Alvarez AD80SSB

This guitar is absolutely beautiful. Bought a used one, near mint for 250 bucks including hard case, capo and stand. Great action. Grover tuners, very well built guitar considering it being manufactured in South Korea. Has built in electronics.

Alvarez 600t electronics sound fantastic. Not plugged in this guitar is very bright, yet not too bright as to compromise the depth of the sound. I own another guitar which is a jumbo with alot of bass, and found it to be a bit too bassy for my liking. This Alvarez seems to suit me perfectly.

I purchased this guitar from a fellow musician who had posted a for sale ad. Was very well taken care of and tweaked to perfection so i cannot say much for factory settings. The fit is perfect in my opinion. The neck is nice and slim, yet not so much that it makes it difficult to play in any way. The finish was the main draw here, and it is as stunning as you would imagine having seen any images of this guitar online or in print.

Seems very durable, altough as with any instrument, if you treat it badly, it is sure to repay you in the same manner. Keeping your guitar clean and putting it back in its case after playing will certainly help to ensure longevity. The grover tuners are fantastic and are the exact make and style of the tuners on my other acoustic guitar which i have had for nearly 15 years and still love as much as the day i bought it.

No previous experience with customer support.

I have been playing guitar for 20+ years, i play many genres of music and have been through countless guitars and equipment. I Currently play a Gibson SG standard limited edition (circa 1999) through a B52 AT100 head with matching Celestion 30s cab with various pedals and tools. Had all but given up on acoustic playing until finding this gem. Would recommend as another reviewer had stated to play every guitar before buying. No guitar is the same as the next. Even guitars of same brand and model. Play everything you can get your hands on until you find that one that suits you best. Never take a random chance on a guitar just because you read 20 great reviews. Chances are most of those reviewers would find your personal tastes to be far from their own liking.

Well constructed Beautiful sunburst finish, very good looking guitar. Great inlay and I love the fret board.

This is a new guitar and I have been searching for years for one that I liked. Was going to get a Blueridge but this one has a more solid feel and sound. Came with Elixers but a set of Clapton Martins Light set it off great. Gonna get a KK pickup to put in it that way it won't change the sound of this guitar. As good as a Martin anyday.

Setup when I got it was good but with a few adjustments it's has as good action as my sons D28 martin. Love the finish. I have an older ElDegas and that one is also a sunburst.

Seems like a solid design guitar. As I said was looking at a Blueridge that was more expensive but it didn't seem like it would hold up to the dings.

Too new to say

Been playing for 40 years and I have owned Fenders, El Degas and have played Normans, Martins, Blueridge and Takemines. Actually played a $1500 Takemine before choosing this one.

No pickup, but i added a kk pure western and it sounds great w/o it anyway. No flaws and the tuners are great I made sure the little screw was tight. Feels kinda like a gibson neck medium frets normal scale,rosewood fretboard [thought i needed an ebony fretboard but it don't it is just right for this guitar.] Body is rosewood with a spruce top and a mahogany neck. I had the bridge pins changed to bone the plastic ones sucked tone, and of course added the pickup.

Depending where i pick i can get a multitude of sounds, and this guitar is loud compared to the martins and taylors that i played [They were all over 2 grand]. I got a ******* bargain without compromising tone and it works great for any alc unplugged and staind, metallica acoustic tones the list is endless. I bought it from crazyhorse guitars in des moines, iowa. I tried every vguitar in the store and this one spoke in volumes to me. I just played other guitars today at guitar center and they sounded pretty tinny compared to this monster.

One complaint-it needed set-up but it wasn't too far off from what i'm used to which is electric guitar set-ups. Not bad just an adjustment. After adjustment a 9.

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Been playing now for 21 yrs and this guitar has been a blessing, because it was a long search for a good one, ooops a great one to come along I didn't pay attention to the looks as much as tone first then playability and i would buy another if it sounded the same.

Well constructed Beautiful finish, very good looking guitar

Ok, not all of them are alike. Play every guitar in the store. I found some to be average, and some great, and that one that is absolutely outstanding. I have a D-28 Martin that I purchased in 1968 and I wanted a knock around guitar. This specific Alvarez will stand up to my Martin. Like I said, you have to find the right one and not just go with the first one you try. If you find that one, you will have a world class sound for 500 bucks

Action is good, Finish is good, I think they could have put a better set of tuners on it but the ones that are there are ok and will hold up

It is too soon to tell if it will stand the test of time. However I have been beating on mine for 6 months now and it appears to hold its own with any problem at all

can't comment, no problems with it

Boy if you find the right one, you cannot go wrong on the sound of these guys. Like I said play them all. If you are not happy with the ones in the store, go to another and play them all. For 500 bucks you will walk away with a great guitar that will hold it's own against any of Martins or Taylors out there. But it is guitar specific

Engleman spruce top. Very nice rosewood sides/back. It's laminated, of course, at this price point. But doesn't look it. Looking inside the body you see nice grained pieces of rosewood.
Solid rosewood bridge and fingerboard, with what looks to be a mahogany neck but Alvarez doesn't say. The sunburst finish is top rate and beautiful, and the pearl inlays at the rosette and body bindings are a really nice touch and something that people who watche me play the guitar often comment on. Also, the diagonal pearl inlay at the 12th fret and the absence of any other fingerboard fret markings is unique and elegant.

