Yamaha Dynamic

Andy79

Anyone familiar with these?
im a huge classic Yamaha fan and happened over this at a local auction. 
Maple back sides, spruce or pine top. All solid, no cracks. Mid sixties I think. I’m a happy guy. 
The headstock has been messed with but no great problem 

Internet folk lore says these could be strung with steel or nylon. Steel looks iffy, there’s scant bracing under the top and no bridge plate. It’s like nothing I’ve seen under there!
2 2” little tone bars either side of the bridge 
1 ladder brace either side of the sound hole and one skinny tiny brace running from bottom of soundhole to the tail. 
Cant wait to drive it

https://i.imgur.com/vdmDDuh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8tB2Bu2.jpg

ICBM

Very nice. That's probably the most "creative" headstock repair I've ever seen!

I definitely wouldn't put steel strings on it.

Andy79

Ha! Creative yes and very involved, no way back from that one

ICBM

Andy79 said:

Ha! Creative yes and very involved, no way back from that one

Just chop it off behind the nut and graft a new one of the right shape on!

GTC

This model was designed to be used with nylon strings - I would guess, an early form of crossover guitar. It has a classical bridge and putting steel strings on it could create problems.

There are few YouTube videos and it sounds really good nylon-strung. I came across one video in which one of the range had been steel strung with what seemed like very light gauge steel or silk and steel strings and this didn't sound as good. It still had the classical bridge and slotted headstock though.

Andy79

I do agree. However there is Yamaha literature on line if you dig deep enough claiming use of both. Maybe this model 10 is specific for nylon while other crossover models had a bridge plate. All the Dynamics I’ve seen have the same bridge . 1960s Yamaha history is very hard to find in English. My Japanese is not great. I don’t even think they had their own factory until ‘66

GTC

I looked at a browser-translated Japanese blog and this is what it said about a sunburst no. 10:
"YAMAHA's Dynamic Guitar is an iron string guitar from the 1960s. This slotted head guitar looks like a got (gut?) guitar at first glance, but the blaze inside the guitar (the arrangement of the force tree) is designed to withstand the tension of steel strings, unlike the usual gut guitar. The neck is jointed with 12 frets, coupled with wood and busing, and the dynamic sound as the name is attractive."
I've seen a photo of a sunburst 10B with steel strings and a 10 similar to yours with nylon.

I don't think I'd trust it with steel. The blog went on to say that he got it for a good price because the bridge was peeling off!

Anyway, it looks like you got yourself an interesting bargain at Clevedon. Enjoy it.

Andy79

GTC said:

I looked at a browser-translated Japanese blog and this is what it said about a sunburst no. 10:
"YAMAHA's Dynamic Guitar is an iron string guitar from the 1960s. This slotted head guitar looks like a got (gut?) guitar at first glance, but the blaze inside the guitar (the arrangement of the force tree) is designed to withstand the tension of steel strings, unlike the usual gut guitar. The neck is jointed with 12 frets, coupled with wood and busing, and the dynamic sound as the name is attractive."
I've seen a photo of a sunburst 10B with steel strings and a 10 similar to yours with nylon.

I don't think I'd trust it with steel. The blog went on to say that he got it for a good price because the bridge was peeling off!

Anyway, it looks like you got yourself an interesting bargain at Clevedon. Enjoy it.

Interesting. Thanks for the blog post, comical translation. £34 is barely a round of drinks these days aye

Andy79

It’s been strung up. I have little experience with classical guitars but this sounds very nice. Very expressive. Big punch to the bass and sweet high end. A very nice guitar