MADE IN 1971 BY MASARU MATANO ARIA AC50 EXCEPTIONAL CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR
MADE IN 1971 BY MASARU MATANO ARIA AC50 EXCEPTIONAL CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR
Product Code: | Guitar-1472929504 |
Availability: | In Stock |
-
$1,600.00
- Ex Tax: $1,600.00
MADE IN 1971 BY MASARU MATANO ARIA AC50 EXCEPTIONAL CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR
Brand: Aria
;Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan
MADE IN 1971 BY MASARU MATANO ARIA AC50 EXCEPTIONAL CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR
Please read my 7 days return policy at the bottom of the page.
*************************************************************************
If you are
thinking about a purchase of a used vintage guitar you need to accept the fact
that such guitars may have cosmetic flaws solely associated with their age, but
not related to any particular damage. For example their finishes change their
look over the years and are not glossy and crystal clear like on brand new
guitar. In addition, such guitars may require fret dressing, new tuners, string
action adjustment or a simple repair before they can be fully enjoyed. I see
guitars as musical instruments, not as furniture. When I describe guitar as
being in excellent condition I don't talk only about its cosmetics but mostly
about its structural & functional condition, sound and playability. If you
are seeking a perfect looking, low maintenance guitar you should abandon a
thought about buying used vintage one, especially from me.
I don't offer "sound samples" because they never reflect true sound of a guitar as we hear it playing in our own room. You can greatly change tonality of any guitar by using different strings.
*******************************************************************************************
Made by Masaru
Matano Aria AC50 in excellent condition
It
was made by Masaru Matano for SHIRO ARAI, long before Arias AC series were made
in Spain. This very uniquely shaped headstock with hand curved ornament and
square cut peg box, are the attributes of a very high grade instrument. It is indeed ultra-rare piece of art.
This
particular guitar was made in early 1970-ties and is yet another example of
Masaru Matano’s superb craftsmanship. Despite its age, and several minor
cosmetic flaws on its body, is still in perfect working condition. Cosmetic flaws include few very small dents
and scratches on the top, few tiny dents and abrasions along the edges, and few
on the back of the headstock. Most of these cosmetic flaws are visible only at
close distance.
I am 100% sure that once you touch the strings of
this guitar, all these flaws will be totally irrelevant to you.
This guitar is a “perfect instrument”, a
concert guitar, producing beautiful and well balanced notes, clear and ringing
trebles, deep resonating basses, at high volume, with very impressive sustain.
Guitar is very light, responsive to a lightest touch and with current action
plays super easy.
Masaru
Matano was one of the best Japanese luthiers ever. He was the founder of modern
ASTURIAS guitars workshop and its first Master Luthier. He was also a long-time
friend and teammate with Shiro Arai and in early 1970s he co-founded ARIA
guitars workshop in Nagoya, Japan. Masaru Matano’s philosophy has always been
“quality first”. His guitars have always been highly regarded and sought by
international players, despite their high prices.
All
M. Matano guitars even in 1970-ties were sold in Europe at quite high prices.
They in fact opened the path to European markets for Aria and Asturias guitars.
It is a great loss for American players that these brands have never been
seriously distributed in North America. If they were, we wouldn’t have today
that many low quality “hand made in Spain” guitars on US market.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Top: High Grade Solid Cedar
Back: 2 seprate plates of Laminated Rosewood
There is a tiny gap between these 2 plates so they don't touch each
other. While external one rests on players body, internal one is not
dumped but can vibrate freely.
Sides: Solid Rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony or Super Well Ebonized
Rosewood
With at the nut: 52 mm
Scale: 658 mm
Defective original tuning machines were
replaced with new ones.
Action is set to 3.5 mm under E6 and 3.00 mm under
E1
To all destinations (except Australia), this guitar will be shipped in used Takabe hard case in excellent condition.
Here is
some info you might be interested in:
HISTORY OF ARIA
"It all started with the classical
guitar", says Shiro Arai, Chairman and the founder of Aria Guitars.
