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Alvarez Spirit with Japanese Craftsmanship





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Alvarez began its partnership with master luthier Kazuo Yairi and the Yairi family of luthiers in the late 1960s, pioneering an enduring relationship based on compelling, ingenious craftsmanship. Sweetwater’s acoustic artisans are continually impressed with the careful, handmade detailing of the Alvarez-Yairi GY70CESB’s instrumental architecture, the innovative FST6 bracing system, and the expertly selected tonewoods. Naturally seasoned for years to decades, solid AA Sitka spruce tops this Alvarez-Yairi, with East Indian rosewood on the back and sides as well as a mahogany neck topped with a rosewood fingerboard. Armed with LR Baggs StagePro Bronze electronics alongside a direct-coupled bridge, you’ll experience tremendous resonance as you bring a half-century of knowledge, experience, and history to life ? all with a sound precisely your own.





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Tones years in the making





The late Kazuo Yairi’s deep-rooted knowledge of tonewoods is heavily infused in the craftsmanship of the GY70CESB. The selection of tonewoods represents the highest grade ? they've spent years to decades naturally seasoned until they’re perfect for production. This Alvarez-Yairi guitar features a top made from 2A Sitka spruce, which is known for its rigidity, light weight, and resilience, yielding articulate tones that complement everything from soft fingerpicking to aggressive strumming or flatpicking. The equally versatile East Indian rosewood populates the sides, the body, and the fingerboard, adding tremendous resonance and crystalline articulation while delivering deep lows and sparkling highs. A mahogany neck anchors the sonic profile, producing robust mids and overtones while maintaining a well-balanced dynamic range.





Serial 75949


Serial 75949


Resounding resonance





Kani, Japan ? a prefecture nestled in the hills north of Nagoya ? is home to the environment for the aging and seasoning of the Alvarez-Yairi Grand Auditorium's tonewoods, ensuring stability in terms of tone and structural integrity. An extended neck joint is spokeshaven with a dovetail assembly, hand carved out of mahogany and comfortably optimized for diverse playing styles. There are 20 frets adorning the rosewood fingerboard, with a Real Bone nut and saddle designed to preserve intonation while promoting clarity. Innovation abounds with their Direct Coupled Bridge, with pins that go directly into the top of the guitar. This simultaneously increases the break angle from the saddle to the top, increasing string tension while sending vibrations more effectively to the soundboard.





Top-notch tones from LR Baggs





The GY70CESB comes loaded with the LR Baggs StagePro Bronze preamp system and accompanying LR Baggs Element pickup. This package allows you to capture the very best acoustic tones your 6-string has to offer, translating them with clarity and accuracy across the musical space at hand. Equipped with a 3-band EQ and phase control, sculpting your ideal acoustic sound to your working space is a seamless process. An integrated tuner even helps you keep your intonation in check between songs! Sweetwater acoustic players have long trusted LR Baggs systems to deliver high-quality, unwavering performance ? and the GY70CESB gets that same VIP treatment!





Serial 75949


Serial 75949


Alvarez GY70CESB Yairi Grand Auditorium Acoustic-electric Guitar Features:


Tonewoods are naturally aged and seasoned in Kani, Japan, over the course of several years to achieve the ideal tonal balance


2A Sitka spruce top creates plenty of headroom while providing punch and straightforward tones


Rosewood sides and back deliver versatile range with deep lows and crisp highs, alongside great resonance


Mahogany neck anchors the tones with beefy mids, crystalline articulation, and balance


Rosewood fingerboard is great for a diverse array of playing styles, with excellent note separation


Dovetail assembly of an extended neck joint means comfortable access to all 20 frets of the mahogany neck


FST6 bracing is derived from years of R&D to maximize balance and projection


LR Baggs StagePro Bronze Element preamp/EQ means easy access to 3-band EQ


Accompanying undersaddle pickup is engineered to mirror the physical motion of the soundboard, faithfully reproducing natural sounds


Direct Coupled Bridge increases sustain and augments natural resonance with top-penetrating pins