1983 Alvarez-Yairi DY-68
When Kazuo Yairi began designing and hand-crafting guitars in the 1960’s, he was not trying to create a “mid-range” alternative to the best American guitars; he was consciously competing with Martin, Gibson, Guild, and the “boutiques” for the higher end guitar market in the U.S. This DY-68 “Rambling Twelve” model is an example of the quality and sound which he was able to produce using the highest quality materials, the best Japanese craftsmen, and his own modifications of the most effective American designs. Today, the prices of the Alvarez-Yairi acoustic guitars range from $1200 to $5000 and beyond, and as A-Y players will tell you, they are well worth the money.
This guitar (serial number 51233) was made in 1983 according to the date stamped on the label. It has a dreadnought style body with a solid Canadian spruce top, and mahogany back, sides and neck. There is ivoroid binding or purfling on the body and rosette in a multi-stripe pattern, a tortoise tear drop pick guard, an ebony bridge with white abalone-dot pins, a 14/20-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl inlay and a 25.5” scale, six-per-side enclosed chrome tuners, and a mahogany headstock set off by the inlaid abalone Yairi logo. This is one impressive-looking guitar.
Even more impressive is its playability and its huge sound. The frets have very little wear on them, the neck is surprisingly comfortable for my kind of small hands, measuring 1 11/16” at the nut. The thirty-five years of seasoning of the quality solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides make this about as resonant a guitar as you’ll find, with great big bass and clear ringing trebles. Like many 12-strings, the action is a touch higher than 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, allowing for a kinda heavy pick hand if you’re so inclined.
Unlike most 35-year-old guitars that have been played, there are almost no issues. Other than a single ½” sealed dent behind the bridge, there are no structural problems with this guitar: the neck’s straight, the top’s flat, and there are no other cracks in the beautiful mahogany back or sides. Cosmetically, it has a few dings and bruises, but on the whole it looks better than most guitars less than a third its age.
The included hard shell case is brand new, complete with keys. As you might expect, it is structurally perfect: the shiny hardware all works, and the black plush interior is suitably fuzzy. It looks great and certainly offers outstanding protection for this valuable instrument.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy it.
Thank you for your interest in this excellent guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.