1986 Alvarez-Yairi DY-56 Very Good, Original Hard, $795.00

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 DY-56 “Express” 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 best American designs. Today, the prices of the Alvarez-Yairi acoustic guitars range from $800 to $5000 and beyond, and even in 1986—30 years ago!—this rather rare guitar listed at over $600.

The DY-56 guitar has a thin-line 3.5” dreadnought cutaway body with a solid spruce top in a Natural Sunburst finish and mahogany back, sides, and neck. However, the back and sides have an opaque internal and external lacquer finish, making it look like the resin body of an Ovation (it’s not). There is multi-stripe binding on the body and rosette, a tortoise tear drop pick guard, a rosewood bridge with white abalone-dot pins, a 14/20-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay and a 25.5” scale, and an ebony headstock overlay set off by the inlaid Alvarez-Yairi logo and enclosed chrome Grover tuners (presumably replacements). This is still one impressive-looking guitar.

Even more impressive is its playability and sound, even without amplification. The high-crowned nickel-silver frets and the fret board have some visible wear on them in the first three frets, but no buzzes or issues at the current action set-up of a bit under 4/32” at the 12th fret low E. The almost electric-fast neck is extremely comfortable for my kind of small hands, measuring 1 11/16” at the bone nut. The 30 years of seasoning of the quality solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides—enhanced by Yairi’s parabolically tuned spruce bracing and carefully arched and curved shape—make this about as resonant as any full-bodied dreadnought I have played, with strong bass and clear ringing trebles. (The thin curved shape also makes it extremely comfortable to hold and play.) All of this is purely acoustic; my luthier certifies that the electronics with the under bridge saddle pickup also work fine. The control knobs located just above the neck joint are active and work well.

Most 30-year-old guitars that have been played have at least a few dings; this one has some pick wear below the sound hole, a few small dings toward the edge of the top lower bout, and a few on the headstock. In addition, there are small professionally repaired cracks in the top beside the fret board, in the treble lower bout, and at the pick guard, all virtually invisible in the pictures (and in real life). Other than these cosmetic concerns, there are no structural issues with this guitar: the neck’s straight, the top’s flat, the bridge is solid, the tuners are tight, and there are no issues affecting its playability or sound.

The vintage Alvarez hard shell case is presumably original and also in very good condition. The hardware all works, and the plush interior is intact and fits this guitar like the proverbial glove. The case has a few dings on the exterior, but it still looks good and certainly provides outstanding protection for this really cool 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; cashiers and personal 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.

Good luck!