Sound:
The tone, timbre, balance, and projection of this instrument is excellent. Sounds as good or better than Spanish-made classicals costing 3X as much. Install a piezo pickup in it as I did, or order it with the System 600T electronics, and you will open up even more great tonal possibilities. If you're looking for tight, evenly-balanced nylon-string tone, look no further, the Yairi CY140 has it all.
Feature:
Features include beautiful (and rare) Brazilian rosewood back/sides, premium binding and wood rosette which is gorgeous, rosewood headstock overlay and gold tuners, mahogany neck with ebony strip reinforcement inlay, and solid Western cedar top. I might add that the back & sides are laminated Brazilian; this, however, effects the tone and projection hardly at all, and makes it less prone to cracking in low humidity or temperature conditions.
Ease of Use:
The playability of the CY140 is fantastic right out of the box. Low action, well-dressed frets, and smooth ebony fingerboard make it a pleasure to hold and play.
Quality:
Build quality of all Alvarez Yairi guitars-at least the ones I've seen-is first-rate; they have some fine luthiers building them, and the quality of the materials used is premium. My CY140 is 30+ years old and still solid as a rock. I play it regularly with no problems.
Value:
You will NOT find a better classical guitar for anywhere near the price.
Manufacturer Support:
Never needed assistance from Alvarez.
The Wow Factor:
If you are a professional classical player who plays concerts, you might want a Ramirez or Kohno unit because of their slightly better projection and tone; but for the rest of us, this guitar will more than get the job done. It's beautiful in sound and looks, most folks would be very impressed to hear it played, and it will satisfy most any player's need for a good, solid nylon-string guitar. A very desirable instrument.
Overall:
I will keep this guitar the rest of my life (it's my favorite axe). I have another less-expensive classical which I play to save wear & tear on my Yairi. The CY140 suits my needs perfectly, and if lost or stolen, I'd have to buy another one. The only thing I could wish for on this instrument is a cutaway for high register playing.
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