Alvarez Yairi CY-140

Standard classical guitar made in 2004. Solid western red cedar top with highly-figured Brazillian Rosewood laminate sides and two-piece back. Reinforced African mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard and 18 frets. Scale length 650mm. Neck at the nut is 51mm...slightly narrower than some other classicals which I have seen in the 52-54mm range. The much-heralded Alvarez electronics are available as an option, although mine is straight accoustic.

Sound from this Brazilian beauty is incredibly well-balanced and, to my ear, favours neither the bass nor the treble. Sound and projection is loud and well-defined across the entire sound spectrum. I also own an all-solid Yairi CYM-95 which I think might be a tad louder with greater projection, but that MIGHT be sourced in the John Pearse arm rest I have installed on the CYM-95. I like the sound on this CY-140 better than my Ramirez R4CWE which cost more than 2X what this one did. This guitar just sings with Savarez "Yellow Card"/Extra high-tension strings. I can get away with d'Addario hard tensions on the CYM-95 and the R4CWE, but this one sounds best with the Savarez.

Not a flaw that I could find...anywhere! The cedar top is incredibly tight-grained. The BRW back and sides are PERFECTLY matched and the finish is like glass...simply exquisite! I got mine used and the action was perfect for me when I bought it...unsure of settings as it was deivered to the original owner.

I haven't had this instrument long enough to accurately comment on it's reliability or durability. However, I also own a '80 Yairi DY-96 and it's little brother, an '86 DY-90 which has been played and PLAYED! I bought the DY-90 because I was afraid to take the DY-96 out in public and it has NEVER failed me. It sounds like Heaven, plays like butter and is built like a tank...very much like this little classical. I don't anticipate any issues with the CY-140 as we classical players don't tend to flog our instruments.

Have obviously never had to deal with St Louis Music for this instrument. I did have them re-fret my DY-90 a while back and they did a superb job...all to Yairi specs. I canot say enough good things about those folks.

I have been playing in various styles everywhere from a performing musician down to my present status as a serious classical student for over 40 years. There isn't much about this particular instrument that I do not like. I wish it had the optional electronics and perhaps a cutaway, but then it would be little different than my Ramirez, wouldn't it? Without the electronics and the cutaway, if it were lost or stolen, I probably wouldn't replace it as I have the CYM-95 which I think sounds better, and the R4CWE which has the cutaway and electronics. This is, however, a fine quality instrument which anyone would be pleased and proud to own. Anyone with a brain would be pleased and proud to own ANY guitar with Yairi-san's signature on the label.

My CY140 was built in 1976, Japan. Has K. Yairi signature on the soundhole label. Has 18 frets (12th at body), solid red cedar top, Brazilian rosewood back & sides (beautiful!), mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard & rear reinforcement inlay. Other reviews of newer CY140's state the neck inlay is rosewood-possibly a later-model feature. Curiously, my nearly-30-year-old Yairi's top seems to have been darkened with some type of stain which I have not seen on other CY140's.

I am a fingerstylist who plays everything from gospel to classic rock to Chet Atkins stuff, and this little classical handles it all. The sound is rich, well-balanced, and projects nicely. I've never played a $10,000 Rodriguez, so I don't know if my Alvarez would stack up well against one, but it sounds better than anything I've played south of $2,000. There is absolutely no fret buzz anywhere on the neck. I like LaBella 2000 series or D'Addario ProArte' strings, either one of these really sing out on the CY140. I installed a Shadow top-sensing transducer pickup 2 years ago, and with a little tweaking on my acoustic amp, it sounds devine-bright & clear. The only dislikes I have with this guitar is that the previous owner banged it around a lot, lots of dents, dings, & scratches (the chump!).

Can't really say how the factory set-up was. I bought her in 1994 and, due to mishandling by previous owner, I had to make a new bone bridge saddle which I dressed down to my tastes. This was probably a seriously gorgeous guitar when new, and newer models I have seen bear this out. The quality of the woods used in building her is first-rate. The gold-plated tuners it is equipped with still work great and hold tuning extremely well (for a nylon-string, that is!). There are no fret issues, but mine are worn a bit, though not bad.I've thought of getting her re-finished, but, not wanting to compromise her exquisite sound, I probably won't.

This guitar evidently survived being owned by Koko the gorilla without getting busted-I think it will probably outlast me. The finish on the parts of the guitar that haven't been dinged or scratched look like new, you can see your reflection in the lacquer gloss. All hardware is in excellent shape. I do indeed depend on it-it's my absolute favorite out of 6 guitars I own, and I play solos on it at church and other places regularly. {Of course, I baby this baby! ;)}

N/A-bought it used, and I do my own repair work.

