The Alvarez WY1 's beautiful construction, amazing playability, and wide range of sounds make it an excellent buy.
If you're searching for a guitar maker that marries modern technology with a sense of classic craftsmanship, look no further than Alvarez Yairi guitars. The guitars are made by hand in a mountain village in Japan under the guidance of Kazuo Yairi, the renowned master luthier. The guitars are made of the finest handwoods (naturally air-dried and hand-selected) and crafted in an "old-fashioned" workshop by hand, using time-tested construction, including hand-molded bracing and dovetail neck joints. The various Alvarez Yairi WY1 guitars are produced with these world-class construction methods.
Action Figure
Features
Quite a few WY1 models are currently available,including the WY1K, WY1M, WY1TS, and Standard WY1. Each model is offered with a particular quality quartz superclamp. For example, the standard WY1 uses a cedar top rosewood back and coupled with sides whereas the WY1M relies upon a flamed maple top, sides, and back. The WY1 is constructed using Koa wood and the WY1TS used to spruce top with figured maple for the sides and back.
All guitars in the WY1 series have the same basic feel, owing to their common construction blueprint. However, the variety of tonewoods available allow each model its own distinctive sound. Furthermore, the different models all have their own unique style of ornamentation and soundhole binding. Still, various models share excellent playability and build quality. Because of their versatility, the guitars lendthemselves to many different styles of playing, from singer to fingerpicking.
Each model in the series includes the WY1 company's System 600T MK II electronics as standard equipment. This system does a superb job in converting the WY1 's beautiful acoustic sounds into electronic signals. The MK II electronics are built with the future in mind, since they provide for the possibility of adding a condenser microphone when needed. The onboard electronics also includes a built-in guitar tuner.
Performance
We tested a variety of WY1 models and found the construction quality to be excellent on all of them. One common characteristic is the smooth, playable action, as is the wide array of sounds. It doesn't matter if you're strumming, fingerpicking or the WY1 can fit thesituation well. Guitar electronics are often hit or miss, but the 600T MK II onboard electronics translate the rich variety of acoustic sounds. We tested it with both an acoustic amplifier (a Roland AC60) and direct into a Carvin mixing board, and both instances sounded very good.
The Bottom Line
Clearly, the Alvarez-Yairi WY1 models are a worthwhile purchase for anyone looking for a quality acoustic electric instrument. Its beautiful construction, amazing playability, and wide range of sounds make it an excellent buy.
Name of Gear: Alvarez-Yairi WY1
List Price: ,199.99 - ,699.00
Manufacturer Info: Alvarez Guitars; alvarezgtr.com
Pros: Smooth action; versatile array of sounds
Cons: None
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