Yamaha GC-5 Signed by Hideyuki Ezaki in 1979
Solid Ezo Spruce Top, Solid Indian Rosewood Back and Sides
This guitar showcases Hideyuki Ezaki's exceptional craftsmanship. Its sound is very impressive and will inspire every single classical player who touches it. The sound is balanced with bass notes having a deep, resonating quality, while the trebles are clear and vibrant. The notes are well-separated and enhanced by an impressive sustain. The guitar is loud and resonant. Check out the video to hear it in action.
Condition
Despite its age of over 40 years, this guitar remains in excellent overall condition. There are a few superficial dings and scratches but nothing crazy. The bright white spots that you might see on some of the photos are just reflections. There is a strip of cloudiness on the lower bout on the edge (see photo 15) It's a quite common issue with polyurethane finish. There's some residue from the stickers on the edge of the fretboard that is hard to see unless you're looking closely. The tuners are not original. There is moderate fretwear but not too bad. It's a players instrument indeed.
Tonewoods Used
The tonewood that was used for the top of this guitar is Japanese Ezo Spruce.
This type of spruce grows in the high mountains of Hokkaido island.
Harvesting of this type of spruce has been banned by the Japanese government.
There are some small old stocks still available in Japan
but to commission a guitar with Ezo spruce top nowadays would cost thousands.
The back is from a two piece book-matched Indian rosewood with beautiful, even grain.
In that period of time, the GC models were inspired by Spanish guitar design and sound.
The guitar has been kept in a room with humidity set to 50% at 25 degrees (75F).
The action is medium to low, comfortable to play.
Specs.
Top High grade Solid Ezo Spruce
Finish Urethane
Back / Sides Indian Rosewood
Finish Urethane
Neck Honduras Mahogany, Natural Bone Nut
Fingerboard Ebony
Bridge Rosewood, Natural Bone Saddle
String Length 650 mm
Nut width 52 mm
Action at 12 fret (1st): 3.00 mm
Action at 12 fret (6th): 3.50 mm
Comes with a good quality hard case (one hinge is broken but the case works as intended)
Luthier's bio
Hideyuki joined Yamaha's classical guitar workshop in 1967 and then went to Spain in 1968, where he studied guitar making for three years under Eduardo Ferrer in Granada and Manuel Hernandez in Madrid. He returned in 1971 and joined Yamaha's custom shop, working alongside Toshiro Kato and Hiroshi Harada. Initially, Hideyuki Ezaki produced a limited number of midrange Yamaha models. He was also a member of Yamaha's design group, contributing to various innovations that improved the tonal properties of Yamaha guitars. From 1975 to 1982, Hideyuki specialized in crafting Yamaha's top of the line model, GC30B. After Toshihiro Kato's departure in the late 1980s, Hideyuki became the head of Yamaha's Custom Shop until his retirement in 2007. Even after retiring, he continued his craft in his own workshop. His guitars range in price, with the least expensive models starting at 600,000 yen, approximately $6,000 in the US market. Among the players who own Ezaki guitars are Leo Brouwer, Siegfried Behrend, and Stephen Rak to name just a few.
