Artists Who Play Alvarez Guitars
It’s always fun to find out about the gear of our favourite artists. Whether we want to emulate them, get a similar sound or just understand more about their process, checking out the gear of musicians we admire is fun and useful.
Today’s focus is on Alvarez guitars. They’re becoming a major player out there, but they’ve never been overly visible in terms of artist association. That’s what I thought, anyway, before I did a tiny bit of digging, just out of curiosity. Vague memories of an OK Computer-era Thom Yorke brandishing an Alvarez-Yairi guitar was the catalyst for today’s blog, and I found a good few other interesting Alvarez fans on my journey.
Care to take the trip with me?
Contents
Alvarez or Alvarez-Yairi?
There is one thing worth clarifying before we continue: Alvarez or Alvarez Yairi? Which is it? Well, they are the same brand. For the full lowdown, please click through to the Expert Guide to Alvarez Guitars blog, but in short, here’s the bulletpoints:
- Alvarez-Yairi is the top end range from Alvarez
- The name comes from Kazuo Yairi, the Japanese master luthier who collaborated with Alvarez for years.
- Yairi’s team of builders continue to make Alvarez- Yairi guitars inJapan.
- Alvarez’s more affordable ranges still take inspiration and guidance from the Yairi instruments.
So there you have it: an Alvarez-Yairi guitar is an Alvarez guitar! Now, let’s check out who plays them!
The Grateful Dead
American institution The Grateful Dead got in on the Alvarez vibe early on. Both frontman Jerry Garcia and guitarist Bob Weir used Alvarez guitars live, and Weir even earned himself a signature WY1 model.
In fact, special Alvarez guitars were released in a limited edition for The Dead’s 50th anniversary a few years ago. It’s impressive, given how influential these guys are, that they took Alvarez on. They could’ve gone with any brand they liked, so to pick Alvarez says plenty about the brand’s quality.
Thom Yorke
The Radiohead frontman has played a shopfull of guitars over his career. During the late 90s, Yorke favoured a selection of Alvarez-Yairi acoustic models. In particular, he leaned on a black DY-88 model for live use, even choosing it to use during the band’s now-legendary Glastonbury 1997 performance.
Yorke’s Yairi saw a lot of use throughout this time, with it showing up in appearances on Jools Holland and other TV spots. I haven’t seen him with it for a while, but it was there for the band’s biggest moment.
Richard Fortus
The Guns N Roses axe-slinger is a firm Gretsch guy for electrics, but when it comes to acoustic strumming, he loves Alvarez. Richard, whose father once worked for Alvarez owners St Louis Music, has been an official Alvarez artist since 2018.
Joe Bonamassa
Blues rock supremo Joe Bonamassa is quite the authority on vintage guitars, but he knows his newer gear, too. As much an acoustic player as electric, Joe spends a fair amount of his time onstage playing acoustic guitars, and he has often chosen Alvarez-Yairi:
“Many thanks to Alvarez Guitars for these two brand new Yari WY1-JBs for the tour!! These always sound amazing!”
This was during a tour back in 2020, and in true blues hero fashion, he had his name inlaid across the frets. One day, that could be your name on those frets!
Ani Di Franco
Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco is a particularly good catch for Alvarez, given how prominent her acoustic playing is within her music. Over the years, DiFranco has used a number of Alvarez and Alvarez-Yairi guitars, including the WY1, a DY62C, a MSD1 short-scale guitar and a custom-made baritone model.
You could say she’s a fan! Ani also plays top-line Gibsons and funky old Kays, but it's her Alvarez collection that she’s relied on most over the years.
Proof
Having artists play your guitar brand is an excellent source of validation for the rest of the world. It’s a clear expression of ‘If these are good enough for that artist, then they’ve good enough for me!’ That type of unspoken approval is extremely powerful, not only to that artist’s fanbase but to anyone wondering about the brand. It’s proof, basically.
The real proof, of course, is in trying the brand yourself. We stock a huge selection of Alvarez guitars in every guitarguitar store. From ultra-affordable Artist Series guitars to Alvarez-Yairi masterpieces, we’re sure to have at least a few that you’ll connect with.
Click to View our Selection of Alvarez Guitars
