Yairi is the surname name of three Japanese luthiers associated with quality handmade acoustic guitars.
In the 1960s and 1980s, Sadao Yairi made guitars under the S. Yairi brand. His son Hiroshi Yairi made acoustic guitars under Sadao's supervision (usually signed and/or stamped as by S. Yairi). Sadao was uncle of Kazuo Yairi who built guitars mostly under his own brand, K. Yairi.
S. and H. Yairi have been marketed under a few names in the United States, including Yairi & Sons, Kohno, Shelly, and Wilson. They also build guitars for other labels like Alvarez and, in 1980-1985 for Irish brand George Lowden.
For decades, the top-of-line Alvarez acoustic guitars are sub-branded Alvarez-Yairi, handmade in the same factory as K. Yairi guitars, and sold in the United States exclusively by Alvarez.
External links
- Official website
- Yairi Discussion Forums
- Kazuo Yairi Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2011)