Alvarez RD8

Same features as all the other RD8 reviewers have written about. The noteworthy features on this guitar are the tuners. They are chrome and really hold their tuning well. Much better than similar priced guitars. Hardshell case is decent but not top notch - probably accounts for about $50.00 of the value of the package.

Sounds very good for a laminate. It doesn't come close to a high-end Martin or Gibson (store owners trying to move product?) but it is much better than others in its class. Does compete with guitars in the $400-$500 range, though. I would characterize the tone as "bright" with pretty rich bass. Bought it for my 11-year-old niece and expect it will last her until she: a) quits or b) upgrades on her own after playing for a few years. I wanted to get her started on something playable that sounded decent. Why cut somebody's legs out from underneath them when they are just learning how to walk? That's what you're doing if you buy those horrid Esteban's off HSN or the boxed off the shelf models at Wal-Mart or Target. This Alvarez is a fine guitar for a beginner.

All good. You don't get a museum piece for $200.

I think for the casual player this guitar would last about ten years. Someone really dedicated might wear it out in five. It's not a professional-level performance guitar but it might hold its own in an informal jam session. It would make a great picnic/camping guitar for someone worried about taking a high-end guitar outdoors.

Limited lifetime warranty. The shipping costs to get it repaired may be better applied to a new guitar.

I've played for 21 years and own a Martin D-28 and three electrics: Gibson SG, Jackson DKMG and a Kramer Focus 1000. The only other guitar in this price range I would consider would be the Epiphone DR-100. It costs less but you don't get a case so in terms of instrument quality they are about even. I choose this one because of the case on that store did not have many Epiphone's in stock.

I have owned my RD 8 for two years now, and am very happy with it. Fact is I was not even shopping for an instrument, but looking for one for a student. Eventhough it is a Laminated drednought, it performs like a a solid wood axe. There is real quality in the build of this instrument, from it's stylish rosewood bridge, and solid mahogony neck, and beautiful finish. The neck, by the way has a most comfortable playing radius. The machine heads seem to be of decent quality, but I do have to tune this instrument a little more often than my Martin. Another fabulous feature is the hardshell plush case that sets this baby off.I paid just $200. for this guitar and have never regreted it.I do feel the fret edges could be dressed a little more.

I own a 1953 Martin D-18, and that baby sings. I am spoiled with that sound. I try guitars $1000 and more and most times just put them down and shake my head. The day I picked up this RD 8 I could not put it down. I used the excuse that I needed an instrument to take where I did not want to haul my Martin, and walked out the door with this one. I have not regreted that purchase for a moment. Oh yea , my old Martin is still my first choice, but I'd choose this RD 8 over some new Martins, especially for the price.

I teach band and class guitar at a local High School. Unfortunately we just puchased another brand of budget acoustics before I discovered the RD 8, and those other guitars were not even close to my RD8. I had to set up those other guitars, and many of them are developing buzzes and rattles. The RD 8 has need no set up at all and the intonation is decent, and this thing is solid. Oh yea the finish is an absolute knock out. I have gone out of my way to pamper this special instrument.

I have had no problems at all with this guitar. The hardshell case really protects it too. I have had absolutely no concerns of deterioration at all, but I also take very good care of my instruments, and don't dance on bar-room tables playing the guitars behind my head anymore either.

I have not had to call on any support for this is a quality reasonably price instrument. However, I use to manage a music store and delt with St. Louis Music who handles the Alvarez line. St. Louis Music is a dependable supportive and reliable company.

I am 52 years old and have been playing since I was 9. I currently own a 1953 Martin D-18, a 1983 Fender Stratocaster Elite, and a 1964 Danelectro Silvertone, and soon to own an Ibanez Jazz box Artcore AF 85. I have owned more instruments than I can remember, and had an earlier Alvarez back in the 70's that I let slip through my fingers. I won't let my RD 8 get away from me. It takes the stress of my 1953 Martin D-18. I even got my brother to purchase one. Nothing can replace my Martin, but hardly any or no reasonably priced acoustic guitars can come close to the Martin, but the Alvarez RD 8 does, believe it or not!

