Shinano SC 20

  • Shinano SC-20 classical guitar
    Shinano SC-20

Overview

Brand name: 

Product: 

  • classical guitars

Series name: 

Dates of manufacture: 

1965

The Shinano SC 20 (Shinano Concert model #20) was a classical guitar, hand made in Japan since the mid 1960s.

Specifications (11)

General

Finish colorsnatural finish
Made inJapan
Number of strings6 strings

Body

Body back materialrosewood body back
Body sides materialrosewood body sides
Body styleclassical style body
Body top materialspruce body top

Neck

Body fretNeck joins body at 12th fret
Number of frets19 fret
Peghead (headstock)slotted (open) headstock

Hardware

Tunersclassical tuners

Prices (4)

DatePriceConditionNameComments
2011$300good
2011$300good
1975¥200newMyrnabought new in Japan for equivalent of $200. still have it!
1970$100.00excellent

Reviews (1)

Shinano SC 20 reviewed by Myrna

1
Average: 1 (1 vote)
I have owned this guitar since 1975. It is soooo mellow -great sound,beautiful wood. I have 4 guitars but this is the last one I would ever give up. As for durability...its 40 years old! no cracks, minor dings (my fault) . i have replaced tuning keys and strings. That's all. The wood is beautiful still.

Gallery (0)

Players (0)

4 Comments

Shinano SC20

I bought one of these about a month ago at an auction. I didn't know when it was made, but it had beautiful wood and was in almost like new condition. Nice to find out it was likely made in the 70's. It has Rosewood sides and back, a spruce top, and nice binding. It was missing a string, and I got it really cheap, under $50. Sometimes you just have to go on what you see, and I saw a well made guitar. Neck is fairly straight, but I had to trim down the bridge to lower the strings a little and it is an excellent player now. I'm very happy with it .

Shinano SC20

I found this amazing guitar at a local music store. I had never heard of the maker but saw the "handmade in Japan" label and knew I was dealing with something most likely from the 70's. It is in mint condition though and VERY nice quality. It has become my favorite, go-to guitar for concerts and daily practice. So nice and light and responsive. 650 scale too. I paid $300 for it and it even came with a vintage hard shell case. Just AMAZING! If I find another Shinano someday it will, without question, be mine too.....without a second thought. I feel very lucky to have found this. I honestly would have paid $2000 for mine and still think it was a deal....no lie.....it is THAT good.......luthier quality!

Shinano guitar sc25

I owned the Shinano Classical guitar SC25. It is producing well balanced sweet and clean high notes with resonating basses. I wish to get his catalogue or books for know mystery Mr Shinano.

Price and popularity

This Shinano SC-20 is a popular classic guitar made in Nagano prefecture (old name Shinano), it was sold $200 up to $300 in 1965, consider the price of Nikon F (The first flagship SRL camera was $650 at the same decade), and mean time an ordinary salary was $500 to 1,000 per month thus the price was 1/2 or 1/3 of it. Yet Yamaha and Yairi were too popular in the 60's, and Shinano guitar wasn't popular as other makers, but many people bought and there are still many mint condition Shinano guitars in Japan.

I found one in the second hand hardware shop, and it looks and sounds like brand new almost made a year ago. This series are durable with good parts, well built, and each one is a little unique due to the hand-made craft and a long time use. So the guitar has to be dried and tested long enough for 50 years or more. My SC-20 has a completely flat and accurate frets. But some wolf tones or feedbacks are too rich, except this, I must say lovely.