S Yairi 880 Classical (1980)

A review by Rob:

This is one incredible sounding and playing guitar with a concert grade tone. It’s an S Yairi Model 880 classical guitar, hand made in Japan in 1980. This beauty has a gorgeous perfectly straight mahogany neck with a stunning ebony fretboard, the tone is that of a guitar costing 5 times the price.

The headline specifications are:

Solid spruce top.

Brazilian rosewood back and sides, a lovely book-matched grain and center strip.

Amazing one-piece mahogany neck with heel cap.

Ebony fretboard, fully bound with Brazilian rosewood – gorgeous!

Brazilian rosewood bridge. A 52mm / 2″ full-size nut.

A thick Brazilian rosewood headstock overlay that’s beautifully done!

Fully hand-shaped/scalloped bracing for that amazing Yairi tone!

A light gloss lacquer that shows off the grain and keeps the resonance.

Sadao or Sada Yairi was a guitar maker and guitar manufacturer from Nagoya, Japan who was active from the 1960s to the 1990s. Information on Sadao Yairi is scant and a number of Japanese Sadao Yairi collectors confirm that Sadao Yairi’s guitar making history is shrouded in mystery especially after a 1990s statement by Kazuo Yairi, of Alvarez Yairi fame, that Kazuo and Sadao have no working relationship. The consensus is that Sadao and Kazuo Yairi were uncle and nephew, and that Kazuo learned guitar making from his uncle Sadao. The older Sadao, had worked as a guitar and violin maker at the Suzuki, Takehuru factory in Nagoya and then later opened his own business, Nagoya is the major industrial port city in Aichee prefecture and one of Japan’s long established guitar making centers. In the late 1960s Sada and Kazuo went their own way and began making guitars under their own label, with Sada establishing S. Yairi guitars in Nagoya and Kazuo Yairi starting up K. Yairi Guitars in Kani, which is about 30 minutes from Nagoya. It is thought that Sadao Yairi passed away during the 1990s.

This 880 model is in amazing condition for its age, as far as marks go the entire guitar has very few, just one small ding on the front, and a few light scratches. This is full size, sounds incredibly good, has had no repairs, the neck is true and the frets are good. It’s in incredible condition for its age having been kept in a hard case during its lifetime. It’s from to top end of Yairi range and has been recently strung with D’Addario Pro Arte EJ49 strings.

If you are interested in this serious instrument then checkout now to arrange affordable UK postage or call in to the shop between 10-5 any day except Wednesday to take it for a test drive.