I rated this guitar 2 1/2 years ago. Gave it a good rating then. Nothing has changed about the guitar except a few minor changes I made to the guitar recently. Dreadnought, plywood, entry level guitar. Action was high when bought which made paying difficult, but this guitar sounded good, with excellent intonation. As my skills returned after 20 years of not playing I realized how hard this guitar was to play with high action. So I pulled the saddle out and shaved it down with a dremel hard sander. I didn't worry about ruining the saddel because I could get a new one through Stew-Mac for a couple of bucks. What a difference. I lowered the action at the higher frets (7-12) by about 1/4 inch. This guitar now has low to mid action with no buzz on any strings. Tuners still hold tune with no problems even though they are the cheap thin type that never seem to hold tune on an electric. Case that came with guitar is better than $60 to $70 dollar types sold.

I primarily strum and sing pop/pop rock songs with this guitar. I generally use a pick with guitar but I'm currently re-learning travis picking so I can play some more difficult tunes. This guitar is a better strummer than picker as most dreadnoughts are. I just bought a Washburn Grand Auditorium Acoustic/Electric as my finger picking guitar. This guitar does not buzz and has a full sound it just isn't loud enough un-miked. I like everything about this guitar as an entry level acoustic guitar. Plywood just doesn't get any better than this. And like most plywood guitars the sound hasn't changed much in 2 1/2 years.

Set up from the factory was good but higher than I liked. Thats why I shaved the saddle down. 30 minutes of work with the right tools and now the action is near perfect. Guitar still looks great and the case that came with guitar still looks new. No complaints here.

I play this guitar as hard as I can with a pick. As I said before one of the only complaints I have is I cant make this guitar loud enough thats why I bought an acoustic/electric and a 30 watt acoustic amp. If you just want to play in your living room in front of friends this guitar will last years no matter how hard you play it.

2 1/2 years no problems have not used them at all (that's a good thing)

Been playing 2 1/2 years after a 20 year layoff. I own this guitar, a Washburn acoustic/electric, Epi Les Paul Classic, 2 Kramers (new Korean models) and a Hamer short scale bass. If this guitar were stolen I would buy something better just because my guitar playing has improved alot in the last couple of years, but as a entry level guitar you can't get anything better under $300. Above $300 dollars you can get a solid top which will sound better but will take several years to break in (unlike a plywood guitar) and if you give up and call it quits before you decide you want to be a guitar player, its alot better to have a $200 Alvarez sitting in your closet collecting dust than a $2000 Martin.

This guitar is Laminated top, laminated sides, rosewood neck etc. Cheap materials, cheap price tag... none of that matters in this guitar... i don't know how it works, it doesn't make sense... but some way some how, this cheap guit-box 3 years old, plays as well as my $2500 taylor. This guitar came with a brilliant hard case, which I now use for my taylor as taylor gave me just a cheap black standard case, and I got the faux crock-skin case with plush molded protection inside. I would have gladly paid 5 hundred to a thousand for this thing.

I was very impressed with this guitar. I had been playing a $500 solid wood ibanez for a year or two and went into the shop with 3 grand to buy myself a martin or a taylor. I spent an hour or so playing guitars in the back room when i saw this $150 used RD-8 in the front room. I picked it up and played it and was blown away. The sustain and fullness of the sound was incredible. I'm a singer, so I look for a strong low E string to back my vocals bass wise, and this guitar gave those 2500-3000 guitars a run. I use it with my pick up and it gives a rich vibrant tone that's very clear and good for picking and hard strumming.

I loved the play of the action when I got it. I didn't buy it new, so I can't speak to the factory set up. The tuners, bridge, etc were all great. Alignment was perfect and the action was perfect for my preference. The guitar was two years old when I bought it and I could only tell by wear in the pick guard and impressions in the plastic bridge. I had the bridge replaced with a bone piece, a job that cost my 20 bucks. worth it and the only repair my trusted workman recomended.

The guitar is now 3 years old, I bringit everywhere with me without a soft case or gig bag, I just sling it over my shoulder. I have dinged it, banged it, hit it against hand rails, subway doors etc etc, and the thing still looks new. Laminates are strong. When I play with coated strings, I don't have to restring until they break. holds tuning great. I love this guitar. I've played it at gigs before over my taylor.

I have been playing for 8 years, I own a taylor, a washburn 12 string, a guild, gibson hummingbird, martin, and takamine, les paul, SG, and tele. I love my alvarez. If any of these other guitars was stolen, lost, damaged beyond repair, I would NOT bother to replace it. Of cours the hummingbird would cost me 8 grand to replace, but if I had it, I wouldn't because My RD-8 sounds good enough to forget the gibson. I would buy this guitar again, and have bought this guitar 4 times for gifts to my brother and my friends. They love it ALMOST as much as I do. Give them a year or two and when they still have it and it's still amazing, they'll come here and write reviews describing their disbelief.

