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I am looking for any information on this guitar maker.
I have a Tahara guitar that carries “Nashville” on the headstock. It is a copy of a Guild D-40. Purchased new in 1979. Workmanship is very good and materials all appear to have been prime when built. After 30 years, some of the edge moulding is showing some shrinkage but otherwise it is aging well and consistent with premium builder’s work. I would like to learn any additional information about this builders work, or other’s experience with the products. Mine sounds better every year. : I just found the comment about the Tahara Guitar. I have a mandolin which also has the words “made by Tahara”, It has the name “Maya” on the kneck. I also have a Maya banjo which must be the same company. Both were bought about 20 years ago and I can’t find any now. Does anyone know any more about these instruments?
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Bought a ‘chancy’ purchase on E-Bay last Winter from Japan – on-line pics led me to believe I was buying an interesting, quality-looking but unbranded old Japanese ES-175 copy – but (gasp !!!) on opening the carton, it turned out to be a remarkably G*bs*n-esque full-size L5C Florentine-type acoustic archtop by Mr Tahara-san, under his factory brand of ‘Jumbo’ – probably a model JP-38 (380,000 Japanese Yen back then). And, because it’s non-electric and a dot neck, it’s not actually a copy of any particular G*bs*n model (clever!). I looked for months all over the Internet and only ever found 2 other Tahara-Jumbo archtops – both the same model JP-38, but with lighter, slightly redder sunburst finishes (mine might have been refinished to make it look exactly like an old 50’s G*bs*n).
The initial Jumbo catalogue listed 8 archtops, of which only 2 were ever photographed. It seems these ‘Jumbo’ archtops – and maybe only a handful were ever made? – were dropped from the ‘Jumbo’ line (extant 1969 – 1976 approx., I think) very early on, whereas the far more numerous flat-top acoustics & mandolins were apparently made throughout the lifetime of the company.
If anyone has any more definite info. regarding the archtop line (like what happened to the other models – were they ever actually made?), I’d be pleased to hear from them. Mr Ryohei Tahara’s then-apprentice Mr Eiichi Sumi went on in later decades to form Sumi Guitars, a thriving, very upmarket Japanese custom shop, successful to this day, I believe.
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Thank you for you posts on Nashville Tahara guitars. Just purchased an AO-35 CEE from a pawn shop. I have a Martin and Co and a Maton and this one sounds just as good as the more expensive ones. Perfect condition beautifully made. Hard to believe it’s over 40 years old. Appreciate the information.
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Hi folks,
I’ve just been given a Nashville by Tahara model no: N44-D. it needs a little TLC and a proper setup but is in really good condition overall. I reckon that the model I have is a “no frills” version. For example the pick guard is plain black and the inlays are just circle pearled instead of block pearled that you see on other models.
I don want to repack the machine heads on it. Any suggestions as to what model might be a good replacement?
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You changed the tuners since ? I look one in good condition big strings side, I also have the same model, with solid cedar top and laminated bird eye maple.
Thanks,
Woodie
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nice looking guitar, kind of a martin d 28 look alike. any info thank you. Jerry
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I have a NashVille N-50D, it’s been 40 years in the cold dry weather of Alberta, Canada. Wow! what a craftsmanship, glue joins are like new, no crack on surface, neck and frets are perfect. I played it against the $3500 and can’t tell which one is better.
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Hi– I have a Nashville N-40D– again almost 40 years old. Bought new in 79. Same experience, been years in MN, Years in deep South Texas- extremely different climates, still perfect looking, sounds even better as it ages.
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Thanks 1bassleft!
This was exactly what I needed regarding Tahara. For others who may follow this thread, here is the communication from Sage regarding Tahara:
I have found some information – scattered and incomprehensible probably – about “Maya”… I have been in touch with some really helpful people at Saga Musical Instruments, who have told me a bit about the man who built my mandolin. I think it would be safest to apply what I am going to say to just my earlier post here, but it may lead you to be able to research your own instruments. As I understand things, “Maya” was basically a distributor, that bought from various independent (Japanese) luthiers, who made everything from soup to nuts – electric, acoustical, etc… Regarding my mandolin, on the inside bracing is stamped: “MADE BY MR TAHARA”, who turns out to be a man by the name of Ryohei Tahara, later known, with respect, as Tahara-sah. I will upload an article on him, from Frets Magazine, 1984. Where it gets cloudy is that, because I am researching my “new” mandolin, I am only drawn to anything I can find on this Mr. Tahara, who was a luthier that concentrated, I believe, mostly on acoustical guitars and instruments. From Saga Musical Instruments:
You are indeed on the right track. “Maya” was a brand named used by a
Japanese Trading Company from Kobe called Rokkoman. In the early 1970s Tahara-san had a factory in Matsumoto Japan that was engaged primarily in the production of lower-mid range acoustic guitars, but they also made some mandolins. Mandolins were a minor portion of their total output. Mr Tahara’s factory in Matsumoto went into bankruptcy in the mid to late 1970s after which he moved to Tateshina outside of Maruko-machi in Nagano Prefecture where he focused exclusively on Mandolin production. Shortly after that move Saga Musical Instruments began a relationship with Tahara-san that started with specificational input and then with a majority financial interest in operation. Maybe this is more information than you need but I think that it fills in a few blanks!Best regards,
Saga Musical InstrumentsDavid Gartland
Marketing
http://www.sagamusic.com -
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My apols, Lee. I went back to the CMI sticky to post an update following on from this thread. I’d completely forgotten that I’d flagged up a very good Maya Strat copy; not at all like some of the planks I often see. Maya was just a brand name selling allsorts of stuff. I think they started out with the cheap, loose copies and then upped their game sometime in the 70s.
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Hi mj and welcome 🙂
Maya is a name I came across, along with Yamato, when researching CMI guitars (a “sticky” that can be found on the main category here). Every Maya, Yamato and some CMI electrics I’ve seen have featured terrible hardware and ply bodies married to inexplicably good necks. Putting Tahara into the search found me some new, and useful, information here:
http://www.ezfolk.com/forums/forum16/762-1.htmlScroll past all the “I really like your playing” stuff to get the useful info near the end. Maya was a retailer that had cheap stuff made in Japan but also bought from better quality suppliers and your Tahara-san was a highly respected luthier in that country. Hope that helps, and thanks for adding another piece to my jigsaw 😀
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