1976 Alvarez-Yairi DY-85 Standard Abalone Very Good, Hard, $1,195.00

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-85 “Standard Abalone” 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 # 12808) was made on April 18, 1976, according to the label and the Alvarez-Yairi website. The relatively low production number suggests that only about a thousand were produced that year. Considering the painstaking craftsmanship and high-grade materials displayed in this model, this rarity is no surprise.

The DY-85’s top is solid Canadian Spruce, while the back and sides are a beautifully grained mahogany (Note: this guitar obviously does not have the three-piece back which showed up on some later versions). The bound 14/20-fret fingerboard is ebony with large abalone fretboard inlays quite similar to Martin’s top of the line D-45. The ebony bridge has black abalone-dot pins, while the sound hole rosette has beautiful abalone inlay. The neck is mahogany, while the peghead veneer is set off by the abalone logo and also fully bound. Enclosed gold-plated tuners complete the headstock, while a large tortoise tear-drop pickguard and additional tasteful abalone purfling inlay on top, back, and end piece completes the body. This is one gorgeous guitar!

Even more impressive is its playability and its huge sound. While that sound is sufficient for any but the larger venues, the previous owner installed a Fishman sound hole pickup with a jack in the lower side which works fine. The frets have surprisingly little wear on them for a 40-year-old guitar.

Structurally it is near perfect, with a repaired 3" crack in the upper bout, visible in the pictures; the lower bout has a professionally repaired hairline humidity crack, but it is not visible in the pictures or even in "person." Cosmetically, there's a visible bruise in the top lower bout, but there are virtually no dings, bruises, or scratches anywhere else. The neck is quite comfortable for my kind of small hands, measuring 1 11/16" at the nut. The action is fast and easy at 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, and the years of seasoning of the quality solid top and mahogany 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 presumably original hard shell case is structurally and cosmetically in excellent condition. The hardware and the plush interior are also near perfect. More importantly, it fits this guitar like the proverbial glove, looks fine, 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; 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 it.

Good luck!