Alvarez MF80C

All solid wood guitar (Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides). Abolone inlay around the sound hole and matching abalone Alvarez logo on headstock. System 600T electronics with on-board tuner. Cutaway, grand-auditorium body.

Bought mine as a "blemished" unit so it was a good bit cheaper than list price. The only defect I've found so far is a small ding on the back corner behind the neck, otherwise it's perfect. Actually went into the store looking for an Alvarez AD90SCK but when I saw this one at the marked down price and compared the sound quality of the two guitars there was no way I was leaving the store without it.

Only three complaints in the "features" category.
1 - no pick guard. Going to have the local luthier fix that in the very near future so not a biggie.
2 - No switch to turn the electronics off - if you're plugged in it's on. Didn't occur to me until I played with my church band last Sunday. After we'd played the first few songs and were turning the stage over to the pastor, everyone else turned off their pickups as they racked their guitars and headed for the pews. All I could do was turn the volume down as far as it would go. Again, not a big complaint, just a minor annoyance.
3 - To change the battery you have to pull the entire electronic module out of the side (2 screws) and the battery cover is on the back of the module. Could be worse - at least I don't have to take the strings loose and reach through the sound hole, but you can't tell me they couldn't make the battery more accessible.

Outstanding!!! Rich, full, balanced tone. Harmonics are dead-nuts all the way up the neck. Had my heart set on a Gibson (but couldn't afford it) then stumbled onto this and it blew me away.

Factory set-up was good for me. Feels like a Taylor. Thin neck is comfortable and easy to play - fast as hell too. Frets are a little higher than some of the other guitars I've tried - didn't think I'd like that at first but makes bar chords much easier.

As I said, mine is a "blem" so I can't complain about the little nick on the backside (and it took a while to even find it). Has a stain on the inside below the manufacturer sticker that may be a urethane spill but you've got to look inside the soundhole to see it and nothing anyone else is going to see.

The screws on either side of the electronics were a bit boogared up. Looked like someone at the store had used a penny to unscrew them to change the battery. If I'd been paying full price I probably would have complained about that but for what I paid I'll deal with it.

Too soon to tell, only had it a couple of weeks so far. Feels sturdy as hell though and the internal bracing is solid.

Not applicable - since mine's a "blem" it's not covered by normal warranty.

For the price I don't know how I could beat it. A solid wood guitar for $525, I mean c'mon.

I've only been playing for a bit over a year and had been waiting to buy a "real" guitar until I felt I played good enough to justify it (been beating on a Regal my wife won in a drawing).

Started looking around several months ago and had set my sites on either a Taylor or Larivee at first (Gibsons sounded incredible but were WAY out of my price range) then found out about Alvarez and fell in love with the MD95. Was saving my money for one of them when my Harley died. Had to make a choice to buy the expensive guitar and park the bike for the summer, fix the bike and hold off on the guitar, or fix the bike and buy a cheaper guitar. Obviously I chose option 3 which was why I was in the store looking for the AD90SCK to begin with. Thankfully found this one at the right price and was able to get a top quality axe with the money I had available.

I've had mine for two or three years. The fit and finish are beautiful. I especially like the binding -- real maple, naturally finished, which makes a nice contrast with the mahogany body and spruce top. The top, back and sides are all solid wood, no laminates.

The auditorium size is very nice. It corresponds to the Martin "000" body size. Eric Clapton once said that when he died, he wanted to return to earth as a Martin OM40, which is a 000 size guitar. It (the Alvarez MF80C) is a bit less deep in dimension than a dreadnought, which makes it easier to hold and play. Loudness is fine. The guitar's shallower dimension and fast neck make it play a lot like an electric. The sound is rich, full and more even (between the treble and bass) than a dreadnought. Most blues fingerpickers and acoustic blues stylists seem to prefer the auditorium or "folk" body size.

The 600T electronics are very fine. The built in tuner is extremely useful. I have mine wired up with an LR Baggs I-Beam pickup attached to the 2nd input on the Alvarez preamp. Blending between the built in bridge transducer (piezo) and the I-Beam enables a sweet, punchy sound that I love. Played through a good acoustic amp this Alvarez sounds spectacular.

