NGD Yairi Alvarez FYM66HD Masterworks OM

[RGWelch]

Yesterday I picked up this beauty, a new Yairi Alvarez FYM66HD Honduran Mahogany Series OM. The Alvarez catalog lists this as a limited edition guitar. I don't know what that means, but guess they won't make a lot of these. I think it's in reference to the wood used, as they only have a limited supply of this aged lot.

I've been eyeing this one at the local music store for awhile, and finally managed to work out a deal with the store owner on it. I'm very impressed with it, fit and finish is exceptional, better than a Martin CEO-7 which I had just been looking at earlier in the day at another store. That Martin is similarly priced with some similar specs, though very different style of course. I guess it is fair to compare them, and I would say the Yairi is just a little more polished. That Martin is a "vintage" styled guitar, so it's not fair to compare them in terms of style, but I still think the Martin felt kind of rough in some of the workmanship. The edges of everything weren't as detailed as the Yairi. In terms of playability and sound, probably very comparable between these two, though I didn't get to play them side by side, just from one store to the next.

In comparing the Yairi to the guitars I have, I mainly have dreadnaughts to compare it to, so it's not a very fair apples to apples comparison. The dreadnaughts are a 70's Gibson J-45, '03 Martin D-15 and an Alvarez AD610. All of these are spruce top and mahogany back/sides (the Alvarez AD610 is solid top only). The Yairi, being all mahogany, is a darker sound, but very rich. It has a full range, with good low end, though of course doesn't have the boom of the dreadnaughts. I got it as more of a picker, and the only other guitar that sounds as good for picking that I have is the Martin. The spruce on the Martin gives it a different sound picking, maybe lighter and has a cracking ring to it. The Yairi projects more on the high end though, or at least as much, even though it's a warmer tone. It's more bell like maybe. It's hard to put into words. I like both a lot for picking. I imagine the Martin would cut more when playing with other instruments, but as a solo playing guitar, the Yairi shines, which is what I got it for.

With strumming, the Yairi has a lot of depth and richness. Again, most similar to the Martin, just as much low end really, though not as boomy. More low end than the Gibson, actually, and more articulation between the notes. The Gibson has a much different sound, I don't think I've got the best example of a J-45 being it's a '70s era model, but it's a nice alternate and is a good one for singing accompaniment. For straight strumming, its' a toss up between the Yairi and Martin. Again, the Yairi probably sounds better on it's own, though I'd guess the Martin would do better if I was playing along with other instruments. Compared to the Alvarez, it's not a good match, with the Alvarez not being an all solid guitar just doesn't have the depth. It sounds fine for what it is, and I keep it because of all these guitars it's the only one with built in electronics. I've also got a Gregg Bennett OM guitar, but that's also not all solid, and isn't nearly as rich. It has cedar top and rosewood sides/back, so quite different, as well as having electronics, so it's for different purposes all together. It's nice for what it is, but not in the same league for richness and fullness of sound.

Anyway, this is my stable, and it's probably set now for a very long time...that according to my wife, with whom I can't disagree and am satisfied in not doing so.

BTW, in the photos you'll see a lot of reflections, it's a very shiny, glossy finish. It looks beautiful in person, and is very clean, that's not smudges on the finish. I like the reserved detailing on the guitar, it emphasizes the rich beauty of the wood, IMO.

[Klimski]

One word: wow!!!

[RGWelch]

Originally Posted by Klimski

One word: wow!!!

I see in your signature you used to have a Yairi, what body style was the NY?

[Steadfastly]

You are correct about the limited edition. Once this 50 year old pile of wood is gone, it is gone.

It is a Yairi Masterworks so no wonder you describe it in such glowing terms. Here are the specs in case anyone is interested.

OVERVIEW
Crafted from seasoned Honduran mahogany (at least 40 years) for a lightweight instrument with an open, warm voice.

This Yairi FYM66HD Masterworks OM Honduran Mahogany acoustic is a stunning little guitar made from old-growth Honduran mahogany which has been naturally seasoning for 50 years in the perfect climate of Kani, Japan. The Yairi FYM66HD Masterworks OM Honduran Mahogany is rich and warm sounding with wonderful strong mids and round, bell like trebles.

The guitar itself is very light in weight due to the quality of the wood and thin finish; you feel it resonating as it instantly responds to your requests. Its projection is open and its volume for an OM body size is loud. Being a Yairi its intonation is incredible and the all-around spec of the guitar is of the highest level with the amazing Gotoh 510 tuners and ebony bridge, fingerboard and headstock veneer.

