Thoughts on Alvarez?

[GoPappy]

Originally Posted by edcmat-l1

. . . They're all very high quality instruments. It seems a shame to follow that with "for the money".

I don't think you have to qualify that first sentence with anything. They a high quality instruments that stand on their own and can compete head-to-head with a lot of guitars that cost several times as much.

[musicman1951]

I have an Alvarez 12 string. It was a gift from my ex-sister-in-law. It was her husband's guitar and when he passed she gave it to me.

I haven't played much 12 string the past few years, but I take this guitar out after sitting for months and it's nearly in tune. The action is excellent and it's a very comfortable guitar to play. I have absolutely no complaints.

[edcmat-l1]

Originally Posted by Brent Hutto

Can someone clue me in about the bridge y'all are talking about? What is it and how does it work?

It's the shape a lot of people are put off by.

[Brent Hutto]

Originally Posted by edcmat-l1

It's the shape a lot of people are put off by.

I think I might have seen similar shapes on a Gibson or something but in that picture I see how the part with bridge pins is a lot lower than the part at the saddle. Even if the saddle were lower, break angle to spare!

[llew]

The fact that you can't find many of their guitars in stock anywhere is a testament to their craftsmanship IMO. The MD60BG/MD70BG and the newer 12 fret dread model are constantly out of stock as are the Yairi 40+ year old Honduran mahogany models.

[older guy]

I recently aquired this off Reverb having previously been impressed with my Alvarez Delta00. I tried both a Gibson L00 studio and the Alvarez and decided the Gibson wasn't worth another grand!
As for the The Artist Elite, it is a superb instrument. I didn't have a cedar topped guitar and I love its warm tone. It punches way above its price.

[leew3]

I played an early 80s A-Yairi DY-74 for decades. It was a solid great sounding guitar that survived countless bar gigs in some rough situations. The Barcus Berry hot dots I had put in it when it was new were still going strong when I sold it in 2013. They're a solid brand with a full range of quality options and lots of fans, as evidenced by this thread.

[Photojeep]

Admittedly, I haven't read through all of the posts of this thread but I have a couple owned Alvarez guitars and found they were great guitars!

I wish I could remember their model numbers but I do remember they were solid tops with laminated b/s but couldn't tell you what woods were laminated.

Despite loving their sound and feel I sold them as I was downsizing prior to retirement. After buying my first Gibson, I decided I'd rather have fewer all solid wood guitars so I traded them in for my first Martin.

If I were to do it again, I'd probably keep an Alvarez. They're that good.

Best,
PJ