I've waited 4 1/2 years to post this review so that I was reviewing a well used, cared for, and broken in instrument. After the first two years of almost daily playing the Alvarez was breaking in really nicely. Becoming easier to play and sounding fuller. Now, after 4 plus years of regular playing, it has fully come into its own. I am really blown away by its sound. What at first was a sound concentrated in the mid-range with rather weak low-end and muted highs, has become an instrument with especially deep rich lows (the rosewood having aged and tightened I imagine) and nice ringing highs. I changed the Elixirs that came on the guitar and now keep it strung with D'Addario phos/bronze lights. The degree to which this guitar has broken in and become more dynamic and richer I feel is testimony to the quality of woods used.

The first instrument I received had a neck problem that my luthier said was too far out to be adjusted or repaired. I sent it back and received another which was just fine. Other than that glitch, I just expect that as soon as I receive a brand new guitar I'm going to take it right in to be professionally set up. I had another set up and adjustment done last spring at its 3 1/2 year mark just to make sure the setup was everything it could be now that the woods had significantly settled in. This made the instrument even more easily playable. The action is low, fast and no buzzing anywhere up and down the neck.

The guitar is solid, well made and seems very durable. I gig with it infrequently. I take good care of it, but it definitely seems like it could withstand bangs and drops like a champ.

They replaced the first faulty one no problem, but I did have a professional luthier's opinion to back me.

The looks of this guitar I have to admit were one of it's selling points; it's a beauty. I thought at first that it would be a great guitar to get back into playing again with then I could always upgrade in a couple years if I wanted. I was not prepared for just how beautiful this guitar would play and sound after a few years.

The one thing that probably most shows where Alvarez cut costs to bring this instrument in at its price point is with the tuners. They are satisfactory and the instrument holds its tune fairly well. But this is the one thing on the guitar that feels "economy".

If it got stolen/lost would I buy again? Probably I'd use the excuse to save up and spring for a Larrivee OM. My next guitar when I can afford it. But for the price, and knowing what I know now after having this guitar for this time, it would be hard to beat it.

06 made in China. Solid spruce top with sunburst finish, laminated rosewood back and sides. Pearloid binding and inlays.

For me, the sound of the guitar is the most IMPORTANT thing about a guitar. After all, that's what it is... a guitar! It's not a painting or a piece of furniture: it's a MUSICAL instrument!
All I can say is that I feel like an idiot for buying this guitar online and TRUSTING the opinions of others about the sound.
Needless to say, I'm not happy with it. The "low E" or bass string sounds like it is attached to a fishing pole. The top has so much lacquer slathered on it and such thick braces that it would be better suited to be a foundation for the new Freedom Towers than a vibrating top for a guitar.
I should not have trusted the reviews for the AD80S, which is the same guitar sans the sunburst finish.

The Actions fit and finish were fine.

This guitar will be hitting the road soon. And I may actually mean "hitting" the road!

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Please do not buy this guitar if you like a full rich bassy sound. If you like a thin and "tinny" sound, then this guitar is for you!

solid spruce top,back and sides are supposed to be laminate,but I`m not too sure,you can see the woodgrain inside of the guitar,I have another guitar I know has laminated back and sides ,if you look at them through the sound hole it looks like ply wood,you can`t see any grain.Beautiful guitar for the $$$$ when I picked it up and played it,I didn`t check out the price tag,because I wasn`t in the market for a new guitar,but after hearing how great it sounded I was expecting to see $800.00 - $1000.00 price tag,it was $450.00 which I thought was a great deal,ended up getting it for $399.00 the pearloid top binding is a real nice touch

I didn`t plan on buying another acoustic guitar when I saw this model hanging in the music store,but after playing it I had to have it.The first thing I noticed was how the lows sounded,very powerful,the trebles crystal clear.I play classic rock alot of Beatles,Neil Young, Cat Stevens stuff like that,this guitar is very well suited for that style of music.I have owned a couple Martins ,this model Alvarez sounds as good as they did.

the action wasn`t that great,I made a bone saddle for it,and will take it to have a bone nut installed sooner or later,the nut seems a bit high.But I bring any new guitar I have in to get them set up anyways.The color is great,onme of the nicer looking sunburst guitars I have seen. the inlay work looks really nice.

seems like it will hold up for years

haven`t needed it

if it were lost or stolen I would definately get another one.

