Alvarez Yairi DY-38

Glossy finish dread sized, Canadian pruce top with laminated American Maple back and sides. Rosewood bridge with graphite peg sockets recessed into the top, they call Compound Bridge. Dark laminate on headstock with inlay of "AY" monogram on it. Mahogany neck with magnesium u-channel truss system extended to minimize humping where neck joins body. Tortoiseshell pick guard, and binding on body only. Black lacquer in place of binding up the sides of the neck. Dot fret markers.

Gotoh sealed tuners, narrow and shallow neck Like 1 5/8" wide--perfect for staying in shape to play a Rickenbacker, which I do. Made in 2004 by Kazuo Yairi in Japan.

Case included, gorgeous brown with deep blue plush interior. Lifetime warranty.

This is where it conquers all! I keep brass strings on it so it's the brightest guitar I own. Maple and spruce just chimes. Full sounding, too.
Good for everything I do.

Setup was perfect. Book matching is flawless all around. Slight wear on the bone, so I'll make another sometime. Everything perfect except for a minor ding on the top.
One of the easiest necks I've ever laid hands on. Intonation is awesome. Sustain and bass galore. Leads really shine, and this baby can get loud. Highly recommended for bluegrass jams.

It's light, but tough. Hardware should last till doomsday. The finish seems bulletproof.
Wish it came with 2nd strap button on the neck. HAve to add that as I install pickup.
I would gig it with no backup.

Never dealt with them. I'll see about registering it and getting another bone since this one seems a bit soft.

I've only recently became aware of Yairis, though my girlfriend has a cedar/jacaranda dread she's treasured sine 1989. Great guitars!
If lost, I'd want another. The closest I had to this was a Tacoma DF-18 in maple and spruce, and it had neck problems. It was loud but harxs, too. This things a total peach.

I'd compare it to top-end Taylors and boutique guitars from Goodall or Huss and Dalton. IT'S THAT GOOD.
I love the case, too!

2004 Kazuo Yairi, Japan.
Maple sides and back, maybe laminate. Spruce top, solid. Decorative decal for rosette. Dots for fret markers. "AY" logo on black laminated headstock. Gotoh tuners. Fairly narrow and thin neck. Suits me fine. The neck is a lot easier for some reason, than other dreadnoughts I own.

All gloss finish. No 2nd strap button--have to install one along with pickup. I plan on using a mic and preamp inside this.

Double bridge system. Careful extracting the pegs! I dented mine with removal tool. Turn it around and lever from the saddle side.

The maple is stained a mahogany shade. Confusing in the photos when I saw it for sale. Very light, loud and bright.

IT struck me as a nice addition to the collection. We had no maple/spruce guitars in the house. This thing rings and sings and chimes. It came with brass strings and was really too bright. Now, with phosphor bronze, it has a nice balance of brights and bass. Records like a dream. Fun to play!
Can't wait to take it to a bluegrass jam and be the loudest, brightest acoustic in the room.

Seems to handle al kinds of styles from soft fingerpicking to hard strumming. Exceptional at leads. Really cuts through. I like the whole package. Even the hard case! Brown with blue plush. Lifetime warranty.

This came to me pretty well set up. A slight adjustment lowered the action a bit. The front is a masterpiece of symmetry. Beautiful!
The back is not. Why? Perhaps they thought the mahogany stain masked that. Do I care? No.
Everything else if tops.

The hardware is sealed, and Gotoh. I think there's wear on the bone these days, so that'll get replaced. It happens.
The finish seems like a tank could run over it...I'd gig this with no backup.

No problems yet that I'd need Alvarez-Yairi to handle. But I hear they have a great reputation for things like sending out new bone saddles! I'll try that.

This has to get a 9.5 It compares well with my Larrivees and my Alvarez MD90. I got it at a cut rate and can;t believe the luck!
My last maple sided guitar was a Tacoma DF-18 That had a real hump in the neck where it met the body. Not easy to fix. I missed the tone and found the answer in this guitar.
I love its playability, its tone and dynamic range and the fact it looks spectacular to my. Tortoise shell binding? Yeah! Compound bridge? Oh yeah!
If it only had a 2nd button on the heel. AS I wish all guitars came this way. You have to research a bit to ensure you don't drive a pilot hole into a dowel or metal post.
If I had to compare it's sound, it's sort of like a mid-priced Taylor.
But a bit more individual in its own identity, if you can did that.

