Sakura S. W-77

Japanese, 1973 marked as the rest of the guitars listed here.
Dread size, solid spruce top of the best 'lace' grain with simple black and cream binding, but with a very nice inlaid rosette around the sound hole. Fretboard is Indian Rosewood, bound in cream with simple pearl dot markers. The neck is slim and comfortable mahogany. SAKURA is inlaid in pearl on a Martin shaped headstock.
Here's where it gets interesting and one reason I bought the guitar. The sides are very nice matched grain Brazilian Rosewood. Inside is Brazilian, too, but careful comparisons of grain patterns shows the back and sides are very thin, same wood, same direction, veneers glued into a 'solid' back and sides. The three piece back, divided by more intricate inlay, is Brazilian Rosewood. Body binding is simple cream plastic and thin black lines.
The guitar is extremely well made, straight and true in every respect. It came to me with a cheap and poorly done plastic nut and a saddle showing a crack at the back. The finish has taken on the 'rosewood fog' in places, but no cracks are apparent...and the SOUND is truly incredible.

My ears are very dim and I like a guitar to 'kick back' when I hit a note with gusto. This one thumps the ribs and tickles the nose hairs and just incredible to play.

I can only imagine that brand new this guitar was set up right. I re-did it to fix some old mistakes.

This is a go anywhere, do anything guitar with the internals also finished so soaking up water is not something it does readily.

I've been playing guitar for 28 years....recognizing a song has happened in the last three of four years. I'm a very slow learner.
This is a high quality, good looking, extremely loud and vibrant sounding guitar from high grade materials in great condition. There is more value in this guitar than any major brand I know of.
The same thing can be said of the early Yairi guitars. I'm not at all sure they aren't the same.
If you love good flat-tops, don't pass up a chance to try either one.

As with the other two reviews, mine was made in Japan (1973), and yes "has quality written all over it." The "Construccion de Artistica Guitarras," I believe roughly translates into "made by hand," and it most certainly feels that way. Two other observations I've made is that the "Stamped," brass truss-rod cover looks allot like Older Alvarez ones, and a couple of other Japanese vintage guitars I've seen, and the paper label is very similar to high-end Ryoji Matsuoka ones in design & lay-out (I'm a graphic designer and notice those things!

Anyway mine has a beautiful, solid, "white spruce top," that just shimmers, rosewood side, & three piece, rosewood back (not sure if they're veneer or not, but it's a pretty light guitar, so they might be). Looks like a solid one piece, very thin, mahogany neck, with black head-stock overlay, and Sakura inlaid in abalone. And yes, Schaller tuner on mine also.

Rosewood fingerboard with simple abalone dot markers. Tortoise-shell pick-guard, ebony bridge, standard white plastic nut, bridge pins, and saddle... very clean, and elegant looking... the thing just screams vintage, quality, & hand-made!

This is the interesting part, and also why I got mine so cheaply. First off the guy who was selling it had a very basic, small, blurry, front only, picture in his auction, which led me to read these reviews, which led me to ask if it had a three-piece back, which it did! So I took the plunge were no one else would! When it showed up, he also "conveniently," forgot to mention it had a belly on it like a pot-bellied pig... almost unplayable! But once tuned up the thing sounded unbelievably incredible!

So it's taken almost a month to scape together the extra money for a JDL Bridge Doctor, I installed it two days ago, the belly is almost down to flat, and the sound just keeps getting better & better! Very nice, strong bass, treble is not overly bright, but just kind of shimmers! Projects really well and sustains like crazy! All in all I'm exceptionally pleased, and have a incredibly nice, vintage guitar for almost nothing. Plus once all the tweeting and belly flattening are done, I'm going to put new strings, & bone on the nut saddle, and I expect it will be playing and sounding pretty dang nicely!

I'd give it a ten in the sound department, but I've only been "practicing," for a year now, so I'm a bit of a amateur, and not really qualified to go there, (although sound is really a subjective thing, and I think I've got a pretty good ear, as I've been around allot of professional musicians most of my life). To me it sounds as good as any high-end, american made guitar I've ever heard... and you know which ones I'm talking about, all you headstock, more money than brains, name, snobs, LOL!

Original quality appears to be exceptionally high (so I gave it a ten on that point). Unfortunately I bought mine off Ebay and the seller (as explained in the "sound," section) conveniently forgot to mention the huge belly it had! The moron also kept it in a cheap, chip-board case, with the inside metal hasps exposed, so it had allot of scratches on the sides from putting it in and taking it out over the years! Besides the bellying, the front was in exceptionally good shape for a 30 year old guitar, the fit & finish was excellent, and after a couple of hours on the buffer, most of the scratches on the back have buffed out nicely!

A very light, but rock-solid, feeling guitar... Nice bracing, clean finishing, beautiful materials, all and all a really nice looking, feeling, and now playing guitar... has that great vintage look & feel that I really like, for allot less, than you'd spend on some american branded head-stock!

I've only owned this guitar for a short while, but considering the age (1973) and the fact that I acquired it in a cheap chip-board case (which I believe it spent it's life in), it is in pretty remarkable condition. Whoever had it before me, was obviously not as much of a fanatic as I am (I won't wear a belt when practicing, and polish my guitars religiously), so I'm pretty impressed with the overall condition! All the belly problems and scratch issues aside, it feels, acts, and tastes like a work-horse!

Are you kidding me... probably out of business 20 or more years ago!

I've been playing for about a year, I own 8 acoustic guitars, I don't think the guy would of been truthful even if I had of asked! I chose this one, because I did my research, and for bang for the buck I don't think you can do any better than vintage Japanese guitars, from reputable companies (which I personally think are way under valued).