How They Came To Be
This magical line of Yairi Masterworks guitars came about, almost by accident, as Alvarez-Yairi designers were detailing the specs of a guitar for a wonderful player named Jack Pearson. It was thought that Adirondack spruce paired with Honduran mahogany would be the best combination needed for Jack’s tonal requests.

Mr. Yairi amassed an incredible amount of tonewood throughout his life and although most is in or around the factory, some was stored on a piece of land he owned some miles away. The Alvarez team would go and see the wood on every trip to Kani, it became a ritual after lunch, but because most of the supply had darkened due to the elements making them unsure what all of it was. Looking back now, Mr. Yairi may have been thinking, "One day they will realize what is in here."

Well that day came. Suspecting that Mr. Yairi had a supply of Honduran mahogany on his piece of land they travelled there again, and what they found in terms of tonewood was pure gold; perfectly conditioned billets of old growth Honduran mahogany that had been naturally seasoning for around 50 years…unbelievable.

Had Alvarez's team not discussed Honduran mahogany for Jack’s guitar they may have never discovered such a treasure. This series celebrates this amazing wood, arguably the best tonewood of all, and it also celebrates Mr. Yairi’s lifelong (and beyond) commitment to his art.

Honduran Series are some of the best guitars Alvarez-Yairi have ever made and offer incredible value for such highly specified, inspiring handmade instruments.

Honduran Series are some of the best guitars Alvarez-Yairi have ever made and offer incredible value for such highly specified, inspiring handmade instruments.

FEATURES
One-piece mahogany neck
Dovetail neck joint: Dovetail
Direct coupled ebony bridge
Paua abalone and mother-of-pearl inlays
Ivoroid binding
Ebony bridge pins
D’Addario EXP16 strings
Looking for something special? You found it. Now order yours.

SPECIFICATIONS
Body
Body type: OM
Cutaway: No
Top wood: Solid Honduran mahogany
Back and sides: Solid Honduran mahogany
Bracing pattern: Hand-carved FST2, scalloped forward shifted X with assymetrical tone bars
Body finish: Gloss Natural
Orientation: Right handed
Neck
Neck shape: Not specified
Nut width: 1.73" (44 mm)
Fingerboard: Ebony
Neck wood: Mahogany
Scale length: 25"
Number of frets: 20
Neck finish: Gloss Natural
Electronics
Pickup/preamp: No
Brand: Not applicable
Configuration: Not applicable
Preamp EQ: Not applicable
Feedback filter: Not applicable
Tuner: Not applicable
Other
Headstock overlay: Ebony
Tuning machines: Gotoh 510s, gold with ebony buttons
Bridge: Ebony
Saddle and nut: Real bone
Number of strings: 6
Special features:
Case: Hardshell case
Accessories: None
Country of origin: Japan

[Triumph1050]

Thats one beautiful guitar... love Yairis

[RGWelch]

One of the things you can't see in the photos is it has a clear pick guard. It's a nice, if minor, touch in the design, to help keep the aesthetics of the wood foremost. It's part of what I'm referring to with the degree detail and finish on this guitar. Looking closely at this guitar, you feel like they put every effort into crafting it as well as they could, it has the feel of a top of the line model, which I believe it currently is for Yairi. I suspect for the degree of detail put in this guitar, you'd spend quite a bit more in most any other high end brand.

[zmf]

Interesting guitar. Interesting story. Nice to see something off the beaten path in a NGD. Enjoy.

[RGWelch]

Originally Posted by zmf

Interesting guitar. Interesting story. Nice to see something off the beaten path in a NGD. Enjoy.

Interesting enough, what got me interested in this guitar was a thread here on AGF on the low resale value of Yairis. I remember the name Yairi from when I first started playing guitar, I knew of their nylon string classical guitars. For a short period, I was trying to play some classical and I remember they were mentioned as a good quality, not over priced model.

Fast forward 40 years and the discussion of Yairi being somewhat overlooked but highly regarded comes up in this forum. A few days later, at my local music store I go in and hanging up in the prize guitar area is this Alvarez Yairi, along with a dreadnaught version with spruce top. They were the two top end guitars he had in the store, and I happened to have just been reading about the quality and relative obscurity of the model. The store owner told me the story of the aged wood being horded away on a lot away from the factory, to be discovered after Mr. Yairi's death via a cryptic note he left. I wasn't sure about the story, but on playing the guitar I could immediately tell there was something special about it. I think I knew right away that was the guitar I wanted, and would be happy having.

