Alvarez Yairi DY-55

This review covers the second iteration of the DY-59 brought out by Yairi in 1989 as the "RIVER WIND - BLACK JACARANDA" - according to Tom Kruzka at St. Louis Music this model was not around long and is a fabulous guitar. Apparently very few were made. Solid spruce top, laminated Jacaranda (Brazilian Rosewood) back and sides with a slighter darker tint that brings out the black grain in the Jacaranda. Abalone rosette and nice ivoroid binding. The fret board is beautiful polished ebony as is the bridge. Standard Yairi/Grover tuners that work well. MOP position markers on the fret board, the A-Y logo is inlaid in abalone on the headstock and there is a horizontal mirror-image fleur-de-lis MOP inlay in the 12th fret. Neck is mahogany or nato, and there is an ebony overlay on the headstock. All in all a beautiful guitar that is built like a tank - but the looks fade to black after it starts making noise - as explained below.

I've never met a Yairi I didn't like and own a number of them - dollar for dollar they are the best value in the marketplace - particularly some of the older examples. The River Wind is a cut above all of the Yairis I have except the Silver Harp (DY-53) - and it is noticeably stronger in the bass region than the Silver Harp. This guitar is truly inspiring sonically. It sounds sort of like a harpsichord when it is strummed (incredibly complex harmonics and overtones) and each string is in balance - it is level across the entire sonic spectrum all the way up the fret board to the 14th fret. Not too bright, not muffled in any way, but the trebles are really crystalline and pure. Truly a profound instrument for the fingerstylist, bluegrass picker and even sounds great playing some classical pieces (heresy, sheer heresy).

The Jacaranda back is incredibly figured and perfectly bookmatched (ever seen a Yairi that wasn't?). The spruce top is likewise perfect. The fret board is like glass - highly polished ebony that feels oh so good. Frets are silver nickle and feel about right. Finish inside and out is typical Yairi - perfect. The lacquer or urethane seems to be a little heavy on the sides, but the top and back are just right - you can still see some wood grain showing through.

This guitar is now twenty and looks new - the binding is starting to yellow a bit, but otherwise it is structurally sounds and there is no doubt it will stand up to heavy use. Yairi-san (now retired) really was one of our guitar geniuses - and the Japanese quest for perfection is visible in every Yairi I have seen or played. You would not need a backup guitar. Remember, Yairi's concept of lamination for the back and sides is to enhance the sonic performance of the instrument by increasing the reflection of the pressure waves back to the sound board, and to as well strengthen the guitar structurally. Yairi laminates are two-pieces of the same wood (in this case Jacaranda) with opposing grain that are glued together to create a sonically more reflective (and less absorptive) surface while avoiding cracking and while giving a lot more support to the neck.

Hat's off to Tom at St. Louis Music - he answers every telephone call and is a fountain of knowledge.

As soon as I put new Markley Alchemy gold-bronze strings on her, this DY-55 went into the category of "guitars that will never be sold." I pity the fool who attempts to steal it - and if it got destroyed I know I could never replace it. They just didn't make that many. It is heads and shoulders over almost every acoustic guitar I have owned or played. My Yamaha CJ-32 and Yairi Silver Harp are wonderful, but have their own sound. I only wish this guitar had more sisters.

Classic Dreadnaught styling with a gorgeous antique finish. Neck is not as narrow at the nut as some but is a very comfortable and playable width and has an adjustable truss. Chrome tuners, solid top, legendary quality that keps these guitars going hard for years. I cannot deduct anything because the guitar has all the features that any basic dreadnaught should have.

My guitar is 27 years old, but it has not been played very much. While the tone is very good, I know it will improve with play. I love it like it is.

HOW TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF A YAIRI GUITAR
If you are trying to figure out how old your Yairi is, look at the number on the heel block inside the soundhole at the base of the neck. The code is stamped there. The first two numbers correspond to the year of the Emperor of Japan at the time the guitar was built, and the next two correspond to the month of production.

45=1970, 46=1971, and so on to 1988 which was year 63 of Showa's (Showa is regal name-Hirohito is personal name)reign. Starting in 1989 when Heisa (Akihito) began his reign the first number starts over at 1. The Emperor date code ended in 2000 at 12. Beginning in 2001 the date code corresponds to the last two numbers of the year, i. e. 2006 is 06.

I have never touched the setup and it is good for picking or strumming. My guitar is not fancy but is as perfect as can be from a construction stand point. Perfectly matchbooked, great fit and finish.

I do not think I have ever heard of anyone having trouble with a Yairi. I certainly have had none, but I do not gig at all and I am very careful with all my guitars.

I have never had a need for customer service, but what I have heard word of mouth about St. Louis Music and Alvarez has been good.

In many cases you like what is familiar to you and that is the case with me. I like the sound, the feel, the neck, the setup of this guitar. I also like that it is not a Martin or Gibson or Taylor. It is unique and good, too. You will not win a contest for fanciest guitar with this one, but it suits me very well and you will like it too it you like simple things that are done well. I'm not big on decorating guitars.

