Teach me about all the Alvarez Parlour, Delta and Blues options?

[jimi junior]

Hello,

I'm looking for a low-cost, small guitar which can serve as a 'campfire' guitar and something small enough to take camping.

I've heard good things about Alvarez, and I like the fact their small guitars have 1 3/4 nuts. And they come up used regularly.

But there's lots of options, some of which are not on Alvarez' website (discontinued?), so I'm getting confused...

Question 1. Can someone tell me if I've got all the options right?

- 66 SHB

Solid Mahogany top on solid ('MPA' masterworks) or laminate ('AP' artist) B&S. Available with and without a pickup.

This is their regular parlour guitar (not part of the blues line), and therefore has their split-level bridge. It's also short scale (610mm / 24"), and 12th fret join. Therefore the smallest guitar they offer (except the 'mini') at just 98.5cm long.

- Delta 00 TSB

Solid spruce on solid ('DLX' model) or laminate mahogany B&S. Slightly longer scale length (630mm, or 24 13/16"), and a 14 fret join, making the guitar a bit longer overall at 111.0cm

- Blues 51

Similar to the Delta but 12 fret join, and an 'arched' back made from laminate black walnut?

- Delta DeLite Mini

With or without pickup, this is a true 'mini' / travel guitar. 600mm scale (though some sources say 580mm!), and a very small body. Can't find overall lengths of the guitar though. 14 fret join.


Q2. from what I can tell, the 66 SHB parlour (masterworks and artists) and Delta 00 are both readily available. However the DLX delta, and the 12-fret Blues51, and the Delite mini, are either discontinued. Is this right?

Q3. Which one would you recommend? I already own an Eastman E10 00SS, which is spruce on mahogany, 14-fret, and 630 scale - i.e. pretty much identical to the Alvarez Delta 00.

I'm therefore leaning towards the 66 SHB for something a little different (12 fret join, shorter scale, and all mahogany, none of which I have in my collection). Though the Delite Mini is also quite appealing for the portability.

All thoughts, welcome, thank you!

[lkjjr]

Last month I bought an Alvarez AP66ESHB as the answer to my search for a low cost “couch” guitar. I chose this for several reasons (including cost). I wanted short scale (24”), 12 fret neck (“my kind” of tone), 1 ¾” nut, and have always heard about Alvarez’s reputation for quality/value in this price range. So what I’ve found after a few weeks is…

On the down side, even though the nut is listed in mfg. specs and on line descriptions as 1 ¾” it is actually 1 11/16” (more on this in a moment). Only negative I encountered.

The build quality for this price range is exceptional- clean, solid yet lightweight, excellent and attractive finish. The parlor (actually 00) size is quite comfortable and surprising in both volume and tone with bass response that is greater than what I had anticipated from it’s size. Though I finger pick about 95% of the time, it plays really well with a pick too. The tuners are serviceable, but I’ve already gotten some Grover Sta-tite tuners from a buddy to swap out the next time I change strings. The fret board has a nice, though minimal, roll to the edges and the fret work is nicely finished. The onboard pickup is LR Baggs StagePro EQ and Element and, while not “exceptional”, it’s still perfectly fine for my limited needs.

It did require minimal set-up, but for about $45 my local tech had it playing like butter, with great intonation up and down the neck. I put on some round core strings (Newtone Heritage) to bump us the comfort factor, and the tone is warm, rich and clear. Even though I’m lucky enough to have a couple of great long scale acoustics (see my signature), this couch guitar has found a nice “home” among the others. It’s my only all “hog” and the great tone in this body size made the slightly narrower than desired nut width a non-factor to keeping, playing and enjoying this guitar. Zero buyer’s remorse.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions about this model.

BTW, here’s a link to a “quick” sound demo…
https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=14252607

[lkjjr]

[jaymarsch]

I have owned and played both the AP66SB and the MAP66SHB. I sold the AP66SB but only because I was paring down my collection. I also swapped out the tuners for Grover Sta-Tites and that slightly improved the tuning stability but the tuners it came with were certainly serviceable. I love these little Alvarez guitars. They are fun to play and sound great. The Alvarez parlors are almost like 00 in size so no boxy sound and the 24" scale length with the neck shape - not too thin, not too thick - make them a dream to play.

