Hiroshi Tamura P55 Handmade Solid Wood Classical Guitar 1973
Excellent quality luthier made instrument with rich tone, great sustain and excellent playability. Beautiful tight grain on the solid spruce top as well as rosewood back and sides. Those early Tamura's are rare in such condition. The neck is straight and comfortable to play.
The condition is near mint with no visible scratches. The guitar has been professionally refinished because the original lacquer was in a bad shape. The tuners were replaced to Gotoh 40G2000
The guitar has been kept in a room with humidity set to 50% at 25 degrees (75F).
The action is medium low, comfortable to play.
The neck has a slight back bow to it but it's doesn't affect playability much. I has a little bit of buzzing which is often desirable by the flamenco players and can be reduced by making the action higher.
Hiroshi Tamura was one of the top luthiers in Japan.
Him and his brother Mitsuru Tamura, like many other renowned Japanese luthiers of their time, learned their craft during their stay in Spain in the late 1950s to early 1970s. After returning from Spain, the Tamura brothers began crafting high-quality flamenco guitars that rivaled those made by the most famous Spanish luthiers. Their flamenco guitars gained them international recognition and were played by numerous professional players. Although they are now difficult to find, their earliest flamenco guitars date back to 1962.
It is believed that during the 1960s, the brothers shared a workshop in Kochi, Japan. While both brothers possessed equal skill, Hiroshi garnered more international and domestic accolades. His guitars were often deemed superior to those made by Jose Ramirez, and as a result, Hiroshi earned the nickname "Tamirez." In fact, Hiroshi's awards outnumbered those collected by Masaru Kohno.
In 1972, Hiroshi received financial recognition from the Japanese Ministry of Technology. Shortly thereafter, he moved to a new shop not far from his brother's and hired several associates. There, he began producing his P and C models in greater numbers and successfully exporting them outside of Japan. Only the very top models were made exclusively by Hiroshi himself.
Specs.
Top: High grade Solid Spruce
Finish: Lacquer
Back / Sides: Solid Indian Rosewood
Neck: Honduran Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Tuners: Upgraded to GOTOH 40G2000
Bridge: Rosewood
Nut and Saddle: Natural Bone
String Length: 655 mm
Width at nut: 52 mm
Action: 3.5 mm under E6 and 2.75 mm under E1 with good amount of extra height left on the saddle for adjustments.
Comes with a hard case
History of Japanese Classical Guitar Making
From the late 1960s to the mid 1980s, Japanese luthiers produced guitars of exceptional quality. These skilled craftsmen typically ran small shops, employing a handful of master builders who were often trained in Spain or under Spanish master builders in Japan. During this period, bans on certain types of wood were not yet in place, allowing luthiers to source high-quality wood for their creations. Although these guitars are considered a bargain in today's market, finding top-quality Japanese classical guitars from this era can be challenging, and restrictions on exporting certain types of wood make them even more difficult to obtain. Similar guitars built with comparable materials today would cost significantly more due to the scarcity or complete bans on certain types of wood. Most of those talented luthiers from the 70s and 80s are now retired or have passed away.
