1998 Alvarez-Yairi WY-1 Very Good, Original Hard, $995.00

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 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—and, in this case, Bob Weir’s--modifications of the best American designs. Today, the prices of the Alvarez-Yairi acoustic guitars range from $1200 to $5000 and beyond, with this Bob Weir-endorsed WY-1 Cutaway Folk Acoustic Electric listing for $2,199.99.

Alvarez-Yairi guitars are made with extremely choice tonewoods which are naturally air-dried and sculpted with individually hand-shaped 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 rosewood back and sides of the WY-1 combine with its solid cedar top to deliver a full-bodied sound that's warm and inviting, while the 000 folk-style body with its rounded cutaway make 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, a black headstock veneer with the inlaid abalone A-Y logo, maple body binding with gorgeous herringbone purfling, a discreetly beautiful abalone sound hole rosette, semi-gloss finish, a clear tear drop pickguard, and factory Alvarez System 500 II 3-band EQ electronics with a separate “saddle” for each string. Its dimensions are: 15-1/8" lower bout width, 1-11/16" nut width, 3-7/8" to 4-9/16" body depth, and a scale length of 25”. This is one impressive-looking guitar.

Even more impressive is its playability and its consistently clear sound. 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 cedar top make this about as resonant a guitar as I have played, with a strong bass and ringing trebles.

Like most 20-year-old guitars that have been played, there is some slight playwear above the strings. In addition, there is a ¾” dent and a few dings in the soft cedar top, a ¼” ding in the headstock veneer, and a small chip out of one corner of the headstock. Other than that, there are no cosmetic or structural issues with this guitar: the neck’s straight, the top’s flat, the tuners are tight, and there are no cracks in the top, back, or sides. My luthier has checked it out, set up the action at a bit over 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, and he says it is absolutely ready to roll for a long time to come.

The original arched-top hard shell case is structurally near perfect. The hardware all works and the plush interior is intact and fits this guitar like the proverbial glove, although there is a bit of wear on the exterior. It looks impressive, it’s solid as a rock, and it 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 this guitar.

Thank you for your interest in this fine instrument.