Alvarez Yairi DY-71

Lovely guitar. Solid cedar top that oranges with age. Koa back and sides. I am pretty sure the back is solid, but the sides are laminate. Came with Fishman pickup, but I replaced it with the Newer 600T pickups that come in all of the new Yairi A/E's. I chose the 600T because it has a jack that allows you to direct connect a gooseneck condenser microphone inside of your guitar for dual source amplification. It came with a graphite saddle that I have replaced with a hand carved rosewood saddle. Comfortable neck.

I play mostly acoustic rock. Anything from Ryan Adams to Dave Matthews to Men At Work. This guitar has a fantastic all-around sound with rich bass and ample mids and bright highs. I usually play this guitar (actually all of my acoustics) with a bit of delay to give it a fuller sound. It is by far my best sounding guitar, although not my most expensive. I don't think I will every buy another acoustic without either Koa, or Rosewood, or similar toned woods for the back and sides again.

It took a little while to get used to the neck. Not a hard play at all, but just a bit wider than my last guitar that I played for nearly 7 straight years. Once I got used to the extra string separation, I found that I could actually play some chords more easily without deadening strings.

The only flaw I would say that this guitar has is the "graphite" bridge. I use parenthesese around graphite becuase after 8 years of working with composites, I can truely say that this stuff can't be graphite. It's more like a Polyamide resin or something. But these bridges have a tendency to collaps between the saddle and the bridge pins. In fact, I got a good deal on the guitar because this is how mine was when I bought it. I replaced the bridge with a hand carved rosewood bridge, and it sounds great.

But one of the things I DO like about the guitar a lot is the shap of the bridge. It has more mass on the bass side and less mass on the treble side, which according to a few scientists who used to work for Gibson, allows for a more proficient resonation of sound into the soundboard from the bass and treble strings. I hope that made sense.

As I mentioned, the weakest link on this model guitar is the bridge. The material just doesn't stand up the the tention that strings apply to the saddle.

Furtunately, I was able to replace the brige for about $140. So no big deal.

I bought the guitar after the warranty was long gone. But I did contact Alvarez about fixing the bridge and adding the 600T preamp. They quoted me a very good price actually. But I didn't feel like shipping the guitar, so I paid more to have someone local replace the bridge, and I changed out the electronics myself.

And I would like to point out that the people were more than helpful at the repair center.

I have been playing for about 13 years now and I have owned 18 guitars (I still own 13) and basses. This guitar is by far my favorite acoustic when sound is a must. It is my Les Paul of acoustics now that it has been repaired and upgraded.

Made in the early 90s, I think.

Has an added active Fishman Matrix undersaddle pickup with endpin jack.

Body made of laminate Koa, Top is solid spruce.

Bridge is made by moses graphite specifically for this model I have heard.

I just bought it off EBay, spent the evening cleaning it up, did a quick setup.

Put on some lighter gauge strings (all I had at the time) and the thing rings like a bell! rich tones, overtones. The Koa sounds much like Rosewood IMO giving it a deeper sound than my DY-45 which has Mahogany sides and back.

I am guessing that it will sound even better with some heavier gauge strings (.012-.056 are my preference). Sounds great fingerstyle with the lighter gauge strings though!

Not sure I like the Fishman pickup though. It was added in and may need some adjustment. Not crazy about the undersaddle transducers anyway. Thinking about replacing with an LR Baggs I-Beam or K&K with a magnetic pickup in the soundhole.

Well built, this one has some scratches and dings. Not the fault of the Alvarez factory though. Saddle on Graphite bridge is pushing forward and I am not sure this is the bridge or the fact that it was "Messed With" to install the transducer. Headstock had a tortoise shell looking veneer (similar to the pickguard) but this is now missing. It would be easy to replace but judging from photos of other guitars like this, I am not certain I would like this! I am thinking of seeing if Alvarez could make me a new headstock veneer of Koa with the Alvarez Yairi logo on it. That's what they should've done in the first place - Carbon fiber Graphite to go with the Graphite bridge would've been great as well (along with a carbon fiber pickguard (Hmmmm...)!

Very solid and worry free. Some complain about the laminate sides and back but one of the advantages is that they are not so fickle regarding climate changes - I have had a DY-45 with Mahogany laminate sides and back and have never worried about humidity changes and never used a hygrometer!

So long as you are not stupid with it, trying to use it as a doorstop or something, it will give years of trouble free use!

Never dealt with Alvarez.

Been playing over 30 years. Have another Alvarez Yairi that I have had for over 23 years. I also have an assortement of other acoustic, electric, and bass guitars (yeah, I'm a gear hog!)

I am a big fan of Alvarez Yairi guitars. As far as acoustic guitars go, I play them exclusively and if I ever got famous, I would probably seek an endorsement and have them build me a "Signature" model!