A new one. 2005 or 2006. Dreadnought made in China. Sunburst solid spruce top, laminated rosewood back and sides. Nice binding and inlays. No electronics. The neck is as thin and fast as I have ever seen, though a bit more narrow that I typically like. Someone with smaller hands probably wouldn't notice. This thing manages to stay in tune and the neck/intonation doesn't seem to mind that I come in and out of open G all the time. It gets a nine just for that.

The sound sold the guitar, but play several of them. They are not all alike. This particular guitar has very good tone, a little brighter and crisper than you would think from rosewood. I expect it will mellow over time a bit. I play mostly fingerstyle, easy rock, but occasionally get aggressive. The string volume balance is not perfect, but that is often the case with inexpensive guitars. Overall, this thing holds it own. I was very surprised by the tone for the price.

This guitar looks very nice, and gets your attention. High gloss finish (unlike my other guitars) and fancier bindings but I like it. Guitar came with Elixer strings (bah!) and buzzed all over the place cause the action was WAY to low. But the sound was still impressive and I would rather do the setup myself anyway. Surprise! When I changed strings, the nut fell off - not glued on! You gotta be kidding me. So I went over every square inch of it in detail thinking "what else?". But nothing else - in fact the rest is about perfect. So I fixed the nut, replaced the saddle to raise the action and kept the guitar. After all that, I'm happy with it.

Live playing? Maybe not for long. I look at it this way: do I really want to take my Taylor to an outdoor terrace or smokey bar and subject it to all that? I don't play out that much anymore, but... I have two friends who play 6 nights a week (together or solo) and they got me looking into Alvarez. They leave their Martin guitars at home or only an occasional special gig, and rely on Alvarez guitars for the dirty work. Their opinion: "They might not last, but they are easily replaced, and they do sound so good." At home, with normal use and care, I'm thinking this will last.

Haven't called anybody. The guy at the store said "lifetime warranty". I may need to test this someday.

I've been playing for about 25 years. I have a maple Taylor 420, 1972 Guild D25, a cedar Takamine acoustic, a high-end Epiphone dreadnought, an older Ovation, a Fender Tex-MEx strat, a Gibson SG standard, and a Jazz bass - all of which cost considerably more than the Alvarez. The truth is, I keep picking up the Alvarez day after day to see if I still like it, and it keeps impressing me. I actually play it more than the others.

2004 made in Korea
solid engleman spruce top/lam.rosewood backand sides

I play all types of music, the sound was ok. About what you should expect for 400.00 street price. This guitar can not compete on stage with any real decent guitars.

Set up from the factory was decent and the finish was really beautiful to look at. Two days after purchase things started to go to hell in a hand basket, fret buzz went to dead spots during a preformance.I took it back to dealer two times in 3 days the poor man did what he could,but have you ever heard the expression..."you cant polish a turd"?, many problems where found with this guitar.If not for the pretty finish thie rating would be 1.

I cant answer much on this question that I havent already said. The dealer helped me find another guitar at his store to rectify my lapse in judgement, a"Yamaha".

Dealer took care of me.

I have been playing 20+ years and have never had such a terrible experince with a new guitar. I should have spent the extra damn money and bought a Yairi and I will very soon, oh well... you live and learn I guess.Think very carefully before buying an Alvarez they are not the great guitars they were 20 or 30 years ago STAY AWAY FROM THE NEW ONES!!!!!!!

Dreadnought acoustic with solid spruce top and rosewood back/sides/fingerboard. Nice sunburst finish. White pearl bodybinding. Thin fast neck for quick pickin'

Great overall sound! On acoustic guitar my style is mostly blues or bluegrass/classic country. No fret buzz, no dull spots on fingerboard. Very clean sound on the bright side. Projects louder than most acoustics i've played.

The action is pretty much perfect, can play chords all up and down the neck equally, fast action if you want to pick lead. Mine has a slight cosmetic flaw in the finish where the neck meets the guitar, not noticable unless you're playing and looking down directly at it.

I've only played it for a month, but heavily, everyday with and without other musicians. Holding up so far, feels solid. I think I'll have this one for a long time.

One year warranty, pretty standard

I've been playing for about eight years now, for acoustics i've owned a yamaha and (equally priced) epiphone. This blows both away. I play more electric than acoustic usually, I have a PRS custom 24 and Ibanez AS 80 playing through a Fender Hot Rod. I played many higher priced acoustics during my search (Martin, Tacoma, ect.) but for the price, this can play right next to them. If it were stolen or lost (knock on wood) I'd replace it in a minute!