1981 Yamaha L-15 Vintage Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Terry Nakamoto, Japan w/ohc

Up for sale, a 1981 Yamaha L-15 vintage dreadnought acoustic guitar in exceptional, 100% original condition, complete with hardshell case. Hand-signed (and presumably built) by renowned Yamaha luthier Terumi "Terry" Nakamoto, the L-15 features Yamaha's rounded dreadnought body shape, a design pioneered on the Yamaha FG series just a few years earlier by Nakamoto. As the head of Yamaha's Custom Shop in Hamamatsu Japan and arguably the most prominent name attached to Yamaha's mid-century guitar production, it's very meaningful to have his signature grace the label of this L-15.

Not to be confused with the L-15A, this is a genuine Japanese-made L-15, featuring an Ezo spruce top, genuine ebony fretboard and bridge, and solid rosewood back and sides, a tonally notable and desirable change in tonewoods that began in '81, as L-15s from previous years used Jacaranda for the back/sides. This L-15 delivers a clear, brilliant sound, with incredible projection and authority. Notes ring out with piano-like clarity, and the sound is very even and smooth when fingerpicking. The low end is warm and bold, with a subtle growl beneath the fundamental tonality. A premium example of vintage Yamaha craftsmanship and tonal response, this L-15 weighs 5lbs 3oz and has been dialed in to play its best here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 12-53 strings and comfortable action.

The mahogany neck has a soft V profile carve with quite a bit of depth and substance, measuring .920" deep at the 1st fret and tapering to 1.020" at the 9th. The bound ebony fretboard has particularly ornate snowflake inlays and retains the original slender fretwire which shows sparingly little wear. The guitar plays cleanly in every register, and the frets retain their full factory height with well-rounded crowns. The scale length is a full 25 5/8", and the original hand-carved bone nut measures a full 1 3/4" in width. The headstock retains the original Yamaha-branded gold-plated tuning machines which show uniform patina on the gears and turn smoothly.

The Ezo spruce top has a dark red tortoise pickguard, with an ornate rosette and matching purfling framing the top. The ebony bridge sits flush with the top and the original carved bone saddle has ample height. String spacing at the bridge measures 2 1/8". Wear includes one extremely slender and short professionally repaired split on the back at the knot in the rosewood at the bass-side waist, and the guitar is otherwise crack-free. There is slight cloudiness of the gloss adjacent to the purfling separating the three pieces of rosewood on the back, and a few dings on the bass side lower bout and just beyond the pickguard on the top. Overall the guitar is exceedingly well-kept, and the neck profile shows just a couple tiny marks.

The original hardshell case is included.