If stolen I'd get another Yairi in Maple with Spruce. And put a voodoo curse on the thief so his privates rot off. Um-hmm.

Alvarez and Yairi have some fine guitars out there. Check them out.

1992 Alvarez Yairi model no. DY-38
Signature Label.
Transparent top, rosewood neck, and mother of pear inlays.
Alvarez, Grover style, sealed tuners.
20 fret fingerboard.
Case: Martin hardshell, fits perfect.

This acoustic records wonderfully. I love to use a microphone, and sometimes two, one toward the end of the neck and under, the other positioned right beneath the sound port, closer to the bridge. My DY-38 hasn't been converted with any internal pickup system. I've owned and played dozens of acoustics, including more expensive Martin's. This guitar has the clarity, rich tone, and dynamic response that exceeds my expectations. By far, my best all around acoustic for jammin' or the studio.

When I purchased this instrument, I was going to all the music stores, trying to find an acoustic that fit and felt right, but tone and the right natural dynamic volume response were the main factors in my choice. This handmade piece was fairly plain in appearance, but had flawless crafmanship. The factory installed strings were slightly heavy, with a finger bruising .058 on top and .013 on the bottom.
I replaced these with a slightly lighter medium gauge set, and that's all it took to create perfection.

My Alvarez is now 14 yrs old, looks, sounds, and plays better than ever.
With the Grover style, stock Alvarez, sealed tuners, it's the best stay-in-tune ax that I own. Even after laying in the case for up to three months, it comes right out, in tune, and playing better than ever. It's always reliable and ready for recording or live action. I can't recall ever popping a string either.

I've never done anything but keep it clean and change the strings when they're getting dead. Haven't had any reason customer support.

I am 47, and started playing at 10. This acoustic is one of my most prize possessions. It was built in Japan in 1992, the label inside is signed, apparently by Yairi, himself. My main guitar is a 1999 Fender American Deluxe Stat. This Yairi, is my favorite acoustic. The neck and mother of pearl inlays are simplistic, but very well crafted. The headstock, and the back of the guitar, both have obvious high quality assembly characteristics. This instrument defines ultimate natural acoustic tone, for me.

Standard stuff for an acoustic. Mine has the Maple Back and Sides, I understand that they have made this model with any number of different wood combinations. Great Neck, sort of that "V" shape...very pronounced center ridge. Real basic model...minimum frills. Had Bryan install a strap button on the heel...my preference when playing acoustic.

Tremendous!!! a very balanced sound, with great note articulation. When compared to the classic guitars(Martin, Taylor, Gibson, etc.) this one really shines. Loud, and brilliant!

Inlays are a little sloppy, but I bought it as a player. For me, this is probably the most aesthetically pleasing instrument in my quiver, but with electrics nicknamed "The Butt-Uglycaster", I should be no critic. Y'know, the bridge works and all joints fit together.

It was two years old, never sold, when I bought it new. Bryan was having little luck moving this for two reasons: Plain appearance (seems some folks buy guitars with their eyes, not their ears), and the spruce top ahs a slight "Burl" in the wood grain. I have had it almost 8, years, not a bit-o-problem. Tips to Ray Tims, who gave me an old Martin Hardshell case because he said it hurt him to see me carry a nice guitar in a crummy case!

Whaddevah-it is St. Louis Music. Never had a problem with anything of theirs I have ever owned! I guess if your stuff is reliable enough, you don't really need customer support!

Geeze, going on 30 years playing. Though I have had over 80 instruments, only had 7 acoustics. I like this one, think I'll Keep it! Over and over I say it...take a quality lesson from Japan.

I purchaced an April of 1994 Japanese made Yairi (DY-38).
20 frets, solid-top, maple/mahogany (not sure), satin finish, dreadnought, and a rosewood neck.

A blue and tan Yairi case with blue interior was included with it along with a set of Ernie Ball strings, which I burned and replaced with Elixirs.

