Old-school throwdown of a classical from the father of Japanese guitar building, Masaru Kohno. This relatively early example, a model No. 15 from 1972, bears a clear Madrid influence, though, to his credit, Kohno achieved a more comfortable, player-friendly neck than many of his Spanish contemporaries—this despite the 660mm scale. The guitar features a beautiful set of Brazilian rosewood back and sides, high-grade tuners, and intricate mosaic rosette and bridge inlay.

A repaired heel crack dates to when this guitar was first built and shipped to the U.S., and has remained totally stable for half a century. Light play wear, a few marks on the top, and some finish wear along the binding, but overall, this instrument has survived quite well and is ready to continue making music for the next 50 years.

• Cedar top
  
• Brazilian Rosewood back and sides
  
• Rosewood binding
• Twin ebony inserts
• 660mm scale
  
• 53mm nut
• Fustero Lyra gold, engraved tuners
• Mark Leaf case