Overall Nice looking guitar, comes with a hardshell case and is much nicer than many guitars costing 2X the price

Sound is amaizing. Especially when you consider the price of the RD8 and compair it to other guitars.

The guitar comes perfectly intonated and have veryt good action. The action is better then most guitars in the $400-500 range.

The guitar i bought is 2 years old and is in perfect condition. Everything seems like it will last a lifetime- Perhaps one might want to upgrade the tuners- but the factory ones still do the job.

Havent delt with Alvarez- But guitar comes with lifetime waranty

This guitar is great for the price and wont let you down. I read these reviews before i decided to purchase it and the guitar outperforms my former acoustic- A washburn Millenium Edition Acoustic Electric at a price of $550. Guitar is very warm sounding and loud with good bass tones. I highly recommend this guitar especially if you are limited on funds. I work at guitar center and i secretly recommend the RD8 to people looking at Ibanez guitars(ew)

The Alvarez RD8 is a standard acoustic guitar dreadnought using laminate spruce as for the acoustic guitar top and laminate mahogany for the back and the sides. The neck is mahogany, and the fretboard and the bridge are rosewood. The tuners are "cheap" generic tuners that do a decent job. The guitar comes with a plastic strap-pin on the body, but none on the heel. The nut and saddle are plastic, and a luthier I took it to really wanted to point out how "soft" the plastic was. Nothing spectacular, but then again, nothing wanting.

The Alvarez RD8 has an amazing sound, especially when considering two factors: laminate woods and the cheap price point (due to the cheap laminate woods). In comparison with other guitars, this guitar has a great low end and plenty of volume (once again, unheard of for a cheap laminate). It compares very well soundwise to many high-end models I've played in direct comparison.

The volume of this guitar is amazing, and many have commented to how great this guitar sounds unplugged. This guitar is not at its best fingerpicking, though. This guitar sings in full glory when it is used with a flatpick. This guitar has plenty of headroom, so you can strum as loud as you want. This guitar also has a sensitive site as it plays individual notes and light strumming very well.

When I purchased this guitar from the pawn shop, the action was set-up a little high and the intonation was pretty bad. I took it to a luthier and he noticed that the saddle was too small for the bridge and was therefore bending toward the soundhole when it was played. He placed a small "sliver of something" in the bridge to make it stay in place and the intonation has been good. A friend of mine rented this guitar, and he loved the sound, but didn't want to deal with the higher action and bad intonation. If you get this guitar, it's worth the extra $30 to get the guitar properly set-up.

The finish of this guitar is decent, but nothing spectacular. Once again, though, what do you expect from a cheap guitar.

The great thing about laminate guitars is you pretty much know that they are going to be durable guitars. I'm sure that if I keep this guitar around for a while, the only thing that I may change will be the tuners. Beyond that, though, this seems like a very durable guitar.

I did not have to deal with this company yet.

I have been playing guitar for 5 years, with two years playing bass before that. I play guitar at church every Sunday, for retreats and with my band (an all-acoustic band). I have not played this guitar in a band setting, but at church and for retreats, this guitar gives me everything that I need. The sound of this guitar is amazing, and I cannot say this enough. The pawn shop had a price tag of $375 on this guitar, and it sounded very much like a good value at that price range (used). They had other guitars there that I compared this to, and none of them could match the sound. In particular, I compared this guitar to a Seagull S6 and an Alvarez 5022. None could compare in volume or tone to this guitar. I did some research on the internet, and realized that this price was way too much and I was able to get the guitar for $150.

I have recently compared this guitar with other guitars, and I found that this guitar can hold it's own against many high-end guitars. After I had the set-up done, this guitar has been the a pleasure to play, and I have been playing this guitar regularly while my other acoustic guitar (which shall remain nameless, but it is an all solid-woods guitar) has been getting repaired. I wish I could say that I miss the other guitar, but at this moment, the only reason why I miss it is because of sentimental reasons.

This guitar is not for collectors, does not feature "solid wood" anything, and is not guaranteed to get better with age. None of that matters because this is a good, cheap acoustic guitar that is meant to be played and sounds extremely good doing it. This guitar is a tremendous value.

