A deeper look inside the new Laureate Series by Alvarez Guitars

This is the new Laureate Series from Alvarez Guitars.
Laureate is the most premium-sounding and aesthetically considered guitar line Alvarez has ever made. We modeled Laureate on a traditional guitar line, with traditional shapes, obsessing over the details to create an upscale traditional guitar that performs in a way that most other instruments cannot at such value.
Laureate allows us to explore the history and tradition of the acoustic guitar, which we’re deeply passionate about. This traditional method to the build of this line meets our more modern Alvarez approach, keeping projection and tonal design rich and dynamic. These combined philosophies to the build make Laureate distinctive and unique.
Laureates are made with a newly designed solid bridge to give Laureate guitars a more classic look, elegantly understated and made of the most premium materials we can access. The bridge plates underneath the bridge inside the guitar are hand-selected from the best maple that comes into our supply.
Laureate guitars have a hand-finished FS6 bracing system to optimize the response of the top further. We hand-select all braces, then they are cut from quartersawn spruce to help vibration transfer through them quickly. Even the side braces are chosen carefully, hand-selected for the same color Rosewood as the Rosewood used for the back and sides, so even the inside of the instrument uniform, consistent and hand-finished for the best performance.
Only the best tops are kept for Laureate, strong enough that we can sand them thinner, which helps heighten their sensitivity and responsiveness. These tops are carefully seasoned over a long period of time and then, like the rest of Alvarez solid tops, they’re vacuum kilned with our ATR™ process which adds to the tonality, the separation and the quality of the overall sound.
We hand-select backs and sides for all Laureate guitars. For this launch, we are using only the best all-solid East Indian Rosewood matched with AAA Sitka. We use the highest quality, hand-selected Mahogany kerfing for Laureate. All kerfing is graded before it’s used in Laureate to give you a guitar that is perfect inside.
Our new finish process has been designed for Laureate to be as thin as possible, while still maintaining a deep shine. Laureate also introduces a brand-new color called Daybreak. This gentle touch of color gives Daybreak finishes a warm, vintage look with a little burst around the edge.
Laureate guitars have all-ebony appointments - the bridge, the fingerboard, and the headstock facia - and we use blue abalone inlays, which is an understated, luxurious and rare touch. Laureate also comes with LR Baggs Hi-Fi system in all the models, which is an innovative bridge plate sensor system with a tonally rich and accurate sound.
Laureate is the highest-level instrument line Alvarez has ever produced, at a value that is hard to surpass. With the selective approach to design and build, we challenged ourselves to exceed our own ability in finishing instruments, and Laureate was the line that pushed us to do that. It’s an exciting and rewarding line of guitars to play, and offered at a price point we feel is revolutionary. We are proud to present our Laureate series to guitar players everywhere.
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[@AlexanderWinnSmith]

Man... You guys need to chill. There's so much quality coming from Alvarez it's crazy!! I need them all.

[@rickmyerscough7788]

I love that this series is coming out. As an owner of Alvarez Guitars... this makes me want to get another one. As my wife has asked before... "How many guitars do you need?" My answer... "Maybe just one more." My first "good guitar" was... and is a Yairi DY-45 purchased new in 1986 signed by the maker. It has sentimental value in that my wife surprised me with this when I found it under our Christmas Tree on our second Christmas together. I had purchased it and had to put it on Lay away, because I could not pay for it all at once. She blessed me... Last year I sold another Yairi I had purchased to make room for another Guitar. A Martin HD-28. I will never sell the DY-45... so let me think about this...

[@susanroycroft89]

I can understand entirely, I am 73 now, been playing since 13, took me a while to find out what makes a REAL difference in Acoustic's, bought some real good ones but had to sell'em when other priorities came up, Family- 6 lovely kids 'n' beautiful Wife, but Still got my Wife, Kids off our hands now, but Iv'e still got 8 Fantastic guitar's, so maybe just 1 more? Well...😢😢😢

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We love to hear this, thanks for playing Alvarez @rickmyerscough7788!🙌

[@deanbradley5499]

Sleeper acoustics! Love Alvarez.

[@752brickie]

They really really are amazing instruments !!!

[@shaneanderson983]

Oooh looking forward to seeing this available in Canada , I used to have an old Alvarez and always wondered if they made higher end stuff ! Looks like beautiful craftsmanship! Keep them coming !

[@mk-wv6yv]

Can't wait to play this guitar in a store. Might be my next Alavarez, keeping the other 4 company. After all, a new series is definitely different from the Masterwork, Elite, and Yairi.

[@jedigsp]

Beautiful guitars! Great job on the craftsmanship.

[@rbebut1]

I love mine. Nice and warm sounding.

[@JakeHansenMusic1996]

Jeeeez. I’m about to buy a new guitar, but want to wait because of this!! I exclusively play Alvarez.

