1974 Masaru Matano No 400 in excellent condition
A beautiful and rich sounding concert class guitar. It's has a nicely balanced tone and powerful projection. Ample amount of brightness of the trebles, punchy yet warm basses. It's has very impressive volume, probably the loudest guitar we've heard.
Top: High grade Solid Cedar
Finish: Lacquer
Back and Sides: Indian Rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Rosewood
Natural Bone Nut and Bridge Saddle
Scale Length: 656 mm
Nut Width: 52 mm
Action at 12F (1st) : 3 mm
Action at 12F (6th): 3.5 mm
Condition
Despite the age of 49 the guitar is in excellent condition. There are a few superficial dents and light scratches on the body which are only visible up close.
Mr. Masaru Matano started a workshop in Kurume and subsequently became involved in the founding of Asturias Guitars. When Mr. Matano adjusts a guitar, he brings it back to life with an unrecognizable tone, so he is known as a magician of sound, and is also famous as the first Japanese guitar maker to adjust the Stradivarius, a famous violin. Masaru Matano's used a process to darken rosewood fingerboards on most of his models which made them more durable and smooth while offering the look and feel similar to Ebony.
Unfortunately, Mr. Matano suddenly disappeared from the classical guitar world in 1981, and his whereabouts are unknown, leaving him as a legendary guitar maker with many mysteries.
