Newbie back for more help. Alvarez af 66shb vs AF30

[jschmitz54]

In my previous post I was convinced to go from a dread to a smaller body guitar. I’m thinking an Alvarez is the manufacturer I’m mostly considering. I’m 63 years old, don’t play guitar and this will be my first, lesson to follow.
Can anyone tell me what differences I’d expect to find between an AF30 and an AF66SHB? The 66 has a mahogany top whereas the 30 has Sitka spruce. Am I correct that the main difference is the sound or are there other considerations. There’s about a $60. price difference.
Thanks for your help.

[Steadfastly]

The AF66 is a better quality guitar. The AF30 is an entry level model.

[Gmountain]

I think the AF66 will sound a bit mellower and sweeter.

[AZLiberty]

I would recommend:

AF60SHB with the AF66SHB my 2nd choice

I believe the 60 has a Sitka top and the 66 a mahogany top.
The Sitka will be more responsive, mahogany more mellow.

[jschmitz54]

Thanks GMountain. Does mellower and sweeter lend its sound to certain types of music better than others.

[Floridapicker]

Originally Posted by jschmitz54

Thanks GMountain. Does mellower and sweeter lend its sound to certain types of music better than others.

Yes. If you want say a CSNY type tone it's a "bassier" "earthier" tone than say what Dave Mathews get's. It's all in the strings, tone woods, bracing, manufacturer and of course your own hands. This believe me is highly subjective. What kind of music are you trying to play?

FP

[jschmitz54]

I’m not sure where my musical tastes will lead me but my initial thoughts would be pop and maybe a little country.

[geelinus]

I very briefly owned an AF66ASB but -- despite my love for all mahogany guitars -- found it a wee-bit too bright for my tastes. Lots of posts around here have extolled that model, so your mileage may well vary.

Cosmetically, there's no contest: The 66 looks really cool while the 30 is a plain jane without the gloss or burst finish.

In terms of playability, I doubt there's any difference. You should find both pretty easy to play, right out of the box.

Good luck. Both are sound choices.

[JakeStone]

My .02 cents.. Go for the Spruce Top model. Better "All Arounder" and will give you a larger tonal palette.

What about the AF60 ? Which is a little higher grade than the 30 model.

[JackB1]

This one:
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Alvarez...tric-Guitar.gc

It's on sale for $100 off and its a great all arounder in a smaller size.
Spruce top is a safer bet than Mahogany and the Mahogany back and sides
will warm the spruce up a tad.

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by JackB1

This one:
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Alvarez...tric-Guitar.gc

It's on sale for $100 off and its a great all arounder in a smaller size.
Spruce top is a safer bet than Mahogany and the Mahogany back and sides
will warm the spruce up a tad.

That is a very good choice for the OP.

[jschmitz54]

Originally Posted by JackB1

This one:
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Alvarez...tric-Guitar.gc

It's on sale for $100 off and its a great all arounder in a smaller size.
Spruce top is a safer bet than Mahogany and the Mahogany back and sides
will warm the spruce up a tad.

Hi JackB1,
This looks like a good deal. I can find no info on measurements and it doesn’t seem to exist on Alvarez’s website. Is it a discontinued model or perhaps new and hasn’t been listed? I called Alvarez and got only voice mail, left a message. Any suggestions on where to find information?

[L20A]

Guitar Center has guitars made directly for them. These guitars will not show up on the manufactures site.
You will need to contact GC for specs.

I had to do this with a custom GC made Washburn that I got several months ago.

PS,
It looks like a nice guitar at a great price.

[jschmitz54]

First I’d like to thank all of you for your generous help. It somewhat confusing trying to select a first guitar with no experience or knowledge of them.
I did purchase the Alvarez AG610CESHB.
What I found is this guitar is made exclusively for Guitar Center. It is the same guitar as the Alvarez AG60CE except it has the shadow burst finish and the electronics are not the same. I assume they are somewhat inferior but I was not interested in electronics to begin with. The best price I could find on the AG60CE was $440. and I was able to purchase the AG610CESHB for $299. Seems like a good deal, I moved up a couple model notches and stayed within my budget. Again, thank you all for your help.

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by jschmitz54

First I’d like to thank all of you for your generous help. It somewhat confusing trying to select a first guitar with no experience or knowledge of them.
I did purchase the Alvarez AG610CESHB.
What I found is this guitar is made exclusively for Guitar Center. It is the same guitar as the Alvarez AG60CE except it has the shadow burst finish and the electronics are not the same. I assume they are somewhat inferior but I was not interested in electronics to begin with. The best price I could find on the AG60CE was $440. and I was able to purchase the AG610CESHB for $299. Seems like a good deal, I moved up a couple model notches and stayed within my budget. Again, thank you all for your help.

You just got yourself a very good first guitar. Enjoy and try to practice at leas 1/2 hour a day, 1 hour if possible and you'll see improvement quite quickly.