In the small town of Kani, nestled in the hills north of Nagoya, Japan, lies the renowned K. Yairi guitar factory. They have been crafting guitars here for over 80 years.
Alvarez and Yairi have enjoyed an uninterrupted 55-year partnership in producing exquisite guitars, made by hand, from naturally seasoned woods with an unwavering commitment to quality and design. Every neck is spoke shaved by hand, braces are carved, and tops are tuned to perfection. The attention to detail and quality of the build are impeccable.
Kazuo Yairi and his loyal team of luthiers created an incredibly efficient and innovative workshop. Being able to work with such a lineage of master builders is very rare. Some of the luthiers have been at Yairi for over 50 years. Their skills and experience are shared with younger luthiers to form a multi-generational team who have chosen guitar building as their livelihood and dedicated their working lives to the craft. Our guitars are the result of the close collaboration between Alvarez & Yairi—a sharing of knowledge and an obsessional approach to excellence.
2024 is an exciting year as we introduce a new voicing and tonal response in our Honduran and Masterworks Series. This voicing is designed to widen the tonal palette, and to bring a more robust, clear bass response and a compelling openness to the guitar.
We call our new bracing system FST6. It is similar in shape and placement to our previous FST2 system, but the braces are lighter in weight. In the quest to strike the perfect balance between strength and vibration, FST6 delivers with a heightened richness we found impossible not to embrace.
Playing an instrument that instantly, almost intuitively reacts to your requests is a result we continually strive to achieve. We feel FST6 increases the connection with the player and responds effortlessly.
2024 also sees us launch new models and bring an array of new wood configurations to certain body shapes we have never made before. To our Honduran Series, we add an all-Mahogany 12th fret Parlor and a stunning non-cutaway Grand Auditorium. Masterworks expands its offering with a majestic mix of tonewoods. Californian Redwood, purchased by Mr. Yairi many decades ago, has been paired with East Indian Rosewood, and Premium Adirondack Spruce is now also available with Rosewood. Both parings help to create rare and inspirational instruments with new tonal horizons.
2024 Masterworks also offers several new Grand Auditorium and OM models with a much-expanded choice of colors and tonewoods.
Laureate Series
Every constituent part considered; each component hand-selected to achieve optimal quality throughout the build.
A bench made approach to the build
The quality of every component is so important in the overall performance of an acoustic guitar. For Laureate Series we hand select every bridge plate, brace, side brace and piece of kerfing from thousands, to make sure they are the best quality possible for structure and appearance. This dedication can be seen, heard and felt and brings a rare level of detailing to the build process.
Hand finished FS6 bracing
FS6 is based on a traditional forward shifted bracing pattern with particular attention paid to the weight and placement of the struts themselves. For Laureate we take a couple of extra steps and hand sand the braces which are cut from quartersawn Sitka spruce and chosen for their straight, finely grained quality to enhance overall response and vibration.
The finest tonewoods
Only our finest, wonderfully quartersawn and silked Sitka, as well as hand selected African Mahogany is used in Laureate Series. The stiffness and quality of the tops allow us to thickness sand them just a tad thinner to help heighten response. Backs and sides are cut from the best East Indian Rosewood and African Mahogany that comes into our possession; bookmatched with perfect coloring.
A flawless finish
The systems required to achieve the quality we aimed for made us once again improve upon our sanding and painting process to deliver a flawless, deep shine with the thinnest clearcoat we have ever achieved in Alvarez. We’ve also introduced a new colour called Daybreak, a super light burst adding an aesthetic depth to the top and creating a vintage style vibe at the same time.
Appointments & Styling
Bridges, fingerboards and headstock plates are cut from the finest African ebony we can find. The ebony components impact articulation, clarity and separation of notes and frequencies and work with other premium comments to deliver a clear and powerful voicing. This quality of ebony works beautifully with rare Blue Abalone inlays to create a very luxurious but understated vibe.
The Laureate Bridge
Aesthetically, Laureate is a traditional guitar series in the sense its body shapes are based on guitars from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. With this in mind, we made the decision not to use our Bi-Level bridge and to stay closer in keeping with a traditional approach, and a full, single level bridge style. The Laureate bridge has its own unique styling and is cut from the finest black ebony.
