Alvarez Yairi DY-60

My Dy 60's features are a quilted maple back and i am not sure of the top ,I suppose it is spruce, gold hardware, a decrotive flower on the 12th fret ,no other inlays on the fingerboard, sort of goldish amber color with a gloss finish, it could not be finer.

The sound is all there, it vibrates my whole body, I have a Gibson J 45 and a Collings D2H, and are both very fine guitars , differnt animals actualy, I always fell like I'm home when I grab the Yari, it's just so playable and it sounds better than the J45, the Collings is a whole differn t story.

The action and feel is the best I ever played although I noticed when I put a little heavier strings on , my action raised up a bit but that is to be expected.

It is the same as the day I bought it, and it is very dependable, I wish I could find more out about it. Serial no. is 49145. if anyone can shed some light pleas email me. gadge@atlanticbb.net

never dealt with them

Been playing for 30 years, what i love about it is the feel , it is the most playable guitar I have ever owned and I own a bunch.

It has 20 frets with a gold-leaf flower and leaves design on fret 12. High gloss finish except back of headstock and back of neck. Flame maple back with gorgeous grain brought out by the finish. The woodwork is a work of art. Dreadnought style. Gold (colored) AY tuners. No electronics. I'd recommend this guitar to anyone looking to trade up from factory mades like Yamaha (which are just fine for what they are, but don't compare to handmade).

Great sound, a big trade up from my Yamaha FG335 which I still love. But the DY60 is louder with less distortion because it takes medium gauge strings. This model has no internal factory pickups which is fine - I play simple and unplugged for my own pleasure. It's a great strummer, with a rich sound with bright overtones.

Easy action for the minor riffs I play, which to me is a sign of the superior craftsmanship. Strings are low to the fret and spread out just a bit which makes it easier to play than some guitars. No factory flaws on it at all. It has a solid spruce top with gorgeous mahogany sides. Yairis are made from aged wood, so it adds to a mellow sound that can be taken quite loud.

It's a 20 year old guitar, so I recently bought it used with a few minor dings and pick swirls, but very superficial stuff. This baby is solidly built with gold plated hardware and an excellent gloss finish. It's a beautiful piece of work. When it arrived, I took it out and buffed it with a clean cloth and started playing.

I haven't and don't anticipate every calling them, so can't speak to it with much authority.

I've been playing 27 years and started with a Yamaha FG335. My college roommate had a similar Yairi which I sometimes played, it was so much better, but couldn't afford to buy my own at the time (about $900 new). I remember it being such a pleasure to play that when I saw this one on eBay for $450 and had to have it. You can tell the workmanship from the finish to the action to the sound. It's a great acoustic.

It seems there are more than one incarnation of the DY 60 model. In the interest of brevity, I will try to be as concise as possible in my description, with little or no personal information which is irrelevant to this portion of the review.

I purchased my guitar new in 1983. The serial number is 44380 and was built in November of 1982. There are no on-board electronics of any kind. There are twenty thin-style frets. The finish is satin with a clear pickguard. The body style is dreadnought with no cutaway. The tuners are Alvarez Yairi. The bridge, bridge pins and unbound neck appear to be ebony, but that's just a guess. The A/Y headstock logo, fingerboard dot position markers and tops of the bridge pins are all abalone. There is a brass plate on the back of the headstock commemorating the 60th Anniversary of St. Louis Music.

According to Mr. Tom Kruszka of St. Louis Music (the U.S. distributor for Alvarez Yairi): "The 1983 version has a solid spruce top with ash laminate back and sides. The soundhole rosette is mahogony, the binding maple. It was a 60th Anniversary model, a limited number were produced and it never made an appearance in our regular catalog. The list price in 1983 was $575." In spite of Mr. Kruszka's help researching this guitar, I suspect the soundhole rosette is ash, since it is a very unique wood and looks just like the back and sides.

This is very subjective in that picking style, room ambience and string selection will cause a varied response from any guitar. Suffice it to say that under relatively equal circumstances, this guitar will hold it's own against any dreadnoughts I've played before. That includes Gibson, Martin and Taylor, to name a few.

