Jose Yacopi　[ホセ・ヤコピ] No.1456

Product Description

Neck:Cedro
Fingerboard:Ebony
Finish(Top):Shellac
Finish(Back & Sides):Shellac
Tuning Machines:original
String Height(1st):3.2mm
String Height(6th):4.0mm

〔Luthier〕
José Yacopi (1916–2006) was born in Vitoria, Spain. He entered the workshop of his father, Gamaliel Yacopi, and built his first guitar at the age of eighteen. In 1949 the family moved to San Fernando near Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he established his workshop and continued building guitars throughout his life.

In his early years he followed the traditional Spanish style inspired by Antonio de Torres. Around 1947, however, he and his father developed a distinctive fan-bracing system in which the braces radiate in the opposite direction from the conventional pattern. This structural design became one of the defining features of Yacopi guitars.

Yacopi instruments are known for their unique tonal character, combining deep and warm basses with clear, singing trebles. Their expressive and colorful sound has made them popular not only with classical guitarists but also with performers of South American music and bossa nova. Today the workshop is continued by his son, Fernando Yacopi, while instruments built personally by José remain highly sought after.

【A Warm and Expressive Yacopi from the Golden Period】
〔Instrument〕
Built in 1976, this guitar is No.1456 with a 650 mm scale length, representing an instrument from José Yacopi’s highly regarded period of the 1960s–70s.

The tone is warm, rounded, and richly woody, with a distinctive South American character often associated with Yacopi guitars. The bass and lower midrange are full and enveloping, while the trebles are clear and focused, creating an appealing contrast across the register. Despite its refined and controlled voice, the instrument resonates generously, producing impressive depth and projection. The quick and responsive attack allows polyphonic passages to emerge with remarkable clarity and dimensionality.

Internally, the guitar features Yacopi’s signature reverse fan-bracing system, with the resonance set just below G#. The instrument is finished entirely in shellac, and retains the maker’s original rosette design as well as the original tuning machines, both of which remain in good working order.

The neck has a relatively slim D-shaped profile with softly rounded edges, offering a comfortable and natural playing feel. String tension is well balanced, making the instrument easy to play for both hands. The neck shows a slight forward relief but remains well within an excellent playing range, and the frets are in good condition. The current setup measures 3.2 mm (1st string) and 4.0 mm (6th string) at the 12th fret, with approximately 0.5 mm of saddle remaining.

For an instrument now approaching 50 years of age, it remains in very good overall condition. The soundboard shows minor playing marks such as light scratches and small dents, while the back and sides display some superficial wear from normal use. These marks are mostly light and do not detract from the instrument’s appearance. The finish appears to be original, and there are no major crack repairs. The frets may have been replaced at some point, suggesting the guitar has been properly maintained over the years.

A hard case is included.