Acoustic Guitar Magazine where Larrivée has come out with one, too.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Martin Company were to come out with one by the 2006 or 2007 Winter NAMM show. There's a growing interest in the instrument, there are a number of string sets available for it now, and it's moved out of the tiny fringe of acoustic guitar crazies like me (with my 1999 McAlister acoustic baritone) somewhat closer to the mainstream.

I should emphasize that I have NO insider knowledge of whether this is being considered by Martin, but they're very smart people in that firm, and they watch the high end acoustic guitar market quite closely.

Once they decide they can sell fifty or sixty of them, possibly as an artist signature model, Martin will probably produce an acoustic baritone guitar. And if the signature model sells well, in another year or two they'd probably start selling "16 Series" and all-mahogany "15 Series" baritones, as well.

In other words, Martin's normal pattern is to introduce something this specialized as a high dollar model for the "just gotta have it" crowd, then if it does well it'll be made available at a lower price for the rest of us.

I hope they do come out with one, but I may be premature predicting it as arriving within a couple of years.

only recently i have decided to researchg it.

the model number is YD - 401 and also says"
sadayairi" inside and is stamped as being created in 1979
and below has s. yairi's signature.

on a nother board one poster said sada was kazuo's father

and idea on the value of my new guitar would be much appreciated

Thanks.

Hey there, Wade. Thanks for the heads-up. Though in my defense I wrote that post four years ago, when Alvarez had just recently given up on their funny-shaped baritone prototype and the A-Y YB1 was the sole representative in the mid-priced production baritone market.

I have played the Tacoma Thunderchief baritone in music stores. It's very nice, very lightly built. My YB1 is like a tank compared.

quote:

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Originally posted by fluffycatGS:
Hello, I am trying to find information about this guitar I have. Label inside reads: "Handcrafted in Japan by Yairi - Model No.1450 Ad.1965 Serial No.494"
After reading this discussion thread, I'm really confused!

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Hi,

As far as I know this is a very early S. Yairi guitar. Sada Yairi was the cousin of the more famous K. Yairi, but in the opinion of most people Sada Yairi built finer guitars. I guess he was not technically a better guitar builder, just was more passionate about it and more committed, and therefore paid attention to the important details of how to bring the finest sound out of an instrument. This is all testified by K. Yairi selling out to Alvarez (that's how he became famous), whereas Sada Yairi tried to continue on his own (but eventually went bankrupt). The company was revived some years ago, but for me the only interesting guitars are the original S. Yairi. I have about a dozen of them ;-) All different models of steel and nylon string models. It all started with my first guitar teacher ... even back then in about 1970 ... my teacher told me the best value one could get in a guitar was an S. Yairi... and emphasised to me to be careful that I didn't buy a K. Yairi. Quote "K. Yairis are fine, but there are also lots of other brands out there just as good. If you really want an exceptional guitar for a reasonable price, go any buy yourself an S. Yairi.".

I have some D-28, D-35 and D-45 type S. Yairis that sound equally as good as my equivalent Martins from the same era.