Alvarez-Yairi CY-140 Classical 1999

Alvarez by Kazuo Yiari CY-140 “Grand Concert Master” guitar. The CY-140’s solid top is select straight-grained Red Cedar, while the back and the sides are made of select Brazilian Jacaranda Rosewood referred to as the "holy grail of tone-woods." The nut and saddle are bone. The bridge is rosewood, and the neck and headstock are mahogany. The tuners are Lyra-style Gotoh gold-plated with Pearloid buttons. The intricate sound hole Vine Rosette is hand-inlaid wood mosaic, the inner and outer rings are composed of hundreds of minuscule, precisely cut pieces of wood fitted together to form a repeating mosaic pattern. The design draws inspiration from traditional Spanish classical guitar builders with marquetry binding surrounding the top and a multi-layer "tortoise" binding 'round the backside completes the body. This is one perfectly gorgeous guitar!

This guitar has the serial number [59568] imprinted on the label, but not the date; however, the numbers stamped on the neck block [9912 412] indicate that this was the 412th guitar made in December of 1999.

The frets have very little wear on them, and the neck is quite comfortable, even for small hands, measuring 52 mm (2.05”) at the nut. Action 12th fret: bass side - 6/64" (2.38125) mm and treble side 5/64" = 2 mm. Even more impressive is its playability and huge balanced sound.

The years of seasoning of the quality Solid Red Cedar top yields a warm, brilliant, and articulate sound with immediate projection and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides make this a beautifully resonant classical guitar with great big bass and clear ringing trebles via Ramirez-inspired transverse bracing similar to that of the iconic Ramirez 1a. This bracing pattern is paired with an elongated 664 mm (26.14") grand concert scale length designed to maximize volume and tone. The usual Spanish neck block was modified by Yairi with an internal neck extension for greater strength and stability.

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9.1 of 10 Condition: some superficial fingernail marks on top, minor dents in binding (see photos).

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This *guitar is stored in its case with D'Addario Humidipaks to assure proper wood moisture content.

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Specs:

Body Style: Classical Guitar

Back/Sides: Brazilian Jacaranda Rosewood

Top: Solid Red Cedar

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Scale: 26.14 in. (664mm)

Width at Nut: 2.05 in. (52mm)

Saddle and Nut: Bone

Fingerboard Inlay: None

Bridge: Rosewood

Body Binding: Tortoise Multi

Sound hole Rosette: Wood Mosaic

Head Overlay: Rosewood

Tuning Machines: Lyra-style Gotoh Gold Classical Guitar Tuners

Finish: high-gloss clear lacquer

*It is fitted with medium tension strings