Alvarez 5046

The electronics did not work when I purchased this guitar off of ebay. So, I don't know how they work if they were to be fixed. Mine was not a cutaway, which is my preference, but it is a fun campfire guitar or beach-playing specialty. Old-school pickup system, but it is beautifully made with a pretty wood. (not sure which wood because it was used when I purchased)

VERY pretty sound. It's age adds to the life of the sound. A very warm sound but still very crisp with the right strings of choice. I like it's intonation until you get high on the neck. It gets out of tune up higher. Other than that, it is a great sounding guitar.

The action could be lower, but that is a preference of mine and I never had it adjusted. The bridge is made of metal and really makes it hard to keep strings on the guitar.

Like I said above...the bridge makes the strings break...you could insert a plastic bridge and have longer life on your strings.

never dealt with alvarez

The feature on this guitar are great. However, the electronics on mine do not work, so I really cannot give a good opinion in this category. Its looks are gorgeous, I think the backand sides are rosewood? Possibly mohagany, but I'm not sure, either way, it looks great. I'm not a big fan of the Mexican blanket looking ring around the hole, but it does look better than the usual stripes and such around most guitars' holes. This is the only acoustic guitar I've seen with and adjustable metal bridgepies atop the wood.

It sounds great. It has more of a big guitar sound, a friend seems to think it is best suited for country and folk, but I like blues, and it doesn't do too bad of a job at that either. I has kind of a mello, full sound to it.

It's factory set-up isn't too bad. However, it sat in my great-grandparents closet for a number of years and as a result the neck is slightly bowed, but it's still very playable, the strings just rattle up against the frets the higher you get. The nut isn't glued down very well, it looks like someone for got how to use a glue gun. other than that, I think all the problems are age related and abuse related.

For being built in September of '71, it has held up remarkably well. I got friends with real nice guitars that they payed $500+ for and it can compete with them. Other than the pick-ups not working, if you just miced it, you could use it on stage and not have any problems, unless yo uliket o solo up high in the neck.

I've never delt with Alvarez directly.

I'm reall more of an electric and a bass player than an acoustic player. A freind has a low-end Martin and another has a Takamine jumbo, it is very comparable to these guitars. I think the thing I love the most about it is its age and it sounds so radically different from modern alvarez guitars.

It was most likely produced around 1978.I contacted Alvarez and they said their records are not precise from that era. They distributed this model from the mid 1970's through the mid 1980's. It has 20 frets and a spruce top. Laminated mahogany back & sides (the only reason this guitar gets only an 8)and Rosewood fingerboard and bridge. According to Alvarez it came with the pickup installed from the factory. Single coil pickup located at end in fingerboard/top of sound hole with volume and tone control knobs at lower bottom end of spruce top and sandard jack in lower bottom of side. Rossette is different from any other I have seen. Geometric pattern with green color. Body style is Dreadnought with a Thin neck. The top 3 frets were worn down when I bought it and had to be replaced. Abalone dots on frets 5, 7, 9, 12 and 15. Headstock has a laminate of walnut? with the "A" abalone inlay and the letters "SLM" on the rod cover. Bridge appears to be adjustable because there is a screw on both sides. There has been a strap button added to the heel.

Overall this is an excellent guitar! I play mostly folk, singer/songwriter and old-time music. I bought it used for under 100 dollars and it plays and sounds as good and sometimes better than many guitars I have played that cost much more. It has a bright and big sound. Like if you crossed the brightness of an ovation and the full deepness of a Martin. Basically a really good all around sound. I mostly play without the pickup and occasionally I will "plug-in" with a chorus effect peddle. No dislikes.

I bought the guitar used and had to have the first 3 frets replaced because of wear. Even after this repair the action is great and in fact the most playable acoustic guitar that I own. The pickup sounds good and the control knobs do what they are supposed to do. All the hardware is in good condition with no rust or signs of being worn out.
Finish is good. No crackling. There is some yellowing of the binding on the fretboard/neck seam probably from being exposed to hours of contact with skin oils.

This guitar had certainly been played alot by the time I bought it. Aside from the fret replacement and a little cosmetic yellowing it is in very good shape. After 27 years the finish and hardware have proven to be durable. The add on strap button and base strap button seem solid. This is a dependable guitar. I would never play a gig without a backup guitar.

I wrote to Alvarez with some of my questions and they seemed happy to furnish me with the answers.