I play my MF80C through a Behringer Ultracoustic acoustic amplifier. It works fabulously well.

This guitar is really beautiful. The cutaway (Venetian style) is gorgeous, and the maple binding makes it look like a $2000 instrument.

This is a moderately expensive ($650) well made and beautifully finished acoustic guitar. That means it is light and strong and easily damaged!!!

Ok. This may all sound bad, but I *am* a satisfied customer of Alvarez. My first MF80C guitar developed a crack on the top, from below the sound hole to the bottom edge, about 2.5 inches long. I returned the guitar to Alvarez. They examined the crack through a microscope, and determined that the crack was caused by a HIT, that is by being banged into something. So they wouldn't repair it under warranty.

I was ticked off, because I didn't recall ever banging it. But they said that the "spider" pattern of the laquer damage was definitive proof. So there was nothing I could do. I paid $267 to repair the crack.

But wait, there's more! When the guitar arrived (it was shipped to my local Alvarez dealer) it had ANOTHER crack, at the edge of the electronics panel. This was a new crack. Back it went, and this time the Alvarez people said it was NOT a hit, and the replaced my guitar with an entirely new instrument.

Since then (2 years) I've played the guitar nearly every day, and it has withstood a great deal of hard (but careful) use. I really like this guitar. I'm glad I bought it. And, who knows? Maybe I *did* hit the thing, without realizing. Or someone else did, which is more likely. It's taken me a while to reach this conclusion, but I believe the Alvarez people treated me fairly. Heh!

I'd buy this guitar again. It is very well made and well finished. It is inexpensive for a solid wood instrument with excellent electronics. It sounds great, and the action is very low and smooth, without buzz. It is the top of the Alvarez line, but below the Yari line. It is a wonderful value. When I take it out of its case at a coffeehouse, I'm always proud of the way it looks and sounds.

Some day I'd like to own a Martin Jumbo or OM (000) cutaway rosewood with electronics, and/or a Gibson J45 Rosewood with electronics. But these guitars cost 2-3 times what the Alvarez MF80C cost, and only sound (maybe) 10-15% better! On a cost/quality/value basis, this guitar is the BEST one available anywhere. I did the hard research, trust me.

This guitar is a grand autatorium acustic/electric It has a solid maple top. The sides and back are solid as well. The electronics are fishman with the Alvarez logo and a piezo pickup. controls are Master volume, 3 band EQ with frequensy adjustment for the mid, phase revers botton, piezo gain also some controls for the 2nd axl input. It has a built in cromatic tuner that works even if the guitar is unpluged. Another cool feature is when plugged in turning on the tuner mutes the out put signal so you can tune in silence. die cast tuners. small neck rosewood. Made in Koria but finished like USA

This guitar sounds awsome!!! I played it next to a Taylor twice the price and I thought it sounded equal if not better. when playing next to a dreadnot guild it held its own and didnot hide. Very rich jangly sound but yet warm with tight pronounced bass. When plugged in this guitar is truly in a leage of its own. the tonal quality will blow you away!!! I played a few open cords in a boutiqu guitar shop through a Crate Accustic amp and every head in the place turned.
Everyone thought it was a $2000+ guitar. Step aside Taylor and Martin. there is a new old guitar in town and its half the price.
and just as good ( better in my opinion) in sound.

This guitar is beautifully finished traditional cutaway accustic.
tight grain rosewood finger board. Action is droped in the basement but dosenot buz unless your trying to break the strings. the neck has a small radius very comfotable to play. feels like an electric. frets were finish to perfection It just plays increadable if you like taylors feel youll love this baby. Binding is perfect the only cosmetic thing on mine is slight clear coat beed over on the top of the finger board.

It feels and looks like a pretty sturty guitar. the frets are hard tunners are tight very light weight I will be using it as my #1 i will write a revew after a few gigs but I dont think I will have any problems. It is a very well bult guitar

I have been playing for 24 years If this guitar got stolen I would buy another one the next day. It is flat out the most bang for your buck and then some. I compared it to guitars twice the price and it shined in every way.