Alvarez 5058 9-String

Standard features as noted by other reviewers of this guitar.

I have always loved the sound of the nine string. Even a less talented player, like myself, sounds good playing this piece. I enjoyed watching peoples reaction when they figured out that it was a 9 string.

The neck is somewhat narrow if you have larger fingers.

I am not enough of an expert to really comment on the technical aspects.

My piece is perfect, however I rarely play it. It has held up very well over the years. No signs of deterioration.

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My parents gave me the guitar for my high school graduation in 1981. A guy who owned a music store had fallen on some difficult times and owed my father some money. He offered the piece in exchange. It was brand new when I received it. I have kept it in pristine condition over the years. Truthfully, I'm really not much of a guitar player but at the time my father had the opportunity to pick it up, so he did. I consider it a treasure.

Bought mine back in... 1983 perhaps? Loved it, sounded awesome.

Action was a bit higher than I'd prefer, not as easy to play as others, but not bad by any stretch. My main complaint, however - and the reason I traded the thing in though I loved it so - was that the top of the guitar was beginning to bow under the tension of the strings, and the bridge (if I remember correctly) was beginning to separate from the top a bit. When I asked the dealer I had purchased the guitar from, he said he had seen a few do that, and speculated that it was because Alvarez had used basically a six-string guitar design and slapped another 3 strings on it - and it wasn't constructed/braced like a 12-string, and couldn't support the extra tension.

I see that others have found these guitars to still be doing well 25-ish years later, so that's great - I'd love to have one again. Mine only last a couple of years, so maybe it was an anomaly.

For the short duration that I owned it, it was a great guitar, no issues. I used it often live, and it was great. I pre-emptively sold it because of the top/bridge issue discussed above, not because I was displeased with it as a useful instrument.

This guitar is Japanese-made, probably manufactured around 1980 (give or take a couple of years). Not sure of the woods used, but have no reason to doubt Steve's summation in his review of 5/15/06. I bought mine used over 20 years ago. It had a few minor scratches and light dings when I got it, and the finish has 'ethched' a little here and there over the years. Stays in tune just fine; mine has minimal fret wear as it isn't my regular guitar and receives little playing time. Neck is comfortable, and shows no signs of twisting or bowing. I'm giving it a 9 for its nice construction and looks.

I play mostly fingerstyle, so it does take some getting used to when I occassionally pull it out to play. I do strum some, and when I do this baby is loud -- ringing sustaining trebles, good midrange and surprisingly booming bass. I have a 1969 Gibson B45 12-string, and this Alvarez holds its own nicely against that guitar. I wonder how nice this thing would open up if it was played more often. I'll give it an 8, but with regular playing it would probably rate a 9-10.

I've never touched the setup, but I would say it is low-medium. A bit more difficult to play than some of my 6's, but that's minimal. If it was my main guitar, I'd probably thing the action was good. The woods are nice, but the finish on the top is showing its age a bit. It's a shame the original owner didn't take better care of it. I baby my guitars and it hurts to see the scratches/dings this one suffered even though they are minimal. Another 8.

The tuners are tight, neck is straight, it's easy to play and it sounds great. Except for the finish etching I'd give it a 10, and I suspect that minor point is the result of abuse from the original owner. 9 again.

No opinion here.

I've been playing off & on since the mid 1960's (Beatles wannabe -- who wasn't back then?). Now I'm more mellow, playing mostly soft rock and folk fingerstyle stuff. If this guitar was stolen I would hope the thief would sell it to someone who would appreciate the fine instrument it is and play it often like it deserves. I wouldn't buy another, because I have too many guitars as it is (which I won't bore you with by listing them here).

This particular 9 string that I am writing this review on is actually owned by my father. I have played this guitar many times and I can tell you from my personal experience that this guitar plays and sounds awesome. The action on this instrument is great. I mean, I hate an instrument that is hard to play. And I have had a lot of experience with instruments. I play at least 10 and I am only fourteen. When my father bought this guitar, it was in fact in the late 80's. Although I am unsure of the original price, I do know that my father was once offered 1800 for it.

It is alright for some of the slower songs that I play. (I play PUNK)I use a late 70's model Peavey stack. It is not at all noisy. I love the sound of this guitar. It kind of sounds like a cross between a 6 string, and a 12 string. It has a very bright sound. Not too much of a variety, becaue it is kind of hard to bend 2 strings at once. I use Martin Silk & Steel Folk guitar strings. You have to buy a set of 12 strings and only use 9 of them. I love its rich bright sound.

