Yamaki AY331 Deluxe

I Have a "Yamaki Deluxe Western", I can't make out any numbers except the date: 1971. This Guitar is a copy of a Martin Dreadnaught,D-18 I think. It has a beautiful tight grain spruce top with a lacquer finish that has mellowed to a dark honey colour (unfortunately I've worn through it below the pickguard). The back and sides are rosewood and the neck is mahogany with a rosewood veneer on the peghead and a rosewood fretboard There's even a rodewood cap on the neck heel (a nice touch I thought). The top has multiple layer binding aroud the edges and the soundhole and the back has single layer.
The scale is 25 1/4". The width at the nut is 1 3/4". I think the radius is 9 1/2" wich is more like a tele or strat
I used to work for Northern Guitars and my my boss there told me he had taken a tour of the Yamaki factory in Japan, They had to drive up through rice paddies to get to it and it was very humid. He said they were excellent guitars but he reckoned a high percentage didn't survive the climate change. The bridge is adjustable and it has a zero fret. I changed the tuners a long time ago to Grovers and I refretted it myself in the mid '90s, other than that it's stock.

The sound is very rich, full and balanced. A very woody sound but bright too. It has good definition but it kind of lags as a flat picker or lead guitar, it's good accompaniment for a singer. I flat pick with it and it's okay, Although it's a loud guitar it doesn't project single notes all that well, but that's usually the trade-off. Few guitars do both well.

The action is great, the finish was flawless when I was a teenager, Now it has a lot of "character".

I once walked by my Dad's station wagon with the guitar strapped on my back and the peghead caught on the rusted metal under the car and ripped a chunk out, not a mark on the guitar.
I fell off my bike with it, dropped it, shipped it, kicked it over, bush-partied with it, It's built like a tank and plays like dream

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My Deluxe originally belonged to my sister but she gave it to me when she got married. She got it, I believe, in 1971 for $70. I own Telecasters, Strats, Les Pauls, various amp sand a mandolin but the only other acoustic I own is a Yamaki Folk I found a couple of years ago for $200. It's not as good as the deluxe but I think that is because it hasn't been played (it looks like new). Guitars need to be played a lot to open up the cell stucture in the wood.
I used to jam with guys from the Skyway Bluegrass Club and they would pass my Deluxe around and marvel at it, these are guys who played Martin D-28s and D-18s, some of them "Pre-war". I've hitch-hiked across the country a few of times and busqued for years with it in downtown Toronto. Eventually I decided I would retire it to light duty but could not find a guitar in the $1000 range that could remotely keep up. It's still my main acoustic and losing it would be like losing an arm.

My Yamaki is a 1972 model with natural spruce finish on the sound board and it looks like stained mahogany on the sides and back. The neck is fairly slim (Slimmer than my brother's Martins), has 21 frets, a truss rod for adjusting the neck, and an adjustable bridge. I am assuming it was made in Japan but since I bought it in new condition at a pawn shop I really can't verify where it was made. As far as a features rating goes, I believe it has the features of most good accoustic guitars.

I play both folk and 60's/70's rock music for fun only. This guitar has a deep bass and a very rich ringing sound on the lower strings. I have played my brother's D18 and D28 Martins and I would not trade him for either of them. I played many guitars at the pawn shop before finding this guitar in a case at the back of the store. It was new and as soon as I had tried this guitar I knew this was the one for me. For the price of $70 it was a lucky find and it has only improved with age. There is really nothing to dislike about the guitar.

This guitar is very nice to play with a slim neck and strings close to the fret board. It is not as easy to play as my electric but easier than most other acoustics I have played (Fender, Yamaha, Martin). It played very nice from the factory and I had the frets dressed for the first time last year (2006). The fit and finish were very good from the factory.

This guitar is bullet proof. Considering the hell I have put this guitar through (Airplane baggage without a hardshell case, ski bus trips, campfire singalongs etc)it is still in pretty good shape but has a few nicks and gouges. The airplane trip put a small gouge in the back of the guitar where it joins the sides, just under the guitar strap peg at the front of the guitar. However, this did not alter it's wonderful sound. I have had to tighten the tuner posts a couple of times but other than the fret dressing, that is about the extent of the maintenance. I would not hesitate to play this guitar anywhere.

I have been playing guitar for 45 years and played in a band when I was much younger. I also have a Yamaki AY470S 12 string (I was so impressed with the 6 string I went out and bought the 12 string from a dealer). I also have a mid sixties Framus 'Atlantic' twin pickup electric guitar with a Fender 'Super' amp. The sound of the Yamaki is just superb and I would look for another if this one were lost or stolen. It is too bad they did not stay in business.