Used to be that Alvarez Yairi was the one to get if you wanted to spend $500-600 to get a guitar that was as good as a $2,000 Martin. Nowadays, a Yairi starts at around $1,500 and sounds about as good as a $1,500 Martin or Taylor. Still great guitars but they are definitely selling them for what they are worth now!

I paid $317 for mine. This one had a cracked headstock that was repaired and does not affect playability. I would say this guitar would be a bargain in the $700-$800 range!

They no longer make these, I feel like I got a good deal for mine. I am guessing that this would be the equivalent of the DY-91 model they have now (Although the DY-91 does have quite a bit of abalone "Bling" to go with it.

Solid spruce top, lam. Koa sides and back. Made in Japan in the 90's. Nice tuners, gold tone wearing a bit.

I play mainly blues, some folk, country and jazz. From the very first time I played this guitar I loved the sound, feel, balance of this guitar.

The action on this guitar is great. When I attack the strings it gets nice and punchy, but on fingerstyle it's just plain sweet. I see no flaws, the Koa lam. is great looking and holding up well. I have had no problem with the lam. on the headstock. The top is mellowing well.

Everything is great on this guitar. I have no attention on anything on it. I use it for gigs, I use it at home, I use it all the time. I have nine guitars of all types and makes. This is one of my main guitars next to my Strat.

I'd use it on a gig as a main or a backup.

Never had any need.

I've been playing for about 40 years. I have an old Strat, a Regal Resophionic, a Dickerson lap steel, a Supro Tonemaster, an old Framus 12 string, the Yairi, a Martin D-18 copy, and an Ibanex AF85. The Yairi has
a Fishman pick--up built in, I play it through an Ibanez roubadour amp.

I'd compare this to a nice Martin, maybe an old Gibson.

If it were stolen I'd move heaven and earth to get it back, then buy another if I couldn't.

This review is to correct people's misconceptions that might arise after reading the review below. For a guy who has been playing since 1980? he doesn't seem to know much about guitars.
These handmade guitars are of the highest quality and craftsmanship. I say this, as an owner of several Taylors and Martins among others. The beauty of Yairi is how he is able to make an instrument of such fine workmanship at such relatively low prices. One of the ways he does this is by using laminate for back and sides. He's been doing it this way for 60+ years. His guitars age very nicely.
There are NO Yairi guitars made of solid koa. NONE. Not the DY91 nor the WY1K.
The top of the guitar is solid Spruce which does turn a nice golden brown with age. That "swirly" bridge is actually a grahite bridge specially designed by Steve Mosher of Moses. The headstock does have an attractive tortoise shell like plastic veneer. These guitars are made of high quality wood with very nice grain which they do one of the nicest jobs of matching I have seen.

This guitar has a very sweet balanced sound. I refer to this as a "songwriting guitar". It is a real joy to play especially with the ebony fretboard.

As I said before, the workmanship is superior. It can't be beat until you get into high end handmade guitars, and we all know how much they can cost. The wood grain is beautiful and the best matched I have seen on a line of guitars. And to get an ebony bridge too at this price!
You can see and feel the quality workmanship thats built into these guitars. This is becoming more and more rare in this era of mass production.
I have to say, I am basing this review on my Yairis from the 90's. I really haven't owned any of the newer Yairis so I can't speak for them. However it would suprise me to hear that the quality has deteriorated over the past 10 years. Not very likely.

This guitar ages beautifully. The older it gets, the better it gets. I give it a 10, because the only problem I have had over 10 years is the glue on the headstock veneer loosing its adhesiveness.

I can't put a number on this one. These guitars are all made in Japan so if you don't speak Japanese, forget about talking to them. However, the American arm that distributes the guitar is very knowledgable and they are helpful if you call them. The trick is finding them. Just call your local Yairi dealer and they can give you a contact phone number.

On a scale of bang for your buck, I would give this guitar a very high mark. There are finer guitars out there, but at a significantly higher price.

Mines a '93, made in Japan. New, I paid $650 or so. It also came with a really nice case. If I was a cat that loved acoustic guitars, I'd make the case my sleeping quarters. It's a really nice case.
The guitar has beautiful Koa sides and back. One thing though, when I bought it, I thought it was solid Koa. Later I learned that it is a laminate of some kind. I should have asked when I bought it, but that was the beginning of my guitar craze and I wasn't thinking too clearly.
It has a sold top, which is aging nicely. I'm not sure if it's cedar or spruce. It's getting to be a deeper golden color as the years go by, maybe cedar then... It has the graphite swirly bridge, which has a nice aesthetic quality about it.
So, as for the negative stuff, I was bummed that the "plastic" veneer started to separate from the headstock. Here I was surprised to see that it was "plastic" and that I had it seperating. That's another thing I'm going to look at when it's time to buy the next acoustic. So ya know what I did? I took it off completely and refinished the natural wood. I'm much happier with how it looks now.

it has a very nice sound. If I don't get too heavy with my fingerpicking or strumming, she's all beaty. Nice voice. If I lean on her too hard, her subtle voice gets stressed. Which of course teaches me to be a more gentle and caring picker. When I do that, I'm very pleased with her voice.
When I pick up a Taylor or a Martin, they really have a lot of ring to them. Almost piano like. They project this ring a little louder, but, its not necessarily nicer, just louder.