It took me over a month of looking around, thinking about it, and finding the funds to make it happen. It was more than I ever planned to spend on the guitar I was wanting, an OO/OM picker. I looked at a Martin oo-15m, which I liked very much, and would match my D-15. But the neck is 1.69, I knew I wanted wider for this guitar. Eastman was another I looked at, a very nice parlour guitar caught my eye, about the same price as the Martin, which would have worked budget wise better than the Yairi. But I knew the Yairi would always be the guitar I wished I'd gotten, so I said to heck with it and got it. I know it's not as well known, but I don't think I'll ever want to sell it. It's easily the best guitar I've ever owned, and likely will ever own. No regrets.

[PiousDevil]

I said this in another thread, but I am extremely covetous of your guitar. I have the DYM60HD from the Yairi Honduran series, and it is phenomenal. If I didnt already have a Martin 000-15sm covering the all mahogany (which I love and could never get rid of) I would probably have that model too.

[RGWelch]

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

I said this in another thread, but I am extremely covetous of your guitar. I have the DYM60HD from the Yairi Honduran series, and it is phenomenal. If I didnt already have a Martin 000-15sm covering the all mahogany (which I love and could never get rid of) I would probably have that model too.

They had your guitar with mine in the store, and I played them both. The DY had a little more high end snap to it for sure, due to the spruce top. They are both really equal, just different. I already have dreads, but that one would be a contender to replace any of them without a doubt.

My guitar is featured on the cover of the Alvarez 2018 catalog, I just realized!

One other piece to the story I didn't tell. When I went to make an offer for my guitar, I had to wait for the owner to come back, he had gone out of town for a bit. He's a real personable fellow and I've bought from him before, he likes cash so I knew I could make a cash offer. Anyway, when he got back, he told me he had just got back from visiting another store owner about half an hour away who was closing down his store after 40 years. I could tell he was sad about it, and also told me that was the 4th small music store in the area that had closed down within the last month! It was rather stark news to hear, two stores were less than an hour away and the two others were maybe a few hours drive away. If this is a trend, we could be seeing the days of going down to your local store to see different guitars all at once ending. But that is a topic for another thread I guess.

[Jim Owen]

That’s a beautiful guitar, RG.

[RGWelch]

Originally Posted by Jim Owen

That’s a beautiful guitar, RG.

Thank you for appreciating it.

And thanks to my wife for appreciating it! A funny story with her. A little over 20 years ago, she sold an Alvarez, either a Yairi or a Masterworks, she's not sure which but thinks it was a Yairi. She said it's the one guitar she really regrets not keeping, bought it for $800 and sold it for $1,000 to fund her daughter's "tropical Hawaii" themed 8 year old birthday party. She got tarps for the back yard and a bunch of sand. It was on the date that the Shoemaker asteroid hit Jupiter, so they had a pinata in the shape of Jupiter with a big explosion on it. I asked my wife if she thought her daughter, who's in her 30's now, remembers the birthday party, she's not sure. I'll ask her next time I see her.

Anyway, in a funny way, that party probably led to me being able to get this guitar. When I told my wife what it cost, she gulped, but didn't give me very much grief (it helped that I first told her I got it for $500 off, before telling her what I paid). When I first mentioned the Yairi I'd seen in the store, she reminisced over the one she lost. When I brought this one home, she really appreciated it. I suspect if I'd brought just about any other guitar home at that price, she would have not had such an open minded attitude towards it. So I knew, if it wasn't this guitar, I'd probably have had to lower my sights a bit and maybe settle for the Eastman or something in that range.

[jefflaher]

I am a huge fan of Yairi guitars. I currently own the DY91, JYM86 and FYM95 all of which are excellent sounding guitars. I just purchased my first Martin guitar, a J40 and am considering selling my Yairi JYM86. It is a jumbo body solid flamed maple back and sides with a spruce top and has a Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking pickup. I will list the guitar in a few days but wanted to see if anyone might be interested.

[RGWelch]

Originally Posted by jefflaher

I am a huge fan of Yairi guitars. I currently own the DY91, JYM86 and FYM95 all of which are excellent sounding guitars. I just purchased my first Martin guitar, a J40 and am considering selling my Yairi JYM86. It is a jumbo body solid flamed maple back and sides with a spruce top and has a Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking pickup. I will list the guitar in a few days but wanted to see if anyone might be interested.

I would love to see any photos you have of your Yairis.

[PiousDevil]

If we are sharing Yairi photos, DYMR70SB, DYM60HD, DYM80e

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