My sister received this guitar as a gift for Christmas in 1972 or 3 brand new and it is now in my care. The label inside reads: Yamaki Deluxe Folk. It is No. AY331, manufactured in Japan, 1972 by the Yamaki Musical Instruments Co. It is a 20 fret with adjustable bridge and closed tuning heads. The neck adjusts at the top. I believe it is a rosewood body. I also have the original case. This guitar has all the original heads and keeps it's tune perfectly.

The guitar has a rich/full sound. The fret board is easy to play. As I said previously, it keeps it's tune beautifully. There is no buzzing at all on the strings, probably because the nut is metal, not plastic, so it has not worn donw. I play with light strings and I love the clear tones this guitar gets. I also own a Yamaha and a Godin, but prefer this guitar hands down. One of the nicest guitars I have ever played. My sister now plays Flamenco/Classical, so this folk guitar has passed on to me.

I have never had the action adjusted on this guitar. I have never had the neck adjusted on this guitar. The finish on the guitar is still beautiful, it has darkened and mellowed with age, but unlike my Yammy, which is all chipped and worn around the acoustic hole, this guitar still looks great. The first three frets have worn down a bit, but that is to be expected after 30+ years of use.

For Reliability, I think I've said it all.. great guitar..

I am not a professional musician, more a singer/songwriter than anything. I play mostly for pleasure, occasionally leading worship at church, and also playing at some coffee houses, etc. I would like to get a pickup installed in it, but because it is still my sister's guitar, I haven't made any changes. I have been playing since I was about 14, so for over 25 years. Of all the guitars I have ever played, (Martin, Yamaha, Takamine) to name a few, this one has the best action I have ever found on an acoustic. It also holds its tune better than any guitar I have had the privilege of playing.

The sticker inside lists this guitar as being made in 1972, in Japan. I think the serial number is 0614. I'm not positive on that because the number is stamped over the filigree of the sticker. The model model number is AY 331 and on the head stock it says Yamaki Deluxe. The rest of the certificate inside says Yamaki Deluxe Folk.
There are 20 frets on a rosewood finger board, which is laminated to a mahogany, set, neck. It does have the truss rod, then chrome,with covered gear tuners, there are 7,1/4 inch pearl inlay dots and a metal nut.
The body has mahogany sides and back with a two piece spruce top. Top binding has 3 black lines in it, sound hole has multiple black and white circles. Pick guard is black. It is set with an adjustable bridge.

I've had the guitar for quite some time. I actually can't remember getting it, it's just always been there. I've actually decided to really start playing it lately, and the music I like is along the Lynard Skynard, The Band, Dire Straights style. At this point, mostly chords. I'm using a rather soft pick because the thing makes so much noise. It's certainly a nice noise, but quite loud. I have noticed that it responds quite a bit to different strings. Unfortunatly, I havn't kept a record of the strings that have been on it, but there certainly is a difference between a light and medium string. At this moment I have John Pearse Phosphor Bronze Wound, Slightly Light Gauge. Everything is bright and clear. Quite a booming bass with ringing highs.

I havn't played that many guitars so I don't have anything to base an opinon on. However, my guitar teacher took my guitar to see how it was set up and check the sound. He was very surprised. He had not seen or heard of Yamaki before. After a few minutes, he had no problems comparying it to a number of his high end electrics, Fenders and B.C. Rich. Apparently is has a very fast neck. I've just recently had the frets done and leveled, and adjusted the bridge. At the first fret the low 'E' string is 1/16 from the fret board to the bottom of the string, and at the 10th fret, there is a 1/4 inch space. There is no buzzing or rattling anywhere. It plays very clean.
I have just recently played an Epiphone Sheraton, my idea of a dream guitar. I would have to do quite a bit of set up to get it to handle like my Yamaki!
This guitar has never been in a case and unfortunatly, it shows it. No big damage, but scrapes and marks. The finish is not checkered or peeling, no seperations anywhere along any seam or joint. The guitar is tight, no rattles from inside the body either.

I've only used it in the basement, but that is going to change. I would have no trouble with it at the local folk hangout. I am having a little problem with two of the tuners, they seem to have a problem with staying in tune. At this point, the guitar is far supierior to my ability to play it. As my confidence grows, I'm sure the guitar will be much happier with me. The unit is solid and I'm sure it will be for some time.

After doing some research on the net about Yamaki, I know there is no customer support. They were bought out by an American company in the late 70's and that was that. It turns out though, that the construction and materials were equal to or better than a lot of the American models. Some of the higher priced guitars were supposed to have been quite the jewels.

I've owned the guitar for quite a while, but don't actually remember buying it. I can't believe I actually had an idea as to what I was buying at the time. I do know, that if I had to replace it, I would look long and hard for the same model. It has been a tough guitar, yet it remains straight, and with the very easy to play neck, I think I did alright in getting it in the first place.