~1982 Cervantes MC-400

This wonderful Cervantes MC-400 guitar was probably made in the 1980s in the Asturias workshops by Japanese master luthier Hiroumi Yamaguchi, former associate and longtime friend of Masaru Matano and maker of Cervantes guitars since the mid-1970s. In 1982 Hiroumi was still a leading member of the Asturias team which he joined in 1980. In terms of construction Cervantes and Asturias guitars are practically the same as Masaru Matano guitars.

Both Matano and Hiroumi were creating their guitars based on Jose Ramirez blueprints. Their guitars, however, are not copies of Ramirez guitars. Cervantes guitars have their own unique sound and also shouldn’t be considered copies of Matano’s guitars. Cervantes guitars have deeper basses and clearer and rounder trebles. I am sure that some players would recognize Cervantes guitars as better than Matanos of the same grade. Cervantes guitars are certainly far better than similarly priced Takamine or Matsuoka models from the same era. This Cervantes guitar will probably beat all “hand-made in Spain” guitars currently sold on the US market for thousands of dollars.

The MC-400 top is high-grade solid Spanish Cedar with Ramirez-style bracing and a thin lacquer finish. The back and sides are Indian Rosewood “double-plate” with a high gloss urethane finish. While the back and sides are “laminated,” these "laminates" were made from 2 layers of solid wood glued together with natural resins. They are made so expertly that they perform as well as solid woods while being far less expensive in guitar production and far more resistant to cracking in regular use. The neck is three-layer Spanish Cedar with a Rosewood inner layer, and the fingerboard and bridge are also Rosewood. The tuners are high-quality proprietary tuners and work very well.

This guitar offers very impressive volume and tonality, with deep, resonant basses full of overtones, sweet glassy round trebles, a great level of note clarity and separation, and excellent sustain. With its current action it is also quite easy to play; it has a 650mm scale length and a 52mm nut. This guitar despite its age remains in at least very good cosmetic and perfect functional condition. There is some wear on the top below the sound hole; the previous owner seemed to think it was some kind of stylized “aging”, but I believe the multiple small dents are from the fingernails of a flamenco-style player. Unfortunately, this soft Cedar top has no flamenco “tap plates” and the marks remain. The guitar sounds great and plays beautifully, and will only continue to go up in value for both the wood quality and the fact that nobody these days makes a guitar that can touch this one for anywhere near my asking price. If modern era luthiers are using 40-year-old woods to make a classical guitar, its price is likely to be at least $3000.

Unfortunately, the original case was badly worn and unworthy of the instrument (I will ship it in the original case instead if you request it). Obviously, the included chip board case is in very good condition and provides reliable protection for this fine guitar. However, it is a bit too large, and I feel sure you will like this guitar so well that you will want to provide it with a hard shell case.

Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.

I have made every effort to describe and illustrate this guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy it.

Thanks for your interest in this excellent vintage guitar.