I've been playing for more than 40 years. I have another classical acoustic-electric, a Chet Atkins solidbody nylon-string A/E, 2 steel-string A/E guitars, a Les Paul with Carvin pickups, a P-bass, banjo and A-style mandolin, plus 4 amps. When I found & played this guitar it was love at first chord. If it were stolen or lost, I would have to replace it with another CY140. These list (new) for $1849 so I would have to get another used one, with my limited budget. Honestly, there is nothing about the CY140 I dislike. Sound, looks, quality, feel, playability-you name it- suit me perfectly. When I bought this, it just blew away any interest I had in other classicals I had looked at. The one feature I wish it had- a cutaway! If you're looking for a solid, great-sounding, easy-playing nylon stringer, give the Alvarez Yairi CY140 serious consideration. It is professional quality all the way.

Yairi 140, not sure what year.

Great sound. I was very pleased with the sound. Very clear tones, very round sound, does not favor high or low, projects really nicely, you can play really loud on this guitar.

I got mine used so I don't know if it is the factory set up or not but the action is extremly low. It took me a little while to get used to but no fret buzz, and the low action does make some pieces easier. The strings are a little loose feeling, but I plan on changing to higher tension strings, also my high E slips a bit, but it might be these strings.

I don't know how old this guitar is around 5-10 years and it is still in great condition.

Bought used, haven't taken it in yet.

Especially for the price I paid I got a steal. This guitar is great. I spent a lot of time shopping around for guitars under a grand. The Ramirez R1 and the higher cordoba's was what I was looking at but I'm really glad I went with this

Made in Japan 2003
Solid Cedar Top
Laminated rosewood back and sides

Very full sounding classical, comparable to most $3-$5000 instruments

Excellent playability, like butter, plays better than my $5500 Kohno actually, but alas does not quite sound as good.

Well, it's a classical, I'm not doing any headbanging with it, seems as solid as any other decently made classical.

This is actually my second one, the first one developed some nasty fret buzz around the 5th fret on the wound strings after I changed the strings to high tension. They took it back without any problem and replaced it, all is well with this one.

Anyone seeking a classical under $3000 should seriously consider this one, a truly exceptional instrument for the money. I've played a ton of guitars in the $1000-2500 price range, perhaps some of the lower Ramirez sounded as good, but none played as nice as the CY140.

Classical guitar made around 1993 in Japan. Solid cedar top with laminated jakaranda (Brazilian Rosewood) back and sides, mahogany neck with ebony reinforcement strip and ebony fretboard.

The guitar projects very well and has very good balance and volume. It doesn't seem to favour bases or trebles. However, an evaluation of its sound is only relevant if the same reviewer compares it with other instruments. Consequently:

After freshly stringing my CY-140 with "Hard" D'Addario strings, my nephew and I went on a tour of NYC music stores and tried a bunch of other guitars:
Yamaha CG-171SF (going for about $350) was not as good as the CY-140 but, at the price, was one of the best deals I've ever seen.
Ramirez R-3 (going for about $1,400) was not as good as the CY-140.
Dieter Hopf "Super Classic" (going for about $2,500) had better projection than the CY-140.
Manual Contreras N-4 (going for about $3,300) had better projection than the CY-140.

Like wine, guitars have a point of diminishing returns in the value/price relationship. When you pick up an instrument that costs twice as much, it generally won't seem to be anywhere near twice as good.

I would be inclined to rate this guitar higher than a "9" but, having identified two guitars which are better, even though they had twice the list price, I must show some reasonable restraint.

The CY-140 is absolutely beautiful and both the sides and back are highly figured and perfectly bookmatched. I have seen equal quality of manufacture and finish, but I have not seen better.

My CY-140 was ten years old when I recently bought it, so I can not vouch for how it was set up by the factory. When I got it, however, it was wonderful.

I have also owned an Alvarez-Yairi DY-73 for nearly twenty years, and it has lived with me in a damp cottage in England for several years; in the hills outside Zurich for a year and a half and it was stored on a boat in the Caribbean for five years (at about 120 deg F). Other than some gold plating wearing off its machine heads, the DY-73 looks as it did on the day I bought it. The longevity of my CY-140 seems to be of the same calibre.

I have only dealt with Saint Louis Music (never Yairi), and only regarding specifications on my other (Yairi DY-73) guitar. They were very helpful in their communications but this wasn't much of a test of customer support.

I've been playing for about 35 years. I also have the Yairi DY-73 dreadnought and a Goya-Levin GG-30 Classical. I have a preference for the Goya but mostly because it has an unusually warm tone to the base notes, because I like the cosmetics and the thin neck and because I have fond memories of Goya guitars from the sixties. My nephew is a far better player than I am and he prefers the CY-140. It's a matter of taste.

I want to clear up something from the review below....I can't account for Yairi guitars from the 90's, but there is nothing close to a laminate that went into this guitar (purchased new in 2003). UNBELIEVABLY high quality woods, finish, and (wood) binding. Whenever I open the case, I can't believe there could be anything more beautiful than how this guitar looks with its deep, 3-dimensional woods and finish. Oh yeah, then I start playing it, and realize the tone is even nicer!