Couldn't of been happier when I pulled out of the box and tuned her up! Ya the belling was a little annoying, and pissed me off at first, but the way this thing sounds & looks, I'd of paid five times as much for it even with those issues! Even gave the guy good feed-back I was so happy with it, LOL! I'm 55, and just started in about a year ago, but I've been around musician's my whole life and know a bit about guitars, even though I'm somewhat of a amateur when it comes to actually playing! My neighbor & sometime teacher has been playing for 25 years, and he was thoroughly impressed with the sound and craftsmanship!

Would I buy another one... in a heart-beat, but there's not going to be too many idiots, that would sell them on-line with such a poor picture or description, but I guess that was his foolish attempt to be vague rather than honest... Karma Rules, and honesty ALWAYS pays off!

Thieves beware... You'll be spending a hour or two tied in my bathroom, listening to Celion Deion or Kenny G, blarring away over my Bose System, if I catch you, and if that doesn't cure you from touching musical instruments, nothing will... and for all you other old farts my age... change is the only constant in life besides death, so let's move along out of the 70's shall we, I'm SO tired of listening to the same old stuff over & over again, LOL!

As with the first review, my guitar was made in Japan with the year written behind "Ano" in Spanish: 1973. The guitar is as in the first review with quality written all over it. it has a white-spruce top with an inlaid rosette. It has a tiger stripe mahogany side with a three piece inlaid back as described in the first review. What makes it stand out is the fact that it has schaller keys, these denote to me that the maker was using quality parts. The neck is thin, with a dark board with abalone inlay for the fret markers.

I have had this guitar since it was new. As the first review states, it sounds great. The sound has mellowed and become fuller as the guitar has aged. It has NEVER sounded tinny. It compares in sound to a Martin, but slightly tinny in comparison, but not as tinny as a Yamaha.

Everything about this guitar says quality. I unfortunately have never found anything out about it except for the other review. I think it is well worth more than 100.00. My guitar has stood everything from the Dry of Fairbanks Alaska, the abuse of others (unfortunately) in high school music where a small deep dent was put in it at the end of the face where it meets the side, to Houston Texas. The Neck is still straight, and the action is excellent.

This guitar as seen from its history was built to last and have quality sound. I would play it alongside my Martin and over my Yamaha any day of the week!

Have never had any issues. It was mail ordered from Seattle WA. for delivery in Fairbanks AK in 1977. My Dad bought it for me when I was 12. I kept a humidifier in it, but we all know how a 12-year old keeps up with this- It has stood the test of time, the bridge has stayed right where it was originally glued, and the finish has absolutely NO cracking.

This Guitar is fantastic- If you can get your hands on one especially for $200 or less, buy it, if there are two there, get them both. The guitar is not a brick, has great balance and sound that gets better with age. You will not be dissapointed.

This is an acoustic guitar with a label inside that reads, "Sakura" and "Construccion de Artistica Guitarras". An obvious attempt at Italian. Below that it reads, "Made in Japan" and "Ano 1972". So let's say it's a Japanese flat top made in 1972.

The top is book-matched Spruce with a mahogany neck and the back and sides are rosewood. It has a three-piece back with inlay between the pieces.

It also has inlay in the front and back edges as well as where the strap button is on the bottom of the guitar. There is a nice inlay around the sound hole and a turtle shell pickguard. This is a detailed guitar!

The neck is a sort of C-shape, narrow '70s neck, whick I really like. I have short fat fingers and I like a neck I can grab.

I bought this for the sound and the details of it. I was looking for a nice acoustic guitar and played some new Martins, Gibsons and Taylors just for fun.

I adopted this unknown used guitar because it beats them all in fit, finish, tone and playability.

The tone is LOUD but sweet. Excellent, EXCELLENT tone! Man, you'd have to hear it to believe it!

It's comparable to my 70's Alvarez-Yairi 12-string which is also a spruce and rosewood guitar. I don't much like the "newer" Alvarezes. Alvari? What is the plural of Alvarez anyway? And if a rooster crows, what sound does a crow make?

The action is super and the neck is still straight after 32 years of existence. My hand doesn't hurt or strain to hold down strings. Can you say "arthritis"? Can you spell it?

THis guitar is used so I don't know how it came from the factory. Somebody did some setting up on it at some point. Well, duh!

Even for it's age it's in great shape. It's been well taken care of. A few dents and minor dings but that's all.

The top isn't pulling up. No warps, bends, separations or cracks anywhere. Well built but not brick heavy. It's light and well balanced and sits in my lap like a lady! OK, let's not go there.

As I mentioned above, this guitar is well built and balanced but not heavy. I feel like I'm holding air with music in it and all I have to do is touch the guitar and get it to come out.

I can't find anything about the Sakura brand. I'm still looking. The best I can find on the internet is stuff on Sakura tablature. OK, fine.

I've been playing almost 40 years and spent most of them as a bass player but I don't play bass at home. I play different guitars for writing and just for fun.

I have played cheap and expensive guitars and I'm to the point in my life where I don't care about the label on the headstock. If the guitar fits my needs I'll buy it. My wife loves me!

I was looking for a cheap camping guitar because my 1942 Harmony Monterey archtop doesn't like camp fires. It cracked!

So, I went to the guitar adoption center (pawn shop) and I played about ten different guitars there. The competition came down to an old Yamaha and this Sakura. The Yamaha was about what I was looking for in a camping guitar but the Sakura was just too nice to leave there. I couldn't do it! So, it came home with me.

One question is, "if it were stolen or lost would you buy it again...?" Oh, yeah. In a heartbeat! If I can't find another Sakura, I'd probably replace it with an older Alvarez-Yairi.

I'd like to find out more aobut the company, actually. They made at least one top-of-the-line guitar that I'd put up against anything out there, regardless of price!