The following report comes to BW&BK; courtesy of The Metal Den:

Taku Sakashta, world famous designer and maker of hand-crafted guitars has been found slain. The body was found outside Sakashta Guitars at 643 Martine Ave in Rohnert Park, California on early Friday morning.

Taku Sakashta co-founded Fernandes Guitars USA Division, a premiere Japan guitar maker in 1992 – before launching out on his own designs at Sakashta guitars in 1995.

Fernandes Guitars began in Japan in 1969 building Flamenco guitars. As the company flourished, it expanded production to include more acoustic guitars, electric guitars, basses, amplifiers and accessories to become the biggest guitar manufacturer in Japan.

In 1992, following the history of success in Asia, Fernandes Guitars USA opened its doors in Los Angeles, California and quickly established a presence in the American guitar market by offering quality instruments at affordable prices.

By 1996 the Fernandes USA Custom Shop expanded the scope with further development in guitar craftsmanship. With models like the Ravelle and Nomad, and with the Sustainer System technology, their Research and Development Department strived to find new ways to define the way the world plays guitar. Catering to everyone from the first-time buyer to the seasoned pro, Fernandes offers many options to meet their needs. An invaluable understanding of the guitar player fuels our strong commitment to the consumer and the quality they demand. It is this approach that helped to establish Fernandes Guitars as the leading guitar manufacturer in Japan and to become a competitive manufacturer in the American Market.

Police said a Rohnert Park man was found slain outside a guitar business in an industrial park area of the city early Friday morning. Lt. Jeff Taylor said the man’s name is not officially being released until the family positively identifies his body. The body was found outside Sakashta Guitars at 643 Martine Ave. Calls to the business were not returned this afternoon. Taylor said the wife of the business owner told police her husband did not return home Thursday night. She found the business "in a suspicious state" when she went there and called police around 3:50 a.m., he said.Police arrived within two minutes and confirmed a crime had occurred at the business, but Taylor would not disclose the nature of the crime. Police then searched the area and found the homicide victim’s body outside the shop. "The dead man is most likely the owner of the business," Taylor said. Sakashta Guitars’ website says Taku Sakashta is the designer and maker of the hand-crafted guitars.

Go to this location for information on Sakashta. Updates to follow.