Alvarez Yairi GYM70CESHB Masterworks Grand Auditorium Acoustic/Electric Guitar – Shadow Burst

The Alvarez GYM70CESHB launched in 2019 and is part of a new line of Yairi Masterworks designed to offer handmade, hand-voiced guitars that deliver a level of detail and player satisfaction not usually attainable at such a price point. This Alvarez Grand Auditorium acoustic/electric is a versatile instrument that offers plenty of low-end and shimmering trebles.

Throughout his life, Yairi collected an incredible amount of tonewood, and while most of it is in or around the Alvarez factory, some was stored on a piece of land Yairi owned some miles away from the factory. On every trip to the Yairi factory in Kani, Gifu-Japan, the Alvarez team would go and see the wood, and it eventually became a ritual after lunch as most of the supply had darkened due to the elements of the environment.

One day, the Alvarez team suspected that Yairi may have had a supply of Honduran mahogany on his land, and so the team traveled there again. What they found was pure gold—perfectly conditioned billets of old growth Honduran mahogany that had been naturally seasoning for approximately 50 years.

This series of Alvarez guitars celebrates this tonewood and the Yairi’s lifelong commitment to his art.

In crafting this guitar, Alvarez paired the mahogany with AAAA Adirondack spruce, and an OM model is available in all-solid Honduran. Sonically, these models are incredibly full and powerful with huge, clear bass and mids. Additionally, the quality and seasoning of these woods help make this guitar very light in weight, which helps when it comes to tone. The stiffness of the Adirondack spruce helps in creating more energy, and when paired with the mahogany, generates a stunning warm and open voice with powerful, clear bass and middle frequencies.
 
The Alvarez GYM70CESHB also boasts custom, hand-cut FST2 bracing, which is a forward shifted X and the top is expertly tuned during the carving of this system. The one-piece mahogany neck has been spoke shaved by hand and the other appointments include Gotoh 510 tuners, bone saddle and nut, a flawless, thin poly finish and subtle Paua abalone and mother of pearl inlays.