I have been playing guitar since I was a kid. I am 66 now, and I have never played anything that sounds and responds like this guitar. I thought I would get something similar to a Taylor, but I have to say that this plays as well, if not better, than a Taylor. The sound is insanely good; I barely have to touch it to get sound out of it. It is a beauty in every respect.

Sound
This Alvarez Yairi has no pick-up installed, it is a real acoustic guitar, and it sounds amazing; installing a pick-up is an easy task if you are handy with tools and have some common sense, otherwise just send it to a good luthier to install it, even though I would not recommend making a hole in that old mahogany; just get a good mic if you need to amplify it.I have to say that when I first got it I got a little turned off by some marks on the waist of the guitar, but zZounds got on top of it and made me happy with a nice discount. I thought about sending it back, but after I played it for a few minutes, I could not do it.

Features
I love the materials used to make this guitar, the mahogany feels old, Alvarez claims the wood has been seasoned naturally for more than 50 years, and it does sound like it; the Adirondack top is a beautiful piece of wood, it is almost white and has a beautiful symmetric grain, plus it emits a sweet sound no matter how soft I play it.The neck is also something I have never experienced before; it feels like a boutique… read more guitar, very comfortable, and easy to play, but also very fast if you need to go fast up to the 14th fret.The tuning keys are Gotoh 510s and are very smooth. I found one of them is a little stiff, but it only needed a little love, no big deal. The finish appears to be nitrocellulose, but I am not sure what it is; it looks great. This is a beautiful instrument. I will never sell it; my grandson will surely inherit it when I am gone.

Ease of Use
Playability is out of this world, I am not kidding, as I said before, the neck is very smooth, it has a very subtle V profile for the first few frets, and then it changes to a D (or a C, if you would) for the rest of the way up to the 14th fret, it is supercomfortable and easy to play, I would say, a pleasure to play, I love it.The action was a bit high for my style; I play with my fingers and never use a pick, so I prefer low-action set-ups. However, this is expected, and it was a very easy fix. It took me about 15 minutes to lower it to my liking, and now it's perfect.The guitar came with D'Addario strings, so it sounds great.The sustain is insane for such a small-bodied guitar; it is awe-inspiring.

Quality
This is a handmade guitar, I can tell, so it is extremely well made, everything is put together by hand and it feels good to know that someone shaved the neck by hand, as they have been doing for many decades in the Yairi shop; before I bought it from Zzounds, I watch a documentary about the factory in Japan, that is really what convinced me to buy it and try it; afterwards I heard someone say that Jeff Beck ended up getting one of the first ever made, so I guess I am in good company, right?

Value
This is not a cheap guitar by any means, and maybe not even affordable for some of us, but I think I got a lot more for my money that what they are selling it for, the quality is extremely good, and the sound is fantastic, I do not regret investing more than 3k in a handmade instrument, this one is worth every penny, in my opinion.I forgot to mention that it came in a very nice case, a beige color cloth-covered case with bronze latches.

Manufacturer Support
I have never dealt with Alvarez, Yairi, or Saint Louis Music, which is the company that owns Alvarez, but I am sure they would give me good customer service if I ever had the need. At this point, I don't need to contact them for any reason; after 8 months of ownership, I am completely satisfied. My only complaint would be that I want another one, maybe the all-mahogany.

The Wow Factor
The appeal of this guitar is the fact that the wood has been sitting there in the mountains of Japan for more than 50 years, aging naturally at the right temperature and humidity levels. This, plus the craftsmanship by a bunch of artisans who do nothing else but make guitars, is a very attractive proposition, top that with spectacular sounds coming out of it, and it is really mind blowing I can get this kind of quality for this price; if this guitar was made in the USA it would be priced two or three times what it is listed for, maybe more.Of course, not everyone can afford to buy a 3k dollar guitar, but zZounds has a payment plan, so it is a no brainer for me, and no interest? Get out of here, get one.

Musical Background:
Guitar player for many years.

Musical Style:
Worship music, Spanish guitar, fingrstyle guitarist read less