First of all,I am a Professional singer,songwriter,musician,,,so I have played and own,MANY,MANY expensive name brand guitars.So you can imagin how blown away I was with this one!I mean,this kind of quality for such a small price?!I ended up with this one when my neice wanted to learn guitar,so I bought her one of these.The next day i went back and got one for myself as well!(this one I can take on camping trips etc. without fear.}My particular RD8,and hers,is the new 2004 model.It has a dreadnought body,with mahogany neck,back and sides.With a spuce top.The neck is made of mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard.The saddle is rosewood with a bone bridge.It comes with a hardshell case,elixer strings and allen wrench for any neck adjustments need in the future.

I looked at several different giutars before buying our RD8,including gibson,fender,ibanes,washburn,etc.None of those guitars,even the $500.00 ones,have the sound of the RD8!I was really surprised at the sound this guitar is capable of producing.It has a nice crisp,clean,pure sound.It has warm lows and bright highs.And this guitar is LOUD!My RD8 sounds as good as the martins,guilds and the taylors, WITHOUT the high price tag.And when played through a microphone on-stage it is clear and beautiful.There is NO music style that you could not play on this guitar.

The RD8 plays exceptionally well!The action is almost that of an electric guitar.I have been playing for 28 years,I started when I was 6 years old.(yes I'm only 34 !)I am a finger-stylist,so I like a comfortable action on my guitars.And this RD8 is VERY comfortable.I had to make no adjustments at all!(i'm still blown away!)It has a slim,fast neck,(i still like the fatter necks!)which was a plus for her smaller hands,and it has medium frets.After researching the guitar I found out they are designed in ST.LUOIS,but made over seas.But then again almost everything is today!Anyway,then they are shipped here and set-up at the st.louis music factory BEFORE,they are sent out to music stores!Hence,no further adjustments needed.The neck is mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard which has acrylic pearl dots and chrome,covered die cast tuners.And unlike one person said before,we have experienced NO popping or slipping of the tuners.They are tight,no play in ours at all.The intonation,callibration is dead on.The body has mahogany back and sides,and the top,although laminated,is BOOKMATCHED spruce.Bookmatched is important.Just try and find that on any other comperably priced guitar!The body has front and back multi-layer body binding and is completely bound.There is a nice acrylic pearl stripe around the sound hole and the pick gaurd has a nice shape also,I'm told these are new features.It has a rosewood saddle with a bone bridge.And as if this is'nt enough, it comes with a nice hard shell,LOCKING case with the alvarez name on the front,(this is included FREE!)an allen wrench, incase you have to make any truss rod adjustments in the neck in the future,and elixer strings.ELIXER strings!!Those strings go for $30.00 a set!!

This guitar is great for a beginner,because you dont have to step up to a better guitar later on as you progress in your playing level.And I "DO" play this one on stage,no question about it!I also use it in the studio.This is a Very solid guitar.It has a really strong body,A beautiful,durable finish that will be around after years of playing.The hardware is built to last,the strap button,(it only comes with one in the rear)is very solid.(i put another strap button at the neck so I can play it on-stage.You can depend on this guitar,the only reason you would need a backup on-stage would be because you broke a string in the middle of a show.

I have never dealt with the company for repairs and really dont expect to.But it does come a lifetime warranty.That does not however cover,any cracks that may appear in the finish,this is caused because of humidity,and temperature changes to the guitar.The best way to avoid this is not to expose the guitar to rapid hot and cold temp changes.Always leave your guitar in its case for about 30 minutes after going from hot to cold,or cold to hot enviroments to avoid this from happening.It will give it time to adjust to the temp changes slowly,because wood will expand with humidity and temp changes.That is what causes one to"crack" the finish.But this will happen to any guitar if not properly "exposed" the right way,,EVEN one that cost $4,000.00!!

AS I said before, I've been playing for 28 years.I am a professional singer,songwriter,musician and own many high dollar name brand guitars.And for the cost,the RD8 can't be beat.Not even by the $500.00 "favorite" brands out there.Over the years I have discovered that for any guitar under about $800.00,you are only paying for a "name".And this RD8 has MOST of the guitars under this price range beat by a long shot.I swear you will think with the sound this guitar has that it has a solid top,not laminate!If my RD8 were lost or stolen I would definately replace it with another RD8,no doubt.But as I said before, it does need one more strap button,,and I still like the fatter necks!But you wont find another guitar for the money that will make you as happy as the RD8. GOOD LUCK with your music!

