Profile: 1976 S. Yairi YD302
Year: 1976 Model: YD302 Serial Number: 6101.1 Made in Japan Type: 6-string acoustic guitar (steel string) Body type: dreadnought
S. Yairi, unsolved mysteryAmong guitar enthusiasts in Japan and around the world, S. Yairi is known as one of the best guitars built back in the 70's. S. Yairi ceased to exist in the 80's. A similar brand name, K. Yairi, still exists, but the company claims that there is no relation to S. Yairi. Unfortunately in recent years, a new company with the same brand name began selling guitars made in China and by contractors in Japan, creating confusion among new buyers. The truth about S. Yairi is not well known. What happened to the master luthier, Sadao Yairi (a.k.a. Sada Yairi)? Why does Kazuo Yairi (K. Yairi, Alvarez-Yairi) remain silent about the history and his relation to his uncle, Sadao? What is the secret behind the lifetime-guaranteed neck? Only in the past several years some clues have been put together by enthusiasts. Still, there are more questions than answers. My guitar, YD302, is the low-end model of S. Yairi, built in 1976. We may not know much about the guitar maker, but if you listen, the guitar itself tells us a story, something wonderful about the people who built it. Just hold it, play, and you'll know why some of us think that S. Yairi may be the best guitars ever built. Brother YuichiThis S. Yairi is the first guitar I owned. Before this, I was playing my brother's left-handed electric guitar. In order to play right-handed, I peeled off and flip the nut and reverse the strings. When my brother plays it, I put it back to its left-handed mode. I repeated this operation for a few years until my brother's great patience finally ran out. One day, Yuichi asked me if I wanted a guitar of my own. I said yes, but I got no money to buy one. I was in Middle School back then. A little over a year passed and he asked me again if I wanted a guitar of my own. I said yes again but I still got no money. I was in High School and had part-time job as a burger flipper, but all my money went to buy gears for my Kendo training (Japanese martial arts). I actually wanted to quit the Kendo team to play in a rock band with my friends, but my master coach didn't allow me to do that. Anyways, my brother smiled and slowly pulled out a stack of money from his pocket. He was holding 60,000 yen. It was back in the mid 70s; that money would be $1,000 or more today. He said, "you can buy a guitar with this money if you like, but I don't want you to buy a cheap crap. You must find a good guitar. You go find it and tell me. If I approve your choice, I'll give you this money." It turned out that he'd been saving the money from the moment he asked me the question a year before. He was still in college back then, and I recall he had a part-time job at a noodle shop, not really a well-paying job. It took him a year to save that much money. I went out to a couple of guitar shops in Tokyo, did a lot of research, and came up with S. Yairi as my final choice. My decision was fairly easy, even though there were so many choices from guitar makers like Yamaha and Takamine. S. Yairi, even the low-end model, sounded much better than any guitars I played, including high-end models from competing brands. My brother approved my choice, and the S. Yairi YD302 became the guitar of my own. A year later, I ran away from home. My only possession was this guitar and a school bag. Four days later, I was found and dragged back home. The following year, I left Japan. 20 years later, I was in Granada, Nicaragua, backpacking with my wife. One afternoon, I spotted an Internet cafe. I hadn't had a chance to read my emails for weeks. Good timing, I thought. That's when I learned that my brother Yuichi passed away. It happened to be the day of his funeral. He was 45. He left his wife and three young children. I called and spoke with my father on the phone. I never forget that day. I still have this guitar. Every time I play, it brings back the memory and love of my brother Yuichi. This is a rare and valuable guitar for collectors. For me, this guitar is priceless.
Satoru Isaka ©2004-2018 Vision Del Mar, LLC |