This guitar is almost twenty three years old and has never had to be repaired or adjusted in any way. The action and intonation are as good today as the day I bought it. This guitar is the Toyota Camry of the six string acoustic guitar world - clean it, re-string it and keep it cased when not in use and it will last indefinitely.

The workmanship is excellent. To this day there are no loose braces, cracks, separations, wood shrinkage or finish flaws. The tuners are as tight and smooth as ever. Even the frets are still in very good condition with no neck buzzes anywhere on the fingerboard.

This guitar has not been stashed away under the bed for the last twenty three years. On the contrary - it has been on many airline flights and seen many live gigs, not to mention the countless hours of practice and rehearsal time over the years. Granted, it has it's share of nicks and dings, but the beauty and structural integrity of this instrument remain rock solid.

I would depend on this guitar at a performance with no backup without heitation. In fact, any troubles I've ever experienced at live gigs have always been electrical in nature, never with this guitar.

As mentioned, Tom Kruszka at St. Louis Music was very generous with his time in corresponding with me and researching my inquiries. I am a customer from over twenty years ago and he treated me like I was ready to buy on the spot. Good people there.

I have been playing for thirty five years. I also own an Alvarez Yairi #DY-76 12 string also from 1982, Liberty #LO-100 metal resonator guitar, two Fender Japan '62 reissue Stratocasters and a Kentucky #KM-200S mandolin. For amplification I own a Fender Bassman reissue 4X10 amplifier, Fender reissue spring reverb unit and a Fender Blues Junior amp as well. Not only that, I've owned or tried just about everything else at one time or another over the years.

My point is that my opinions and conclusions are a culmination of years of experience, not a narrow sample of products in a few short years. Would I replace this guitar if it were lost or stolen? Absolutely, if I was lucky enough to find one out there. These older DY-60s are rare, and it might be difficult locating one, not to mention the cost. I would probably try out a newer model Alvarez Yairi instead.

I honestly don't know if the quality of their instruments is as good today as it was twenty three years ago, but this company has certainly earned my consideration for repeat business.

It is as you know a Yairi, made in 1981. Wife bought it new for me for Christmas 1981. Twenty frets, no electronics, silver chromed tuning pegs. It has a rosewood fingerboard, the body has a matte finish with no scratches or blemishes. It polishes up nicely but no high gloss shine. The pick guard is clear and due to the matte finish of the body the guard looks like it is almost not there. Not sure what the woods of the body are, the top has a blond finish, so I think spruce. The sides and back are not mahagony I don't think as they have a grain that I have never seen before. The neck width and thickness are pretty standard and the string hight has never been adjusted although I did just replace the saddle as the original one started to crumble.

I have played a number of acoustic guitars over the years and have never found one that plays better for me or sounds better. I am not a lead player and mostly play rhythm with a few runs or riffs here and there. I think it rings out with a quality that ranks right up with Martin and Gibson.

I could find no flaws with it when it was new and it has held up very well. It has done very little traveling and has always had a case for storage and travel. After over twenty years it stills fingers well and does not dischord.

I would have no problem playing this instrument at a live gig. I played electric bass for years during the 60's-70's and in my experience this guitar has the built in quality to hang in with no problem. If it were to be used in a live gig I would consider amplifying it either via mic/amp or installing a pickup in the sound hole.

No issues or comments here.

I have been playing off and on for over 45 years. My wife bought the guitar as a surprise gift for me and she was looking for a Martin or Gibson at the time. Since the cost of those two were not practical at the time she bought this one because of dealer recommendation. I have never been disappointed.
If I lost this guitar I would gladly replace it with another DY60 if I could find one. From what I've seen they are quite rare.
It also has a brass plate on the back of the head that says it is a commemortive of the 60th anniversary of SLM, whatever that is.

