Masaru Kohno 10-String Classical Harp Guitar

Converted from a 1972 Kohno Model 8

10-STRING CONVERSION

1972
Kohno 8

10-String Guitar

Up for consideration is a newly converted 1972 Masaru Kohno Model 8 10-String classical guitar and case. This guitar was originally made in 1972 as a 660-scale 6-string guitar. We have now added a new 650-scale 10-string neck and bridge to the original Kohno body, which has kept the original soundboard, back and sides. What you get is a phenomenal sounding concert Kohno 10-string guitar that looks and plays like new, for much, much less than you would pay for a Kohno original, or a new Sakurai ($10,000). Click HERE for 1270 Hi-resolution photos of this guitar, and HERE for photos of the original 6-string guitar before the conversion process. This guitar comes with a full 1-year warranty, with a satisfaction guaranteed, 3-day return policy. This is a world class 10-string guitar, and one of the few true concert quailty 10-string guitars that you can get today without having to pay several thousands of dollars, and go on a lengthy waiting list!!!

The sound, both acoustically and recorded, is nothing short of stunning. The sustain is endless, the resonance is even better than on a Ramirez.
I have played and owned dozens of multi-string classical guitars, and this instrument surpasses every luthier built guitar I have heard in the 3k - 6k range. This guitar has a beautiful spruce top, solid Indian Rosewood back & sides, and a new wenge fretboard, and creates a wonderful classic Kohno sound with nice, sustaining trebles trebles, deep resonant basses, and unsurpassed sympathetic resonance and sustain. The low bass response is amazing on this guitar, and it also has great separation of voices, clarity and evenness through all the registers, and a depth of tone that you can only find on the absolute finest 10-string guitars ever made. This guitar is the real deal, and I guarantee that you will be absolutely thrilled to own and play it.

10-STRING CONVERSION TESTIMONIAL:
"I received the guitar in excellent order. It's an absolute dream!!! Your service was, as usual, 100% first class!!!"
-- Leo Joseph
1972 Ramirez 1a 10-String Conversion

STRINGS
I have the guitar tuned in Romantic tuning, a standard 10-string tuning where 1-6 is normal, and 7-10 descend step-wise: 7=D, 8=C, 9=B, 10 =A. Strings By Mail has a great selection of 10-string sets and can put together custom sets for you at a discount over individual strings. Several excellent string manufacturers offer 10-string sets, including D'Addario, Hannabach, and Savarez. LaBella also makes a set but I do not recommend it.

GUITAR SPECS:
* Model: Kohno 8
* Top: Solid Spruce
* Saddle/Nut: Bone
* Fretboard: Wenge
* Finish: Lacquer
* Scale: 650 mm
* Nut Width: 85 mm
* saddle width: 110 mm
* STRING SPACING
@ Nut = 76 mm o.c.
@ fret 12 = 86 mm o.c.
@ bridge = 97 mm o.c.
* NECK DEPTH
@ fret 1: 20 mm
@ fret 7: 22 mm
* ACTION
@ String 1 = 3 mm
@ String 10 = 4 mm
* Hardshell case
* Made in Japan
* Converted in USA

SOUND FILES
Here are several quick, 1-take MP3 sound files of me playing this very guitar, to give you an idea of what to expect. The guitar has amazing sympathetic resonance and sustain, as well as good power and projection, beautiful bass responce, a very even response across the registers. These MP3 files have no compression, EQ or reverb -- just straight signal, tracked through a Wunder CM7GT multi-pattern tube mic, into a Presonus ADL 600 preamp into a Rosetta 200 A/D converter.

1 | Intonation Test (Harmonic /
fretted note @ the 12th fret)

2 | Resonance Test (Stopped scales / chords showing sympathetic resonance)

3 | Packington's Pound (English
Renaissance, before 1596)

4 | Kelly's Song
(original composition)

5 | Joy To the Person (Anon.
English Renaissance)

6 | Corn Yards (Scottish
Renaissance, 1596-1657)

7 | From the Beginning
(Emerson, Lake and Palmer)

8 | The Third Tune
(Thomas Tallis w/flamenco improv)

9 | Brian Boru's March (Anon.,
Irish, Ca. 1200)

10 | Pavan #1 (Luis Milan,
Spanish Renaissance)

11 | Tanz (Anon., Italian Renaissance)

12 | Bianca Fiore (Negri., Italian Renaissance)

13 | Improv (in the key of Am)

14 | Se A Mi Acorgo (Anon., Italian Renaissance)

In short, this guitar is a World-Class concert and/or recording guitar, and it would make a great guitar for classical concerts and recitals, as well as recording studio projects.

RESOURCES
My website Cathedral Guitar has a lot of info on multi-string guitars; I also run an internet radio station on multi-string guitars and lutes 10-String Radio; and also I moderate a 265-member 10-String Yahoo Group on the subject, and am working on an instructional website, 10-string.com. Perf De Castro has a YouTube Multi-String Guitar channel on the instrument. James R. Smith has an excellent intoductory article to the world of multi-strings, here. Viktor van Niekerk also has a very informative website on the 10-string guitar, especially focused on Maestro Narciso Yepes, and the works composed for the 10-string in the Modern Tuning.

TEACHERS
If you need a teacher to help you adapt to the 10-string guitar, you can check this list here. Also, if you will be playing mostly lute music on the 10-string, I strongly recommend taking lessons from a lute player, if you can find one. If you want online lessons, I highly recommend the 10-String guitarist Perf De Castro, who is both an excellent musician and a wonderful teacher, and he offers private 10-string guitar lessons via the internet. Click Here for more details.

CLASSICAL HARP GUITAR
This guitar type is also a relative of the Harp Guitar family known as the Fretted Harp Guitar. It has a big advantage over the other harp guitar types in that the frets extend across the entire neck, and the guitar can easily be played with a capo, and be quickly transposed into a variety of keys, which is especially helpful when accompanying singers. This is, of course, impossible on a regular harp guitar. Custom capos are made by Shubb (ask for the Pinnochio model), and also by Phill Elliott.

SHIPPING & TERMS
Insured USA FedEx Ground is $40, and Fed-Ex 2nd Day Air is $65. I do accept PayPal. Thanks for looking. Please ask questions before bidding. Satisfaction Guaranteed!!! This auction is for one Masaru Kono Model 8 10-string classical harp guitar guitar conversion and hardshell case. No other accessories are included.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
If you are not happy with the guitar for any reason, simply return it within 3 days (buyer pays shipping). So far, after several dozen of eBay and direct internet sales of 10-string guitars, not a single customer has returned a guitar.

PLEASE CHECK OUT my other 10-string Cathedral Guitars and Bartolex guitars in my Current eBay Auctions, and also see and hear several of my 10-string guitars that have Recently Sold on eBay.