Vintage Japanese classical

domforr

Further to my search for a good classical guitar, can anyone give any info on vintage Japanese guitars - best makes/makers, years, anything else to look out for? Would a Japanese guitar be better value than a Spanish guitar? 

From what I can see on eBay there are many from makers such as Matsuoka, but whether they are decent or not is another matter. I know I need to play in order to really know if the guitar is decent, but are there things to look out for to narrow the search a bit? I would prefer something in solid woods, but it seems some of the laminate back and sides guitars are actually very decent.

I like the idea of an older guitar with some character, but just trying to gather as much info as possible at the moment.