Alvarez guitars?

[lukedavo]

Anybody heard anything negative about Alvarez guitars? All I hear are good things, could this be true?

Tawk amongst yaselves.....

[Bellringer]

I have an Alvarez(not Yari)12 string acoustic dread that sounds amazing. It's not a super expensive guitar (not sure of the year but was told it would sell for around $300 in excellent-mint shape) but it has a nice full sound and with fresh strings it rivals any acoustic I've played! I'm not kidding.
The only negative issue is the tuners. They are easy enough to move but no matter what I try, the g strings have some kind of snag. So you have to work to get these 2 strings in tune. They will actually skip past the proper note with a ping noise. Any ideas on fixing something like this? I get it in tune and would rather not change the tuners if possible. Other than this, the guitar is amazing! Oh yeah. I got it for free from a roommate who thought it was junk because the strings were old and rusting. "If you can make it work, it's yours". Excellent

[dagosto]

That ping you are talking about sounds like the string is getting caught in the nut. You might want to try lubricating those notches with some graphite.

[Bellringer]

Originally Posted by dagosto

That ping you are talking about sounds like the string is getting caught in the nut. You might want to try lubricating those notches with some graphite.

Right on. I'll give that a shot. The thing is, there is no visible notch or burr or anything I see that it is snagging on. But graphite is worth a try. I was just thinking about the gears. I haven't really checked them so maybe the issue's there.

[Nubus]

I just played one. Not bad for the price. Looks goregous, I really like the inlays. Their hardly visible. Cheapo hardware though, I guess that is usually the downfall of inexpensive guitars.

[smopo24]

Originally Posted by Nubus

Cheapo hardware though, I guess that is usually the downfall of inexpensive guitars.

that and the use of laminates instead of solid woods; but i guess if it sounds good, who really cares?

[lukedavo]

RD8 has a good balance of richness and brilliance. Beutiful guitar, 3 piece neck with grains matching perfectly, solid sides and back are also equiped with fine grains and finish. After a nice stretch tuning session, guitar stays in tune very well, machine heads are super smooth. No sharp frets or any kind of maufacturing flaws. Better than most if not all of your low end acoustics, kills Fender Washburn Yamaha Silvertone and Epiphone hands down. Indeed it is a laminate, therefore the strong full volume is not there, but.... its made up for in that the guitar really has some nice subtle tonal characteristics that makes it sound fairly original. Love the ease of use, nice slender neck, and frets that are spaced perfectly. Came with Elixir strings which I fell in love with, as well as a nice hardshell case included in the price. The guitar has a very nice balance in regards to weighting and tonal characteristics.

All in all 9/10, lost 2 points for volume, but gained one for the case.

[smopo24]

Originally Posted by lukedavo

RD8 has a good balance of richness and brilliance. Beutiful guitar, 3 piece neck with grains matching perfectly, solid sides and back are also equiped with fine grains and finish. After a nice stretch tuning session, guitar stays in tune very well, machine heads are super smooth. No sharp frets or any kind of maufacturing flaws. Better than most if not all of your low end acoustics, kills Fender Washburn Yamaha Silvertone and Epiphone hands down. Indeed it is a laminate, therefore the strong full volume is not there, but.... its made up for in that the guitar really has some nice subtle tonal characteristics that makes it sound fairly original. Love the ease of use, nice slender neck, and frets that are spaced perfectly. Came with Elixir strings which I fell in love with, as well as a nice hardshell case included in the price. The guitar has a very nice balance in regards to weighting and tonal characteristics.

All in all 9/10, lost 2 points for volume, but gained one for the case.

wow, a glowing review....this has piqued my interest. how much did you get this steal for?