The short scale presented no problem as I worked my way up the fingerboard, especially with the easy, fast feel of the satin finish on the neck. And the low E string nut notch is placed a little farther from the edge of the fingerboard than the high E, which I found both comfortable and sensible in keeping notes clear on both sides of the neck. The nut is 1 3/4-inches wide, about 1/16-inch wider than the guitars I usually play, but the slight added width didn’t get in the way of playing thumb-over barre chords or other complex fingerings. Interestingly, the scalloped bracing is placed slightly forward, toward the soundhole, compared with other small-bodied guitars, which contributes to the free vibration of the top. The A-grade Sitka spruce top is braced with hand-sanded, quarter-sawn braces.
Examined from inside and out, the wood is solid and without flaw and the workmanship is clean as a whistle, even in areas visible only with a mirror and a flashlight. Other than the slightly futuristic shape of the bi-level bridge, the combined effect of instrument size and shape, wood finish, and appointments is of a guitar magically transported to the present from about 1920. While the AP70 we reviewed has no electronics, it will be available with B-Band SYS650 electronics.Īesthetically, the AP70 is a real treat, with a warm, tight-grained spruce top rosewood sides with a lovely flow to the figuring bookmatched rosewood back satin-finished, 12-fret mahogany neck rosewood-faced slotted headstock sparkling high-gloss finish cream ABS binding and tastefully understated abalone and mother-of-pearl inlays.
The AP70 is the first parlor model to join the line, and was introduced in June 2011. The AP70 is part of Alvarez’s Artist Series of instruments, a comprehensive line of guitars that includes dreadnoughts, jumbos, folk guitars (slightly smaller than dreadnought, designated by other makers as 000), classical, 12-string, acoustic bass, and parlor models, many available with built-in electronics, some with cutaways, and all priced for the experienced, budget-minded player or beginning enthusiast. Alvarez and Alvarez-Yairi players include Ani Di Franco, Monte Montgomery, and Bob Weir. Working with Japanese luthier Kazuo Yairi (who lent his name to the higher-end Alvarez-Yairi instruments), the line has long emphasized value and affordability. Alvarez guitars have been fixtures in the acoustic guitar world since the brand was established by St.
0 kommentar(er)