I use my favorite guitar for bluegrass, folk, country, and acoustic rock. I don't use amps, because I mic it with an SM-58 and run it straight through the sound system. It mics better than any guitar I have ever seen. Incredible clear lows with volume to boot, and amazing mids and highs. I really like the recordability of this guitar.

The guitar was very taken care of before I owned it. (I am the 2nd owner) So, the finish is still in excellent condition. Neither me nor the previous owner have touched the action. I see Martin players, Taylor players, Tacoma players, etc. constantly trying to fix the playability. I have no need to. It suits me almost perfectly.

The guitar is tough, will take abuse, however no musician should play a gig without a backup, no matter how durable an instrument is. I have sweated off finishes of some guitars within 6 months of purchase. 4 months into this one it seems fine. Strap buttons and tuning keys seem flimsy, but I haven't had any problems out of them.

I bought a Yairi because I could afford it. I would by another over a Blueridge, Tacoma, Martin, Talyor, Takamine, and Washburne. Granted some guitars sound better to other ears, but this DY-38 just fits me.

i don't know too much about acc. guitars but from what i do know about tone woods, based on that alone i can tell this is a nice pice of work. with what looks like a two pice back with the sides made of the same type of wood (don't know what kind but sounds and looks really good) and a maple top with a rosewood finger board and what i think is a bone nut. just your basic acc. guitar. by no means does the one in this rating mean it is bad in fact it means just the oppoicet.

with this guitar i mess around with alot of open tunings capoing up and useing as meany of the open strings as i can (unlike on all of my elc. guitars.) so this thing gets a fair ammount of use in everything from standard to open g. i play it straight no piezo if i need to get more volume out of it i mic it.(haven't need that) the sound is well rounded with a bit more in the highs and high mids, but that is good the bass strings ring out with plenty of thump and the high strings sing like no other. i use this guitar for everything but playing in my metal band, i play jazz rock blues bluegrass and indie type shit on it. it's gone to montana and back with me this thing is a god send. plus it makes girls swoon.... hehe, i've gotten meany ohh ahhhs because of the dynamic range of this guitar, it respondes very well to picking and left hand gymnastics. can't really say anything bad about it.

when i got it, it had sat forgoten about in a store room for about two years.(had it for about a year now) so i think the list on it was 1300 but i picked it up for around 600 (don't quote me on this i may be wrong)) so anyway for siting unplayed in a store room for years it sounded great needed new strings but hell not much there. finsh is really good wish the rest of my gear was this well done. the only thing that pisses me off is that when i change the strings the bridge pins sometimes pull out as i tune up. but that is about it, i don't like the fact that the pins are plastic but if i had the money i would change that.

never really had any problems with it, if i do alot of retuneing from open to standard i snap the strings at the tuning pegs but that is not really a big deal anyways i change my strings about once a month. i kinda have to gig with out a backup this is my only acc. guitar. not that it's been out a gig... yet...

can't say i have had to deal with them. lucky me.

good guitar for the price, i want some more acc. guitars because i would really like to have more tones but this one is by far the most well rounded tone yet imo.

Purchased my Alvarez-Yari DY-38 in 1999, it is a 1998 model, off the
shelf new. It has a solid spruce top laminated back and sides of
maple rosewood fretboard and bridge. I had a Fishman active pick-up
installed at place of purchase.The workmanship and finish of this
guitar was a big selling point to me.The tuners have worked fine with-
out any looseness or play.

I PLAY MOSTLY IN CHURCH WITH IT, BUT IT IS GREAT FOR PLAYING ANY TYPE
OF MUSIC.I like to play folk , rock and roll ,blues ,it covers them
all just fine.The guitar has good bass tones and with the maple back
and sides and scalloped bracing the treble tones can ring when needed.I added ebony bridge pins from St. Louis Music and this also
helped the sound and volume a bit.I love this guitar .

I THINK I REALLY LUCKED OUT ON THIS PARTICULAR GUITAR.The action was
set low from the factory and did not need adjustment.The finish is
good,hardware is fine and at this point, i really have no complaints

I've own'ed this guitar for two years now, play it almost every day
and believe it should last a long time.In all fairness i do take good
care of the guitars i own and keep it in the case when not playing it
It is a dependable instrument to own.

