1970s Ryoji Matsuoka M60 Classical Guitar

Until this walked in the door for consignment, I really didn't know much about these Japan-made Ryoji Matsuoka guitars. Apparently, they're smaller-shop made and, judging from this guy, are built to a pretty high spec compared to your average '70s Japanese-import classical guitar.

This one has a solid cedar top and while some folks think the M50-and-up models feature solid back and sides woods, I'm of the opinion that the rosewood back and sides here are ply.. The grain doesn't match inside-to-out and considering the dryness-induced top cracks are extant, I would have expected dryness-induced back cracks to exist as well if they were solid.

The top is braced quite lightly and in an interesting fan pattern, too -- the fan braces don't "fan out" so much but are installed more or less in the direction of the grain. "Above" them and below the soundhole are two, lightly-cut ladder braces. This is pretty-much a "Fleta" pattern and, combined with the lightweight build of this guitar, gives this instrument a bit of a flamenco-sounding vibe. It's very lively, up-front, clean, and takes a lot of push from the player easily without getting overdriven or woofy-sounding. It's a great sound for your average "folk guitar" player.

Work on this was lightweight but now that it's done it's playing fast and easy and is ready for its next adventures.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, repair and cleats to the two top cracks on the bass-upper-bout, cleaning, and setup.

Top wood: solid cedar

Back & sides wood: rosewood (probably ply)

Bracing type: fan, Fleta-style

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany or Spanish cedar

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass and hair-over 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: light D'Addario Pro-Arte

Neck shape: medium D

Board radius: flat

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-wider, low profile

Scale length: 25 5/8"

Nut width: 2 1/16"

Body width: 14 5/8"

Body depth: 3 15/16"

Weight: 4 lbs 3 oz

Condition notes: it's in relatively good order but does have the two repaired top cracks on the upper bout. It also has a number of minor scuffs, scratches, and small dings here and there throughout the body. There are some interesting "streaks" to the cedar top finish. All of the details and appointments are crisp and appealingly low-key...