Have you recently become a fan of Alvarez guitars? It’s hard not to be, when you get such well-specced, well built guitars at those prices! And since they are a brand with a heritage and a history, it isn’t like buying some anonymous no-name thing that’s appeared out of nowhere.
But what is that heritage? What is the history of this excellent guitar brand? I’ll tell you today, starting from the very beginning and bringing us up to today. What do you say?
Contents
Where are Alvarez Guitars Made?
Why are Alvarez Guitars So Cheap?
It Begins in St Louis
The Alvarez story begins back in 1965: a time before Woodstock, before Hendrix; a time when Mick Jagger was having trouble finding his Satisfaction and the Righteous Brothers couldn’t chain up their melody. In St Louis, Missouri, a musical instrument company - St Louis Music - started in this year, enjoying rapid success by importing instruments from across the world to sell in the US.
St Louis Music’s line of classical guitars was already in existence, with the name ‘Alvarez’ given to them to make them sound suitably Spanish. (Alvarez is Spanish for ‘Son of Alvaro’, a popular name since medieval times). As the 60s progressed, guitars became more and more popular, and there were not enough brands to meet the demand…
Kazuo Yairi
A few years later, St Louis Music wanted to expand their acoustic guitar lines. Company owner Gene Kornblum reached out to Japanese master luthier Kazuo Yairi and brought him onboard to design an exclusive line of guitars for sale in the US and internationally.
Kazuo Yairi came from a long line of luthiers, a family business whose artisanal efforts were award-winning back in Japan. This commitment is what attracted Kornblum to Yairi in the first place, and their meet-up was a success: Yairi was to work with St Louis Music to design a new line of steel string guitars, under the old Alvarez name from the initial classical guitar line.
Interestingly, this actually marked the first time Yairi made anything that wasn’t a classical guitar! His expertise shone through regardless and the guitar range was ‘born’ a few years later, in 1970. By this point, the market for guitars was far bigger, and there was now a reputation for finely crafted Japanese instruments. The guitars were a hit, and Alvarez were on the map!
Modern Era Alvarez
That was back then, and this is now. After a period of uncertain decisions and craftsmanship (due to a change of ownership), a St Louis Music distributor by the name of Mark Ragin bought the brand and began the process of returning it to its former glory.
Taking Yairi’s saying of “Perfection is a journey, not a destination” as their mantra, the company began to redesign (along with Chris Meikle, who is now Head of Development and Senior Vice President) the entire line.
The initial goal was to build the best line of imported guitars to the USA, and then take the brand to the rest of the world. This plan has worked well, to say the least, and that’s partly down to their ethos of constant R&D, in order to be up-to-date with advances and developments in the market.
Today’s Alvarez brand is one of the strongest and best value lines of acoustic guitars that are available anywhere. Have a look at the Expert Guide to Alvarez Guitars blog for more on how the range looks today.
Where are Alvarez Guitars Made?
Alvarez guitars are mostly made in China. The brand is based in St Louis, Missouri, and this is where the instruments are designed. Top line Alvarez-Yairi series guitars are made in Japan, by a very small team of 24 luthiers.
Alvarez’s ‘constant R&D’ pledge means that the company travels across the world developing their guitars. For example, their Cadiz range of nylon string guitars are so-called because Alvarez travelled to the famous Spanish city of Cadiz in order to learn more about the making of world-class flamenco and classical guitars.
Why are Alvarez Guitars So Cheap?
Alvarez offer excellent value for money across their range. Not all Alvarez guitars are ‘cheap’, since many cost well over a thousand pounds, but it’s definitely fair to say that the brand builds a lot of value and finesse into each model in terms of timbers, hardware, workmanship and other materials.
They are able to do this by mainly building in China, where business is set up to allow for high quality building at lower prices.
Browse the Entire Alvarez Range Here