900 bones in 1981! No fancy inlays, woods, bindings, etc. HOWEVER - a guitar that was built to do one thing - resonate and give sound. FULL SOUND. Isn't that a feature? I give it a 10

Voice of the Gods. Amazing Japanese can sound this good. Did those little buggers do a recon mission and steal every secret Nazareth Pennsylvania has on making guitars and add their improvements? Hmmmmm?!?!?!? A 10 without even having to think about it.

Done right. Attention to detail. Perfect. Another 10.

Built to last - and last - and last. For 25 years rock solid. $36 a year to play aguitar like this! You have got to be kidding. Another 10

Nary a query. Can a car do that? Refrigerator? TV? Your wife!! Also a 10!

You probably don't have to be a rocket scientist to guess! Nothing but 10! 10! 10! 10! 10!

Purchased around 72. Solid top made of Adirondack and rosewood back and sides. The neck is rosewood and fret board is ebony, worn smoothover time, allowing for effortless play. The guitar has a satin finish, and is a standard dreadnaught. The bridge is a smooth ebony .

This is by far one of if not the best playing guitar i have ever owned. I am fully aware that you get several posting which whom ever is posting claims to have owned dozens of "first rate" or professional grade guitars. Well I have in fact been lucky enough to own several, and i have to say this old Yari can hold her own with any of them. It seems to have it all good clarity, wonderful bass, and a rich mellow tone that seems to carry on for days. I have played this guitar on many of stages and have never once been dissappointed or felt underarmed with my chosen axe. I seem to reach for this guitar over every other i own and that is a fact that will not change in the near future. I don't know what i would do if something happened to this guitar. I could never find its like again.

The fit any finish are above reproach by any. It is plain in its simplisity, but more than makes up for it with character.

It has severed me well every where I have used it. Without fail i will reach for this one over anything else

No idea never had to try them one for size.

I have been playing for roughly 29 years. If it where lost i might give up playing all together, well lets not get ahead of ourselves, but i would be crushed.

I don't remember the exact year that I purchased this DY-55. Some time in the mid 70's. The serial number is 27800. It was made in Japan and it is signed by K. Yahari. I still have the warranty card and it says that this guitar is a Solid Spruce Top, with profiled bracing that they call Parabolic bracing. It has a genuine ebony bridge and fingerboard. Unfortunately it fell off of a stand one day and a tuner was broken. I put a complete set of over the counter on the guitar. I have recently, installed a Fishman I Natural pick up system in the guitar. It sounds great.

I play mostly contemporary style music, rhythm in church or weddings. This guitar I have played for many years and really enjoy the sound. I use an SWR or California Blond amp when I play at church. The sound is great. I do have to use a hole plug because of the very low resonance I get when the guitar is just sitting on the stand. Of, course EQ fixed that and now I use it without the plug. It has a rich full sound

It was set up perfect for my likings. The action is low and I use D'Adarrio lights on the guitar. I love it.

The reliability and durability of this guitar is in the proof of the age and how often I use it. It has lasted atleast 20+ years.

Never had to deal with them...

I have been playing for 25+ years. Owned an Epiphone guitar in my early years of playing. Starting playing at 16. It sound wonderful when played along side my wife who plays cello. I only compared this model to two other of the same models by Alvarez and felt this one had the best tone. I have played Taylors, Martins, Breedlove, Santa Cruz, and I am still happy with my guitar. Nothing against the others.

I bought this guitar in 1989, which is the year of it which is marked inside "1989". It sounds great, although I don't play very well. It looks fantastic and is in like new condition. It is very loud. It has some type of special wood on the back and sides that comes from Africa, and they are only allowed to cut a few trees a year or every so many years, as the trees are rare. I want to know if the value has increased since I bought it. It is made in Japan, and is signed by Kazuo Yairi and is also printed. Anybody out there knows anything about what its worth let me know, ans I make put it up for sell. But I know one thing, It will cost someone more than I paid for it, because you can't replace it except maybe used; this one is excellent to almost mint condition, as it has hardly been played at all, mostly sat in the original case that came with it when i bought it . Dan

My guitar was built in 1979 in Japan. Signed by Mr Yairi in pencil but not dated. Features a soild spruce top with laminated mahongany back and sides. Mahogany neck. Fingerboard and bridge are ebony. Bone nut and bridge. Beautiful looking and playing guitar in antique dreadnought finish. Came with original hardshell case. Paperwork inside stated that this guitar retailed for $525 in 1979.

I play all stlyes of music but top 40 pays the bills. Another guitarist was playing a DY-55 at a show and I fell in love with the tone. The guitar had a rich full sound and was so loud that he didn't even need a PA in my opinion. We talked for a while and he had played his for years with no problems. My search was on!

I bought this one used so I don't know about the factory set-up. Played very nice but was a bit thin. I took it down to the local luthier and he did a good adjusment on her and changed the strings to 10's. The action is perfect now and the guitar is loud and has a super tone! Fit and finish is perfect. I get alot of compliments on this guitar.