I've been palying classical guitar for 6 years, and this guitar is simply unbelievable for the price. I hunted for a long time, and played everything imaginable. All the Yairi guitars are exceptional, but the CY140 just blew me away....compared to everything I could find (except the CY200!), this guitar was louder, crisper, and deeper/more complex. Unbelievably fantastic bass response. Sounds nearly as good as my guitar teacher's luthier-built classical that (and that guitar cost nearly three times as much as this one). No guitar within 1000 bucks came anywhere near this...well, there was one Hirade that came close, but it was 1000 bucks more than this one and still fell short! Unbelievable...

I played two of these, in two different stores. They were built to the same high quality throughout. The first one unfortunately had a crack on the soundbard due to someone dropping it, hitting it against something, etc, in the music store. Damn near broke my hear to see a guitar that beautiful all banged up. Anyway, that one had an amazing setup nonetheless. The action was comfortably low, while still letting you dig in really hard for those fortissimo passages without any buzzing. The one I purchased, however, had the saddle set a bit too low...so you can't dig in as hard. But the action is unbelievably low, so I'm going to replace the saddle with a slightly taller one and then the action, and feel, will be perfect. On a guitar this price, I hoped the setup would be perfect....but the tone, woods, and price/quality ration are so great, a 50 saddle change is definitely in order.

The quality of this guitar is unbelievable, period. It came with a beautiful and high quality case that can protect it from anything. Durability isn't much of an issue for classical players...we don't tend to be smashing our guitars around.

Never dealt with them

Because the first one I played in Steve's music had the crack in the soundboard, I had to wait for Italmelodie to get this one in. They had ordered it a couple of weeks before I first talked to them, and it took about a month afterward for it to get there...these guitars are hand built, so it's not like you can walk into any store and expect them to have 5 in stock! When I walked into the store and saw this guitar for the first time, I knew it was the one. Unbelievable tone, looks, and feel....this guitar really feels like an extension of the soul, as a good classical (or any, for that matter) instrument should.

1990's handmade in Japan. Solid cedar top. Laminated highly figured jacaranda (BRAZILLIAN ROSEWOOD)back & sides. Maple neck, ebony fretboard and bridge. Non cutaway. Gloss finish, Ramirez inspired transverse bracing. Came w/ original hardshell case. Beautiful gold and pearloid tunign machines/buttons. Grand Concert Classical. 664mm scale length. thin comfortable neck. For the price paid $800 used, I give a 10. I would rate the same if purchased new $1200 avg.

I love the sound of this guitar. Loud, balanced, sweet, and lively. This guitar is very responsive to your touch. very versitile and able to produce different sounds. Great sustain. I play jazz, r&b, soul, gospel, and pop on it. It all sounds good. Only used acoustic so far. I plan to amplify her with a genz benz acoustic amp and a sunrise soundhole pickup w/ l.r.baggs di.

I bought it used. It had 2 small top dings, soft cedar top. Fingerboard looked new. The beautiful brazillian rosewood back &sides looked great. the grain on the cedar top is very nice. The roseete is a beautiful vine design. Very appealing to the eye. The action was normal and very playable. this guitar has one of the most playable necks I have ever seen on a pure classical guitar. You can tell that a lot of attention was given to the details when it was made. Because of the normal play wear, I give it 8. New , I can guess 10.

Yes, I would gig without backup. Very solid guitar. . But since I have not done so, I dont feel right in rating this catagory.

I did contact he company and got immediate help.

Been playing 15+ yrs. I would surely replace w/the same model if lost or stolen. I love the look, sound, playability, and quality. I would compare this to gutars costing alot more. these are the highest quality, best sounding laminates I have ever heard. This guitar is beautiful. It sounds and plays just as good as it looks. I traded a less than 1 yr old (mint) Takamine classical w/solid back and top, cutaway, onboard electronics for this gutar. The Yairi blows it away. the Tak had a very compressed sound. It sounded good plugged in but that was it. They both claim to be handmade. The Yairi looks and plays and sounds just like it claims....HandMade. I never thought that I would choose a laminated guitar over a solid wood. I guess the quality of luthier and materials make all the difference in the world. THIS ONE I WILL KEEP FOR LIFE. I HAVE FOUND MY DREAM GUITAR

Body Style Cutaway Grand
Back/Sides Jacaranda
Top Antique Solid Cedar
Transverse Braces
Finish Natural
Soundhole
Rosette Wood Mosaic
Vine Design
Body Binding Tortoise Multi-layer
Fingerboard Ebony
Bridge Rosewood
Electronics Optional System 600T

Fantastic at the price point, just below a custom made guitar. Great Volume, outstanding sustain. Neck feel is great. Can't believe there are no other reviews on this guitar.

Beautiful finish. Action standard for a classical guitar.

Reliable.

N/A

Would easily buy one again if I accidentally stepped on the cedar top!