I have been playing for 25 years. I also own a 1968 Martin Acoustic guitar, Sigma (owned by Martin) acoustic guitar, Fender 12 string, several "el crapola" camping guitars, 80's (Japan)Fender Telecaster, 1969 Gretsch Streamline reissue, Fender amp, open-back clawhammer banjo, mountain banjo, U-King Banjo Ukelele, Alto sax, Bach Trombone...the list goes on. I wish I had asked when it was purchased. If I had to replace it I would definetly start by trying out another Alvarez. It had the sound I was looking for and it was very economicaly priced. It's my favorite all around guitar to play.

Made in 1972 I think... on the label inside it says 0372 by the 5046 model number and then it is stamped again with 3.5/72, so I guess that's March 5, 1972. 20 frets, looks to have a solid top. Someone has outfitted it aftermarket with a P.O.S. single coil pickup and 1 volume,1 tone controls. I do not know the exact woods used since I did not buy it new, in fact I came here hoping to get more info on this model, but alas I am the first to submit a review. It looks like a standard spruce top with either mahogany or rosewood for the back and sides. The wood grain is very straight and even. Looks alot like the rosewood fretboard. It has one of the ugliest rosettes Ihave ever seen almost as ugly as the Gibson Hummingbird pickguard! The rosette is designed to look like a tapestry or perhaps the chest design of those people at Oktoberfest on their bib overalls. The bridge saddle appears to be adjustable for height like a Gibson Les Paul stop bridge tailpiece, with a screw on each side to raise and lower it, all built into a very typical looking acoustic rosewood 6 pin stop piece. Headstock has abalone inlayed Alvarez and a "aj Mahal arch-looking"truss rod cover. It has Kluson delux tuners that are original I think. Again, I did not buy this new. Dreadnought model with a Martin-like neck shape and regular thin frets. Fret markers at 5,7,9,12,15 are dot abalone and there are 2 dots in the 7 and 12 fret. There is no strap button by the heel of the neck so you'd have to attach the strap to the headstock...

This is why I had to list a review of this guitar. I have played Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Fender, Sigma, Yamaha, Epiphone, and Takamine acoustic guitars that were owned by other musicians that I have known.
This guitar holds it's own with any of these and I have a pretty critical ear. There is obviously no buzzing or fretting out when you play this and I was kind of expecting to hear some considering where I found it. I play all kinds of music, 50s,60s,70s,and selected 80s,90s,00s. I write my own music. I play guitar, bass, keys, drums, etc. I'm not telling this to brag, I don't play any of them well enough to quit my day job, but I do make money on the weekends. I am involved in engineering recordings with my bandmate and songwriting partner and I collect vintage instruments (those that I can afford). I took this guitar and recorded it on one of my new songs and in addition to sounding good live, it records like a dream. I have never been able to record an acoustic guitar track and not adjust the eq at all. I didn't have to add any compression. I didn't have to add reverb. This guitar sounds alot bigger than it probably should considering the price. Getting back to the harmony central outline, I don't think this guitar would be out of place in any studio or stage setting where an acoustic guitar is needed.

The action on this guitar is perfect in my opinion. Playing Bb off the first fret rings out without having to squeeze the note out. The gap on the strings at the first fret is about 3/32"and a strong 1/8"at the 20th fret. I would say that for it's age, this guitar is in incredible condition. Bookmatching looks good front and back. Multiple layer binding on the top, single ply on the bottom and none on the fretboard/neck seam. I can see nothing wrong with the guitar's hardware as far as Alvarez is concerned. The after market pickup system was hanging out of the body as the original nut was gone off the input jack and had been replaced with an ill fitting GALVANIZED nut from Menard's. This was in my favor though because pointing it out got the cost of the guitar knocked down from $160 to $120. Everybody is always so concerned about looks, I just like my stuff to sound impressive.

I don't know that any acoustic guitar is built like a tank, but this guitar seems very well built. After all, if it was built in 1972 and it is 2003, it should have started dying a long time ago. Since it is still in such excellent condition, I have to say that it deserves some props.

I have been playing for 12 years. I own an SRV strat by Fender(I left a review for that too.), A Jimmy Vaughan mexi strat, a Goya acoustic (made by Martin), a no name maple drum set mini kit w/ Sabian Pro cymbals, a Hammond C2 w/ tone cab and homemade Leslie cab pulled from a non-working organ, a Mark I Fender Rhodes, a Fender Blues JR. amp, a Traynor amp with a 4-12 cab, Jay Turser Violin Bass, and a Hammond S6 chord organ. I wish that I had asked where the guitar came from before the pawn shop. If it were stolen or lost I don't think I could replace it, So I would have to get something else, but I would certainly miss it. I did play other guitars the day that I bought this one, but this was the only guitar that had people coming up to me asking me if I was going to put it down so they could take off with it. I have never played a guitar that captured people's attention like this one did. It was like every musician had the same thought run through their head at the same time...THAT THING SOUNDS HUGE!