The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Okay, I don't know if Alvarez guitars actually qualify as "Japnese Invasion" (as the forum title puts it ), but they are SLM-distributed & mine--a model 5062, "Artist" series "European" (waisted & round-shouldered) dreadnought--is Japanese-made.

I was wondering if anyone has a pointer to older (i.e., non-current models), Alvarez information, especially serial number data?

Thanks.

I don't have a way to date Alvarez/Yairi instruments, but if that's Yairi made Alvarez, I'm sure it's a Japanese invasion.

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Masa Fukuyama

It's not identified as a Yairi, but I'm fairly sure it's Japanese anyway. Of course, now that I actually look, I can't find an origin marking anywhere (the one I thought was just says "Alvarez Hand Made", heat-stamped on the inner back seam strip).

Also, it's "Professional" rather than "Artist".

My first electric guitar was an Alvarez shaped like the Ibanez Voyager. I can find almost zero information about Alvarez electric guitars. I still own this guitar and would love to find out more info about it. I think its time to pull it out of the closet and give it some of my attention.

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j.k.

The electrics were not made by Matsumoku, and although I just got rid of quite a bit of literature covering nearly all of the electric Alvarez I could not say where all of them were made. Many were made in Korea.

The Alvarez electrics replaced the earlier SLM brands of Westone guitars and this took place after Matsumoku had shut down.

Yeah, I had come to that conclusion after realizing that though Westone was related to Matsumoku, this particular guitar I own is from the early 90s and was likely non-Japanese. I will still try and figure out its origins to be sure though.

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j.k.

The guitar you have is called the Successor. Alder body, maple neck with maple fingerboard, Alvarez Paramout pickups with enhanced midrange, initially available in back with white block inlays or red with red block inlays. They were introduced in 1992 and ran to at least 1994.

MSRP was $550.00 during this period.

IIRC Tom told me the high end Alv acoustics and Yairi were still made in Japan but nearly all electric production had been moved to Korea before the switch from Westone to Alvarez.

Great info, I appreciate it.

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j.k.