2008 Alvarez-Yairi WY-1 Black
When Kazuo Yairi began designing and hand-crafting 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 WY-1 model is an example of the quality and sound which he has been able to produce using the highest quality 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 delighted owners will tell you they are worth every penny. The WY-1 Black currently lists for over $3000.
Alvarez-Yairi guitars are made with extremely choice tonewoods which are naturally air-dried and sculpted with individually hand-scalloped bracing and dovetail neck joints. Yairi's brilliant design innovations include an extended neck tenon for a wider range of rod adjustment and no neck/body irregularities. A unique coupled bridge design (visible in the pictures of the top) removes the forward pull from the bridge itself for greater stability and lighter bracing, leading to freer tone and outstanding clarity.
The WY-1’s solid top delivers a full-bodied sound that's warm and inviting, while the body with its rounded cutaway makes it comfortable to play for hours. Features include a 14-fret mahogany neck, a 20-fret bound ebony fretboard with abalone diagonal at the 12th fret and side dot markers, an ebony direct-coupled bridge with black abalone-dot pins, a rosewood headstock with 2 maple and 1 abalone stripe in addition to the inlaid abalone A-Y logo and gold enclosed tuners, maple body binding with abalone purfling, a discreet abalone sound hole rosette, a high gloss black finish, a clear tear drop pickguard, and a factory Alvarez System 600T pickup and pre-amp with a built-in tuner. This is one impressive-looking guitar.
Even more impressive is its playability and its consistently clear sound. This guitar was made in 2008, according to the neck block number (0008 364)—just long enough ago to really develop its voice. The frets have relatively little wear on them, and the neck is surprisingly comfortable for my kind of small hands. The almost twenty years of seasoning of the quality solid top make this about as resonant a guitar as I have played, with a strong bass and ringing trebles, plugged or unplugged.
Like most guitars that have performed, there are a few dings and scratches in the back and sides, barely visible in the pictures, and a hairline humidity crack under the strings between the sound hole and the bridge has been glued with clear glue. Other than that, there are no cosmetic or structural issues with this guitar: the neck’s straight, the top’s flat, and the tuners are tight. My luthier has checked it out, set it up at a fast and comfortable 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, and says it is absolutely ready to roll for a long time to come.
The deluxe Alvarez hard shell case is close to perfect. The hardware all works and the green plush interior is intact and naturally fits this guitar really well. It looks great, it’s solid as a rock, and of course the case 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 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 many 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.