Alto Sumio Kurosawa 10 Concierto Guitar

1978 Kurosawa Japanese luthier made concert Alto guitar, with hardcase.

Rare handmade Alto guitar with cedar top with BRZ rosewood sides and back. Ebony reinforced mahogany neck. Alto 536mm scale length with 52mm nut.

String action height currently 1st-string 3.3mm and 6st-string 3.6mm

Kohno style 7 ladder bracing.

Guitar has a few string marks behind the bridge.

Sumio Kurosawa studied guitar making under his uncle, Tsunesaburo from 1958 and moved to Spain in 1963. There he studied with Aguado for a couple years and returned to Japan. He established his own workshop in early 1970s.

In late 1970s Sumio was selling guitars under a nick name “Sumio Madrid” yet with his hand signature on the label. Thanks to these “Sumio Madrid” guitars (models: 10, 15 and 20) he soon became one of most regarded luthiers in Japan. By early 1990s he was already a permanent member of Japanese Luthier’s Elite.

The alto guitar or Terz is considered the violin of guitars. It is a smaller version of the classical guitar, designed to be fitted with lighter strings and tuned a perfect fifth higher, to B-E-A-D-F♯/G♭-B.