I HAVE HAD MY ALVAREZ DY-60 SINCE 1983, LISTS ON LABEL 1981,, THIS GUITAR HAS BEEN VERY GOOD. STAYS IN THE STUDIO ROOM FOR 20 YEARS AND
ALWAYS IN READY.. OVERALL SOUND IS VERY GOOD, TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET
USED TO THE LIGHT AIRY NATURE, A QUALITY INSTRUMENT, WOULD LIKE TO
COMPARE NOTES WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD THEM SINCE THE 80'S
IT DOES ILLUMINATE THE PLAYERS ABILITY,, PLAY GREAT, SOUND GREAT,
PLAY LIKE A LOSER,, TRANSFERS THAT EXACTLY.
I LIKE IT RATE IT A 8.5

I HAVE BEEN VERY PLEASED WITH THE FIT AND FINISH, I HAVE VIEWED NO
VISIBLE FLAWS OR HAD PROBLEMS WITH ANY STRUCTURE.. THE HEADSTOCK HAS
TURNED A BIT , AS IF OILY, FOGGED,, THIS IS ODD SINCE IT HAS NOT
BEEN OUT OF THE STUDIO FOR 20 YEARS,,

WOULD USE IT ON A GIG, HOWEVER IT SEEMS SO DELICATE TO ME, I HESITATE
TO TAKE IT ANYWHERE IT COULD BE HANDLED BY AUDIENCE PERFORMERS.

Made in USA in 1982 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of St. Louis Music. I am not an expert on woods but I believe the fingerboard is rosewood and the neck is mahogany- this is a dreadnaught style acoustic guitar. Its an acoustic so there arent many features like an electric would have.

The tone is in your fingers. This guitar will sound lousy if you dont know how to generate a rich tone with both of your hands. The sound of this guitar is good- its not going to sound as rich and full as a $2000 Martin or Gibson, but the neck is very heavy and of superlative quality. The sustain is pretty good.

The finish is beautiful- alot of detail on the body. No pick-ups on this guitar. The action is high and my neck could use straightening after 20 years, but it still plays OK. There is a truss rod for adjustments. No flaws- this is a beauty. I use 12 gauge strings.

Twenty years and still in fine shape. Great, well-built guitar.

No opinion- never contacted them.

I own two electric guitars (Strat and Les Paul) and figured I would round out my collection with a quality acoustic guitar. Actually I acquired my three guitars over a ten year period (1982-1992), taking advantage of players looking to sell their instruments at a low cost.

What year was it made? I don't know but the serial number is 49161. The sales receipt lists it as an anniversary model. I purchased it in 1996 for $700 plus case and tax. Anyone reading this review knows Yairi guitars are made in Japan. 20 frets, solid spruce top with a very close grain, some gorgeous flamed/pillow design solid wood back and sides. Back is a two-piece design with an almost perfect match in the wood left and right. Adjustable, mahogany neck with ebony fretboard. Mother-of-Pearl AY headstock logo, soundhole rosette and pin dots. Gold-leaf flower and leaves design at fret #12. High gloss finish except back of headstock and back of neck. Front of headstock wood is especially beautiful and glossy. Dreadnought. Gold (colored) AY tuners. No electronics. It has all the features needed in a dreadnought acoustic guitar and then some.

It's got a great sound with good sustain. When I play, others listen intently and comment that they've rarely heard such a good-sounding guitar.

Action suits me well. I have it adjusted very low and get no fret buzz. I have yet to find a flaw in this guitar. Finish is perfect. No rough edges anywhere. Very high gloss. Polishes up nicely.

I've played this guitar daily since 1996 without a hitch. All harware is solid. Small tortoise-shell pickguard allows some pick-straffing on the finish. This is to be expected on any guitar played hard by a pick user. Otherwise, the finish is as good as the day I bought it new.

No dealings with them, but they offer full support including after-market add-on of electronics (pick-ups).

Playing since 1966. Also own a Yairi DY-40-12 and a Fender Fat Strat American Deluxe. I have tried a number of times to get another DY-60, just because I believe in the value of this perfect guitar, however they seem rare as none of the local music stores can get one. I even tried a pawn shop near Los Angeles that specializes in guitars and they were unable to get one for me. Plase let me know if you have a line on one. I love the feel of this guitar as I play the fretboard and squeeze the neck. It has spoiled me for anything else. I've played every Taylor and Martin at the New Orleans Guitar Center, and they all seem to fight me. The DY-60 seems to anticipate me. I have nothing but praise for this item and wouldn't part with it.