Japanese Acoustic Guitar Brands

The brands at a glance

Line-ups change, so treat the table as a map of where to look, then confirm the exact model with the maker or the label inside the guitar.

What “Japanese” means on a guitar

Japan became a major guitar exporter in the 1960s and 1970s, when makers built well-finished, affordable steel-string guitars, many of them in the style of American designs. Today the picture is split. Several Japanese companies still build their best guitars in Japan, and they build cheaper lines in other countries to keep prices down. A guitar can therefore be Japanese by brand and Indonesian or Chinese by origin. Both are normal, and both can be well made. What matters is that you know which you are buying.

Yamaha

Yamaha began in 1887 as Nippon Gakki, a reed organ maker in Hamamatsu, and took the Yamaha name in 1987. Its first folk guitar, the FG180, appeared in 1966 and was a Yamaha design rather than a copy of an American model. The headstock changed in 1968 to the red label that gave the FG Red Label series its name.

Today Yamaha spreads production by price. Reported pattern across retailer and guide sources: Red Label FG models and the premium LL26 and LL56 from the L-series are Japan-made, mid-priced FG models come from China, and the cheapest guitars such as the F310 come from Indonesia. Sources disagree on a few individual models, so the spec sheet is the authority.

Yamaha suits beginners who want a dependable, consistent guitar, and players moving up to a solid-wood model who want to stay with a known maker. Choosing a body shape matters more than the brand, so see acoustic guitar body styles and sizes.

Takamine

Takamine started in December 1959 in Sakashita, in Gifu Prefecture, when a former instrument-factory worker set up a guitar workshop there. It took the Takamine name in 1962. In the late 1960s a batch of Japan-built guitars made to Martin’s features were sold as Sigma guitars, and the company’s US distribution later passed through Kaman Music, then to ESP Guitars in 2015.

Takamine opened a new headquarters and main factory in Sakashita in 2005. Its core range is Japan-made, and the G-Series is built outside Japan to Takamine’s quality standards as the affordable option. The brand is best known for acoustic-electric guitars with its own preamp systems, so it suits gigging players who want to plug in. If that is you, read what an electric-acoustic guitar is first.

Morris

Morris is the guitar brand of the Moridaira company, launched in 1967, and its guitars are built in Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture. Early Morris guitars followed Martin and Gibson shapes, which is why vintage Morris guitars often appear on the used market described as copies of those designs. Today the brand is best known for fingerstyle guitars and hand-built models.

Because many Morris guitars on sale are decades old, check the label and condition rather than assuming current production details. For fingerstyle in particular, what makes a guitar good for fingerpicking covers neck width and string spacing.

K.Yairi and Alvarez Yairi

Kazuo Yairi took over the family workshop from his father, Gi’ichi Yairi, in 1965 and built it into a maker of professional acoustic and classical guitars in Kani, Gifu. It was one of the first Japanese workshops to export professional-grade acoustics to the United States. In the late 1960s Yairi began working with Gene Kornblum of St. Louis Music, and the resulting Alvarez Yairi guitars are still handmade at the Kani workshop. Alvarez and Alvarez-Yairi are St. Louis Music brands, so the line is Japanese-built under American ownership.

Founding dates for the family business vary between sources, so this guide does not give one. K.Yairi suits a player who wants a hand-built instrument and accepts a higher price than factory guitars.

Ibanez

Hoshino Gakki began in 1908 in Nagoya as the instrument sales division of a bookstore business and started making Spanish-style guitars in 1935, first under the Ibanez Salvador name. Ibanez is now far better known for electric guitars, though it also sells acoustics. Across the brand, its top lines are built in Japan, mid lines in Indonesia and budget lines in China, with a custom shop in Los Angeles. Check the label on any Ibanez acoustic, because the range spans several countries.

How to tell where a guitar was made

1. Label inside the soundhole. Most makers print the country of manufacture on the label or on the back of the headstock or neck block.
2. Serial number. Makers use different formats. The brand’s own support pages explain how to decode theirs, and the first digits often show the year.
3. Spec sheet. The model page on the maker’s site or the original catalogue lists the country for that line.
4. Model name. In a Japanese brand, a higher series is more likely to be built in Japan, while the entry lines usually are not.

Used guitars from the 1970s and 1980s are often marked “Made in Japan”, but a brand name alone proves nothing. Only the label and serial number do.

Which Japanese brand suits which player

• First guitar: Yamaha’s entry FG models, built in Indonesia or China, are common first guitars.
• Playing live: Takamine’s built-in preamps are aimed at stage use.
• Fingerstyle: Morris and K.Yairi both have a fingerstyle reputation.
• Hand-built: K.Yairi and Alvarez Yairi if you want a Japan-built workshop guitar.
• Electric player who wants an acoustic: Ibanez, if you already know its necks.

Whatever you choose, a guitar with high or uneven strings is hard to play. See how to tell if a guitar needs a setup before blaming the brand. The other well-known Asian maker is Korea, covered in Korean acoustic guitar brands.