Best,
Jayne

[dhalbert]

I have an AP70 I bought in 2013 as a "restock" from Musician's Friend: it was really a factory second. In order to get the action down, I had to sand the bridge a bit to achieve a good break angle, and there is not much saddle sticking out on the high e side. This is perhaps why it was a second. Fortunately the unusual bridge design made this easy.

Mine has a true 1-3/4" nut: the string spacing at the nut is 1.5" E to e.

The bridge string spacing is 2-1/8", which is a little tight but not terrible.

I replaced the tuners because they were binding. I found out two things when replacing them: 1. There was finish in the holes which maybe was contributing to the binding. 2. One set of holes on one side were not quite perpendicular, also contributing to binding.

It sounds very good, not boxy, as many have said. The neck is a wee bit chunky, but I have gotten used to it. I quite like the 24" scale.

This was my main guitar until quite recently.

All the AP70 and MPA70 models seem to have been discontinued. There was an AP70W model for a while (walnut), but that also is no longer listed.

[JERZEY]

I have owned 2 delta models. They are nothing special what so ever. My Martin JR Dread plays and sounds better. Projects better too. Best travel option with a 1 3/4 inch nut imo

[emtsteve]

I owned the AP66 version a while back and really like it. Great little guitar that was fun to play and well put together. If you pick one up used it's a lot of tone per dollar for sure.

[jimi junior]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, much appreciated.

I think the delta 00 is not the best option for me given it will (presumably) be a slightly inferior version of my Eastman.

But the AP66 would scratch my itch for a hog, short scale, 12-fret guitar.

However I'm wondering if it's really small enough to serve the intended purpose of a travel guitar.

Has anyone had any experience with the Delite mini?

Thanks

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by jimi junior

Thanks for all the replies everyone, much appreciated.

I think the delta 00 is not the best option for me given it will (presumably) be a slightly inferior version of my Eastman.

But the AP66 would scratch my itch for a hog, short scale, 12-fret guitar.

However I'm wondering if it's really small enough to serve the intended purpose of a travel guitar.

Has anyone had any experience with the Delite mini?

Thanks

I travel with my Alvarez parlor (before Covid) and love that it is easy to travel with and sounds so good. Re flying: if it is a particularly crowded flight you might have to gate check it. I have a hard shell case for that circumstance. Good luck with your decision.

Best,
Jayne

[pablojones]

What is the guitar on the left?? I'm looking for one like it!

Originally Posted by lkjjr

[lkjjr]

That’s a 1972 Martin D35S. I put the picture up to give some visual reference to the size of the Alvarez parlor compared to a dreadnought. Don’t believe they are producing the “S” model dreads now, except via custom shop. Collings has their “DS” series ( https://www.collingsguitars.com/ds-series/ ) if you’re interested in “high end” and Larrivee has their SD-60 Traditional Series ( https://www.larrivee.com/products/sd...itional-series ) for an excellent guitar at a more “modest” price. A handful of other builders make 12 fret dreads these days too.

12 fret dreads have seen a bit of resurgence in interest in the last few years. One of our forum members, Silly Moustache, has an excellent video on them you may want to check out ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfpMciG92oY ). If you’re more interested in this D35S I’ve got a video that goes into detail and includes a few sound clips too ( https://youtu.be/4TciM8ERjaE )

Happy hunting...

[davidbeinct]

There’s also the Artist Series AMP660. Solid mahogany top, laminated mahogany back and sides. It’s fourteen frets to the body solid headstock. Otherwise very similar to the 66 series guitars. GC has a used one right now.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Al...BoChdIQAvD_BwE

[Heliumhat]

I also recently bought an AP66ESHB (largely based on posts in this forum). I replaced the tuners with Grovers and bought a new saddle and sanded it down. I put Martin Retro 12s on it.

For reference, my other acoustics are Martins: D-28, 000-15M, and SC-13E.

I had a GS-Mini that I traded in last year, because I though the sound was too boxy. This is my new small guitar and sounds fantastic. Looks amazing too with the beautiful finish on the top and the slotted headstock.

Of all my guitars, I think this is the one with the most value for the price. It's now my "leave out all the time" guitar, and probably the one I'll travel with.