Made in China 2003, dreadnaught body, gloss finish all around, laminated top. What you'd expect in an inexpensive guitar.

Of all the entry-level guitars I tried, this one sounded the best and actually outdid some much more expensive guitars. It has almost as much volume and bassiness (is that a word?) as my Martin D16GT for less than 1/4 the price. It has an amazing tone for such an inexpensive guitar.

The action is great, and the finish is beautiful all around. I am amazed that a guitar of this price range can look so good. I couldn't find any flaws.

This guitar seems pretty tough, and it stays in tune amazingly well. I can play it for 2 hours, put it away overnight, pick it up the next day and it is still almost perfectly in tune.

Has a lifetime warranty, but I just bought the guitar and I haven't had to deal with them.

I have been playing for 6 years, and my other acoustic guitar is a Martin D16 gloss top. I bought this one as a take-around guitar that I wouldn't have to worry so much about being damaged or stolen. I am impressed by the tone of this guitar, its looks, and its ability to stay in tune even after being played for long periods. I am literally amazed that one can go out and buy a new $190 guitar that looks and sounds so good. If it was lost or stolen i'd definitely buy another one.

This is a standard deadnought; however, it has a thin (fast) neck. The top is laminated spruce (book-matched) and mahogany back & sides. The fretboard is rosewood. Chrome, enclosed tuners.

I just bought this in July, 2003.

The sound is actually incredible. Sound is the biggest factor for me when I buy a guitar; playability is next. The sound is full, deep, crisp, clear and bright. Lots of sustain and loud volume. (see Overall Rating, below, for more comments).

Action is low and fast. I cannot detect any flaws other than the plastic pickguard. The outside curve of the pickguard is not cut in a perfectly smooth radius. I must admit, I am being extremely critical here. The binding on the body & neck is flawless, and the frets are smooth. Intonation is right on.

Hardware seems quite good - the tuners are accurate and don not have excessive slop. I have already played live with this guitar and it seems to be well amde and sturdy.

I have never dealt with Alvarez before, therefore I cannot access the warranty. I don't expect that I will ever need to use the warranty.

I've been playing since 1964. I currently own 15 guitars, some electrics and some accoustics. My last purchase ( 1 year ago) was a Taylor 614CE (spruce top, maple back & sides). When I bought the Taylor 614CE last year, I felt as though I must have been deaf forever --- I had never heard such an incredible sound as produced by the Taylor. It put my Guild & Ovation to shame.

When I bought the Alvarez, I was shopping for another guitar, and I had sampled several Taylors, Martins, and Gibsons, as well as several cheaper guitars. I was not in the market for anything in particular, and I also tried a Baby Taylor since I could use a traveling guitar. As usual, I didn;t find anything that really grabbed me. Then the salesman brought me the Alvarez...

I have always basically considered Alvarez to be a mid-level guitar; nothing special, but adequate if you don't want to spend a lot of $$$. Almost instantly, I fell for the RD-8. I couldn't believe how easily it played and I was blown away by the sound. The more I played it the more I needed it.

I brought the Alvarez over to my friend's house for a little jam session. He has a new Taylor 814CE (spruce & Brazilian Rosewood). He couldn't believe how nicely the RD-8 played and sounded.

In summary, if you want an acoustic, you can't go wrong with this guitar. I thought somehow it was a fluke, or that Alvarez had made a mistake and labelled a premium guitar as an RD-8, but after reading the other reviews, I see that I'm not alone in rating this guitar so highly.

Made in China-2002
Dreadnaught-21fret
Chrome enclosed tuners
Thin neck rosewood fingerboard

Seems to me to have great sound and sustain. Bold and bright

Great action, fit, and finish.
I replaced strings with Elixir xtralite guage nanowebs.
Have not noticed any flaws.

I don't do live or band playing. Can't comment on that.
Finish seems very good and buttons are solid.

Had no factory contact.

I was first attracted to this guitar by the price and the free case.
When I played it I was amazed at just how good it sounded and how easy it played. Later I found it had a laminated top and was even more surprised. I thought laminated tops were out. I have to agree with all other comments about this guitar. It looks and sounds like it should cost 5 times as much especially with the case. I would love
to see a blind test with this guitar and a $1000 guitar.