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#1
01-11-2024, 04:12 PM
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Alvarez MD70BG "Oddities"?
Hi All. I recently bought myself a used Alvarez masterworks MD70BG, which I found locally for a great bargain. Or, well, I thought it was a bargain. The more closely I look at the guitar the more weird things I'm noticing, and I wanted to get some opinions.
First off, the action was very high when I bought it. No problem - the nut slots were high so I lowered them. Getting the action down to 4/64" high e and 5/64" low E, I found a bunch of frets which are high and buzzy only on the two E strings. What it looks like, is that a few of the frets were not properly radiused to the fretboard, and so the ends are lifting. I can push them back in, but they don't stay. Next weird thing, the bridge appears to have a small gap at the back end, I can see it and slip a piece of paper under. The bridge does NOT appear to be leaning forward at all though, so I think this is kind of weird. Is it by design? Maybe the bridge has a "shelf" on the back? The last image here shows where I can get the paper underneath (red lines). Next thing, I didn't get a picture but guitar the appears to have TWO soundhole labels, one stuck on top of the other. They're just barely not lined up, so I can see the bottom one in one corner. Can't read the bottom one through the top one though. And lastly, even though this is NOT the electric model, there is a random wire clip inside, near the waist on the upper side of the body. Link to pics: https://imgur.com/a/ypeFInq (Can't get them to embed for some reason) So I think my question is, are these things i'm seeing typical for these guitars? And are they worth fixing? Still haven't decided if I want to do some fixes or reach out to the seller (no guarantee he'll reply). It does seem like a VERY nice guitar otherwise. And fyi about my experience level, I've done about 10 refrets, and also a handful of full scratch builds of electric guitars and basses. Have not built anything acoustic yet aside from a Stewmac ukulele kit. I'd feel confident fixing the frets (either a dress or refret). Pulling off and regluing the bridge would be more of a new thing for me so I'll have to think about if I'm brave enough to try it. 
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#2
01-11-2024, 09:34 PM
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Did you buy it in person? From an individual or store? It seems like the bride is lifting for sure and obviously the frets are an issue. Could have gotten too dry and caused both. If in person and an individual you are kind of stuck but should get the bridge looked at.
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#3
01-11-2024, 09:42 PM
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#4
01-12-2024, 02:53 PM
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I’d have the frets addressed by a pro and have him/her check the bridge, although it doesn’t look like it is a dangerous situation. Just keep an eye on it.
There might have been a pickup installed at one time which would explain the wire clip. How does the guitar sound? I’ve taken an interest in these of late. Roger
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#5
01-12-2024, 03:23 PM
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I had to remove and reglue the bridge on my MF60OM. On some of the alvarez, the finish is thick enough that the wood does not get a good purchase on the top during initial glueing. I chipped away the shelf and got a better bond. No problems since. Having said that, I played it for a few months as it was lifting and it was still fine.
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#6
01-16-2024, 02:13 PM
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Dave, I had similar issues with fret ends lifting on five frets (possibly due to dry humidity before I bought the guitar; or, alternatively, a bad fret job). John Arnold advised that I take the frets out and bend them to the radius of the fretboard. I did so, and it worked out great. A good tech could also get it done for you.
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#7
01-16-2024, 08:42 PM
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#8
01-16-2024, 08:44 PM
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I'm curious, did the tone improve after vs before the bridge regluing? I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to get the bridge fixed vs just keep an eye on it.
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