Alvarez Yairi DY-38-12

This particular Alvarez-Yairi was made in Japan in 1988
It is Model # DY 38-12 which I am finding very few of anywhere.
It is a dreadnaught, with the solid spruce top/mahogany sides and is (in the words of a musician friend) "Perfectly Purfled" with the edge binding echoing the soundhole binding smoothly and carrying a fine high gloss finish which is tougher than I would have imagined possible. the tuners (all 12) bear the Alavarez-Yairi logo and look to be of the grover sealed geared type.
There are no pickups, I prefer the acoustic thing.
the bridge is the older style but rugged enough to bear the brunt of 12 light guage strings tuned to pitch.

I prefer Folk and Bluegrass, and this guitar works wekk in both mediums (although when you pull a 12 string out at a bluegrass meet, they expect you to know how to play it, I usually disappoint them)
The sound is full and carries well. hammer-ons are pleasant with no surprises as are slides. The tone is akin to chimes, bright with oodles of over/undertones with new strings and mellows as the strings age.

Action was not as good as I would have expected for a top of the line instrument, and I had the whole thing redone at a local luthiers shop in Milton, Florida. after that the action was low enough to play the upper frets without any pitch shifting.

This guitar has seen much use, traveled with me to many states and meets, and seems to be intune regardless of when I pull it out of the case. The finish is tough and in a couple of bumps has actually seemed to have protected the wood. I think it will out last me. the tuners, strap button, frets, bridge, and all seem to be of the highest quality.

Never dealt personally with the St Louis Folks, and have not really heard good things about them, but then again, I have had no personal dealings with them.
The guitar was well thought out, with only the action to deal with which was carried out locally.
the warranty seems to be good, but I have not had to deal with it, and therefore am not qualified to speak on the matter.

I have been playing Guitar since 1985, being self taught I have suffered much from learning the wrong ways to play, but this is my second 12 string and I have owned it since 1990. it replaced my JB Player 12 string which I was more than glad to let go of. I also play Mandolin. I have a Triplett F5 which I adore, and a Martin Backpacker mandolin which is with me almost constantly.I shopped around for a few years to locate a replacement for the JB Player I then possessed, but I really couldn't settle on one that "Felt" right, I was near to purchasing an Ovation 12 string when a friend pointed out the Alvarez in a shop that I used to frequent. I did some comparing and listened carefully to what the others were telling (selling) me, and then listened to the guitars themselves, the Alvarez simply sang the best for me.
I Love the Alvarez Yairi, but sometimes I am afraid to take it out, it just seems that if anything should happen I wouldn't be able to replace it. The more research I do the more disenheartened I become at not finding many of the DY 38-12s around, I wonder why that is?
As I look back on it I can see that it was indeed a good deal, but at the time $750 was a bit high for me...maybe that is why the girl I was hooked up (ok, my then wife) with bought it for me without my knowing and presented to me as a Christmas Gift so many years ago. Odd how she has left me but I still have the guitar...gotta love that kind of loyalty. I really like the fact that the dreadnaught body really carries well whether beside a campfire, or jamming in the basement with friends. it has been a real joy and I expect it to only get better