Presented here is my Juan Orozco model 10 guitar.
The series 8, 10 and 15 have been developed in a
collaboration with Masaru Kohno and Sakurai.
These instruments were produced in the Tama
workshops. Even Tama had the same models on the
market. For a more complete summary about the
history, just check one of my other Blogs: "Juan
Orozco, dealer or luthier".
The label with the year of production and beyond that
on the left: 10 - U - 22 the first digits being the model
number. Juan Orozco was a New York based dealer
and luthier. Wild stories are spred that a lot of these
guitars were exported without any label and that im-
porters could stick a label inside it to their liking.
I doubt that! In a personal letter to me, Juan Orozco
confirmed this collaboration though the Kohno
company kept on denying it!
These guitars can be recognized by their double ebony
strip placed in the back of the neck. A Fleta designed
headstock which has been replaced around 1980 and
the slanted short sides of the bridge. As also was
common in the Kohno guitars, the inner part of the
soundbox often was slighty sprayed (or laquered).
And of course these guitars were sprayed with the
so called "cashew nut varnish".
The Fleta head that can be found on the earlier Orozco
guitars. The original tuners should have carved roses.
When Masaru Kohno won several prizes for his guitar
building and developing work, Ignacio Fleta was in
the jury, stating that the Kohno instruments sound-
wise came close to his own guitars .
And presented here is the later headstock.
The lattice bracing used in these guitars can also be found in
the Kohno, Sakurai and Tama guitars of that period. Kohno
used three different bracing. The middle one was copied in the
Tama produced factory guitars though in fact not comparable
to the Greg Smallman lattice bracing.
A nice rosette completes these guitars that were built
very neatly and posses a sturdy, powerful Kohno-like
sound. But remember, not all models were equal in
quality. I was able to buy a model 8, 10 and 15. The
model 10, though a little less in appearance was by far
the best sounding guitar at that time. I still have it but
it may go now as I'm thinning my collection.
Here a better picture from the bracing found in the
Kohno, Sakurai ans Juan Orozco guitars for the world
market. Masaru Kohno was widely copied in the 70's.
As opposed to most Masaru Kohno guitars, the Orozco
labelled guitars were equipped with a 650 mm scale.
