Alvarez 5045G Mountain Acoustic

I have always liked most of the necks on other Alvarez guitars, and although this one seems a bit thicker than most Alvarez, I have come to like the feel.
The plain finish grew on me as I played it. I at first didn't care for it, but now I really like it as it is different than most acoustics, it almost looks like cedar, but I don't think it is. The top seems to be very thin and really puts out the volume. It would be a shame to put a pick-guard on it, it is that pretty..I don't really flail anyway..I think a good finger picker could really get a great sound on this guitar, (I'm not real accomplished at finger picking, but this guitar makes me want to work at getting better.

After finding and remedying the problem with the bridge insert, I couldn't believe the difference in the sound and the volume. It is a rich, ringing sound, with lots of volume, lots of definition of notes. perfect for worship leading in Church. It sounds like much more expensive guitar to me.

I bought the guitar as a repaired second over the internet. it had a very narrow crack from the bridge toward the end pin, that is hardly noticible except when held just right in the light. I was not afraid of this as I have had a guitar for 30 years with a crack like this that has a great sound, but the neck is thicker than I like. I was able to save over half the price for this blemish. I believe the crack was caused because the top was so thin, which makes for the great response and sound of the guitar.
When got it, I was very disappointed as it sounded dead, and did not play in tune past the 3rd fret. Then, I noticed the bridge insert seemed to be cocked toward the soundhole and I was going to replace what I thought was an insert sized too narrow for the bridge slot. When I started to remove the insert, I found it had been strung with the insert not seated properly and was wedged part way out of the slot. Suddenly, it popped loose and seated properly in the bridge. When I re-tuned, it suddenly fingered great, was in tune all the way up the neck and had much more volume and a great sound! I went from being very disappointed in my purchase to not being able to put it down for the next 4 hours. Someone just hadn't been careful when putting the new strings on it.
Otherwise, it is a beautiful guitar to hear and look at and is different than most you see, with the plain satin finish and subtle decoration.

This is not a guitar for a thrasher. It is too pretty to not be taken care of and babied as the top is thin, which gives it its grat sound. More for intimate group playing than concert boogeying. The sound shines when one can hear the dynamics on the guitar. Needs to be kept away from children and drunks to enjoy for a long time.

N A

Playing for 37 years. The sound is good like most Alvarez, but the "rustic mountain look" is very nice and eye catching and makes you want to pick it up and strum or pick to relax or worship or play a love song. I have owned about 10 acoustic guitars (under $1,000 msrp as I'm not rich) and so far this is my favorite..most cut-aways disappoint me. I would love to have a nice built in pickup, but I can't stand the thought of doing something to mess up the sound of this guitar, so I will probably use my sound hole woody pickup to faithfully reproduce the sound.

late 70's early 80's, i believe, mine's a 12-fret, slot-head, parlor size, made in japan, nothing says "mountain guitar" but it's a 5045. no fret dots, solid top, mahog. b/s, tuners kinda cheap, were loose when i got it used, bridge was pulled up and had to be taken off and reset,reglued

nice tone, loud for it's size, i play old-time rhythm guitar and this suits me perfectly for that, i use light strings and it's clear with no buzz

got it used, action's nice, nut appears to have been replaced with a rosewood nut, when an old-timer reglued the bridge for me, he screwed two bolts thru the bridge to help hold 'er down, and it's been holding on since, two of the back braces were broken a bit and had been crudely re-glued, not pretty, but functional and no one's lookin' in it anyway

this guitar had obviously been handled roughly sometime in the past, top is nice, but bridge and braces were in rough shape, still sounds and plays great, tuners might need replacing in future, i've played it live several times w/out a backup, just extra strings

couldn't comment, no contact w/them
i do own another alvarez gtr and have had it for 13 yrs with no problems or complaints, i've always been pleased with the japanese guitars from the late 70's / early 80's

been playing 17 years
i've had other, older parlor guitars, but am more comfortable playing this one out 'cause it's not so old, has held up to it's share of flailing so far, like the size and string spacing, great for sitting down playing, easy to get over