One day, a friend came to visit Shiro's
apartment with a guitar. Shiro was expecting to hear Koga-type Japanese popular
music, but instead his friend started to play a piece by Bach. From this
moment, he had been inspired by the sound of this instrument forever.
The very next day, Shiro bought his first
guitar, costing over two months salary and began to teach himself to play. Now
playing day and night, his passion for the guitar brought him to a famous classical
guitar master in Nagoya, and soon became one of his students.
Shiro started work for a trading company in
1947, aged 17. In 1953, Shiro and two of his colleagues resigned their
positions and founded their own trading firm. After the fledgling company failed
after just one year Shiro found himself homeless with nothing but his guitar.
In order to live and settle the outstanding debts from this first business he
started to teach the guitar.
In 1954 unable to buy guitars, music and strings
in Japan's music stores, Shiro started to import classical guitars, Augustine
guitar strings, and musical scores for himself and his students. These were the
first classical guitars imported into post-war Japan and included instruments
from renowned makers Jose Ramirez and Hermann Hauser. Recognising an increasing
demand for guitars from friends and players throughout Japan, Shiro grasped the
opportunity to start his own business. On August 2nd, 1956, ARAI & CO., INC
was founded.
At this time, although demand for classical
guitars and accessories were increasing, it was still comparatively low and
business was supplemented with other products including woollen material.
The name, "ARIA", which means
expressive melody, was first used in 1958 when Arai exported Japanese built
classical guitars fitted with steel strings to South East Asia in 1963. Also
the letters of his name "ARAI" were just switched around to
"ARIA as he recalled.
Shiro embarked on a tour of the US with two of
the best Japanese KOHNO guitars. At that time Japanese guitars had a poor
reputation for developing body cracks and warped necks after being exposed to
drier conditions abroad. It was Shiro's intention to prove how good Japanese
guitars were by performing and showing to fellow guitarists, teachers and music
shops. After two months these guitars also started to crack.
Even the best available Kohno guitars faced the
same problem. Shiro took these cracked guitars back to Japan to show their
makers just how vital it is to use properly seasoned tone woods. This trip gave
Shiro the experience and knowledge to improve the quality of guitars and export
Japanese guitars worldwide.
It was as early as the late 50's when Arai
started to import Fender guitars and amplifiers from the US, although at that
time the Japanese market was not quite ready for the electric guitar! With the
advent of rock n' roll demand for electric guitars took-off. Arai released its
first ARIA brand electric guitars in 1963. Exporting to the US followed with
models including the 1532T and 1802T.
To counter the decline of the solid body
electric guitar boom, Arai released the Aria Diamond series hollow body
semi-acoustic guitars. Aria Diamond was named after the imitation diamond
inlayed into the headstock. This series lead to the release of the 1202 and
1302 models in 1966 and caused nothing short of a sensation in Japan. From 1967
Aria added a variety of models including the solid body 1962T, R-320, and
violin shaped 12-string and bass guitars, and a full acoustic guitar, the 1262.
In 1975, Aria Pro II was developed from Aria's
custom shop making high-end models for professional users. In 1976, Aria Pro II
released its first original model, the PE-1500.
PE (Prototype Line) is a classic Aria design,
also known as the legendary masterpiece, it featured an arched top, and all
maple carved body with Aria's original "heel-less neck and DiMarzio Super
Distortion Humbucking Pickups. Primarily designed for tone and playability, the
PE series has been modified to match today's trends while keeping its original
features and timeless design.
In 1978, Aria Pro II released another
long-selling model, the SB-1000. The SB-1000 was highly regarded throughout the
world and came to represent everything that was good about Aria and Japanese
guitar building. Featuring a Canadian Ash body with neck through body and, to
enhance playability, a heel-less neck. For its original tone, SB featured the
Aria original BB circuit. Its exotic see-through finish and the eye position
marks make the SB amongst the most distinctive basses ever made.