The DY-55 was built to be played live. When I first got the guitar the pickguard was just ever so slightly coming up. My luthier made an easy repair of that. This year two of the tuning machines broke. This guitar was played out with three nights a week for 20 years before I purchased her. That's alot of string changes! You could never tell as the finish still looks great. The player I bought her from took good care of her. Very dependable she just needed some maintence.

Tried to contact Alvarez via phone or their website. No contact info. Called the local dealer and they were able to order two NOS tuners for me. St Louis Music sold them to me at cost. New Old Stock original tuners at cost! St Louis Music even called me to make sure they were sending the right ones as they had changed styles.

I have been playing since I was a kid. Owned maybe 100 or so guitar up to now. Mostly Fenders. Play electric through a 1965 Deluxe Reverb. Have a nice Martin D-16 and a Taylor. Both excellent guitars. But this DY-55 has become my favorite. Not only for tone but playablity. Everyone that comes by ends up with this guitar in their hands by the end of the night. She is my favorite and has been for two years now. I looked for a DY-55 for 2 months before I found one. The player I bought her from had just had a family and needed the funds. I made a deal with him that if I ever sold the guitar he would have first chance. If it ever got lost or damaged I would search long and hard for another. The Yairi guitar's are the best value out there for a great accoustic.

Ever since I have gotten this guitar, I have been no where other than utterly amazed and impressed with the quality and tone of it for the money (200 bucks from a friend of my fathers). I put a Martin Thinline pickup in it under the bridge but have yet to buy a Tech 21 Acoustic DI that will make all the differene in its tone while plugged in. The only complaint that I have is that the action is very low and it is hard to play the instrumental music I tend to play on it. I know that all I have to do is take it to a tech to have him adjust it, but I just havent yet so I wont take points off for that. The other guy on here done the same thing and had no problems...

It sounds as good as any Martin or Taylor I have ever played on. Enough said...

The action is not as good as I would like it to be, but for a 24 year old instrument I am not complaining. I bet there would be Martins and Taylors that would play way worse than my good ole' Yairi! The finish is still in great condition. It doesnt have any signs of fading. I give it a 10 because I have yet to play an acoustic guitar in this quality range that sounds this good. For those of you who think that vintage guitars are junk... you need to give that a second thought.

After 24 years there is no problem with this guitar... I rest my case. (Of course you have to have basic maintainance on any guitar)

I have never had to deal with them before. They should make guitars like this now. All the new Alvarez guitars I play on are rather cheaply made In my opinion.

I have to say that overall this guitar is a good no bullshit guitar for your money. Buy it .... you will not regret it.

made in 1980 or before, dreadnought, don't know exactly what woods but think back and sides are rosewood, neck is medium to thin

i play all types of acoustic music on it, sound has gotten richer the older it's gotten (22 years old). Thought it sounded kinda "thin" when i got it. I've got a brother with 3 Martins D-18, D-28 and D-41 and believe it or not he agrees that this guitar sounds better than all of them. Volume is not as loud as some guitars tho which is fine with me.

Action was high when i bought it from an individual and had the neck adjusted by one of Keb Mo's guitar technicians and now it's got super action. No string buzz and easy to play up and down the neck. No flaws in the fit or finish. I've had it for 22 years and it's never needed any work done on it. A well made guitar in all respects.

Guitar plays great live and it will stay in tune even when changing climates. The finish hasn't worn at all with all the heavy play i give it. I've been tough on it too. Mine has some battle scars that would have caused big problems with other guitars. If I had to take just one acoustic guitar on the road this beauty would be as dependable as a Maytag.

I've been playing for 30 years and didn't like this guitar when i first got it because the action wasn't set right and the tone seemed alittle "thin". Since I've had the neck adjusted and the wood has aged i've fallen in love with the sound and the playability of this guitar. With so many guitars people say "it's got the usual crack here" or "the pick guard is lifting as usual"... nothing like that on this guitar... It was well built without a structural or cosmetic flaw... This guitar has traveled all over the country with me and withstood the dryness of the desert and the humidity of the beach. This would be a tough guitar to replace. I've compared it to Martins, Taylors, Guilds, Gibsons, Ovations ect...ect... and really haven't found one yet that sounds and plays as good...

1988, Japan
Solid top
Aucoustic
Redwood, Oak, Ebony
ivory-like inlay
beautiful tone and sound,i've never played anything more beautiful, but I don't know how much she's worth.

I play folk, so it gives this great full bodied sound to anything that i am playing. Not noisy at all. No dislikes

Beautiful wood, hand made, everything was properly routed, as all Yairi instuments are perfect.
No misalignment,

It was built for live playing, the finish is beautiful, rich and will not wear off

If i lost this guitar i don't think that I could find it anywhere, everyone i've talked to knows about Alvarez Yairi, but no one has heard of the DY55 model.