Tama - - Classical guitar

Available for auction is a piece of genuine cult status for collectors of Japanese Vintage: an acoustic Tama guitar, made in Japan in the late 1970s under the umbrella of Hoshino Gakki (Ibanez’s parent company).

Before consolidating exclusively as the iconic drum brand, the Tama Seisakusho factory produced a ultra-limited line of high-end acoustic guitars between 1974 and 1979. Hoshino’s goal was to compete head-to-head with the major American brands, applying uncompromising quality standards that today are found only in independent luthier workshops.

Key Details and Historical Value:
Limited Boutique Production: Crafted in a specialized workshop of barely 30 artisans, where each luthier produced fewer than 10 instruments per month, largely by hand.
Golden Era Woods: Tama series stand out for a selection of woods that are today prohibitive or heavily protected, including German spruce tops with narrow grain and high-density rosewood sides/backs, naturally aged.
The Ibanez Artwood DNA: Due to high production costs, Hoshino canceled the brand in 1979. All stock of selected woods, designs and Tama’s artisan team were transferred to found the legendary Ibanez Artwood series in the early 80s.

Condition and Sound:
This specimen is in excellent structural condition, with the aesthetic wear typical of its nearly 50 years that adds character. Comfortable setup, original frets with life left, and a mature, deep sound with the crystal-clear timbre characteristic of aged cedar.

Tama acoustic guitars appeared in catalogs only five years ago and rarely reach the international market. An exceptional opportunity to acquire a concert-grade instrument, superb structural stability, and rising historical value.

In this particular example, the signature of F. Katoh, who was the head of the workshop, is inscribed; he was very meticulous in the workshop, and his signature on the label is the most reliable indicator that it is a high-end instrument, granting the privilege of having been crafted by his own hands. This specimen is a first-year model, 1974.

It is worth noting that Tama luthiers trained by studying Spanish masters, who regularly traveled to Japan to teach the craft, builders as renowned as José Ramírez among others. It is known that they studied closely guitars from the best makers such as Herman Hauser, and from the Madrid school (José Ramírez III), and also drew from Kohno’s school, the apex of lutherie in Japan.

Materials:
Solid cedar top
Solid Indian rosewood back and sides with an excellent selection
Ebony fingerboard
All woods undergo an extremely long drying process

The aesthetic and construction details are sublime.

Measurements:
Total length: 102 cm
Scale length: 606 mm
Maximum width: 37 cm
Nut width (string side): 45 mm
Saddle width: 58 mm
String clearance: 8 mm
12-fret height with bone: 3.4 mm