I have dealt with St.Louis music for part's and advice and have found
the company good to deal with.I have also two 12 string Alvarez guitars but any repair work i had done by a local lutheir freind of
mine.I don't remember what the specific warranty is.

I have been playing for over 30 years.I own two 12 string guitars.
If this guitar was lost or stolen I would consider buying another one
just like it.I had looked and played a Guild D-30 which is a beautiful
maple bodied guitar but was disappointed by the sound The DY-38 was nicer to play and listen to.One problem with Alvarez is they don't
include a case with their guitar's I find that poor of them.

This is a 1990 model DY-38. It was mint and very nice. It has a solid top and a laminate body i think. It has an aftermarket fishman matrix pickup in it which sounds great and a nice looking finish.

I love its sound, but only w/ new strings. you cant play w/ dead strings on this guitar like you could on a takamine and it still sound ok. but i use elixirs so i always have new sounding strings. this suits quite a variety of musical styles i mostly play DMB but ive tried varieties of classical and it works fine...

Nice everything!

great guitar. worth 500 bucks for an 11 year old one...

This is a 1989 hand made guitar. The surpising tone I get out of this laminate top is amazing. This is a Dreadnaught configuration with a maple neck and mahagany fret board. The finish has seen some wear but it just added character. The non locking tuners never need to be played with after the initial stringing.

The earthy deep resounding bass seems to ring on while the clarity of the higher tones cut through for real playability. I go thru a yamaha studio amp with a parametric eq. The fullness and clarity of this guitar make it a real keeper.

The action is as close as you would ever want in an acoustic. I have had it since it came from the factory. I only had to change the strings occasionally. The fit has to be the most important feature of this guitar. No one wants to stand there with a guitar hanging off of them that is either too heavy or digs into thier side. This one becomes part of you. The finish has seen better days, still no complaints. It now has character

This guitar is with me till I die. It will outlast and outlive me with proper care. The hardware is like it was new. The neck is great and the frets hardly any wear. I definitely do take it with me without a backup. It plays beautifully

Never had to call them.

I give this guitar high marks. Its not on the level of a Taylor or vintage gibson. But as far as what it does for the money. This guitar took lots of more expensive guitars to school. You can pay more but you may not get more from a guitar.

Hand-made in Japan in 1992. Standard Dreadnaught size. Solid spruce top with laminate back and sides. Very thick gloss finish on the sides and back. Rosewood frets and bridge. Not that great of tuners on the thing. No electronics. No flashy binding. Plain guitar, looks like a Martin D-28 from far back -- Alvarez-Yairi seems to have copied their pickguards and head shape.

The sound is surprisingly good for a laminate back and sides guitar. The solid top has really opened up. It has been played a lot for like five years now, and the sound really has come. The resonance is very low of course, because of the heavy gloss finish on the laminate parts. The sound dies pretty fast, but it's pretty. I like it.

The action is high. The finish is really thick and the workmanship isnt top of the line. But it has a lot of dings on it, and the thick gloss finish has protected the guitar a bit. The tuners suck. They are really loose, and there really isnt much you can do about it.

This guitar is really banged up. But it has withstood them all. It must have literally like a hundred dings when you add up all of them on the top, sides, and back. It has held up to extensive live playing and a lot of banging. Its dependable, but has no electronics, so a lot of having a backup or not may depend on electronics of your guitar. I sometimes have a backup in case I break a string.

It sucks. I emailed them twice in St. Louis and they never answered back. It was made in Japan, but I've never called down there. I wouldn't even know where to call anyway. I don't think it has any warranty.

If you are looking for a good-sounding, no-frills guitar, then you might want to consider this one. I would rather buy a lower-end Larrivee though. The price for this guitar is under 500 bucks, but you can get an all-solid Larrivee and a case for about 50 or 100 more. But I still like this guitar... sentimental value has to do with some of it. It does sound good, not awesome like my Taylor Brazilian, but it wouldn't make any sense for it to sound even close to how my Taylor sounds.