Masaki Sakurai - 1980. Harold Arlen - Over the rainbow
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- Опубліковано 18 кві 2023
- Guitar: Masaki Sakurai No.8 - cedar top, indian rosewood back and sides.
Strings: Daddario EJ45
Music: Harold Arlen - Over the rainbow (arr. Laurindo Almeida)
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I have a '76 Sakurai No. 5 among 3-handbuilts. It's my loudest and richest sounding of all, and my other two sound really good too. It's made of double-plate rosewood, and gorgeous cedar top, It's 660mm scale, and I'd like to get a No. 8 one day for its 650mm scale, as I have smaller hands. The Kohnos and earlier Sakurai's are a great value. I've played much more expensive guitars that sounded dull in comparison. They really sing! I have a 80's Takamine No. 5 with a Kohno-shop top like on the Sakurai No. 5 and it sounds beautiful too. Got it for $600 and you can find them easily for $800-1000. The Sakurai No. 5 cost me $1200. Kohno's will start around $2000 (for maybe his No. 5 or No. 10 if you are lucky). All amazing for what you are getting tonally and otherwise. It's wonderful that Masaki Sakurai is still alive building guitars, though his new ones will go for $8000-$15,000.
In 1980. when Masaru Kohno was still alive, Masaki Sakurai wasn't highly regarded. It was about the same level as Asturias. I was looking for Kohno in the 80s, but it wasn't available then, so I was offered Masaki for half the price. The dealer who did it had a big smile on his face when he was doing it. As if he was saying: "Sorry, I haven't got what you want, so I have to offer this inferior product". I didn't even bother to try it. But finally, I did get the Kohno in the early 90s, which I am still playing to this day.
Beautiful.
A lovely piece of music under your fingers for sure!
@@JonRinneby 🥰 I will do my best.
Awesome sounding guitar! Great playing also…..
Much appreciated Isaac. Over the rainbow, arranged by Laurindo Almeida, is a very nice piece to play, highly recommended.
As an investigator around Japanese guitars of the seventies / early eighties
I must have to say that these guitars often come from small workshops in
factories as Ibanez and Takamine. Only a few very skilled workmen did their
labour on these guitars. I am the one responsible for the Blog: "Juan Orozco
Dealer ot Luthier?" In a personal letter from Juan Orozco, this salesman stated
that Kohno, Sakura and his person ordered guitars from Tama (in fact Ibanez)
for the worldwide market.
The guitar presented here has about the same headstock as the Hirade labelled
guitar of that period. (and about the same rosette!) Those Hirade guitars were
made in the Takamine plant.
Apart from all that a small group of luthiers took pride in making beautiful high
end guitars. I owe a Hirade Concert Arte nr. 15 model that simply is a stunning
instrument and indeed on parr with the qualities you are showing here on this
Sakurai labelled guitar. Nonetheless not being made by the big name on the
label they indeed can be great, sometimes excellent and depending on their
price worth every penny!
Great info Noud! Thanks for sharing! All the best from Sweden.
Låter fint!
Tack tack.
Hello Jon, very nice playing and a good sounding guitar. What do you think about your Kohno No 8? Would you recommend it as a Master Guitar in today's world?
Thank you. I guess you mean Masaki Sakurai No.8? It's a good one for sure and one of the better examples from Sakurai I've played at this price point. It's no longer in my possession.
What do you think, what price range could you classify them in terms of sound today.
That is a very good question, but a difficult one to answer I'm afraid. There is so much to chose from today and my taste may be different than yours. But I think this guitar is "worth" at least 1500 Euro or so in terms of sound an playability. Having said that, I usually don't like the sound of new factory made guitars.