ALVAREZ GUITAR HISTORY
Alvarez guitars have a long history, dating all the way back to the late 1960s, Gene Kornblum, St. Louis Music's founder had by chance met a Japanese Master Luthier called Kazuo Yairi, who was famous for producing handmade classical guitars.
Together, they started to design and manufacture all-round steel string acoustic guitars for serious professional guitars, to import them into America. These guitars used the brand name “Alvarez”, known as Alvarez Acoustic Guitar making acoustic guitars and acoustic electric guitars, from affordable instruments - to Alvarez Artist Elite series with a solid soundboard for richer tone than many guitars in the same price bracket. Through the years, Alvarez have had a guitar range for beginners to advanced players, making Alvarez a great option for many musicians!
WHY BUY AN ALVAREZ GUITAR?
Alvarez guitars have also had a bit of mixed background to date. From 2005 to 2009, the Alvarez brand was owned by a company called LOUD Technologies, a brand you might not know of by name, but who also owns Mackie, Crate, Ampeg and other music instrument brands. In 2009, Mark Ragin brought the Alvarez management and distribution back to St. Louis Music and in 2011, Chris Meikle SLM senior vice president acted as Alvarez head of development, oversaw the redesign of the Alvarez Artist Series and rolled out new instrument Alvarez lines including the 2014 Masterworks Series with Sitka Spruce and cedar soundboards, the Alvarez 50th anniversary 1965 Series with it's all round body size, Alvarez-Yairi Honduran Series and the Grateful Dead Series of musical instruments.
While many Alvarez models are now made in China, the top-tier more expensive instruments Alvarez-Yairi instruments are all-solid, pro level tone that are handmade at the Yairi factory in Japan, part of the master luthier legacy. Using amazing tone woods every Alvarez acoustic guitar undergoes a full factory set up, inspection including guitar strings, all from the Alvarez guitar shop in St. Louis, Missouri. A top line Alvarez model guitar is a beautiful guitar.
WHERE ARE ALVAREZ GUITARS MADE?
While many of Alvarez guitar models are manufactured in China, the top-tier Alvarez-Yairi musical instruments are handmade at the Yairi factory in Japan. Even though Alvarez guitars are made in China, they do undergo serious setup and inspection like other top end Chinese made instruments. These days, China are making some of the highest quality affordable acoustic guitars available, and the Alvarez models are no exception.
LOOKING TO BUY ALVAREZ GUITARS IN MELBOURNE, SYDNEY, BRISBANE, HOBART OR AUSTRALIA?
You can find a large range of Alvarez Guitars at Coleman's Music Lynbrook and Melbourne stores, as well as online for fast delivery right across Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Tasmania.
Some of the Alvarez acoustic model, entry-level guitar options to custom style guitars s and we sell include the ALVAREZ Masterworks Parlor Acoustic-Electric , ALVAREZ Artist AD30CE - Natural Sitka Spruce , ALVAREZ Artist Classical AC65 , ALVAREZ Artist Classical C65CE , ALVAREZ Artist Dreadnought D30 , ALVAREZ Artist Folk F30CE , ALVAREZ Artist Baritone ABT60CE , ALVAREZ Artist Elite , ALVAREZ Little Jumbo , ALVAREZ Regent 22C Concert Uke , ALVAREZ Regent 22S Soprano Uke , ALVAREZ Artist 70C Concert Uke and more!
ALVAREZ REGENT SERIES GUITARS
Alvarez brands of guitars considers Regent Series as a high quality entry-level series line of guitars - designed for younger players who are looking for guitar models that are affordable instruments that also create a positive learning experience. With one of the biggest selling Alvarez guitars in the series, the RD8, being discontinued - in 2018 Alvarez guitars launched Regent School Series guitar lines that is designed specifically for new guitar players and students.
Like some other 6-string guitar acoustic guitar brands for students, such as the Squier affinity Stratocaster and telecaster, the nut width when you buy Alvarez Regent School Series should be considered. It is slimmer than the standard size and the guitar neck has been custom shaped to be the ideal guitar and more comfortable for smaller hands. With an inbuilt tuner and an acoustic sound like few student guitars, and an acoustic tone that is warm and resonate in the price range.
ALVAREZ ARTIST SERIES GUITARS
Alvarez artist series guitars are designed to deliver pro level guitars at excellent value through the close attention to detail. the ideal performance guitar, with a lovely balance of mellow tone with bright overtones, deliberately set in by the Alvarez design team.
When you buy Alvarez Artist Series acoustic guitars, you're buying a guitar that has also won several amazing awards, making custom style instruments that get a 5/5 rating in Acoustic Guitar Magazine and best guitar from The Music and Sound Retailer.
With a deep soundboard and high-quality woods like Solid AA Sitka Spruce, hand-selected A-grade Sitka solid tops, a larger soundboard, in 2017 the Alvarez Artist Series guitars began designing in new features including cutaway design features, ergonomic armrests, convenient smaller sized with built-in tuner, and other travel guitars like the Delta DeLite, LJ2, and the ATR that stands for Advanced Tonal Response system - producing an incredible tone.
ALVAREZ MASTERWORKS SERIES GUITARS
At the pinnacle of Alvarez guitars are the Alvarez Masterworks Series guitars, in particular Parlor Guitar options with stunning shadowburst finish and MOP inlays. With a unique brace design the difference between tone on the Masterworks Guitars is the all solid wood construction, paired with high end hardware and appointments like gold tuners, stunning ebony bridge pins, real bone nuts, MOP mother of pearl inlays down the fretboard and gorgeous koa or maple binding options. It's a stunning parlor size guitar option!
In 2019 Alvarez guitars introduced the bluegrass focused, bluesman acoustic / electric guitar Masterworks models called the MF60OM and also the MD60BG, that unlike many acoustic guitars, had a body size and construction that emphasise playing with a pick and flat picking, with a highly focused sound. A player experience like few other guitars, that shines through the bass registers and the higher end frequencies. The consistent quality in this range of guitars means that it is one of the best acoustic guitar quality instruments out there.
ALVAREZ-YAIRI SERIES GUITARS
Alvarez Yairi acoustic electric guitar models are the flagship series of Alvarez, hand crafted in Japan at the Yairi factory in Kani. Alvarez Yairi guitars are famous world wide as the guitar of choice for numerous professional touring musicians including Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Ani DiFranco, and the self professed guitar nerd himself Joe Bonamassa. Alvarez Yairi is named after the master luthier Kazuo Yairi who was one of the two founders of Alvarez guitars back in the 60's, and built Alvarez - Yairi Masterworks himself.
Kazuo Yairi inspired a number of market leading innovations still used today in Alvarez Yairi guitars such as the Alvarez bi-level rosewood bridge, the direct coupled bridge, a very careful selection of all-solid seasoned tone woods and manual hand carving. In 2017 the Alvarez Yairi team amazingly discovered a lost store of rare Honduran Mahogany that Kazuo Yairi had himself purchased and stored near his factory in 1970s. Luthiers who find tone woods that have been naturally seasoning over this amount of time, is something beautiful and rare, like many Alvarez high end guitars.
If you're looking for an Alvarez guitar, or Alvarez Yairi range of guitars in Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart or anywhere in Australia, get in touch with Coleman's music in Melbourne, Lynbrook or online today for fast delivery right to your door!