Compare the LD60e Sunset
Laureate Series
Every constituent part considered; each component hand-selected to achieve optimal quality throughout the build.
A bench made approach to the build
The quality of every component is so important in the overall performance of an acoustic guitar. For Laureate Series we hand select every bridge plate, brace, side brace and piece of kerfing from thousands, to make sure they are the best quality possible for structure and appearance. This dedication can be seen, heard and felt and brings a rare level of detailing to the build process.
Hand finished FS6 bracing
FS6 is based on a traditional forward shifted bracing pattern with particular attention paid to the weight and placement of the struts themselves. For Laureate we take a couple of extra steps and hand sand the braces which are cut from quartersawn Sitka spruce and chosen for their straight, finely grained quality to enhance overall response and vibration.
The finest tonewoods
Only our finest, wonderfully quartersawn and silked Sitka, as well as hand selected African Mahogany is used in Laureate Series. The stiffness and quality of the tops allow us to thickness sand them just a tad thinner to help heighten response. Backs and sides are cut from the best East Indian Rosewood and African Mahogany that comes into our possession; bookmatched with perfect coloring.
A flawless finish
The systems required to achieve the quality we aimed for made us once again improve upon our sanding and painting process to deliver a flawless, deep shine with the thinnest clearcoat we have ever achieved in Alvarez. We’ve also introduced a new colour called Daybreak, a super light burst adding an aesthetic depth to the top and creating a vintage style vibe at the same time.
Appointments & Styling
Bridges, fingerboards and headstock plates are cut from the finest African ebony we can find. The ebony components impact articulation, clarity and separation of notes and frequencies and work with other premium comments to deliver a clear and powerful voicing. This quality of ebony works beautifully with rare Blue Abalone inlays to create a very luxurious but understated vibe.
The Laureate Bridge
Aesthetically, Laureate is a traditional guitar series in the sense its body shapes are based on guitars from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. With this in mind, we made the decision not to use our Bi-Level bridge and to stay closer in keeping with a traditional approach, and a full, single level bridge style. The Laureate bridge has its own unique styling and is cut from the finest black ebony.
Compare the LD60e Sunset
Laureate Series
Every constituent part considered; each component hand-selected to achieve optimal quality throughout the build.
A bench made approach to the build
The quality of every component is so important in the overall performance of an acoustic guitar. For Laureate Series we hand select every bridge plate, brace, side brace and piece of kerfing from thousands, to make sure they are the best quality possible for structure and appearance. This dedication can be seen, heard and felt and brings a rare level of detailing to the build process.
Hand finished FS6 bracing
FS6 is based on a traditional forward shifted bracing pattern with particular attention paid to the weight and placement of the struts themselves. For Laureate we take a couple of extra steps and hand sand the braces which are cut from quartersawn Sitka spruce and chosen for their straight, finely grained quality to enhance overall response and vibration.
The finest tonewoods
Only our finest, wonderfully quartersawn and silked Sitka, as well as hand selected African Mahogany is used in Laureate Series. The stiffness and quality of the tops allow us to thickness sand them just a tad thinner to help heighten response. Backs and sides are cut from the best East Indian Rosewood and African Mahogany that comes into our possession; bookmatched with perfect coloring.
A flawless finish
The systems required to achieve the quality we aimed for made us once again improve upon our sanding and painting process to deliver a flawless, deep shine with the thinnest clearcoat we have ever achieved in Alvarez. We’ve also introduced a new colour called Daybreak, a super light burst adding an aesthetic depth to the top and creating a vintage style vibe at the same time.
Appointments & Styling
Bridges, fingerboards and headstock plates are cut from the finest African ebony we can find. The ebony components impact articulation, clarity and separation of notes and frequencies and work with other premium comments to deliver a clear and powerful voicing. This quality of ebony works beautifully with rare Blue Abalone inlays to create a very luxurious but understated vibe.
The Laureate Bridge
Aesthetically, Laureate is a traditional guitar series in the sense its body shapes are based on guitars from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. With this in mind, we made the decision not to use our Bi-Level bridge and to stay closer in keeping with a traditional approach, and a full, single level bridge style. The Laureate bridge has its own unique styling and is cut from the finest black ebony.
