S Yairi Guitars. Info wanted.

While off looking for information on the Shinko Guitar Company I ran across this blurb on S. Yari. Looks to be quality information.

Some of this info is correct, but not everything noted is accurate. I will try to "edit" and add corrections to the post.

Sadao or Sada Yairi was a guitar maker and guitar manufacturer from Nagoya, Japan who was active from the 1960s to the 1990s. He sold guitars under a number of labels including Sadao Yairi, Yairi Gakki, S. Yairi, and Sada Guitar. He also manufactured guitars for B&M (distributed in the UK) Lowden, Sherry-Brener and a few guitars for Alvarez of St. Louis Music during the early 1970s. During the early 1990s, he had a line of handmade guitars sold by Samick in S. Korea.

Sadao Yairi actually began much earlier than the 1960's, starting his first "Factory" in 1935 at the age of 29. He also used the Yairi and son label, among Aria and others, besides the ones listed.

Information on Sadao Yairi is scant and a number of Japanese Sadao Yairi collectors confirm that Sadao Yairi’s guitar making history is shrouded in mystery especially after a 1990s statement by Kazuo Yairi, of Alvarez Yairi fame, that Kazuo and Sadao have no working relationship.

I don't find the statement by Kazuo to be unusual, he was just clarifying the fact that they did not work together, and his instruments had no connection to the ones of Sadao.

The consensus is that Sadao and Kazuo Yairi are cousins who learned guitar making from Kazuo Yairi‘s dad, also named Sadao Yairi. The older Sadao, had worked as a guitar and violin maker at the Suzuki, Takehuru factory in Nagoya and then later opened his own business, Yairi & Son, which operated until about 1970-71. Nagoya is the major industrial port city in Aichee prefecture and one of Japan's long established guitar making centers.

Sadao Yairi was related to Kazuo, not his cousin but, his Uncle. Both Kazuo Yairi's father and Sadao worked at Suzuki Violin Co. prior to leaving and starting their own businesses. As stated prior, Sadao was the one that also made Yairi and Son (there weren't TWO Sadao's in the picture), he began the Yairi and Son models with his son Hiroshi, who actually made most of those models under his father's supervision as is noted by the stamps on the label/backs of the guitars.

In the late 1960s Sada and Kazuo went their own way and began making guitars under their own label, with Sada establishing S. Yairi guitars in Nagoya and Kazuo Yairi starting up K. Yairi Guitars in Kani, which is about 30 minutes from Nagoya. Both Sadao and Kazuo made guitars for Alvarez/St. Louis Music Company in the early 1970s, but Kazuo ended up getting an exclusive contract with St. Louis Music. Kazuo's guitars sold by SLM were first known as Alvarez by Kazuo Yairi and then Alvarez Yairi guitars.

In the early 1970s, Sadao had a number of guitar ventures including Yairi Gakki and S Yairi Guitars (gakki is the Japanese word for guitar). S. Yairi made guitars for B&M in the UK and for Lowden in the USA. Sadao also made some Alvarez guitars for SLM in the early 1970s. He went bankrupt in the late 1980s. As a result of the bankruptcy, he went to South Korea in the early 1990s and worked for Samick guitars, developing a short-lived line of handmade guitars labeled "Samick by S. Yairi".

In the 1990s Kazuo Yairi published a statement that there was no working relationship between him and his cousin Sadao (probably because of the bankruptcy). I believe that Sadao Yairi passed away during the 1990s.

Sometime during the late 1990s/early 2000s, a Japanese venture started to manufacture low quality guitars using the S. Yairi name. These guitars are made in China and are not the same quality as S. Yairi guitars made during the 1960s to 1980s.

These "reissue" models of S. Yairi early guitars are under the supervision of his son, Hiroshi (74 years old). As to the quality, I can't say since I do not own one. However, I have read that there were some issues in the beginning, but that those were corrected. UPDATE: Recently found information noting that of the reissued S. Yairi brand, only the high end models are made in Japan.

Hi Sullivan,
Barnes and Mullins imported the ‘Yairi’ Soloist from 1966 till 1979.
The guitars were supplied by a Japanese trading company so the actual source of manufacture is unclear.
In 1966 guitars from Japan represented incredible value for money and the price at the time was £27.7.6.
By 1974 the position had completely changed, Japan was on longer competitive at this end of the market and the product was discontinued.
We continued to import more expensive ‘Yairi’ models until 1982 when our supplier went out of business.
By this time ‘Spanish’ made classical guitars offered much better value for money.
Unfortunately the image of the ‘Yairi’ Soloist has been cut out of the catalogue in our library, but from memory your guitar has 3 or 4 black rings around the soundhole rather than a rosette.
The description is as follows.
‘The famous Yairi Finger Style guitars possess a volume and quality of tone which would be difficult to improve upon. Every Yairi guitar is hand built with infinite care and with the finest woods and materials.The bellies of these guitars are specially fan strutted so that the essential lightness of constructions can be obtained.’
As with so many products today, price deflation means we can much more for our money now than in 1966.
In 1966 my wage was approx £7.00 per week,today someone doing a similar job is probably earning £300.00.per week.
That would equate to a retail price today of approx £1200.00.
However you would only pay approx £250.00 today to obtain a guitar of similar build and sound quality.
I hope this info helps.
Regards

Bruce Perrin
Managing Director (Joint)

Barnes and Mullins Ltd,
Unit 14, Mile Oak Ind Estate, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 8GA
Direct Tel: 0044 (0)1691 668319, Office: 0044 (0)1691 652449, Fax: 0044 (0)1691 655582.
Registered in England and Wales No. 01305000