Aria Pro II led the way with the 80's shift to
Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Releasing many models such as XX, ZZ and U-1. Whilst
not abandoning their routes also re-established the semi-acoustic guitar
models, FA and TA. The 80s, also saw the introduction of the famous IGB (SB
INTEGRA) bass series.
In the early 1990s, after the heavy metal rush,
Aria Pro II released one of its favourite original models, the MA series to
reinforce the PE and SB line-ups. MA series bodies are constructed with innovative
crystal shaped carved top and back.
Continuing its remarkable progress, Aria
released the very unique concept of the SWB (electric upright bass) series to
the world in 1992. The SWB range offers compact modern design and features the
Fishman custom bridge Piezo pickup and active tone circuit.
Aria has been at the forefront of guitar and
Japanese guitar building excellence for 50 years, which means a wealth of
experience and acquired expertise. The core value remains the same today, to
constantly strive to achieve a higher level of excellence, quality and value
for musicians.
http://www.guitarsalon.com
Ed
A.
Member
Join
Date: Jan 2004
Location:
Torrance Ca.
Posts:
49
Back in 1983 I bought a Masaru Matano clase 400 guitar on the
advice of my instructor. He had a friend that imported them and he thought
they were a bargain at $475.(1983 price) That has been my primary guitar
since then. I've had the opportunity to play many different guitars and I
wouldn't trade my Matano for any of them. Recently I saw a Matano clase 500
model for sale on EBAY. I was the only bidder at $450 so I ended up with it.
My clase 400 was made in 1981 and the clase 500 was made in 1977. The new
(older) guitar obviously hadn't been played for years but it cleaned up
beautifully. It has a really bright sound and IMHO is worth at least three to
four times what I paid for it. The two guitars are ,as expected, very similar
and I'm still trying to make up my mind which one I like better. The only
obvious difference is that the 500 has a prettier bridge and what appears to
be ebony re-enforcement in the neck.
The finger board on both is rosewood. Some people associate a rosewood
fingerboard with an inferior instrument but I never believed that. A lot of
what passes for ebony is dyed rosewood anyway. I believe that the Matano
clase 600 has an ebony fingerboard and I'm on the lookout for one.
If a Matano has become available to you at a reasonable price I don't think
you can go wrong.
Ed
http://www.classicalguitardelcamp.com
Re:
Masuru Matano
by Whooper »
Sunday 30 March 2008, 01:09 am
Dear Mr. Fritz Kadiddlehopper,
Luthier Masaru MATANO is less known even
in Japan. Though he is an old timer, I had known him nearly 40 years ago.
In 1962 in Kyushu, Masaru MATANO started
the production in order to make a Spanish model like Jose Ramirez type. He
established his "MEIKO (superior artisan)" factory. He produced not
only classical but also acoustic ones. He also advised and supervised
"Arai Trading" now called "Aria" brand.
In 1981 he stopped his work suddenly and left from the industry completely. The
reason is not clear. His factory was handed down to the current "Asturias"
brand. When I was young to buy a first fine guitar, I was torn between Matano and Chai brands. I
bought a Chai one but still have an attachment for Matano.
Re:
Masuru Matano
by jebejava » Sunday 30 March 2008,
05:29 am
Whooper,
Thanks for the information on Masaru Matano. I
bought a Matano in 1980 from the US
distributor JTG of Nashville, but sold it in 1983 after I got a luthier made
guitar. I liked it very much, but had to pay for the other guitar. As far as I
remember, my Matano cost around US$600.
The person who bought it from me was a performer. About ten years later, I
tried to buy it back, but he loved it so much he wouldn't part with it. When I
sold mine, the prices of Matano guitars
had almost doubled in price, due in part I guess to his having stopped making
instruments.
It's a pity he left the industry, but the few people I knew who had his guitars
appreciated them highly.
jebejava
Re:
Masuru Matano
by Whooper »
Sunday 30 March 2008, 05:57 am
Dear jebejava,
It is too bad for you. Yes, Matano was
then one of best luthiers in Japan. I still try to find a straight well
seasoned Matano. I will let you know, if
I could obtain.
