Handmade Acoustic Guitars For The Stars

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]Straits Times: Japan's guitar man
Kazuo Yairi does not play the guitar. But the 73-year-old master luthier - one who makes stringed instruments - sure knows how to create superbly hand-crafted acoustic guitars for world renowned artistes such as Paul McCartney, Carlos Santana, David Crosby and Ritchie Blackmore...The company's modest output of 350 to 400 guitars a month is sold in Japan and around the world under the K.Yairi brand (or Alvarez Yairi in the US). His customers have to wait six months to a year for their special-order guitars as Yairi does not compromise on quality...Last November, Yairi was selected one of 150 'modern day master artisans' by the Japanese government for, according to the citation, 'his company's achievements in producing acoustic guitars that are loved both by amateurs as well as by top-class musicians at home and abroad'...more...