Compare the LD70e Herringbone Sunset
Laureate Series, Left Handed
Every constituent part considered; each component hand-selected to achieve optimal quality throughout the build.
A bench made approach to the build
The quality of every component is so important in the overall performance of an acoustic guitar. For Laureate Series we hand select every bridge plate, brace, side brace and piece of kerfing from thousands, to make sure they are the best quality possible for structure and appearance. This dedication can be seen, heard and felt and brings a rare level of detailing to the build process.
Hand finished FS6 bracing
FS6 is based on a traditional forward shifted bracing pattern with particular attention paid to the weight and placement of the struts themselves. For Laureate we take a couple of extra steps and hand sand the braces which are cut from quartersawn Sitka spruce and chosen for their straight, finely grained quality to enhance overall response and vibration.
The finest tonewoods
Only our finest, wonderfully quartersawn and silked Sitka, as well as hand selected African Mahogany is used in Laureate Series. The stiffness and quality of the tops allow us to thickness sand them just a tad thinner to help heighten response. Backs and sides are cut from the best East Indian Rosewood and African Mahogany that comes into our possession; bookmatched with perfect coloring.
A flawless finish
The systems required to achieve the quality we aimed for made us once again improve upon our sanding and painting process to deliver a flawless, deep shine with the thinnest clearcoat we have ever achieved in Alvarez. We’ve also introduced a new colour called Daybreak, a super light burst adding an aesthetic depth to the top and creating a vintage style vibe at the same time.
Appointments & Styling
Bridges, fingerboards and headstock plates are cut from the finest African ebony we can find. The ebony components impact articulation, clarity and separation of notes and frequencies and work with other premium comments to deliver a clear and powerful voicing. This quality of ebony works beautifully with rare Blue Abalone inlays to create a very luxurious but understated vibe.
The Laureate Bridge
Aesthetically, Laureate is a traditional guitar series in the sense its body shapes are based on guitars from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. With this in mind, we made the decision not to use our Bi-Level bridge and to stay closer in keeping with a traditional approach, and a full, single level bridge style. The Laureate bridge has its own unique styling and is cut from the finest black ebony.
Compare the LD70Le
Laureate Series
Every constituent part considered; each component hand-selected to achieve optimal quality throughout the build.
A bench made approach to the build
The quality of every component is so important in the overall performance of an acoustic guitar. For Laureate Series we hand select every bridge plate, brace, side brace and piece of kerfing from thousands, to make sure they are the best quality possible for structure and appearance. This dedication can be seen, heard and felt and brings a rare level of detailing to the build process.
Hand finished FS6 bracing
FS6 is based on a traditional forward shifted bracing pattern with particular attention paid to the weight and placement of the struts themselves. For Laureate we take a couple of extra steps and hand sand the braces which are cut from quartersawn Sitka spruce and chosen for their straight, finely grained quality to enhance overall response and vibration.
The finest tonewoods
Only our finest, wonderfully quartersawn and silked Sitka, as well as hand selected African Mahogany is used in Laureate Series. The stiffness and quality of the tops allow us to thickness sand them just a tad thinner to help heighten response. Backs and sides are cut from the best East Indian Rosewood and African Mahogany that comes into our possession; bookmatched with perfect coloring.
A flawless finish
The systems required to achieve the quality we aimed for made us once again improve upon our sanding and painting process to deliver a flawless, deep shine with the thinnest clearcoat we have ever achieved in Alvarez. We’ve also introduced a new colour called Daybreak, a super light burst adding an aesthetic depth to the top and creating a vintage style vibe at the same time.
Appointments & Styling
Bridges, fingerboards and headstock plates are cut from the finest African ebony we can find. The ebony components impact articulation, clarity and separation of notes and frequencies and work with other premium comments to deliver a clear and powerful voicing. This quality of ebony works beautifully with rare Blue Abalone inlays to create a very luxurious but understated vibe.
The Laureate Bridge
Aesthetically, Laureate is a traditional guitar series in the sense its body shapes are based on guitars from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. With this in mind, we made the decision not to use our Bi-Level bridge and to stay closer in keeping with a traditional approach, and a full, single level bridge style. The Laureate bridge has its own unique styling and is cut from the finest black ebony.