Regards
Whooper
Re:
Masuru Matano
by BarbBarth » Sunday 13 April 2008,
21:12 pm
I'm excited to see info on this Luthier. I purchased a '77 class
400 Masaru Matano a little over 5
years ago (mint condition) for $300 and really didn't know much about it except
it seemed to be a lovely guitar. I found very little about the luthier. I have
kept an eye on auctions hoping for more info after the luthier I took it to for
repair (it tipped over and had a boo-boo) told me it was a really well made
guitar and worth a lot more than I paid for it. Eeeek... It had been my
"out and about" guitar that I didn't worry about.
The people I have found that have one all seem to really like their
Masaru Matano guitars. I posted a
general inquiry online a few years ago and received several inquiries from
people here in the states and overseas. But not a lot of info about the man who
made it until now.
While I have taken care of it (except for the tip over) I feel like I haven't
given it the proper respect over the years!
Barb
Re:
Masuru Matano
by Whooper »
Monday 14 April 2008, 01:18 am
Dear BarbBarth,
I am happy to be of your
little help. A beautiful Jacaranda model is on net sale now. Bid Yen 52,000.
Class 600 probably produced in 1972 by himself.
Ed Chait
Post
by Chris Erwich
Who
can tell me something about this Japanese luthier?
Chris
I have
one of his guitars, a Clase 600, but there is very little information
available on Masaru Matano.
My Matano classical is a really superb instrument, built in 1976. My guitar
teacher helped me to select it. It has very light construction, with a
wonderful tone and good balance between trebles and basses. Has these fat
round sublime tones that project very well.
It seems that Masaru Matano passed away before he had the opportunity to
build more than just a few guitars.
Ed
http://www.guitarforums.com
zacleb
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 1
Masaru Matano Classical Guitar
Hey everyone,
I agreed to help to restore and sell an old classical guitar. But I know
nothing about it and it there is very little information about it online as
well. The brand is Masaru Matano. Its a Class 500, 1980 model.
By looking at it, its seems to have a cedar top and indian rosewood back and
sides. I can post pictures later if it will help. Its in pretty good
condition.
Does anyone know anything about this guitar? how much it might be worth? what
the quality as and what kind of wood it was made out of?
Any information would help, thank you.
06-21-2013, 12:00 PM
#2
Susanna Schulz
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1
Hi zacleb,
I have a Matano Clase 600 from 1978 for sale. It was a high price guitar
(former 3600DM). Workmanship is very good (though manufactured I guess), also
the sound is excellent. Meanwhile Matano Guitars seems to have a circle of
fans, so value may rise up even in future. I cannot say something about the
value of your guitar, as you always have to hear and play it for proper
evaluation.
Hope I could help yoou by this a bit.
*****Susanna Schulz - schulz-gitarren.de - Berlin *****
08-14-2013, 04:31 AM
#3
Foxglove
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 2
Hi Zacleb,
I have a Matano that I bought new for 500 canadian dollars in 1978, a very
similar guitar to the one you have.
The top is cedar, with rosewood sides, and the neck is rosewood fingerboard
over a composite layer rosewood and I think spruce neck.
Matano guitars keep their beautiful sound for many years, I believe because
of the very high quality of the cedar top.
I have seen this guitar for sale periodically for 900 to 2000 canadian
dollars, though not often as they are quite rare.
A comparable handmade guitar new these days would run you close to 4000
canadian dollars. This is what I have mine insured for.
I hope this info helps.
Foxglove.
Real Value of Japanese Vintage Guitars
The key to understand
value of vintage Japanese guitars is to acknowledge galloping devaluation of
Japanese yen in 1960s & 1970s. This devaluation was somewhat slower in 1980s.
The best measure of this devaluation is Starting Yearly Salary of Japanese
College Graduate (SYSJCG).
SYSJCG in 1965 was 19
600 yen, in 1969 – 34 600 yen, in 1970 39 200 yen, in 1972 – 62 300 yen, in
1975 79 200 yen, in 1977 121 200 and in 1980 - 163 000 yen.
