Alvarez LT70e Laureate Daybreak 000-12, w/Flexi-case, setup review, & shipping

A very comfortable, and well-made triple O. Great materials and craftsmanship... along with great sound.

The following is an adapted version of Alvarez's description:

LT70e Daybreak: Laureate 000-12

Laureate Series
Every constituent part considered; each component hand-selected to achieve optimal quality throughout the build.

A bench made approach to the build

The quality of every component is so important in the overall performance of an acoustic guitar. For Laureate Series we hand select every bridge plate, brace, side brace and piece of kerfing from thousands, to make sure they are the best quality possible for structure and appearance. This dedication can be seen, heard and felt and brings a rare level of detailing to the build process.

Hand finished FS6 bracing

FS6 is based on a traditional forward shifted bracing pattern with particular attention paid to the weight and placement of the struts themselves. For Laureate we take a couple of extra steps and hand sand the braces which are cut from quartersawn Sitka spruce and chosen for their straight, finely grained quality to enhance overall response and vibration.

The finest tonewoods

Only our finest, wonderfully quartersawn and silked Sitka, as well as hand selected African Mahogany is used in Laureate Series. The stiffness and quality of the tops allow us to thickness sand them just a tad thinner to help heighten response. Backs and sides are cut from the best East Indian Rosewood and African Mahogany that comes into our possession; bookmatched with perfect coloring.

A flawless finish

The systems required to achieve the quality we aimed for made us once again improve upon our sanding and painting process to deliver a flawless, deep shine with the thinnest clearcoat we have ever achieved in Alvarez. We’ve also introduced a new colour called Daybreak, a super light burst adding an aesthetic depth to the top and creating a vintage style vibe at the same time.

Appointments & Styling

Bridges, fingerboards and headstock plates are cut from the finest African ebony we can find. The ebony components impact articulation, clarity and separation of notes and frequencies and work with other premium comments to deliver a clear and powerful voicing. This quality of ebony works beautifully with rare Blue Abalone inlays to create a very luxurious but understated vibe.

The Laureate Bridge

Aesthetically, Laureate is a traditional guitar series in the sense its body shapes are based on guitars from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. With this in mind, we made the decision not to use our Bi-Level bridge and to stay closer in keeping with a traditional approach, and a full, single level bridge style. The Laureate bridge has its own unique styling and is cut from the finest black ebony.

Key Features

Top Wood: AAA Solid North American Sitka

Back and Sides Wood: Solid East Indian Rosewood

Top Color: Daybreak/Gloss

Back & Sides Color: Natural/Gloss

Headstock Facia: Ebony

Bridge Pins: Ebony

Shape: 000-12

Neck: African Mahogany

Case or Bag: AFC30

Bracing: FS6

Bridge: Ebony

Inlays: Premium Abalone

Fingerboard: Ebony

Headstock Plate: Ebony

Nut and Saddle: Bone

Tuner: Premium Open Gear

Binding: Ivoroid

Strings: D’Addario XSAPB1253

Neck Meets Body: 12th Fret

Pickup / EQ: LR Baggs HiFi

DIMENSIONS

Overall Length: 1012 (mm)39.84”

Body Width: 380 (mm)14.96”

Body Depth at Heel: 100 (mm)3.94”

Body Depth at Base: 120 (mm)4.72”

Scale: 648 (mm)  25.51”

Number of Frets: 20

Nut Width: 44.45 (mm)1.75”