Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 1, 2007 Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 Hey folks, I just picked this up off our local online buy and sell site for $150.00 It's a 1970's Yamaki AY270S "Folk" style guitar as they called it. It's pretty playable and in absolutely amazing condition for a 35 yr old guitar. I know it needs a neck reset but because of it's sound I think it's worth it. I am gonna shop around for pricing on a reset. The top is solid cedar and has a crack near the edge of the binding. It doesn't seem to affect the tone but I don't want it to get worse. Is there a way to seal the crack? The back, sides and neck are Mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard. Did I mention the tone? I managed to find pics of the Yamaki catelogue online...and knowing how much you guys love pics... Here is the catelogue pic: Here is the one I just got: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaurentB Posted August 1, 2007 Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 That's an elegant model, I think. I never heard of the brand, did you know it before you bought it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members big69 Posted August 1, 2007 Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 Yamakis are cool guitars. My friend has one his grandpa gave to him and I absolutely love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 1, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 That's an elegant model, I think. I never heard of the brand, did you know it before you bought it? Yes I had heard of the brand before as they where a popular make here in Canada in the 1970's. They made excellent Martin style guitars of all solid wood at an affordable price. When I was a teenager in the mid 70's I had a Yamaki dreadnaught style guitar and it had great sound. I eventually gave that guitar to a friend that was moving away because he didn't have a guitar to take with him to his new place. When I went to look at and try out the guitar I knew right away that the neck needed a reset as the truss rod was adjusted correctly and the saddle was very very low yet the action up the neck is high. As soon as I played a few open chords the tone was amazing....nice and punchy...loud and good bass for a small body guitar. There is also a crack or "split" in the top about 3 inches long and I am wondering if there is a way to repair that so it doesn't keep getting larger. I am willing to spend the money on a neck job because it's such a great sounding little guitar and the perfect size for me. OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members babablowfish Posted August 1, 2007 Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 Nice find! Yamakis have a very good reputation for tone. I believe they were among the companies sued for copyright infringement for too closely copying Martins. Let us know how the neck reset goes. One caveat - I have read about "Yamaki disease" i.e. the headstocks are weak and easily snap off. Treat it carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 1, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 Nice find! Yamakis have a very good reputation for tone. I believe they were among the companies sued for copyright infringement for too closely copying Martins. Let us know how the neck reset goes. One caveat - I have read about "Yamaki disease" i.e. the headstocks are weak and easily snap off. Treat it carefully. I had never heard about the headstock problem. Thanks for the heads up. I have now just sent emails to two repair shops in town and inquired about the cost of such repairs and if I can get away with saving the neck angle without a reset. I have read elsewhere that sometimes shaving the wooden bridge piece can help. I really want to save this little guitar! Of course all input is greatly appreciated OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AK47 Posted August 1, 2007 Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 I had read somewhere awhile back that Yamaki was related to the Daion line. I've seen Daion guitars with Yamaki tuners on them. Both were excellent guitars. If you check out frets.com there is info on how to do crack repair and neck reset in their luthier section. As not being familiar with guitar repair I wouldn't suggest trying the neck reset. The crack repair may be something you might try yourself if you are handy. This guitar is a good find. Good luck in getting it back to par. If you don't get the neck reset it still should make a great acoustic slide guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 1, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 I had read somewhere awhile back that Yamaki was related to the Daion line. I've seen Daion guitars with Yamaki tuners on them. Both were excellent guitars. If you check out frets.com there is info on how to do crack repair and neck reset in their luthier section. As not being familiar with guitar repair I wouldn't suggest trying the neck reset. The crack repair may be something you might try yourself if you are handy. This guitar is a good find. Good luck in getting it back to par. If you don't get the neck reset it still should make a great acoustic slide guitar. Yes...these guitars were made in Japan by the Daion company and some have Daion stamped to the back of the headstock. I would love to be able to do the repairs myself but I don't have the tools or knowledge to do it properly so I leave that up to the experts. I have just recieved an email back form a respected Luthier/Repairman here in town and he says there might be an alternative to a reset and I am going to bring him the guitar to have a look at it. I had him do work on my old Yamaha and it plays wonderfully so I am sure if anyone he can do it. This Yamaki is incrediblely light in weight so I am very careful with it.... unlike my old Yammie which is built like a tank and gets a lot of use on a daily/weekly basis. I will keep you all posted as to what happens to this little guitar OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AK47 Posted August 1, 2007 Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 It's a good choice to let a pro look at it. Let us know how it turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaurentB Posted August 1, 2007 Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 Yes I had heard of the brand before as they where a popular make here in Canada in the 1970's. They made excellent Martin style guitars of all solid wood at an affordable price. When I was a teenager in the mid 70's I had a Yamaki dreadnaught style guitar and it had great sound. I eventually gave that guitar to a friend that was moving away because he didn't have a guitar to take with him to his new place.