Alvarez 5041

I have to agree with the previous post, this guitar is simply the toughest and most reliable guitar i've owned. This guitar has had strenous abuse in the last 5 years of it's life, and it still sounds and plays fatastic.

This guitar was pawned by a guy i played in a band with 6 six years ago. He couldn't pay out the pawn, so my father went and paid his ticket a few days before he lost ownership for $225. The gutiar was played some then put under the bed for a year. I never played it much in the years to come, but during my ownership it got (as i shamefully admit) a lot of abuse. This guitar was leaned up against a wall in a "storage" room in a house where it was knocked over a million times. It fell over boxes, computer monitors, gun cases, computer desk, chairs in the room, etc. It sat beside the window where quite often the window was open through all humidity, heat and cold. It was moved to the garage with only three strings in place where it layed under a huge pile of clothes for a year. I didn't even know that's where it was, this was at my mothers while i lived elsewhere. It's sat in the trunk area of my suv in the extreme summer heat and freezing cold for weeks at a time, never in a case. I've bumped it up against anything from walls to drums, and HARD.

I rode my motorcyle 2200 miles in six days in the dead heat of the late summer this past year, from here TN to miami,fl with it strapped in a gig bag in my passsenger seat.

Needless to say, i replaced a few screws and some strings and i now use it every night when i play in the band. The pick up still works as well as the sound knobs.

Just food for thought,
chris
sendchrisgomezmail@REMOVETHISyahoo.com

This Alvarez Solid Top (spruce) accoustic electric was made around 1990. A friend of mine won it at a concert given by the Oak Ridge Boys. The body is a basic dreadnaught with a rosewood fretboard and a Volume control and Treble/Bass control knobs at the forward-top treble bout. A pickguard and ebony bridge dress the deck. Chrome plated tuning keys with a nice Alvarez "A" inlay on the headstock. I am not sure of the Preamp brand as I have found no name.

I play a very hard spanish rock style. I use all kinds of gear to make her loud and clean. Mostly reverb and a touch of delay. I use Tube amps to accentuate the body of my solo finger picking. The 5041 really sounds full and with a set of heavy Phospherous Bronze ropes on board ...she really booms. I would say her weakness is feedback. I can't seem to help getting it even at a 90 degree stance to the amps. I just stand back a ways and it seems ok. Only with the low end chords does it seem to happen.

The finish, action, and fit were all above average when I got her. She was new and shiny and pretty solid. The details of the finish really shows that Alvarez gives a darn about the eye of the beholder. I had the action set a bit lower (to my preference) and had the tuning keys replaced as they were not very reliable.....kind of cheap.

I have played the HECK out of this guitar! I have had it for 10 years now and had literally worn the frets down to the fretboard. I have hammered her, dropped her, fell on top of her, and even left it in the trunk of my car for a month....in the winter .....in only a soft case and she stil...STILL was sound as ever. The tuning keys are the only thing that I held against it. They seemed kind of plastic like. I put some Pings on it and she took to them well. With this guitar I don't need a backup!

never called on them

10 years I have played and I own over 45 guitars presently. I can't imagine a better AC/EL for the price I payed. I don't know what they went for new... but I own a few pretty expensive AC/EL's and this 5041 Alvarez is simply the most reliable guitar I have ever owned. Period.