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#1
07-02-2020, 01:49 PM
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Help! Vintage Classical Top Issue or Not?
I just purchased this vintage 1974 TAKAMINE/KOHNO - ARANJUEZ No7 classical guitar.
It plays and sounds great but I noticed the top has some unevenness on both sides of the bridge where you can see where the top braces are under the top board. The seller tells me this is normal for a vintage classical guitar. Is this anything to be concerned about? Thanks! 
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Fueled by coffee. One woman, many guitars. http://www.timesevenproductions.com/ 1959 Gibson Country Western 2017 Conner Spruce / Bubinga 1997 Taylor 810 1990 Fender American Strat 2019 Gibson Les Paul 1959 Historic 2023 Martin D-18 Custom Shop Last edited by strumming; 07-02-2020 at 01:59 PM. 
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#2
07-02-2020, 03:00 PM
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Thin tops can become like that. I bet it sounds great. Oh, you just said that.
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#4
07-02-2020, 09:39 PM
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Do you have more pics you can share? Hard to tell for sure what's a shadow vs. a warp.
What everyone said so far is true, for sure. Thinner tops on classical produce more sound, but will telegraph braces/stresses more over time. I'm asking because it looks like there's a pucker on the center seam, possibly implying there is no center brace (?)
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#6
07-02-2020, 10:54 PM
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It has a thin top and the braces are teleprinting.
It's pretty normal.
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Some guitars I currently own: 2018 Martin D41 2013 Alejandro Cervantes "Rodriguez Concert Classical" 2015 Martin HD28E Retro 2015 Gretsch 6128 Power Jet 2003 Amalio Burguet F1 concert flamenco 2010 Langejans R-cb classical 2019 Gibson 1958 true historic 2012 PRS Stripped '58 with 5708 pickups 1992 PRS CE24 (all original) Many including Gretsch, Tokai, Yamaha, and Fender.
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#8
07-03-2020, 05:55 AM
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Quote:
Aranjuez guitars line was founded by Juan Orozco and Masaru Kohno in early 1970s. Not knowing the history of Japanese classical guitars, I have no idea if this is true.
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Fueled by coffee. One woman, many guitars. http://www.timesevenproductions.com/ 1959 Gibson Country Western 2017 Conner Spruce / Bubinga 1997 Taylor 810 1990 Fender American Strat 2019 Gibson Les Paul 1959 Historic 2023 Martin D-18 Custom Shop Last edited by strumming; 07-03-2020 at 06:00 AM.
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#9
07-03-2020, 07:06 AM
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I have a '75 #6. The label has Kohno within an oval, which looks to be printed. Yours has a red stamp. If it says 'Kohno', I'm of the mind that the master made your top. Mine was likely made under his watchful eye.
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#10
07-03-2020, 08:31 AM
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Quote:
__________________
Fueled by coffee. One woman, many guitars. http://www.timesevenproductions.com/ 1959 Gibson Country Western 2017 Conner Spruce / Bubinga 1997 Taylor 810 1990 Fender American Strat 2019 Gibson Les Paul 1959 Historic 2023 Martin D-18 Custom Shop
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#11
07-03-2020, 10:45 AM
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The top of mine shows the same. The guitar is in great shape. A closer inspection of the Kohno mark on mine shows me that it is a stamp, though, it's of an inconspicuous color and smaller than your red stamp, and is modestly centered at the bottom of the label, which is contrary to the usual flair/aggressiveness of stamps or signatures by the other masters that I've seen. So I wouldn't be surprised if my top is by someone other than Kohno. Below are some notes on the strings that I've used. I use bridge slot files and make my own saddles to ensure optimum fit, so I can't guarantee that these results will be the same for anyone else.
Aranjuez no. 6 (bone saddle): La Bella 2001 Medium Hard (strong and balanced, no standout characteristic) Hannabach Super Carbon Goldin Trebles 725 MHT Treble Set w/ La Bella 2001 Medium Hard basses (excellent volume, crisp and full, fantastic when digging in, ringing, good to excellent fretters all the way to the soundhole, firm tension) Aquila Rubino Normal w/ La Bella 2001 Medium Hard basses (#1, 2, and 3 have a dryish/clear/gutteral quality, but not completly lacking in body) Savarez 500 CRJ Corum New Cristal Mixed - HT Corum basses, ST New Cristal trebles (balanced, very full, smoky clarity, good fretters, outstanding when digging in)
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#12
07-03-2020, 11:15 AM
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Quote:
__________________
Fueled by coffee. One woman, many guitars. http://www.timesevenproductions.com/ 1959 Gibson Country Western 2017 Conner Spruce / Bubinga 1997 Taylor 810 1990 Fender American Strat 2019 Gibson Les Paul 1959 Historic 2023 Martin D-18 Custom Shop
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#13
07-03-2020, 12:07 PM
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I couldn't do without this. If the vise plates are not be perfectly aligned, they are removable and can be shimmed. I did some filing to flatten the contact face of one of the plates that was slightly bowed. I also use the base to align saddles when I sand their underside on a tabletop (important to sand firmly in one direction, because equal pressure back and forth creates a slight seesaw motion that takes more off of the ends.
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...ddle-vise.html Just as critical as a saddle with an even underside is a flat bridge slot to match it. I've filled out thin trebles with this corrective measure. https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...-levelers.html https://www.philadelphialuthiertools...iles-set-of-2/ Bone blanks https://www.lmii.com/ Bone and micarta blanks https://www.stewmac.com/SiteSearch/?...les%20acoustic Tusq blanks - GraphTech sells the thickest blank (3.27mm), not by much, but enough to make a good fit https://graphtech.com/pages/tusq-saddles Corian blanks https://www.lmii.com/37-nuts-saddles...content-corian
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