Martin Copy--Rokkomann

**jimmy powells** · Sep-07-2020, 9:26am

Bought this Martin Copy recently. In the 1970s I remember Maya and Hokada doing very good copies of the Martin mandolin.

I've never seen this name before. Rokkomann. Inside it has 'Made by Tahara' which think is inside most of these.

This one is a gem. Brilliant tuners which turn as smooth as any I've ever had on used mandolin. Aluminium Nut which works fine and makes me think why is aluminium not used more for nuts. Gibson of course used pearl for the F4s etc and aluminium seems to work fine.

Neck is dead straight and 13 and 3/4 scale is a joy to play. Obviously it doesnt sound like my Big Mon but I knew that and it seems to do folky triplets etc so much easier.

Don't know if anyone else has come across this name?

I put the tortoise pick guard and tailpiece cover on. Never did like black pick guards on anything but that's just me.

Years ago I twice owned Martin mandolins and I would say this one sounds at least as good.

**allenhopkins** · Sep-07-2020, 3:08pm

Some info about Ryohei Tahara, the "Rokkomann" brand, etc., in a 2008 thread on Harmony Central about Maya guitars, another label associated with Rokkomann:

I have found some information - scattered and incomprehensible probably - about "Maya"... I have been in touch with some really helpful people at Saga Musical Instruments, who have told me a bit about the man who built my mandolin. I think it would be safest to apply what I am going to say to just my earlier post here, but it may lead you to be able to research your own instruments. As I understand things, "Maya" was basically a distributor, that bought from various independent (Japanese) luthiers, who made everything from soup to nuts - electric, acoustical, etc... Regarding my mandolin, on the inside bracing is stamped: "MADE BY MR TAHARA", who turns out to be a man by the name of Ryohei Tahara, later known, with respect, as Tahara-sah. I will upload an article on him, from Frets Magazine, 1984. Where it gets cloudy is that, because I am researching my "new" mandolin, I am only drawn to anything I can find on this Mr. Tahara, who was a luthier that concentrated, I believe, mostly on acoustical guitars and instruments. From Saga Musical Instruments:

You are indeed on the right track. "Maya" was a brand named used by a
Japanese Trading Company from Kobe called Rokkoman. In the early 1970s
Tahara-san had a factory in Matsumoto Japan that was engaged primarily in
the production of lower-mid range acoustic guitars, but they also made some
mandolins. Mandolins were a minor portion of their total output. Mr
Tahara's factory in Matsumoto went into bankruptcy in the mid to late 1970s
after which he moved to Tateshina outside of Maruko-machi in Nagano
Prefecture where he focused exclusively on Mandolin production. Shortly
after that move Saga Musical Instruments began a relationship with
Tahara-san that started with specificational input and then with a majority
financial interest in operation. Maybe this is more information than you
need but I think that it fills in a few blanks!

Best regards,
Saga Musical Instruments
David Gartland
Marketing

The correspondence from Mr. Gartland has most certainly filled in a LOT of blanks for me - more than he probably realizes, and I am still in touch with him, asking other questions. With what he has given me, I think the Rokkoman reference is very certainly very important to our overall search of the Maya name.

The "Rokkomann" label gets a lot of Google hits relating to acoustic and electric guitars, most clearly patterned on US-made models.