Alvarez Yairi CY-128CE

finish is excelent , nothing to complain about.
i"ve played and seen many Yaris and this is where they put the rest to sleep , they are superior quality guitar period.

i would give it aten but my preference for this guitar is a good sound when amplified, so i found that the pick is too weack for such guitar , i hope some day they instal the high end preamp (mkII or somethisng like that), it would trully sound to high unreach yet........m

unplugged , is great has tons of volume , but being a spruce top the mid range is a little muted and less sweet than cedar , although over time the wood would give and produce a better high.

plugged in , i have made my coments already.

10, if there where a higher scale definetly would give it the best on it, the craftsmanship is superb , not flaw on this axe.

the action is little low for a traditional classical , but you can adjust the bone sadle pretty easy.

the pick ups are low sound , so yull'have to crank it up and add some sound improvements along the line to get the true unplugg sound.

will see , i've had it for cople years ,but i treat my classical with lots of care , and always keep my third eye open and watching after them aniwhere.

i've email them , and wheere responsive and to the point , no mumbo jumbo or sellin pitches .

excelent guitar, althoug would be sckepticall to bring it to open mike , where alcohol is served, never know when a non musician will crash on your gear amidst a drunken stupor....

anyhow, long live to alvarez yiari , for superb and afordable classical electrics.

Solid wood , perfect finsh, not a blemish or blurr on any place....

the spruce is somwhat open grain, but beautifull.

tunners are great and electronics are very well placed for classical style.

The sound needs to develop on the spruce board , but its warm and has lots of character, has a slight "electric or folk" sound oposed to a traditional spanish classical.
plugged souns great , no mayor tweaquing with the nobs etc.

the accion is set pretty low , so it rattles a lot , but could easily be adjusted , by experienced hands though.

the fret heeight is moderate , making it very fast, the neck is smaller than standard classical , but very comfortable.

will see , it's very well made , but solid classical tend to be flimsy by nature.

i have emailed alvarez and the answer was very quick and precize, they gave a lot of confidence compare to other people out ther just trying to get you in to something for the money.

been playing for two years , with clases and at home almost every day.
i love the finish , and the looks, great, also the electric plug is set to the side with makes a big diference for classical sit down playing.

esthetically this guitar looks awesome, although a little on the manufacturing side (way to perfect) contrary to hand made.

Has standard size body (its called deep by company) , with small curve on de back that makes it very comfortable to hold and handle.
Has cut away , and spruce top, the electronics are simple knobs for volume, treble and bass, they are old school push and hide .

Tuning machines are good quality and work great.

It?s a spruce so sound should develop over time, but as it its about of the box, sound a little shallow for now, the strings are set very low, (not my preference) and frets feel great, you can slide at easy on them.

I'm specting the sound to improve over time, going in to deep bases perhaps.

Amplified trough an acoustic Beringher, sound great , no mayor problems in keep the classical acoustic feel.

The neck is tight and well shaped, its not bulky or huge as some hand made, the freeboard is one of the best for the price, has great fret size and shape , it makes for a pretty quick and strong attack , although it would show every playing mistake as if you are not in control.

This baby flays and delivers great when put to test, if you are looking for the deep somber classical sound, you are better of with the traditional classical, hand made no electronics, but for fusion and modern finger style classical , this is the ride.

It looks awesome, there is no flaws on craftsmanship , as you expect from a Yairi Japanese.

Will see, its solid wood classical , they tend to be delicate and require great care to handle ?..
But should be in the normal range anyway.

I send an email before buying , regarding the deepness on the body etc, the replay was immediate , and helpful.
The guitar is exactly what is shown on alvarez site.

I would give it the maximum rate overall, but the sound has not developed yet, so I don't know. Other than that this is an excellent buying for the price range. new.


I have tried other takamines, yamahas, Alhambra's for same price, and non compare to this one, yet all guitars are made different, as James Fox says, you don't know how good a guitar is until you play it , no matter how expensive or how crafty.

This guitar will make you feel and look good.

I been playing and taking classes every week for two years, a have played as much as I can. This guitar fits my bill perfect , I know they are a gazillion better guitars but I'm no virtuoso on my hands or superstar in my pockets.

I which they have more in info on the electronics witch are good but basic, also more on the woods etc.

By the way it comes with a nice , old school hard case.

I have owned an alvarez classical for over 35 years, but not a top of the line one. I had difficulty amplifying it and as I got better I needed a better guitar. So, I looked around at all of teh classicals for under $2,000 at a number of music stores and couldn't decide what to buy. That is until I came across the Alvarez Yairi 128ce. It had a cutout so all the frets were accessible, it had built-in electronics which were excellent sounding, it played great. The sound was nearly as good as $4,000 dollar classicals I listen to at a local classical society. THe finish was excellent, the Rosewood bosy was great, and it played like a dream! The "natural" pick-up system sounds really great at the local open mic club. The best $1,200 I ever spent!

I play classical, Chet Atkins fingerstyle, and Croce stuff mostly, some Pink Floyd as well. The basses are loud (although the body is
thinner than auditorium classicals) and teh treble's are bright and alive. I am still learning to play good enough to make the nylon strings sound like they should, but so far the sound is head and shouldeers above most classicals I have played.

I noticed no falws, nothing loose or out of adjustment. It was set-up beautifully and needed no fine tuning.

I can;t say for sure, having this guitar only about 8 months, but I have taken it on long car trips, to the beach, lots of places and no problems. (I do have an excellent case for it though). I use it on open-mic nights without a back-up. The pickup sysytem uses a 9-volt battery that seems to need relacing a little more frequently than I would like, but this isn't really a problem.

Have never had to call them.

I have been playing for over 35 years, always for my own enjoyment or at parties. I have played a number of guitars over the years but this guitar is my all and end all guitar. I would search out another
exactly like it if something happened to it, I wouldn't even look at anything else. My favorite features are many, the cutaway, the amplification, the tone when unamplified. Everything.

Gorgeous cedar and rosewood classical guitar. Cutaway and built in electronics. Ebony fretboard. Superb tuners. Excellent workmanship and quality. This is the top of the line model, as it is a larger body style than the cy-127ce.

Great sounding acoustically and plugged in. Can't get over how pristine the sound is for a classical of this size. Great bass and ringing trebles that you just don't hear on many nylon stringed guitars. This is not a thrashing guitar, not for flamenco. A light touch produces a very full and dynamic sound. Great for fingerstyle jazz, classical fusion, etc.

Impeccable quality, great frets and quality of finish. And Yairi uses only the best woods. The D nut was cut a little too low and buzzed, but I had this corrected.

Have owned a few Yairi acoustics, and the reliability has always been very good.

Have gotten a replacement bone saddle in the past,sent at no charge. Great personnel. Quick response to any questions.

Before I bought this I played a new Taylor classical at twice the price, with half the sound as this. Need I say more!