During 1960s and most
of 1970s model numbers of Japanese guitars were strictly interconnected with
their prices in Japanese yen. In late 1970s and during following decades model
numbers were no longer strictly associated with their prices. Many Japanese
guitar makers introduced model names instead of model numbers. Others were
still using model numbers with addition of letter abbreviations or other
symbols.
The best and only
logical approach while evaluating real value (real grade) of vintage Japanese
guitar is to compare its price in Japanese yen with SYSJCG during the year
guitar was made.
Any guitar priced 100
000 in 1970 (labelled usually as No10) would be priced 200 000 yen in 1975
(relabeled to No20 or 2000), 300 000 yen in 1977 (labelled as No3, No30 or 3000).
Starting in 1977 Masaru Kohno introduced his model No50 priced at 500 000
(skipping theoretical model 40). Soon other famous Japanese luthiers did the
same. By 1983 Kohno started using model names instead numbers and was raising
their prices as he was pleased. Naturally soon other Master luthiers did the
same.
Knowing all of that, you
can bet on that Masaru Kohno No50 made in 1982 is practically the same quality
as Kohno No15 made in 1972, or Kohno no20 made in 1975 or Kohno No30 made in
1977. I know it for a fact.
The lowest grade
models currently made by Matsuoka workshop are M75 and MH75. They are commonly
considered as “beginner guitars”. Matsuoka model M30 made in 1973 is simply
far, far better instrument. It is naturally better than model M50 made in 1977,
model 80 made in 1982 or model M100 made in 1990. At present, the highest grade
Matsuoka models are M300 and MH300. They absolutely stand no chance in
competition with model M150 made in 1975… or model M200 made in 1977.
It is very important to mention that if modern era luthiers are
using 40 years old woods to make a classical guitar, its price is at least
$8000.
Returns
If you are not happy with your purchase you may return the guitar
for a refund of a purchase price of a guitar. The cost of shipping both ways will not be refunded.
All you need to do is to:
1. Notify
me within 5 days after delivery
2. Pack
guitar the same way I do it, using the same box and materials
3. Ship it
back to me within next 2 days
Another words I expect this “trail” period to occur within +/- 7
days. Naturally guitar has to be returned in the same condition as I ship it to
you. This is simply honest offer for honest buyers. My goal is to make your
purchase as risk free as possible. I know very well that spending $1000 of hard
earned money is not emotionally easy undertaking for majority of guitar lovers.
I am sure that reading my feedback can ease a bit your “purchase anxiety” but
it still will be there no matter how hard I try.
Victor
P.s. If you'd like to check my other posted on E-bay guitars click
on the links below:
http://youtu.be/W1FaCjodgZM
http://youtu.be/_3tJW9ljjdM
http://youtu.be/ExVwfhLy1gQ
http://youtu.be/XNdeSWxb2nU
http://youtu.be/mecVgriaKJ0
http://youtu.be/O9ErnhZhDxw
http://youtu.be/ceVTybPnq7c
http://youtu.be/Zyz8eZeTSRQ
http://youtu.be/T8bkPi4jhss
MADE IN 1971 BY MASARU MATANO ARIA AC50 EXCEPTIONAL CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR
Looking MADE IN 1971 BY MASARU MATANO ARIA AC50 EXCEPTIONAL CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR to replace your martin hd28 d28 D45 D35 d42 d41 Martin om-42 martin om-28 martin 00028ec martin 00045ec Cibson J200 Gisbon sj200 Cibson j-45 taylor 914ce taylor 918e taylor 916ce taylor k24ce Cibson es335 Cibson SG Gretsch G5420T Gretsch white falcon Squier Deluxe Strat fender stratocaster Fender Telecaster . we make a drop-in replacement for it. If you’re not sure who made the guitar just contact with us .Guitars China competes with the biggest names in the guitar Market.
Reviews (0)There are no reviews for this product.
Tags: MADE IN 1971 BY MASARU MATANO ARIA AC50 EXCEPTIONAL CLASSICAL CONCERT GUITAR