Compare the LD70e Daybreak
Laureate Series
Every constituent part considered; each component hand-selected to achieve optimal quality throughout the build.
A bench made approach to the build
The quality of every component is so important in the overall performance of an acoustic guitar. For Laureate Series we hand select every bridge plate, brace, side brace and piece of kerfing from thousands, to make sure they are the best quality possible for structure and appearance. This dedication can be seen, heard and felt and brings a rare level of detailing to the build process.
Hand finished FS6 bracing
FS6 is based on a traditional forward shifted bracing pattern with particular attention paid to the weight and placement of the struts themselves. For Laureate we take a couple of extra steps and hand sand the braces which are cut from quartersawn Sitka spruce and chosen for their straight, finely grained quality to enhance overall response and vibration.
The finest tonewoods
Only our finest, wonderfully quartersawn and silked Sitka, as well as hand selected African Mahogany is used in Laureate Series. The stiffness and quality of the tops allow us to thickness sand them just a tad thinner to help heighten response. Backs and sides are cut from the best East Indian Rosewood and African Mahogany that comes into our possession; bookmatched with perfect coloring.
A flawless finish
The systems required to achieve the quality we aimed for made us once again improve upon our sanding and painting process to deliver a flawless, deep shine with the thinnest clearcoat we have ever achieved in Alvarez. We’ve also introduced a new colour called Daybreak, a super light burst adding an aesthetic depth to the top and creating a vintage style vibe at the same time.
Appointments & Styling
Bridges, fingerboards and headstock plates are cut from the finest African ebony we can find. The ebony components impact articulation, clarity and separation of notes and frequencies and work with other premium comments to deliver a clear and powerful voicing. This quality of ebony works beautifully with rare Blue Abalone inlays to create a very luxurious but understated vibe.
The Laureate Bridge
Aesthetically, Laureate is a traditional guitar series in the sense its body shapes are based on guitars from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. With this in mind, we made the decision not to use our Bi-Level bridge and to stay closer in keeping with a traditional approach, and a full, single level bridge style. The Laureate bridge has its own unique styling and is cut from the finest black ebony.
Compare the LD70e
In the small town of Kani, nestled in the hills north of Nagoya, Japan, lies the renowned K. Yairi guitar factory. They have been crafting guitars here for over 80 years.
Alvarez and Yairi have enjoyed an uninterrupted 55-year partnership in producing exquisite guitars, made by hand, from naturally seasoned woods with an unwavering commitment to quality and design. Every neck is spoke shaved by hand, braces are carved, and tops are tuned to perfection. The attention to detail and quality of the build are impeccable.
Compare the DY70ce
Kazuo Yairi and his loyal team of luthiers created an incredibly efficient and innovative workshop. Being able to work with such a lineage of master builders is very rare. Some of the luthiers have been at Yairi for over 50 years. Their skills and experience are shared with younger luthiers to form a multi-generational team who have chosen guitar building as their livelihood and dedicated their working lives to the craft. Our guitars are the result of the close collaboration between Alvarez & Yairi—a sharing of knowledge and an obsessional approach to excellence.
In the small town of Kani, nestled in the hills north of Nagoya, Japan, lies the renowned K. Yairi guitar factory. They have been crafting guitars here for over 80 years.
Alvarez and Yairi have enjoyed an uninterrupted 55-year partnership in producing exquisite guitars, made by hand, from naturally seasoned woods with an unwavering commitment to quality and design. Every neck is spoke shaved by hand, braces are carved, and tops are tuned to perfection. The attention to detail and quality of the build are impeccable.
Kazuo Yairi and his loyal team of luthiers created an incredibly efficient and innovative workshop. Being able to work with such a lineage of master builders is very rare. Some of the luthiers have been at Yairi for over 50 years. Their skills and experience are shared with younger luthiers to form a multi-generational team who have chosen guitar building as their livelihood and dedicated their working lives to the craft. Our guitars are the result of the close collaboration between Alvarez & Yairi—a sharing of knowledge and an obsessional approach to excellence.
2024 is an exciting year as we introduce a new voicing and tonal response in our Honduran and Masterworks Series. This voicing is designed to widen the tonal palette, and to bring a more robust, clear bass response and a compelling openness to the guitar.
