Alvarez Yairi DY-74 1996 Natural Gloss

Price- drop-rock bottom!
This is a wonderful 1996 vintage Alvarez-Yairi DY-74CEQ (EQ means with System 500 electronics). It listed for $1500 when new (nearly $3000 in 2017 $), and was a bargain at that. Hand made and hand tuned in the K. Yairi shop in the mountains of Japan, the DY74 goes back nearly half a century and is the workhouse rosewood/spruce dreadnaught of the line. This is exactly the same guitar as the noted Jerry Garcia GY1 model (which he DID play live and on recordings), minus only the plastic fretboard/headstock binding. Playing and hearing it is believing - it is very loud, dynamic and with gorgeous, full bodied tonality. Yairis have a sound all their own- they don't just try to copy Martin, Taylor, etc.
K. Yairi guitars are among the biggest secret among used high end instruments. They don't build them like the big makers. Better woods, creative designs, and real hand tuning. These stand tall against any of the big name $2-4000 guitars for tonality and playability, and they are truly built to last. They have a magnesium reinforcing channel set into the one piece aged mahogany neck from the headstock to the sound hole to contain the truss rod, so the necks stay rock solid and true. This allows nice low action, without buzzing. You just don't see Yairis with neck problems even on 50 year old specimens. It is lacquered on the inside as well to strengthen the wood, help control moisture and reflect back energy. The wood is special too- aged for many years and selected for much tighter grain than the big makers, making the solid spruce soundboard thinner yet strong for greater responsiveness.
I've added a Pearse rosewood armrest, easily removed if desired, and a very thin, flexible real rosewood pickguard. This is in very good condition, but has a number of small surface dings. There are 2 areas on the back of the neck where there is unevenness in the coloration. None affect playability or durability. Photos show all the issues I could capture. The frets have very little wear, and every aspect of the instrument is straight, ready for decades of great use.
I bought a half dozen very good guitars looking for a high end guitar for everyday use, and this one overshadowed all the others. It wasn't close. I really fell for this Yairi and am only selling it because I got the bug and bought another one.
Includes a very nice Sierra SCAE01 ($120 on Reverb) hard case with some dings on it but very presentable. Thanks for having a look!