A Grade Sikta? A+…AAA? What do these letters tell you? We’re demystifying top wood grading today on Alvarez TV to give you more tools to choose your new favorite guitar. We have two guitars in today’s episode, both solid top Sitka Dreadnoughts…very similar, but also very much not the same. Why do we use different Sitka for different models? And what are those differences? We’re discussing how top wood is graded on today’s episode.
The AG60CESHB is an elegant and versatile Grand Auditorium offering instant response with lots of projection for strumming and true clarity for fingerstyle. The Grand Auditorium’s narrow waist helps to accentuate trebles while the wide lower bout generates plenty of air volume for bass response, creating a dynamic and broad tonal landscape.
The FS6 forward-shifted bracing pattern allows for a larger soundboard area to heighten vibration, which is aided by a high-quality North American Sitka top and premium components throughout, all working together to deliver an engaging playing experience.
The AG60CESHB also features a cutaway for access to higher frets and is fitted with the fantastic LR Baggs Stage Pro with Element pick up for an unfailing live performance.
The AG66CESHB is an elegant and versatile Grand Auditorium offering instant response, clear middle frequencies, and great clarity. The Grand Auditorium’s narrow waist helps to accentuate trebles while the wide lower bout generates plenty of air volume for bass response, creating a dynamic and warm tonal landscape suitable for all playing styles.
The FS6 forward shifted bracing pattern allows for a larger soundboard area to heighten vibration, which is aided by a high-quality African Mahogany top and premium components throughout, all working together to deliver an engaging playing experience.
The AG66CESHB also features a cutaway for access to higher frets and is fitted with the fantastic LR Baggs Stage Pro with Element pick up for an unfailing live performance.
The AFA95CESHB is a truly special OM with a rare and inspired pairing of tonewoods. Its AA North Western Red Cedar top and figured Acacia body give this guitar a warm and open voicing with slightly darker trebles and clear bass. Aesthetically the guitar is stunning with a lighter shade of our standard Shadowburst carefully crafted to let the grain of the wood stay visible right to the edge, where it is bound by Flame Maple. This is an exceptional guitar with a character true to its sound. The AFA95CESHB is fitted with the fantastic LR Baggs StagePro EQ and Element Pickup.
We know you love a Parlor, and you know we love a Parlor (especially Dee). So what are the tonal differences between an all-solid Parlor and a solid-top Parlor? What does all-solid wood bring for this body size? Find out in today’s episode of Alvarez TV and join the discussion on what all-solid wood gives to a Parlor guitar.
We love mahogany, and we decided it’s time to compare one of our Artist Series OM guitars to a Honduran Mahogany Yairi. While this may not be a direct comparison, each of these instruments have their unique strengths. Today on Alvarez TV we’re looking at what those strengths are, how they perform, and what their characters tell us.
Ready to travel in style? Whether it’s the size, the comfort or the sound, small guitars are becoming a travel essential and we’re celebrating that with two brand-new LJ’s in our Artist Elite Series. Meet the new LJE95CEARSHB and LJP70CEARSHB, two very stylish, beautifully resonant travel guitars that sound bigger than they look.
We’re welcoming ten new additions to our award-winning Alvarez family for 2022, and today we’re discussing two of our favorites from our Masterworks line: stunning, understated, all-solid instruments focused on tone and elegance that sound every bit as good as they look.
Are 8 strings better than 12? Well, we do love a 12-string, but these 8-string guitars have their own unique vibe—and they’re a lot easier to play! The sound of a 12-string guitar is unmistakable, but 12 strings on a neck can be ungainly, and if we’re honest, fretting 12 strings is tough. That’s why we created the Alvarez 8-String Grand Auditorium, bringing you 12-string shimmer with less tension and a standard width neck and nut.
Today on Alvarez TV, we’re discussing two nearly identical guitars…but with different tops, one with Solid AA Sitka Spruce and one Mahogany. Stay to the end to hear tap testing and strumming A/B demos on both tops. What do you hear? Which sounds more tonally broad to you?
All-solid guitars are widely acknowledged as the best sounding acoustic guitars a player can get…but is that always true? And are all laminates created equal? We’re doing a deep dive on all of this and more in today’s episode of Alvarez TV, where we decide who wins the laminate vs. all-solid wood battle, settled once and for all, definitively. (Kind of.)
A classical guitar can sometimes feel too different to a steel string for many of us—this is why we make hybrids. These responsive nylon-string instruments have a narrower nut width, radiused fingerboard and 12th fret neck joint, which make them more akin to a steel string but still deliver that wonderful Spanish and classical vibe. The feel and sound is special, the tone and reference take us to new horizons, and as we all know, reaching for a different sounding instrument can inspire fresh creativity.
Our approach to development comes from a simple goal: To deliver the best guitars in the market at every price point—instruments that are truly amazing value and offer a fantastic player experience. Today on Alvarez TV we’re choosing some of our favorite Alvarez guitars under the $500 mark. What’s your favorite under $500?
Our magical line of solid Vintage Honduran Mahogany guitars came about almost by accident after Chris met guitar genius Jack Pearson and embarked on an Adirondack-Honduran adventure, and a once in a lifetime discovery of pure gold when it comes to tonewood. In today’s episode, we dive into this amazing story that became the catalyst to crafting some of the finest guitars we have ever designed!
We’re comparing two very similar and yet incredibly different guitars today, our Alvarez Masterworks MD60BG and our Alvarez-Yairi Masterworks DYM60HD. Both are cannons made from spruce and mahogany but tell different stories with their individual voices. Watch the A/B demo at the end to hear both of these beautiful Dreadnoughts in action.
With Masterworks Elite, we aim to deliver some seriously cool guitars at unprecedented value at their price point, and today’s episode of Alvarez TV discusses what goes into the making of this striking series.
Rosewood or Mahogany? We’re asked very often about the differences between these two tonewoods, so today’s episode of Alvarez TV is all about one of our favorite conversations, Rosewood vs. Mahogany.
Have you ever wondered if your pick shapes your tone? If so, how much? Can you hear the difference between various shapes and sizes? We’re doing a deep dive into different pick (or as we say, plectrum) gauges, materials, and shapes.
A guitar for every player. We’re discussing our multi-award winning solid top Artist Series on Alvarez TV: What it is, why we created it, and how we built an entire line with the player in mind. We worked to create a truly comprehensive series of guitars with virtually every guitar body shape and wood configuration available, and a staggering quality to cost ratio.
Would you play a Parlor instead of an OM? Do you reach for a Folk? Today on Alvarez TV we’re exploring the sounds and shapes of each of these models and what makes them unique. Which one would you reach for?
How can you craft all-solid guitars, full of character…for every player? We’re discussing what goes into our Masterworks series of guitars, from how we select our tops to why we created this series for players. Join the discussion on everything from solid wood to bridge pins on Alvarez TV.
We’ve discussed the difference between 12th fret and 14th fret neck joins and today we’re doing an A/B comparison between two of our favorite 12-fret and 14-fret models so you can hear the difference for yourself. Looking for resonance? Sustain for days? Projection? Find out the difference between each in our 12 vs. 14 dreadnought comparison. Many thanks to Herschel for this question.
How many strings do you need? For what? Why? On Alvarez TV we’re taking a closer look at our 12-string and 8-string models, discussing what makes them special, and explaining when and why we would choose one of them over their 6-string siblings.
What’s the difference between our Alvarez MDR70SB and Alvarez-Yairi DYMR70SB? We received a few requests for a comparison, so today on Alvarez TV, we’re discussing the aesthetic, tonal, and spec differences between these two beautiful slope-shoulder guitars.