Awesome action, finish, and fit.

Everything in this category is completely factual.

Unusual 9-String dreadnaught acoustic of unknown year. I can guess it is from the early 80s. I am writing this review to incourage others to post info about their 9-string as there isn't much info out on the web about them. They occasionally show up on ebay, and usually without any real info about the construction materials. The Alvarez website isn't much help, but that's understandable since it is an older discontinued model. But it is surprising that their user forums aren't more informative so let's share info here.

It has a solid spruce top, bookmatched. Unknown variety of spruce. The top is 3.9mm thick at the sound hole. Grain is fine and straight. Bouts are 11.5" (4.25" front to back) and 15.5" (4.75") approx. 3-Ring Rosette, each ring is a multi stripe b/w deal. Inner and Outer rings are 5 layer, inner is 9 layer b/w. 6-layer binding around the edge.

The Bridge is black, saddle slot cut at an angle. My saddle is not compensated. No idea if that is standard or not. Intonation at the 12th is good so I'll leave it. Wood unknown?

I will guess the sides are a rosewood ply. The color and woodgrain are so different from my Epi rosewood guitars that I can't be sure this is rosewood. The woodgrain and color are exactly like every one I have seen on ebay so far. The brown color of the neck and back are a close match. They have a slight red coloration to the brown. Big black strap button at the end.

Neck is 14 frets to the body, slightly tapered and pretty fat at the 7th fret and up, "C" shape, 20 total frets. 1.79" at nut, 25.5" scale length. Cream binding on neck. No binding on headstock. Binding covers end of heel in a pointy triangle at the body. Strap button in heel. Neck wood?

Headstock has a nice smooth "S" curve at the end that I find more appealing than some the Yairi guitars of the 80s. The standard Alvarez logo is a mirror image double "A" multi-color pearl inlay.

Tuners are arranged 3 full size on bass side, 6 smaller size on treble side. All are closed type with silver finish. Knobs are angular cut. They hold tune well.

Fingerboard is black, unknown wood. I'll guess rosewood stained black? Diamond-snowflake inlay markers at 5 7 9 12 15 and 17. 7 and 12 have double Diamond/snowflake. 5 and 9 are larger than the others and stretched, others are square. Much cooler than dots even though they are plain silvery-white and not multi color like pearl or abalone. Mine has been played a lot in the first position and has some fret wear there, especially under the D and G strings at the 2nd fret.

It has a good full sound that is responsive to frequent playing. Basic sound is about what you would expect from this 9-string guitar- more jingly than a 6-string and more bass than a 12-string.

I haven't played it a lot lately and the sound is not as full right now. It is interesting how it changes when played a lot. It truely "opens up".

I grew up on 60s and 70s guitar rock. This guitar suits my style and ability fine. I play rock, country and traditional folk rhythm- whatever comes across well strumming a flattop that you can sing to and enjoy with family and friends.

No complaints here. After what must be 25 years and no signs of repairs it is evidently well made and fit and finish are fine.

I bought this used after seeing a friend's guitar so I can't comment on factory setup. I've tweaked it a bit to suit me. I polished it several months ago and it still looks great. No cracking, crazing or other finish problems.

If the rubber stamp on the inner label is the manufacture month and year, it is almost 25 years old. It has held up well. I have no reason to expect it won't last another 25.

I replaced the plastic bridge pins with Tusq. pins. The tuners are the only mechanical part to be concerned about wearing and they hold tune well. Nut and saddle are fine.

I have read online where people say the neck will twist due to the string arrangement makes for uneven pull on the neck. That seems to be nothing but sour grapes due to them not having one! I have seen several of these and the neck of all are fine.

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Not sure of original pricing. I have seen these sell from $400-900.00. I've seen an owner not part with his on a $750 offer.

It's really fun to own regardless of value. It is great to see the face of guitar player that has never heard of a 9-string. It's one of amazement and disbelief, but always a big grin and big eyes like a kid in a candy shop.

I've also read where people say they only made 200 of them. That seems to be wrong as they seem to have made them from the late 70s through at least the mid 80s, but I can't confirm this. I suppose some sellers want to create an illusion of rarity. But it is likey that owners do not part with them often, thus making them rare on the market. I see a 1-2 on ebay every year, not much.

Label inside sound hole reads, Model 5058. Made in Japan and rubber stamped 11/81.