In 1978 Bob Dylan launched his massive year long world tour with a string of dates in Japan. He played a total 8 shows at the legendary Budokan Theatre some of which were recorded and were released as the live double album; Bob Dyan at Budokan.
Up until this point Bob was best known for using Gibson and Martin acoustics however the Budokan concerts saw him wielding a new tool; a specially ordered L-52 from Yamaha’s custom shop. With its distinctive black and white looks, reminiscent of an Everly Brothers model it has become known as the “Dylan Budokan guitar” and is considered to be one of the Holy Grails of Japanese acoustic guitars.
The L-52 is a jumbo-bodied model noted for its distinct, bright, and powerful sound. Conceived and overseen by legendary luthier Terumi “Terry” Nakamoto it was one of the jewels of the Yamaha Custom shop’s luxurious "L" series named the “Four Heavenly Kings". Considered the pinnacle of 1970’s Japanese craftsmanship and available only as a special order.
In addition to Dylan the L-52 model found favor among artists such as Paul Simon, John Lennon and Jimmy Page. These handmade 70’s gems have become impossibly rare.
We were recently in Tokyo on a guitar hunt and were extremely lucky to come across this Yamaha Custom L-52 from September 1978 with label signed by Terry Nakamoto. Same model, year and builder of Bob Dylan’s "Budokan guitar".
