1998 Alvarez-Yairi DY-91 Koa Excellent, Hard, $1,295.00
When Kazuo Yairi began designing and hand-crafting his steel-string guitars in the 1960’s, he was deliberately competing with Martin, Gibson, and Guild for the higher end guitar market in the U.S. This DY-91 “Super Abalone Koa” is the same dimensions as a Martin D-41 and features many of the same abalone trim designs. It is an example of the superb quality and sound which Yairi was able to produce using the highest grade materials, the best Japanese craftsmen, and his own modifications of the best American designs. Today, the prices of the Alvarez-Yairi acoustic guitars range from $1200 to $5000 and beyond, and owners testify they’re worth every penny!
This guitar (serial # 56036) has no date recorded on the signed label; however, it also has an additional number (1005 268) imprinted on the neck block which, according to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, indicates that it was made in May of 1998, the 10th year of Japanese Emperor Heisa’s reign (no, I’m not kidding). The production number suggests that only about 600 were produced that year. Considering the painstaking craftsmanship and high-grade materials displayed in this model, this relative rarity is no surprise.
The DY-91’s top is solid Canadian Spruce with hand-carved bracing and abalone purfling, while the back and sides are beautifully figured Hawaiian Koa wood. The bound 14/20-fret fingerboard is ebony with large abalone fretboard inlays quite similar to Martin’s top of the line D-45’s. The ebony bridge has black pearl-dot pins, while the bridge, body, and sound hole have beautiful abalone inlay. The neck is mahogany with a dovetail neck joint, while the Koa peghead veneer is set off by the abalone logo and also fully bound. Enclosed gold-plated tuners complete the headstock, while a large black tear-drop pickguard (with its own abalone A-Y inlay) and additional tasteful abalone inlay on both sides of the fretboard extension complete the body. This is one gorgeous guitar!
Even more impressive is its playability and its huge sound. The frets have surprisingly little wear on them for a 19-year-old guitar. Structurally it is perfect, as far as I can tell: no cracks, flat top, solid bridge and neck joins, straight neck, tight tuners, and so forth. Cosmetically it’s about a 9.5 out of 10, with the missing .5 deducted just because my bifocals might have missed something somewhere. The neck is quite comfortable for my kind of small hands, measuring 1 11/16” at the nut, while the action is comfortably low and fast: 3/32” at the 12th fret low E. The years of seasoning of the quality solid top and Koa back and sides make this about as resonant a guitar as I have played, with great big bass and clear ringing trebles.
I can’t resist including one quotation from a very enthusiastic on-line Alvarez-Yairi player:
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. 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).
A bit much? I don’t know: it’s an awfully nice guitar....
The thermoplastic hard shell case is structurally and cosmetically in excellent condition as well. The hardware and the plush interior are near perfect, while the exterior shows very few signs of wear. More importantly, it fits this guitar like the proverbial glove, looks great, and certainly provides 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 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 purchase it.
Thank you for your interest in this beautiful 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.