More Episodes

Today we’ve got a special guest: The Gibson Advanced Jumbo, an important part of the history of the acoustic guitar. We’re going to play and listen and talk about this instrument, and we’ll talk about Mr. Orville Gibson himself, a true visionary. We’ll also be playing our new Alvarez Prototype. (We know, we know. We’ll reveal more about this mystery guitar soon.)

We recently went into great depth on the Anatomy of the Acoustic Guitar, where we discussed top design, bracing, voicing and more. But many of you commented that we didn’t mention backs! We believe backs are super important, so today on Alvarez TV, we’re going to dive into this fan-requested episode and ask: Do guitar backs affect tone?

We’re doing something we’ve never done before. Today, we’re looking at an amazing brand of guitars that we are huge fans of—Collings. We have a beautiful Collings D1 T Dreadnought that we’ll be discussing, and we’ll compare this guitar to our DYM60HD. Plus, we’ll also throw a secret Alvarez Masterworks prototype into the mix and see how they all sound together.

Focus, decay, separation, response…what do they mean to you? What do they mean to us? This week on Alvarez TV, we’re looking at tone buzzwords and terminology around how we describe the sounds of our acoustic guitars.

We received so many questions about bridge pins on Alvarez TV in the comments. Would changing the material make a tonal difference to our guitars? So we went out and bought six different types of pins in a range of different materials, to answer the question…do they really make a difference?

Memphis Gerald is an Americana/Indie artist with sincere approach to Roots music. Originally from Edinburgh, he cut his teeth on the road as a touring guitarist before finding his own voice as songwriter. He draws influences from the music and songwriting traditions of Scotland’s Folk and Indie scenes while indulging his love for Country and Blues music. In our first All Star Session from Alvarez Studios, Memphis Gerald discusses which guitars he uses to craft his music, and why he loves a Parlor.

A few weeks ago, Dee asked Chris, “What do guitars sound like without the tonebars?” Chris said, “I don’t know. Let’s make one and find out.” So that’s what we did. Today we’re asking, what do tonebars do for acoustic guitars? Is it all about tone, or is it something else? What do they sound like without them?

Today we’re answering your questions about left-handed models, Alvarez Archtops, 000s, which mics we use, and more! Have an acoustic guitar question for us? Add it to the comments and we’ll answer as many as we can!

We get so many questions about our bridge, especially our direct-coupled bridge. This week we’re going to explain exactly, comprehensively, all Mr. Yairi’s thoughts about this amazing design.

Have you ever wondered about the origin story of the OM guitar? Today on Alvarez TV, we’re playing and comparing our Yairi FYM66HD and the FYM60HD guitars, which led us to a discussion about a guitar shape that we love: The OM. Where did it come from? When did it disappear and when did it come back again? It’s a great story about how it influenced music as we know it. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and let’s dive in.

From the headstock to the end block, from the bracing to the binding, we are dissecting the acoustic guitar piece by piece to give you a look inside how your favorite acoustic guitars are constructed. Grab a cup of coffee and join us on a deep dive into the anatomy of an acoustic guitars.

Have you ever wondered why we have so many types of guitars? Parlors, Jumbos, Dreads, Grand Auditoriums… Today’s episode is all about the history of body shapes, and Professor Meikle leads us on a historical journey from the early days of the guitar until today. Join the discussion on Alvarez TV.

People often say Adirondack has more headroom than Sitka…but does the science tell us something different? Today we’re playing two wonderful guitars, the Yairi FYM60HD and DYM6HD, taking a deep dive into the world of Adirondack on Alvarez TV.

People often say Adirondack has more headroom than Sitka…but does the science tell us something different? Today we’re playing two wonderful guitars, the Yairi FYM60HD and DYM6HD, taking a deep dive into the world of Adirondack on Alvarez TV.

Alvarez TV is on the road! We took some (top secret) new models for a test drive to GuitarGuitar in Glasgow, Scotland, where we had an impromptu jam and a chat with our friends at the shop.

This week Alvarez TV is coming to you from St. Louis in our Alvarez Guitar shop. Why Alvarez? How did it start in Japan? Why do we have two icons on our logo? Answers to all these and more in today’s episode as we take a brief walk through time to discuss how we got here today and where we’re going.

Today on Alvarez TV, we’re at Ingram AV with Reed Ingram Weir, discussing how to get the best tone out of your acoustic guitar in a live show and which mics work best. Which mics do you use on your acoustic?

Why did we stop making these?! We’re talking about our limited run archtop guitars on Alvarez TV today, taking a closer look at these semi-acoustics and asking…should we bring these back?

Laminated backs and sides—Mahogany, Maple, Acacia…can you hear the difference? (Can we?) Find out in this deep dive on how exotic woods affect the tone of your laminate guitar on this episode of Alvarez TV. What’s your favorite combination?

Today on Alvarez TV we’re talking about guitars for guitarists who don’t need more guitars (but probably actually do). We’re talking 8-strings, Baritones, acoustic bass, and a 6-string uke(!)…maybe we’ll throw in a travel guitar. We all need a travel guitar, right?

12 frets, 14 frets, square shoulders, round shoulders—where does the Dreadnought come from? On this week’s Alvarez TV we’re talking all things Dreadnought, and Professor Meikle gives us a history lesson.

Alvarez Live is a new series from Alvarez Guitars spotlighting artists influencing the world of music today. Skinny Living join us at Alvarez Studios for our series premiere. Skinny Living are playing a Masterworks MPA66SHB Parlor and a Masterworks MDR70ESB-L (left-handed model) Dreadnought.

Skinny Living’s story is one of struggle, troubling situations and relentless hard graft. It’s also one of synchronicity, chance meetings, and the unflinching belief that their glorious indie soul music will reach the audience it deserves. Their potential is there to see. Skinny Living have been active since 2014. In that time they have amassed over 60 million streams world wide without releasing a full studio album, however the trio are now on course to release their Debut Album in 2023.

Do capos change your tone as well as your key? Whether it’s the mass or size of the capo itself, or how much tension it’s putting on the strings, in today’s discussion and demo session we take a closer look at how capos affect our overall sound. Which capo do you like best?

Can you hear the difference between tonewoods? This is Part 2 of our deep dive into tonewoods where we analyze tone tapping tests from a variety of music woods. Does how a tree grows affect your guitar’s tone? We say yes!