Fit and finish are really good. When you play one of these you say, "man, all acoustics should be this easy!"
I know I want a high end, boutique guitar one of these days, but I tell ya, I'm so grateful that I pluncked down the $650 and found this gem. She's class all the way. OK, the plastic vener pissed me off, I forgot about that... But I'm over it, ok?

This guitar has lasted me all these years and I smile when I look at her. Thats says a lot.
As for the gig without a backup, yes, absolutely!

never needed them

I've been playing since 1980. I have a '34 National Duolian, a '70 Dobro, a '41 archtop, a Guild Starfire 3, a Supro (National?) Debonaire (F holed single pick up electric)

My next guitar will be something expensive that will keep me company for a loooong time. Do I need it... well, lets not go there, k? I'm interested in either a custom acoustic or a nice Martin.

Mid 90's Dy-71 with spuce top, koa back and sides, and a graphite bridge. The top has aged quite nicely and now shows a cedarish color.
Really preety wood, especially the koa.
Tortoise shell binding and around sound hole. Gold grover looking tuners that work well.

This guitar really sings and has great sustain. I would give it a 10, but I know there are high end customs that take it to the next level; however it sounds as good or better than my buddy's 94 Taylor 810.

The action is low with bar chords being much easier to play than other dreadnoughts. The neck is fast, although the fret board is a slightly more narrow than others.
When I trade off with friends to compare the difference, the DY-71's playability is superior.

This is a light guitar, but will go the distance.

N/A. None needed.

I have been playing for 30 years and have sampled many guitars and sounds. The koa produces a great tone, and yhis guitar shines.

Made approx. 1998 in Kani, Gifu-Japan. Koa top, sides, and back, with
ebony fingerboard. Beautiful quality of wood, gorgeous tone reflects the quality. Plays like an electric, sounds like an acoustic worth thousands more...increadible deal for the $$. For the price paid, the grain of wood on this guitar is a jaw dropper. Typical only of high end custom shops.

I play blues, rock, funk, etc. My style is rooted on electric guitars, I am a big lead/shred junkie and play with a lot of attack and dynamics. This guitar was a perfect match for me, the easiness of play, the bright high end and rich low end give me all the tone I could ask for.

The guitar came set up wonderfully for strumming. My musical needs required lower action and a slight adjustment to the truss rod. Aside from a new set of strings and 5 minutes of adjustment, the guitar plays fabulously. The ebony fingerboard is as fast as you could want and the finish on the rest of the guitar is flawless. Again, this guitar plays like an electric, it's wonderful.

Bindings, hardwear, and finish are all supurb. Don't put cigarettes out on it, drop it, or get it soaking wet and just like any other amazingly well crafted guitar it'll last you forever. The bindings are all perfect fits and tight as a drum, a perfect gigging guitar or recording.

Worked for a music company that dealt with them...they're great if you need to use em, but its highly unlikely you'll ever have to.

I first saw this guitar several years previous to the purchase. Fate or luck, I dont know, but when i moved back home and saw it still there after so long, I was extremely happy to see it. This guitar has everything I could want in an acoustic. A great neck, beatiful tone, great projection, can take a beating if needs be, and increadible craftsmanship. I love Martins, Taylors, and Gibsons, but this guitar is every bit as good as what I've seen come out of their custom shops.

The guitar was made in 199?. It has a solid apruce top and KOA back and sides. The fingerboard and bridgeplate is ebony. It has gold die casttuners that really hold well. Included was an original Alvarez HSC. The natural finish on the back and sides are beautiful and after ten or so years show no wear. The top finish has some discoleration on the top and bottom. The tortise binding and soundhole design is very nice. The tortise on the head stock is becomming loose.

This Yairi has a deep rich sound. It has a professionally installed active pickup that sounds good pluged in. I play gospel bluegrass and the sound suits my style.

The action is almost too low. The fourth string has some buzzing when payed hard. However, the fingerboard shows little wear.

I play this guitar live two or three times each month. I feel I candepend on it to hold up for years. The guitar is very light and comfortable to play at long sessions. We will be recording late in 2001 and I plan to use the Yairi.

N/A

I've been playing scince high school('82). I;ve owned several other acoustic guitars. This is the best for the money I've seen. My next purchase will be a Yairi. However, for live performances, I will buy a Yairi with the Mk 600 factory pick system. I've looked at Taylors, Gibsons, Martins and Tacomas. None will touch a Yairi in my opinion