Daisuke Kuriyama　[栗山　大輔] Class 80　model Santos Hernandez No.133

Product Description

Neck::edro
Fingerboard::Ebony
Finish(Top):Shellac
Finish(Back & Sides):Shellac
Tuning Machines:GOTOH
String Height(1st):3.0mm
String Height(6th):4.0mm

[Luthier]
Daisuke Kuriyama
Born in 1981, Daisuke Kuriyama began building guitars independently while studying at Tokyo Zokei University. After graduating, he joined a major musical instrument retailer in 2003, where he worked in the repair department for over a decade. This experience allowed him to study numerous outstanding instruments from Japan and abroad firsthand, cultivating his exceptional tonal sensitivity and remarkable sense of balance.
During this period, he was introduced to luthier Kaoru Ono and began receiving direct instruction at Ono’s workshop in 2010. After establishing his own workshop, Kuriyama began producing just six to eight meticulously crafted guitars annually.
Rooted in traditional Spanish construction techniques, his instruments include models inspired by Torres, Domingo Esteso, and Marcelo Barbero I. Each guitar faithfully captures the character and resonance of the great Spanish guitar tradition, earning him a devoted following among players across a wide range of musical genres.
In 2020, an interview with Kuriyama and a feature on his instruments appeared in Orfeo Magazine No. 15, published by the French publisher Camino Verde.
Orfeo Magazine – Japanese Luthiers Feature
Behind the Scenes of the Orfeo Interview

[Instrument]
Daisuke Kuriyama No. 133 (2026) – Model No. 80, Santos Hernández
This brand-new 2026 Santos Hernández model is the latest creation by Daisuke Kuriyama. Having developed a distinguished series of homage models inspired by Torres, Manuel Ramírez, Hauser, and Bouchet, Kuriyama has established the Santos Hernández model as a natural centerpiece of his collection, reflecting Santos’s place as one of the great masters in the history of guitar making.
The present instrument is based on a 1924 Santos Hernández guitar housed in the collection of the Guitar Culture Museum, an instrument Kuriyama considers one of the finest examples he has examined firsthand. A detailed blueprint based on measurements of the original was previously produced by luthier Jun Nakano, although it has become difficult to obtain following the museum’s closure in 2026.
Kuriyama’s recent achievements with these homage models have been remarkable, and this latest creation is another outstanding example of his approach: a beautifully balanced Santos Hernández model with exceptional tonal depth and the fresh, clear character that distinguishes his work.
A defining feature of Kuriyama’s homage models is his commitment to faithfully reproducing the acoustic principles inherent in the original designs. His instruments demonstrate remarkable clarity and resolution at every level. Rather than attempting to imitate the aged, mature sound often associated with a century-old guitar, Kuriyama takes a more fundamental approach, seeking to reveal the original tonal character of the Santos Hernández design in its purest form.
The Santos Hernández sound is distinguished by its unmistakably Spanish tonal balance: a generous bass register with a low center of gravity, a clearly defined and substantial lower-midrange, and a transparent, articulate treble.
Equally characteristic is the way the guitar responds to the energy of a plucked string. The stiffness of the wood receives this energy with a supple firmness, shaping both the initial attack and the formation of the sound. This produces the distinctive spring-like articulation of a Santos Hernández guitar, accompanied by a dense, resonant tone with a compelling sense of sustain. In melodic passages, these qualities bring out an organic flow and a beautifully expressive singing character.
Original Santos Hernández guitars often display these qualities alongside a wonderfully individual texture, including subtle irregularities and roughness in the sound. Kuriyama succeeds in bringing these elements together within an exceptionally clear and refined tonal balance.
The top bracing closely follows the design of the 1924 original. Two harmonic bars are positioned above and below the soundhole, toward the neck and bridge respectively. A thin reinforcing plate, approximately 3 cm wide and 20 cm long, is fitted between the upper harmonic bar and the neck block, while another rectangular plate surrounds the soundhole between the two harmonic bars.
Below the waist, the top features seven symmetrical fan braces supported by two closing bars arranged in an inverted V configuration near the lower bout. The top resonance is tuned to approximately F–F♯.
The fan braces are particularly delicate, measuring just 6 mm wide and approximately 3–4 mm high. By comparison, Arcángel Fernández, often regarded as a successor to the Santos Hernández tradition, employed braces roughly twice this size. The present instrument’s resonance is also lower than that of Kuriyama’s earlier Santos model, which was tuned to approximately G–G♯, contributing to a deeper tonal center and a more substantial bass foundation.
The guitar is finished in a beautifully executed shellac polish, demonstrating Kuriyama’s exceptional attention to detail. Weighing just 1.38 kg, it is lighter than his previous Santos model at 1.47 kg.
The neck has a conventional D-shaped profile with standard thickness. String height at the 12th fret measures 3.0 mm on the first string and 4.0 mm on the sixth, with approximately 1.5–2.0 mm of saddle protrusion remaining. The instrument is fitted with custom-made Gotoh tuning machines.