1997 Korean made, spruce top, mahogany sides, etc... as other have rated

I've found this guitar to sound fabulous for it's price range... even rivaling some lower price Gibsons and Taylors when I compared sound in store before buying... mine was a second... slite blemish at the 9 fret where fret was mis-pressed slightly and repressed correctly - left slight indent in fretboard - barely notcable - but the price was noticeable - at $275.00 for being a second, I couldn't believe I was getting a such a great sounding spruce top for under $300... it blew away everything else in it's price range. I didn't notice any tighness in sound as others mentioned, but as a floor model, it may have already been broken in...

excellent action - set-up was lower and easier to play than reviewer describes above - may have been custom re-set by shop...Fit and Finish is excellent. The natural mahogany sides and tight but minimalistic binding on the top edge andaround sound hole along with contoured bridge give this guittar a simple but clean look and style that stands out from the crowd

Overall - excellent... The stock polymer saddle is junk - it lasted for only a few string changes... I replaced it with a similar one with the same limited life span... When I moved cross country, the guitar got a little out of whack in the hardshell case I bought for it... I suspect variations in presure, humidity and temperature during the move torqued the neck back slightly as I was getting fret buzz problems when the guitar arrived. Local luthier examined and gave me that diagnosis (which he said is not uncommon for acoustics that have been through the travel gauntlet.) I had him craft and install a custom figured bone saddle (Only $30!!) and this corrected the problem w/ no truss rod adjustments needed - and the guitar's sound improved dramtically as the other reviewer above attested to when he upgraded to a bone saddle - a good sounding acoustic really started sounding great...

NA

For the price I paid - couldn't be happier. I tried a number of other Alvarez guitars that day in the store - none came close to this one... It's sound even rivaled some guitars in the $1000+ range. I think Alvarez packed this moderately-priced guitar with some definite higher-priced quality and attention to detail for this St. Louis Music 75th Anniv. Commemorative issue.

The 5045G was made in Korea. Solid spruce top (?Sitka), mahogany back and sides, rosewood neck, herringbone trim, and a natural finish. Neck is 1 11/16" at nut.

Sounded flat as a board when I first got it 3 years ago. Since then, the spruce top as opened up. I mainly finger pick and it was hard to bet volume until I changed to bone saddle and Thomastik-Infeld strings. Decent base, bright mid and highs. I've tried a variety of strings and found Thomastik-Infeld light gauge to be by far the best with this guitar (expensive though). Replaced with bone saddle and improved sound by 25 percent.

Good fit. I love the woody rustic finish. Action was way too high, together with factory medium strings my fingers were aching. I had the action lowered by filling down saddle.

No problems in the three years that I've had it. Seems dependable.

I received no response via email from company headquarters in St. Louis

A good guitar for the price. Solid spruce top and good looks. Sound is fair at best considering solid top. If you're considering playing guitar for a long time, spend a few more hundred dollars and get a lower end model from high-end guitar companies (Martin, Larivee).

This dreadnought acoustic guitar was made in Korea. It has a solid spruce top, mahaghony back, sides and neck with a rosewood fingerboard. Natural finish, 20 frets.

Bright with decent bass. I'm a fairly new player so I guess it matches my "playing style"

The guitar played very well right out of the box; nice action no buzzing. The fit and finish was also very good; this is a nice looking guitar.

It seems durable enough for a flat-top guitar, the finish seems like it will hold up, however, it does not have a pickguard, so some players will need to add one or choose a different model.

I have had no comtact with Alvarez and I bought the guitar in Florida, since I live in MN I won't be going back to that shop.

I've been playing for two years and this is my first quality guitar. Overall I think it was a real good value for the money. For $399 I got a hand made (in Korea) solid top guitar, that has a nice finish and plays great. My last guitar was a Chinese made cheapie that I bought in Fiji, so this one seems great in comparasin, however I shopped around and have played other good guitars.