1992 Alvarez-Yairi DY-84 Excellent, Hard, $1,095.00
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-84 is an example of the visual impact, superb quality control, and wonderful 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 gorgeous dreadnought guitar was made in 1992 judging from the number imprinted on the neck block, 04 10 305. According to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, this indicates that it was made in October of 1992, the 4th year Japanese Emperor Heisa had been in office. (No, I’m not kidding.) The production number (305) suggests that fewer than 500 were produced that year. Considering the painstaking craftsmanship and high-grade materials displayed in this model, this relative rarity is no surprise.
The DY-84’s top is solid Spruce, while the back and sides are beautifully figured East Indian rosewood and the fully bound neck is mahogany, all set off by the gloss natural finish. The 14/20-fret fingerboard is ebony with abalone inlays. The ebony direct-coupled bridge has white abalone-dot pins, while the sound hole rosette has beautiful abalone inlay. The black peghead veneer is set off by the abalone logo and diagonal stripes and is also fully bound. Enclosed gold A-Y tuners complete the headstock, while a large clear tear-drop pickguard completes the body. This is one gorgeous guitar!
Even more impressive is its near-mint condition, its playability, and its huge sound. The frets have no visible wear on them, the top and pick guard show no play wear, and the finish throughout is perfect! (I did find a few faint buckle bruises on the back, making it about a 9.9 out of 10 for a 25-year-old guitar.) It was apparently has never been owned (except by me), and the store was obliged to stamp it “used” on the headstock to distinguish it from a new guitar. Structurally it is also near perfect, with no signs of cracks, repairs, or potential problems. The neck is quite comfortable for my kind of small hands, measuring 1 11/16” at the nut, and the extremely responsive action is set up at 3/32” at the 12th fret low E. The years of seasoning of the quality solid top and rosewood back and sides make this about as resonant a guitar as I have played, with great balance 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 included hard shell case is also structurally near perfect, but there is a seam which is loosening. The hardware and the plush interior are also spotless, but one of the four latches is missing a hasp. 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 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 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.