A Review Of The Alvarez Yairi Wy1 Acoustic-Electric
A Review Of The Alvarez Yairi Wy1 Acoustic-Electric
Few guitar makers have the beautiful marriage between state-of-the-art technology and classic craftsmanship as does Alvarez Yairi guitars. These world-class guitars are handcrafted under the care of respected luthier Kazuo Yairi in a Japanese mountain village workshop.
The instruments are made of the finest handwoods (naturally air-dried and hand-selected) and crafted in an “old-fashioned” workshop by hand, using time-tested construction, including hand-molded bracing and dovetail neck joints. The various Alvarez Yairi WY1 instruments are produced with these world-class construction methods.
There are several WY1 guitars available, including the WY1 Standard, WY1K, WY1M, and WY1TS, each with a different choice of world-class tonewood. The standard WY1 has a cedar top with rosewood back and sides. The WY1M uses beautiful flamed maple for the top, sides, and back whereas the WY1K is built using gorgeous Koa wood. The WY1TS relies upon a spruce top with figured maple back and sides.
All guitars in the WY1 series have the same basic feel, owing to their common construction blueprint. However, the variety of tonewoods available allow each model its own distinctive sound. Furthermore, the different models all have their own unique style of soundhole ornamentation and binding. Still, various models share excellent playability and build quality. Because of their versatility, the instruments lend themselves to many different styles of playing, from flatpicking to fingerpicking.
Each model in the WY1 series includes the company’s System 600T MK II electronics as standard equipment. This system does a fantastic job in converting the WY1′s beautiful acoustic sounds into electronic signals.
The MK II electronics are built with the future in mind, since they provide for the possibility of adding a condenser microphone when needed. The onboard electronics also include a built-in guitar tuner.
The guitars’ construction is just as novel as the electronics. The company’s crucial innovations regarding their guitar designs include a coupled bridge design that decreases the forward pull from the bridge which results in much more stability and more “free” tone. The guitars also incorporate an extended neck tenon that provides a much wider range of truss rod adjustments. Obviously, these guitars have been carefully designed for maximum playing efficiency and durability of construction.
If you’re searching for a high caliber acoustic-electric guitar with a variety of wood options and quality electronics, look no further than the Alvarez Yairi WY1.
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