Alvarez Yairi DY-39

Sounds great, getting better each year I use it.

Great action, beautiful finish.

This thing is a rock.

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I have a 1989 Yairi Alvarez DY-39 that I bought new in 1990. Rosewood sides and back, solid spruce top, silver tuning heads. No fancy inlay work. Just a perfect, simple guitar. I've had it now for 18 years and to me it sounds and and feels as good as any guitar I've ever played--on par with high end Martins, Taylors, Guilds, etc. Original tuning heads are still outstanding.

Sound is spectacular, and has improved with age. It handles medium-gauge strings (I use D'Addario phosphor-bronze) very well, and also sounds great with light-gauge strings. Tone is bold and warm.

Action was perfect out of the shop. I had it lowered just a tiny bit a few months ago (see my comments under reliability/durability) but this guitar came ready to play, and has since withstood many travels, as well as temperature and climate changes, without needing any kind of adjustment.

The nut at the top of the neck became unglued a few years ago, and one of the screws on one of the tuning heads stripped. When getting these minor problems repaired I also had the action adjusted very slightly, although it really didn't need it. So after 18 years of playing this guitar multiple times a week, I did $45 of minor maintenance on it. I'm pretty careful with my instruments, but even with that caveat, this guitar has held up remarkably well.

When I bought the guitar, Yairi Alvarez's came with a lifetime warranty. I'm not sure if they still do. I've never had to contact customer service.

I'm not attached to too many material things, but I know I'd never be able to replace this guitar. If I lost it, I'd look at high-end rosewood-side/back models. I'd have to spend a hell of a lot more money to get something comparable.

Full and loud, ageing good. I use it in Celtic folk as well as fingerstyle stuff.

Very dependable!

It's sturdy (withstood my children until now), it sounds great and it wasn't too expensive.

A working-horse guitar.

I'd get one again, I don't think there is better value for that price...

Dreadnaught, Solid Spruce top, Rosewood back & sides. It's sounded great since I got it in the early 90's & keeps getting better with age.

The woods are gorgeous & the rosewood really catches the light.

I've had a soundhole pickup added (yes, it's easily removable), & had minimal adjustments done at that time.

I got no case with it, as I had a old dreadnaught case that fits it fine.

I've evolved my style from strumming accompaniment to a finger picking singer/songwriter style. My WY-1 works best for that, but the DY-39 still more than hold it's own in any group jam. It's got the sound & the projection to cut right through.

Action was good but benefitted from some lowering a few years later. Fit and finish were (and still are) flawless.

It's been to open mics, beach gigs, at the Texas Renaissance Festival and weathered then all beautifully. I've rarely had a backup when I've played this box live.

Never had a reason to contact Alvarez.

I've been playing for over 30 years, fairly seriously for the last 20. This was my first "decent" acoustic. I liked it enough that when it came time for a second smaller bodied acoustic, I got the Alvarez Yairi WY-1.

If it were stolen or lost, I simply couldn't replace it for anything close to what I paid for it, so I probably wouldn't even try. I'd just quintuple what I spent & get something else!

I did add the removable soundhole pickup for open mic & stage work, but otherwise, there's nothing to add.

If I could find another for close to what I paid, I might pick up second DY-39, just to see how the instrument could stand adaptation to a lowered tuning, say two steps or so. (I sure don't want to mess with the intonation on mine now.)

My DY39 is a dreadnought similar to the 38 and 40 but has a solid spruce top with rosewood back & sides (laminated). I believe the neck is mahogany, the fingerboard and the bridge are both rosewood. It has a gloss natural finish and it came with a hard case and a hex key. It was made in 1989 (this model was only made for a few years - I know there was a 65th anniversary model in 1987)and I bought it in 1990.

This guitar has a wonderful rich warm tone which gets better every year. It has has great bright highs, and the volume projection is incredible. Music tends to be folk, Normally it's miked below the soundhole, but occasionally I'll play it with a Lace pickup through a Carvin tube amp.

Setup and finish were perfect from the dealer I purchased it from - they may have done minor adjustment. The action is wonderful, small neck - People who pick up my guitar are usually a little shocked at how good it is, especially when I tell them how much it cost.

Mostly this guitar was played daily at home or at family type gatherings until my son started doing more solo acoustic gigs and decided mine was better than anything he had seen in the stores under $1500 or so. It's been in hot wet, hot dry and cold dry climates, air conditioned sometimes, sometimes not. This thing is a rock. I've had other guitars need constant setup (or suffer from the lack of it) while this one just keeps its tone, pitch and action. My son's style can be pretty hard on a guitar, but this thing just gets louder and sweeter.

Never needed them in 13 years. Lifetime

I've been playing (or playing with) a guitar for forty some years. I have an 70 year old no name guitar, (my first) a 1968 Yamaha 12 String, a Charvel/Jackson electric strat. I've tried several guitars in the past, on our most recent trip I played Martins, Taylors, and Gibsons, most very nice but they weren't my Yairi. (Though the D45 was very impressive). I don't know what I'd do if it was stolen or lost, since part of why I love it so much is the fact that I didn't have to pay thousands of dollars for what I got.