Anyone have or play Alvarez guitars???

My first decent acoustic was an Alvarez. It was an OK guitar. I gave it to my buddy.

I tried several Alvarez with nylon strings. They play and sounds great. A couple of friends have Alvarez, they are very happy.

I have seen an abnormal amount of headstock break-offs - I have one in my basement. I'm not sure why some guitar seem to break necks more but certainly epiphone solid body electrics, low end fender/ squire flat tops 70's Sg's and Alverez flat tops go steinberger more often than normal. I also don't trust that weird stylized bridge design Alvarez use, too much wood removed in my completely untested opinion. I think it might prevent belly bulging but it just looks too puny to me and insubstantial. Alvarez was probably making the best flat tops in the world for twenty years but their entry level guitars are not scaled down versions of their products just branded student models. Parlor guitars are not terribly popular and you can find great deals on vintage instruments that are toned in and well made from much better materials - probably not much more than the Alvarez.

Not saying you wont find the diamond in the ruff - but I would avoid it personally.
And if GC on wolf rd. wants $400 - its worth $300.

How about a pre-war regal 12 fret 0 - with nitro, burst finish, X bracing and fresh repair work? $499 and it took me 4 minutes to find it. I would find it hard to justify a new korean made guitar for 20% less than this gorgous conversation piece. They literally do not make'm like they used to... unless you want to pay big time - but they certainly don't make 100 year old wood like they used to. You could build a collection around this thing!

http://www.vintageparlorguitars.com/042812H.html

vintageparlorguitars.com - best kept secret on the web.

http://www.vintageparlorguitars.com/042812S.html
http://www.vintageparlorguitars.com/042812T.html
http://www.vintageparlorguitars.com/042812O.html Don't bother drooling over this one - it might not be here latter tonight

i had a small body mahogany alvarez that's a lot like your link. the first one played and sounded great, so years later, after that one had gone by the wayside, i ordered another copy off the internet, same make and model. it sucked. no tone, flabby construction, and neck problems.
i guess my advice would be to make sure you play the exact guitar you want before you buy it. seems like you liked the one you played, though, so i guess it's up to you and your wallet.

I paid $40 for a 60's stella parlor guitar (in saratoga) and that thing is sooooooo fun to play. Doesn't sound like a drednaught - but great for some cowboy strumming and the occasional single note turn around.

I watched the video and read the review from your post- and it looks like a solid deal really - if not $60 over street (see side note). It has a solid sitka top - and the slotted head stock. But it is made in china so I would be a little weary of the construction and hardware. Personally I would look for a vintage instrument - especially on area craigslists - they always have them on the NYC one that really extends almost this far north in territory. But I'm sure GC has a return policy so you really couldn't go wrong. Great post - love parlor guitars - you should see my sisters collection (she's tiny, 4'11") I'm restringing my old stella as woon as I finish this post.

(side note) I was also at the same guitar center this weekend and they had the new peavy guitar with the self tuning system - not something I would ever buy - but the list on that guitar is around 600 - they had it for.... $1200!!! WTF? No explination given. I haggled for an hour over $50 bucks on a mangled vintage 3 hum destroyer and left empty handed as usual. Its right near my office. silliest guitar store on the planet but I'm always there.

Thanks for the links!! Ya, Ill agree that that GC is... well lets just say less then the best place to buy. :) I picked up my LP there, and I was playing the one on the wall, that had a broken knob, and a big gouge in the back.... yup nothing off the price!!! I finly convinced them to see if they had another one.... and after hemming and hawing, and half azzed looking finly found one in a box for the same price. On top of that the one in the box sounded and felt AWESOME!!! I was happy to pay sticker!! But the place is nice to try diferent guitars.

As for old stuff... Ya, Ive been hunting a project for a bit now. but havent found much that wasnt realy overpriced, or realy too far gone.. But Im searching. :)

Great post - love parlor guitars - you should see my sisters collection (she's tiny, 4'11") I'm restringing my old stella as woon as I finish this post.

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Well glad I could help. :)

The more I play, and the more I learn, the more I seem to be drown toward the smaller body acoustics. I just cant fall for any dreds...

You'd think everybody would have a parlor guitar. The dred's got popular with the folkies and the campfire crowd and everybody just kind of gravitates towards them now - but for traveling, home recording - it seems like the parlor guitar would be obvious, especially for electric guys poking around on a flat top.

Alright man, we need to cool it on this thread - people catch wind and the prices will go into space like the lawsuit guitars, tube screamers and fralins.

You'd think everybody would have a parlor guitar. The dred's got popular with the folkies and the campfire crowd and everybody just kind of gravitates towards them now - but for traveling, home recording - it seems like the parlor guitar would be obvious, especially for electric guys poking around on a flat top.

Alright man, we need to cool it on this thread - people catch wind and the prices will go into space like the lawsuit guitars, tube screamers and fralins.

Lol. All ready has. I've been surffing Stella's all day. EBay prices are creapping up!!!

You know not only do the small guitars fit my style, and sound good to my ears... but I travel a lot in the summer. A parlor packs a lot tighter then my cheaply dread!!!!!!!!

So....how's that restrung Stella sound today? :lol:

It sounds A LOT like a tenor resonator making love to a hofner beatle bass - It's sound is very compact and punchy - all delta blues. You can play it HARD and not get too loud for the living room. It gets a little flatulent in the blues box but you can use it to your advantage. Stringing it up actually lead to a harmonica duel with a 2 year old in which I was roundly trounced. Played acoustic with harmonica and came up with the rhythm part for a new tune. Did not do the dishes though and got some stink eye for it. But I didn't buy that regal I wanted - I'm in a bidding war on an electric that my wife is getting me for X-mass if I can get it and I couldn't sneak it through considering the tele she got me two years ago hasn't left the case since arriving with a shewed fret and I keep telling her I'm downsizing. Should have done the dishes.

check ebay listings for "project guitars" for Kays and Stellas and Ekos. Everybody got one of these things for x-mass in 1964 and many of them have hung around... well, parlors... for decades with the same 2 strings, or 5 tuners or the floaters disappear. Many of the people selling these things are not players and don't realize it could be playable with a $10 visit to GFS. You could get some really cool stuff for a bit more than shipping. Set a highest price by newest listing and check it 2x's a day for a week and you'll find one for less than $40, the mistake people make with ebay is watching items until they end. Get in early, decide what you want to pay and bid. I'll keep an eye out too.