(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I have been looking for a nice small bodied guitar for some time now. I did not need a cutaway or electronics but wanted a good quality instrument made of solid wood. This guitar did not disappoint. Very nice solid spruce bookmatched top, solid African mahogany back, sides and neck. Bound top, back and fretboard. Very even warm sound while strumming yet distinct on individual strings. Overall, a very comfortable instrument. Records well. The herringbone top binding adds a wonderful elegance to this guitar. Made in China, but well made. Comes with a nice hardshell case, a nice bonus. Finally, as always, pleasurable experience buying from zZounds!

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I think the best way to summarize my opinion is that I really am in awe of this guitar. I will start with the neck as that's usually my most important factor. This guitar has Alvarez's two carve (not an official designation by Alvarez) neck where it goes from a slight V shape for the first few frets then transitions into a normal C shaped neck. The first few frets have a little more substantial feeling neck that makes chording comfortable. Where this neck really shines is from around fret 5 and up. The neck actually feels skinnier the further up the fretboard you get and makes chords and utilizing your thumb on the low strings SO easy. Very impressed with the neck and it has a nice satin finish as opposed to the sticky gloss necks. Fretwork is really great with no sharp edges whatsoever. Overall playability is wonderful. The slightly shorter scale and body depth make this guitar super comfortable especially for me as I'm around 5'8". The two level bridge adds some string tension which increases volume and response but it also does make bending notes more difficult but that isn't really an issue unless you're trying to bend up several half step and balanced wonderfully with great bass response even higher up the fretboars. The increased string tension however does not make fretting the strings difficult and hard on your fingers. Really just a great balance. Sound is really great. The high notes aren't sharp or pitchy. Resonance is pretty good for this size guitar and the notes don't detune as you let it ring like some guitars do. What impresses me the most is the clarity in notes across differing volumes. You can play this thing pretty dang hard and still get loads of separation in the notes yet it maintains a sweetness to it at lower volumes. I especially love playing it with a capo around fret 3. So pretty. My only criticism would come with the "fit and finish" of the guitar. Action and intonation were pretty much spot on and no adjustments were needed. Guitar was tuned about a half step down. However, there are some small differences in binding and edge work especially along the neck. The binding along the neck isn't a consistent color and goes from a yellowish near the nut to more of a white/cream at the upper frets. It's not super noticeable but once you see it you can't really unsee it. Can't say it bothers me but it's worth mentioning. Also, the neck binding isn't really the same color as the body binding. Again, it isn't super noticeable and doesn't bother me but worth noting. I wouldn't use that as a reason to not buy this guitar tho.Overall I am SUPER impressed with this guitar. For about $640 getting an all solid wood, bone nut/saddle, BEAUTIFUL wood throughout, and great tone feels like a steal. I have spent a good amount of time playing guitars that cost 2/3x as much from various companies and to me this plays and sounds just as good as those guitars. Alvarez is kind of known for the value of their instruments and I would absolutely agree. Would recommend to anyone and will very likely be buying one of their 12 fret dreadnaughts in the near future. Oh also, zZounds customer service was great. There was an issue with my order where it got stuck in the system for a few days so they gave me the new one for the refurbished price AND a $25 gift card. Wait times on the phone were always less than 5 minutes and everyone I talked to was nice and very helpful. PSA if you're going to be a jerk to customer service reps they will probably be a jerk back so just be nice and everyone ends up happy in the end and your problems get solved faster. Will definitely purchase from zZounds again. Now go buy this guitar.

(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I thought I'd be smart and save a hundred bucks by buying a customer return--45 days to return it, etc. The guitar came without a truss rod wrench with strings(not factory installed) buzzing the frets, truss rod tightened all the way. I have an excellent guitar repair/set-up guy who I would have set it up and take a look at it any way while it was under zZounds warranty. With the covid hitting, he told me he had family matters to attend to for a month but check back later with him. Long story longer, I can't get him to answer his phone. Meanwhile the truss rod starts slipping from the over tightening and strings are half an inch from the fret. I try to tighten it up but the strings are still unplayable. Becomes apparent why it was returned now. No way that thing should have been resold. zZounds stuck it to me and stuck it to me good.