Talk to me about Yairi Pix...

For $2000, you may want to consider a custom made item too.  It's something to consider.

I'd recommend anything earlier than '84...  You can pick up a fine example in the right year range anywhere from 5-900... I'd look at the dy-75 and 77 ( 77's can get a little more expensive, up to 12-1300 for early ones in good shape unless you get lucky... I bought a '73  dy77 for 200 bucks off of craigslist but had to drive 8hrs to get it) or maybe a dy74 if you want one that came in a cutaway with electronics. Those models will be spruce/rosewood... If you want spruce/hog I'd consider the dy50 as a good solid performer and it can be had from 350-550 depending on condition and the deal you find.  I'm on lunch break now so I don't have much time but I'll post a lot more info this evening on the respective models and price ranges plus some build info and videos. 

Yairi's have a tone all their own but if I had to describe it I'd say they have the thump of a martin (you really feel the bass in your chest) but with highs more similar to a Taylor. To me it's a great balance Martins can be too bassy to me and taylors can be a little bright, Yairi kind of blends the two...  As a side note they are all solid woods even if they are described as laminate back and sides... I'll explain this later though when I have a little more time to post.

What price range are you looking at, southrnrocker?

You can get a very good quality Takamine for under 1000.00, nice guitars in the mid range.
Best advice is to go to a guitar shop and experiment with what's available in your area and in your price range, pick the one that sounds and feels the best to you. A guitar's price does not always measure its quality.

They are technically laminate but it's not typical laminate.  They take a solid back and slice it into 2 thin layers and then put them right back together with animal hide glue (the older ones at least). This gives you the sound of solid wood since it essentially is but creates a much more stable, consistent and sound reflective back but still colors the tone the way a solid back would... Quality laminate sides are used by most custom builders now anyway as they are more rigid and carry vibrations better. Some are switching over to this kind of back as well also but some traditions are hard to change when people already have a certain mindset... Laminate got a bad rap from production guitar companies that used ,and still use, luan or similar cheap ply with a very thin veneer of good wood for finishing. Done right, it's just as good if not better than solid woods IMO. As a plus all Yairis are hand built! Necks are all shaped by hand, bracing is all hand carved and each top is tap tested and then tuned to it's best. Very few companies can say that. Martin doesn't tap test at all... Taylor does their high end ones... To me it makes a diffrence. They also still use hide glue for all other aspects of the build and even the dovetail neck joints are carved by hand for best fit.  Check out the Yairi shop tour vids on Youtube. There's also a few brochures floating around the net and you can look for vintage magazine Yairi ads on Ebay  (these can offer some little tidbits about construction and some of the ads even have bracing layouts and such). I ordered an original vintage ad for everyone of my Yairi's and framed them for the music room

I still don't have much time but will get you some more info posted as soon as I can.... Just got back home today and everyone's  already rushing me to pack for our weekend paddling trip so I need to run -Pix

Nao,  Pre-fender buy out Tacomas are real gems but be careful with them as they are known to have finish trouble. Bubbles are very common with many having the finish to almost fall off after time.  Post fender models are considerably less valuable/good.... I'd by a pre fender model only if I could inspect it first hand very carefully for any signs of finish trouble and the post fender models I wouldn't really waste my time with... Not that they're bad, Just better bang for the buck in other brands IMO.

Thanks for the info, I found a great looking 12 string at Guitar Center but I am not interested in a 12 string. I did play around with it and even with 11 strings, all of which needed changing it sounded way better and played way easier that the Sigma that was hanging next to it.

Naoslager, I did see the ones on Craigslist recently, that is what made me think of them again. I have to sell some guitars to build up a fund in case one comes up again.

I've been keeping my eyes open for a Vintage FY myself...  Good luck! They're few and far between here...  We need a trustworthy member from Japan that can get his hands on all the great homeland models and not just the US imported ones and who could ship them to us