We call our new bracing system FST6. It is similar in shape and placement to our previous FST2 system, but the braces are lighter in weight. In the quest to strike the perfect balance between strength and vibration, FST6 delivers with a heightened richness we found impossible not to embrace.
Playing an instrument that instantly, almost intuitively reacts to your requests is a result we continually strive to achieve. We feel FST6 increases the connection with the player and responds effortlessly.
2024 also sees us launch new models and bring an array of new wood configurations to certain body shapes we have never made before. To our Honduran Series, we add an all-Mahogany 12th fret Parlor and a stunning non-cutaway Grand Auditorium. Masterworks expands its offering with a majestic mix of tonewoods. Californian Redwood, purchased by Mr. Yairi many decades ago, has been paired with East Indian Rosewood, and AAAA Adirondack is now also available with Rosewood. Both parings help to create rare and inspirational instruments with new tonal horizons.
2024 Masterworks also offers several new Grand Auditorium and OM models with a much-expanded choice of colors and tonewoods.
In Yairi Masterworks, the acoustic-electric versions are fitted with the new Hi-Fi system from LR Baggs. In Yairi Stage and Standard series, we’ve embraced the LR Baggs Stage Pro Bronze, a new low-profile, small footprint, modern EQ with the Element pickup.
Alvarez-Yairi 2024 is without a doubt the most exciting new line-up we have ever offered – a brand new, exquisite voicing for our all-solid models, glorious new tonewood configurations in Masterworks and new EQs and pickups. They are, quite simply, the best guitars we have ever made.
In the small town of Kani, nestled in the hills north of Nagoya, Japan, lies the renowned K. Yairi guitar factory. They have been crafting guitars here for over 80 years.
Alvarez and Yairi have enjoyed an uninterrupted 55-year partnership in producing exquisite guitars, made by hand, from naturally seasoned woods with an unwavering commitment to quality and design. Every neck is spoke shaved by hand, braces are carved, and tops are tuned to perfection. The attention to detail and quality of the build are impeccable.
Kazuo Yairi and his loyal team of luthiers created an incredibly efficient and innovative workshop. Being able to work with such a lineage of master builders is very rare. Some of the luthiers have been at Yairi for over 50 years. Their skills and experience are shared with younger luthiers to form a multi-generational team who have chosen guitar building as their livelihood and dedicated their working lives to the craft. Our guitars are the result of the close collaboration between Alvarez & Yairi—a sharing of knowledge and an obsessional approach to excellence.
2024 is an exciting year as we introduce a new voicing and tonal response in our Honduran and Masterworks Series. This voicing is designed to widen the tonal palette, and to bring a more robust, clear bass response and a compelling openness to the guitar.
We call our new bracing system FST6. It is similar in shape and placement to our previous FST2 system, but the braces are lighter in weight. In the quest to strike the perfect balance between strength and vibration, FST6 delivers with a heightened richness we found impossible not to embrace.
Playing an instrument that instantly, almost intuitively reacts to your requests is a result we continually strive to achieve. We feel FST6 increases the connection with the player and responds effortlessly.
2024 also sees us launch new models and bring an array of new wood configurations to certain body shapes we have never made before. To our Honduran Series, we add an all-Mahogany 12th fret Parlor and a stunning non-cutaway Grand Auditorium. Masterworks expands its offering with a majestic mix of tonewoods. Californian Redwood, purchased by Mr. Yairi many decades ago, has been paired with East Indian Rosewood, and AAAA Adirondack is now also available with Rosewood. Both parings help to create rare and inspirational instruments with new tonal horizons.
2024 Masterworks also offers several new Grand Auditorium and OM models with a much-expanded choice of colors and tonewoods.
In Yairi Masterworks, the acoustic-electric versions are fitted with the new Hi-Fi system from LR Baggs. In Yairi Stage and Standard series, we’ve embraced the LR Baggs Stage Pro Bronze, a new low-profile, small footprint, modern EQ with the Element pickup.
Alvarez-Yairi 2024 is without a doubt the most exciting new line-up we have ever offered – a brand new, exquisite voicing for our all-solid models, glorious new tonewood configurations in Masterworks and new EQs and pickups. They are, quite simply, the best guitars we have ever made.