Curious about how a childhood nickname turned into a renowned guitar brand? That’s the story of Sago New Material Guitars. Sago was established in the late 90s in Osaka. It began with just three people. Now the company has seven employees.
Sago New Material Guitars focuses on high-end handmade instruments. As their business grew, they expanded their market. They now include mid-high market builds and cost-performance models. Each tier is named after stages of the Sago flower. “Seed” is for entry-level guitars. “Stem” represents mid-high grade instruments. “Sago” signifies the high-end custom builds.
The founder’s given name is Satoshi. As a child, classmates mispronounced it “Sagoshi”. This morphed into “Sago”. He thought it sounded catchy. So he named his company Sago New Material Guitars.
Sago New Material Guitars is known for its custom orders. They will create a completely one-off design. It can be an original shape not based on their existing models. This flexibility sets them apart.
Many famous musicians use Sago guitars. They include Jinbo Yoshimi and Masayoshi Yamazaki. Koichi Tsutaya and Kazuya Yoshii also play Sago instruments. These professionals trust Sago for their unique sound.
Sago uses a unique wood processing technique. It is called “Thermo Wood”. This method artificially ages the wood. It creates a vintage sound in new instruments. Thermo Wood makes the guitars more stable. They are more resistant to temperature and humidity changes. Sago was the first in the world to use Thermo Wood on guitars.
The company also produces its own pickups. They are known as L(x). These pickups are made in Sago’s workshop. L(x) pickups are used in Sago brand instruments. L(x)-Lite pickups are used in Seed and Stem models.
One unique Sago guitar is the “Kiryu”. Sakuramura Makoto plays this 7-string guitar. It is designed to cover a wide range of sounds. The Kiryu features a coil tap. It also has a piezo pickup built into the bridge. This allows for versatile sound shaping.
The origin of the Kiryu is interesting. In 2014, Sago wanted to create a “Japanese” model. They wanted to display it at the Japan Expo. They collaborated with a sculptor. Together they created an elephant carving for the instrument. Sakuramura saw the guitar at a trade show. He liked it. Sago later gifted him a Kiryu guitar.
Sago New Material Guitars continues to evolve. They embrace new materials and designs. They plan to expand overseas. Sago combines tradition with innovation. The company strives to create instruments. These instruments inspire musicians worldwide.