(...)OGP Hey, so I learned of another brand today that I didn't know of! That is so nice, to just give a guitar to someone else because he would have to do without one if you wouldn't have.If I believed in such a thing I would say that because of the good karma you created by doing that now another nice Yamaki has been returned to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 1, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 Hey, so I learned of another brand today that I didn't know of! That is so nice, to just give a guitar to someone else because he would have to do without one if you wouldn't have. If I believed in such a thing I would say that because of the good karma you created by doing that now another nice Yamaki has been returned to you! Hi Laurent, The Yamaki brand was not as popular as Yamaha. If I recall Yamaki had all solid wood guitars and sold them at a price competitive with Yamaha. The guitar I had as teenager was sold originally at one of the 2 music shops in town. I think the fact that it was also located in a shopping mall helped in my parents decision to buy it (easier parking). Over my lifetime I have given a few guitars away...some as "trade" or payment for work done on other guitars or just as gifts. It's funny...I have never really held any sentimental attachment to my guitars. I guess I never really found the "one" guitar that will ever satisfy me...maybe this little Yamaki is the one? Maybe it is a "Karma" thing? I am off to the repair shop tommorow and see what he says. I am hoping that there is an alternative to a neck re-set but if thats what it takes to make it right... well I think this guitar deserves a second life as it sounds too good to give up. Rgards, OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Verne Andru Posted August 1, 2007 Members Share Posted August 1, 2007 I had a Yamaki dreadnought I dragged around for about 30 years. They are usually ply and the bracings are prone to giving out and the bridge pulling up - that's what happened to mine. My luthier curses them everytime they come in the shop. Say's once he starts trying to fix one thing, something else falls apart. When setup properly they can have a nice voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 2, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I had a Yamaki dreadnought I dragged around for about 30 years. They are usually ply and the bracings are prone to giving out and the bridge pulling up - that's what happened to mine. My luthier curses them everytime they come in the shop. Say's once he starts trying to fix one thing, something else falls apart. When setup properly they can have a nice voice. According to the catelogue page that I saw about this guitar the top is solid cedar and the back, sides and neck are mahogany. This guitar is the right size and perfect weight for me. It also sounds great and is in awesome condition for a 35 yr old guitar. It just needs that neck angle reset and it will be a fine player. OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 2, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 I just got back from the repair shop. The verdict is...no neck reset required. The repairman at the shop checked the neck angle with a straight edge and he feels all that is needed is too notch the bridge pin holes so when lowering the saddle the strings will still have a good break angle. He is also going to put "cleats" under the top to keep the crack from getting worse. He basically told me all I need is a set-up with fret leveling ($95) and with the cleats ($20). Not a bad deal after all! I also opted for the "priority service" for $20 bucks more so it will be ready for me tommorow morning. Ahhhh...just in time for the weekend I'll let you know the results. OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members babablowfish Posted August 2, 2007 Members Share Posted August 2, 2007 Cool! I look forward to reading your report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 3, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 3, 2007 Well..I got the guitar back today from the shop and he did a great job with the setup. The saddle is really low though but he notched the bridgepin holes to compensate for the lack of break angle. The action is what he calls "hard" meaning that I can still strum and pick with some force and still not get any buzz. I like it because it's not too low and not too high. He also installed a "cleat" under the top were the crack is to keep it tight . Anyhow...the guitar sounds awesome and plays good too. I do hope to put some sound clicks up of it someday... Regards, OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 heres a beauty on Yahoo Japan right now....NO !!!...not mine...just thought other guitar freaks would like to see it too...I see Yamakis frequently but not like this one... http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k48186813 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 5, 2007 heres a beauty on Yahoo Japan right now....NO !!!...not mine...just thought other guitar freaks would like to see it too...I see Yamakis frequently but not like this one... http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k48186813 Wow! That sure is a rare looking acoustic guitar. It looks like it's completely made of maple. I wonder how much they want for that? I have seen other Yamakis but never one like that...very cool OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted August 5, 2007 Members Share Posted August 5, 2007 it sold for about $150.oo US...not to me though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 heres another beauty...only $1700.oo American greenbacks...you know...in case anybody is interested. This shop seems to get a lot of nice used guitars. http://www.j-guitar.com/sp/sea/view_detail/s11490626.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted August 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 heres another beauty...only $1700.oo American greenbacks...you know...in case anybody is interested. This shop seems to get a lot of nice used guitars. http://www.j-guitar.com/sp/sea/view_detail/s11490626.html Holy cow! That's a nice guitar but $1700 is WAY over my budget for Japanese made guitars from the 1970's. I am so glad I have mine...it plays and sounds amazing....very responsive. I have already used it an open mic on Saturday after noon and it even sounded good through my Fishman soundhole pickup. I am working on video clips of it right now as I write this. OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 made my rounds today and stopped into a local shop that carries used guitars and came across an old Yairi classical. I already have 3 from the early to late 60s and they are real nice. Today`s had the same label i`ve seen on some posted for sale on the Japanese web...and different from the ones I already own... and my wife had told me once that it says "this guitar was hand made for a guitar lover..." and carries his name stamp, they don`t sign things as you are certainly aware of...so anyhow...I thought it was well worth the $83.76 they wanted...incleding the original hard case from 1970...they sell for 4 times that much regularly with that label on line in Japan. It has a bit of a musty smell and it was really dusty so I tooka dry rag to the interior...didn`t want to risk smudging the label...and will keep it out in the open to see what happens. It cerainly has at the very least a solid top and I believe it`s all solid judging from the matching grain patterns on the inside and outside of the rosewood back. The rosette is all small individual pieces of colored wood inlaid into the top...`spose pics would go a lot further than my gushing eh...OK...I`ll take some tomorrow in the daylight...and I bet that $1700. guitar selles...there are some maniacal collectors over here that are willing to pay that price...plus it`s listed as Brazilian rosewood. But hey...I`m happy with my $87.oo Yairi...you should keep your eyes peeled for those too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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