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Great Acoustics: John Denver’s Luxurious 1978 Yamaha L-53

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Great Acoustics: John Denver’s Luxurious 1978 Yamaha L-53


This lavishly appointed Yamaha L-53 was custom-made for John Denver in 1977. Having previously played several stock Yamaha guitars, Denver ordered a matching pair of six- and 12-string instruments during a tour of Japan, and they were delivered sometime in 1978. During this period, Yamaha’s L-Series (“L” stood for “luxury”) was the company’s high-end line of guitars, available only as special orders. 

A close-up of the ornate back of John Denver's Yamaha L-53 acoustic guitar.

Crafting a set of guitars for one of the era’s biggest stars was certainly a coup for Yamaha. Built by a small team of craftsmen in the company’s custom shop, the guitar was designed by Terrumi Nakamoto, who was also in charge of building instruments for Paul Simon and John Lennon. According to Yamaha historian Mark Kasulen, the instrument features a top made from rare ezo spruce (a species found only on the Japanese island of Hokkaido). The guitar’s back and sides are made of extraordinarily dark Brazilian rosewood, its fingerboard and bridge are ebony, and the instrument’s elaborate five-piece neck alternates strips of mahogany and ebony. 

The guitar’s abalone purfling, multi-ring rosette, and large block-style fingerboard inlay are by no means subtle, and the back and headstock are truly breathtaking. Featuring Yamaha’s distinctive V-shape, the headstock is covered almost entirely in abalone. The back’s three-piece design is beautifully executed; a darker piece of rosewood was used for the center panel and abalone strips match the body’s purfling. 

Denver used his Yamaha L-53 for this 1979 performance of “Garden Song” on The Muppet Show.

Denver used the L-53 extensively in concert and on TV (it’s featured on the cover of the popular album Denver made with the Muppets, A Christmas Together), retiring it in the early 1980s after it developed some cracks. According to Fine Guitar Consultants’ Richard Glick (who recently inspected and appraised the instrument), Denver returned the guitar to Yamaha for repair or exchange, and it is unknown how it changed owners from that point on.


This article was first published in the November 2003 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.

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Teja GerkenTeja Gerken
Teja Gerken

Teja Gerken is a fingerstyle guitarist and was Gear Editor for Acoustic Guitar from 1998 through 2013.



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Denver, CO

Dale Kistler Obituary | The Denver Post

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Dale Kistler Obituary |  The Denver Post


Copyright 2026 The Denver Post. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.



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Where to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Playoffs: TV channel, start time, streaming for April 18

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Where to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Playoffs: TV channel, start time, streaming for April 18


The 2026 NBA postseason is finally here after a thrilling Play-In Tournament saw the Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers officially earn their spot in the playoffs

The postseason action continues on Saturday as the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the first round. We’ve got you covered on everything you need to know to tune in for tip off.

Want to see the full National Basketball Association schedule for April 18 and how to watch all the games? Check out our sortable NBA schedule to filter by team or division.

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What time is Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Game 1?

Tip off between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 18.

How to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets on Saturday

All times Eastern and accurate as of Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 11:45 a.m.

Watch the NBA Playoffs on Fubo

NBA scores and results

See scores, results for all of today’s games. .

See NBA scores, results from April 17

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Odds for NBA games today

The latest NBA odds can be found below from the best sports betting apps . Some odds may include games scheduled on future dates.



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Timothy Weil Obituary | The Denver Post

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Timothy Weil Obituary |  The Denver Post



Timothy Weil


OBITUARY

Timothy Robert Weil 1952-2026 Tim Weil was born in Los Angeles, California.

In his early life he held many jobs, but he often commented that among his most memorable and rewarding roles was using his Spanish fluency to teach elementary school students in East LA. It instilled in him the importance of social justice which he in turn emphasized to his children.

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On April Fool’s Day, 1981, he and “NC” (Nancy) married, a partnership that launched a unique and fulfilling life. Theirs was a union of sly, poetic witticism; they collaborated in writing jokes, songs, stories, and mythologies for over four decades. They maintained a high level commitment to wordplay and the celebration of silliness for most of their marriage. Tim and Nancy lived together in Boulder, CO, Chico, CA, Alexandria, VA, and Takoma Park, MD, before finally landing back in Denver as empty-nesters.

Tim found community in many places: Taking on a role as Assistant Scoutmaster with Page and Louis’ Boy Scout troop in Takoma Park; crafting an award-winning beer with his homebrewing group; staying in the game of baseball in the Ponce de Leon (over 50) league; playing bluegrass and folk music with other enthusiasts; performing stories with creatives at Denver venues; and joining Jewish congregations Temple Shalom in Maryland, and Temple Micah in Denver.

Tim’s creativity and playfulness were among his most defining features. Nothing was brighter than the gleam in his eye when he prepared to tell a joke, with a setup spanning about ten minutes of vivid details, often ending in a personalized, spectacularly delivered pun of his own design. To label those jokes mere “groaners” would be a disservice to his masterful storytelling. A piece he submitted to Rolling Stone about his jocular parasocial relationship with actor Lou Ferrigno received a personal rejection letter, noted as “very interesting” by the editor.

His professional work in the field of network security computing provided an outlet for his intellect as well as many professional and personal relationships throughout a career that spanned over 30 years. His writing was published in IEEE magazine and other tech journals.

Throughout his life he engaged deeply with visual art, literature, film, and music. He traveled far and wide, including to Jerusalem, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Vancouver, Seoul, Paris, Ipswich, London, and Edinburgh.

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His recent struggle with severe depression was devastating for him and those close to him. It robbed him of his light and kept him in isolation from which sadly he was unable to escape. He will be remembered as the person who, despite the pain he carried, led an incredibly full life and touched the hearts of countless people with his witty humor and warmth.

He is survived by Nancy, his wife of 45 years, sons Page and Louis, daughter-in-law Jessica, grandsons Felix and Calvin, and cats Shackleton and Whiskey, along with many family and friends coast to coast.

A celebration of his life will be held in Denver at 1pm on Sunday, May 17th at Temple Micah, 1980 Dahlia Street. Bring your fondest memories of Tim. Please, no gifts or flowers. If you would like to make a donation in his memory, please consider American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org/.



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