I am trying to learn about the specs of the various Alvarez Yairi Guitar Models of the 1970s and 1980s. There seems to be quite a few Model numbers in the Alvarez Yairi lines. I have tried to research this online and I cannot seem to find a detailed list with specifics of the model numbers and what the corresponding features of each model. The Yairi factory is in the small town of Kani, in the hills north of Nagoya, Japan. Here they have been making guitars for 80 years. The late Kazuo Yairi was one of the finest and most successful luthiers of our time and helped design and make Alvarez-Yairi guitars for nearly 50 years.
K. Yairi
The most beautiful Martin D-45 copies in the world, a 1976 K. Yairi YW-1000
I’m extremely happy with the two Morris I have and think that Terada is one of the better acoustic guitar builders in Japan. Having said that, I think everyone that is in to Japanese acoustics dream of owning a K. Yairi, at least I do. Unfortunately they are a bit too expensive for me, I’m sure they are worth it but you can get an old Martin, Gibson or Guild for that money. One thing that I really like with Yairi is that they use the year of the Emperor of Japan to determine the production year of their instruments, how awesome is that. See the list below.
Good materials are hard to find so it’s better to make guitars through limited production by hand instead of mass production. Trees are very important “precious” things so we should make good use of them. Guitars made with “heart” are the best use of trees. Kazuo Yairi
Nos Mullard 12ax7 Ecc83 I63/b6b3 And Cv4004 - M8137
When was my Yairi made?
By reading the number stamped on the heel block of your Yairi, you can tell in which year it was made. The first two numbers correspond to the year of the Emperor of Japan at that time, see chart below. The second two numbers refer to the month of production. Taken from The Fellowship of Acoustics
A.D. Emperor Year
1970 Shōwa 45
1971 46
1972 47
1973 48
1974 49
1975 50
1976 51
1977 52
1978 53
1979 54
1980 55
1981 56
1982 57
1983 58
1984 59
1985 60
1986 61
1987 62
1988 63
1989 Heisei 1
1990 2
1991 3
1992 4
1993 5
1994 6
1995 7
1996 8
1997 9
1998 10
1999 11
2000 12
End of Emperor Date Code
2001 01
2002 02
2003 03
2004 04
etc.
Emperor Shōwa and future Emperor Heisei on 10 April 1959
When Kazuo Yairi began designing and hand-crafting his steel-string guitars in the 1960’s, he was deliberately competing with Martin, Gibson, and Guild for the higher end guitar market in the U.S. This DY-84 is an example of the visual impact, superb quality control, and wonderful sound which Yairi was able to produce using the highest grade materials, the best Japanese craftsmen, and his own modifications of the best American designs. Today, the prices of the Alvarez-Yairi acoustic guitars range from $1200 to $5000 and beyond, and owners testify they’re worth every penny!
This gorgeous dreadnought guitar was made in 1992 judging from the number imprinted on the neck block, 04 10 305. According to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, this indicates that it was made in October of 1992, the 4th year Japanese Emperor Heisa had been in office. (No, I’m not kidding.) The production number (305) suggests that fewer than 500 were produced that year. Considering the painstaking craftsmanship and high-grade materials displayed in this model, this relative rarity is no surprise.
The DY-84’s top is solid Spruce, while the back and sides are beautifully figured East Indian rosewood and the fully bound neck is mahogany, all set off by the gloss natural finish. The 14/20-fret fingerboard is ebony with abalone inlays. The ebony direct-coupled bridge has white abalone-dot pins, while the sound hole rosette has beautiful abalone inlay. The black peghead veneer is set off by the abalone logo and diagonal stripes and is also fully bound. Enclosed gold A-Y tuners complete the headstock, while a large clear tear-drop pickguard completes the body. This is one gorgeous guitar!
Even more impressive is its near-mint condition, its playability, and its huge sound. The frets have no visible wear on them, the top and pick guard show no play wear, and the finish throughout is perfect! (I did find a few faint buckle bruises on the back, making it about a 9.9 out of 10 for a 25-year-old guitar.) It was apparently has never been owned (except by me), and the store was obliged to stamp it “used” on the headstock to distinguish it from a new guitar. Structurally it is also near perfect, with no signs of cracks, repairs, or potential problems. The neck is quite comfortable for my kind of small hands, measuring 1 11/16” at the nut, and the extremely responsive action is set up at 3/32” at the 12th fret low E. The years of seasoning of the quality solid top and rosewood back and sides make this about as resonant a guitar as I have played, with great balance and clear ringing trebles.
I can’t resist including one quotation from a very enthusiastic on-line Alvarez-Yairi player:
I've never met a Yairi I didn't like and own a number of them - dollar for dollar they are the best value in the marketplace - particularly some of the older examples. This guitar is truly inspiring sonically. It sounds sort of like a harpsichord when it is strummed (incredibly complex harmonics and overtones) and each string is in balance - it is level across the entire sonic spectrum all the way up the fret board to the 14th fret. Not too bright, not muffled in any way, but the trebles are really crystalline and pure. Truly a profound instrument for the fingerstylist, bluegrass picker, and even sounds great playing some classical pieces (heresy, sheer heresy).
A bit much? I don’t know: it’s an awfully nice guitar....
The included hard shell case is also structurally near perfect, but there is a seam which is loosening. The hardware and the plush interior are also spotless, but one of the four latches is missing a hasp. More importantly, it fits this guitar like the proverbial glove, looks great, and certainly provides outstanding protection for this valuable instrument.
K. Y A I R I E U R O P E
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy it.
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Thank you for your interest in this beautiful guitar.