Rokutaro Nakade B2 1966 – All Solid Handmade Classical Guitar (Spruce / Flamed Maple)
A beautifully crafted, pretty sounding vintage guitar hand made by one of the greatest ever Japanese luthiers.
Those who are familiar with Rokutaro Nakade guitars know they have a charming tone coupled with vibrancy and excellent volume.
A personal favourite of mine I have owned and played several Rokutaro Nakade guitars and this model maintains the projection and volume of his other guitars but with a more colourful tone that is precise and direct. The guitar is very lightweight but very robust with a thin neck that makes it very easy to play.
This particular model (B2) was priced at 20,000 yen (approx. $200) in 1966.
The guitar has been well taken care of but it obviously has not been sitting in a closet all these years, the open and vibrant sound of the soundboard suggest that it has been regularly played.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Top: Solid Spruce
Back: Solid Flamed Maple
Sides: Solid Flamed Maple
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Scale: 648mm
Nut width: 51mm
CONDITION:
In very good structural condition for its age. There are no splits or cracks or any signs of dehydration . Tuners are original 39mm spaced tuners that although show some damage function smoothly and accurately, they do not need replacing unless desired. There is little saddle to take the action down much further but it is set already set quite comfortably. The guitar has been fitted with a brand new set of SAVAREZ Cantiga Premium regular tension strings.
Cosmetically also in very good condition for its age with some dings, scratches and clouding & crazing of the finish which is common for vintage guitars of this era but there is no significant damage.
A picture is worth a thousand words so please see all pics for best understanding of condition.
Please contact me if you would like larger versions of the images or photos of the guitar taken from different angles.
ACTION:
1st string @ 12th fret: ~3.6mm
6th string @ 12th fret: ~3.7mm
SADDLE REMAINING:
1st string side: ~1.1mm
6th string side: ~1.2mm
MORE INFO:
Rokutaro and his younger brother Sakazo Nakade apprenticed under Japanese Master Violin Luthier Mr. Kinpachi Miyamoto in 1930’s.
Miyamoto had a chance to examine and measure Andres Segovia's performance guitar while he performed in Tokyo in 1929. He never ventured into guitar making, but the apprentice Nakade brothers did. They also went to Spain to study guitar making from the Spanish masters. Nakade guitars are high quality instruments and have a big following in Japan. They were famous in early 60's before Masaru Kohno got famous in the later that decade.
The Nakade brothers were making very high grade guitars and successfully competed with Kohno on Japanese market. Their workshops were never as large as Kohno’s operations hence their guitars were sold outside Japan in quite limited numbers. In fact their guitars in many cases were of much higher grade than Kohno models that sold for the same price.
Rokutaro passed away in early 1970’s while Sakazo continued his work until his death in 1993 (at the age of 87).
The Nakade family legacy continued with Sakazo's 3 sons Teruaki, Toshihiko and Yukio, and Rokutaro's son Osamu. Today, only Toshihiko Nakade still makes guitars. His lowest model No.100 is priced 1000000 yen, which in US distribution would translate to at least $15 000.
Naturally, used guitars made by the Nakade family are very highly sought by Japanese players and guitar collectors. In any case all these vintage Nakade made guitars offer very high value for the money.
POSTAGE / PICK UP:
Guitar will be posted with a 1960's hard case which is of little value but will protect the guitar during transit, please consider it a bonus. Also please note that depending on your location I may need to ship the guitar in a different case than the one pictured to fulfill the size requirements of your local postage authority.
Parcel will be shipped with tracking and insurance for the full value of the item.
Guitar can also be picked up in person from Camberwell VIC.
International buyers please contact me for shipping costs and also please note that import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost, these charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what additional costs and procedures are required to import the guitar before purchasing.
AUDITIONS:
Interested parties able to make it to Camberwell VIC are welcome to come and try out the guitar, please message me to arrange a date and time.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask and please check out my other guitars =)