[@DustyLeeSledge]

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

[@lhvent]

Gorgeous line of guitars

[@rsvela1]

Wow 🤩 Amazing guitars!

[@SpjYates]

They look truly stunning. I've had a masterworks for a while now so super excited to see, play and hopefully purchase one when they're released to the UK market.

[@albertpsaros]

I'm definitely going to check these out

[@brianhoey1107]

These guitars look very impressive as does the style of this video.

[@johnjones-uc3ni]

Excellent quality and craftsmanship! Beautiful finish and details. I remember a video you did towards the end of the year talking about these guitars. I looked for them just before Christmas and couldn't find them for sale. Fortunately I bought the FYM60HD last Christmas. This year I was looking for a parlor and your new guitar was high on my list. Ended up with a Recording King tone wood reserve elite with AAA Adirondack and solid rosewood back and sides. So I'm happy but your new parlor looks very comparable but with a nicer finish. Hope you sell many of this new series.

[@jbanjo056]

So excited to try these out!

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We hope you enjoy!

[@josephryan5396]

I would kill for one of these with Mahogany back and sides

[@goodknight37]

I’m curious to see the pricing

[@LunchboxMcGee]

Amazing guitars. I love my Masterworks MD70BG so I can imagine what these are like. What brand of cleaner are they using in the video?

[@ronchave6354]

How do you improve on the best? ALVAREZ, that's how. Stunning, beautiful, elegant and desirable. 👍👍👍👍

[@752brickie]

Yes even their cheapest line is Amazing !

[@Big.E]

Look awesome

[@ferminharris3826]

That parlor is screaming at me 😮‍💨

[@timesurfingalien]

Love my Rd8 especially since I intonated the bridge

[@foggyblues13]

I was wanting a Martin. But these fit my wants at half the price. A parlor for me. :)

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Love to hear it @foggyblues13! What would you like to see next? 🙌

[@foggyblues13]

@@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial Natually more of the Parlor. Haha. You guys are great! Keep up the good work.

[@jrlopez4341]

I have an old really old Alverez maple back inside spruce top mahogany neck. I have not yet found anybody that makes this same Guitar I have not yet seen it anywhere. The only thing I did to it was change the bridge which had the screws in it and I put a regular bridge on the back headed done professionally which made the guitar sound so much better and the action was so low is phenomenal. I wrote so many songs with this guitar and it’s just my go to guitar at an OM.

[@strokingoutloudpodcast]

Gorgeous! Any word on the arch tops?

[@im58woody]

I would like to see these with your regular bi-level bridge plate. I love the Day Break finish, it’s really beautiful. Great choice on your Baggs HiFi system. I am interested.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Hey @im58woody, thanks for your comment. We chose a traditional single level bridge for this series as Laureate is a traditional guitar line in the sense the body shapes are based on guitars which appeared from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s, and they’ll always be traditionally styled. Although it was a tough decision, for this reason alone we decided not to use our Bi-Level bridge. The Bi-Level bridge is synonymous with Alvarez, and even more so, our direct coupled bridge Mr. Yairi developed in the 80’s. Moving to a single level bridge doe not mean it is better, or our thinking on the benefits of the Bi-Level has not changed. We will do more on our channel to show how the two bridges perform and impact feel and response, but due to other design elements and construction, Laureate response and volume is as impressive as they are with other Alvarez models.

[@im58woody]

@@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter! Greatly appreciate your feedback 👍🏻

[@tuneman59]

Great! Now I need one of those too! Lol... It remains to be seen what kind of price tag it's going to bring with it, but I sure would like to play one. I have a perfect spot for it right next to my other Alvarez guitars.

[@robmaclean1878]

Can’t wait!!! When will this series be available in Canada?

[@Walksomemore]

I am totally enamored with this line, and I am desperate to play a comparative between the LD and the LF - and see how they compare to my MFA70WCEshb and (especially) my WY1TS. Also like to see/hear a comparison between the LF and the FYM70ce. But this new line looks scary good at a good price point, and there is no such thing too many Alvarez/Yairi folk models (watch out om-28??)....btw, any thought to a 'Laureate LG'?

[@RobertBarnes66]

I ordered the parlor and have enjoyed it. My bandmate, who worked with GC, and has opened and played and set up hundreds of guitars, was impressed with it for the price point. I could go on and on about it. My only negative so far is that the A string seems unbalanced and rather boomy, with a bit of unwanted resonance. I can filter that out but not when it's live. When I change strings maybe I'll do something a little different and see if that helps.

[@architypeone8646]

Looks like you could still make a bi-level bridge with a more traditional bridge shape. The whole point is to set the bridge pins at a much lower level than the saddle so that the string break angle is steeper. Couldn't you just make the bridge thinner where the bridge pins are located to keep the shape of the bridge more traditional while maintaining a steep break angle? The shape of the Alvarez bi-level bridge is just mimicking the shape of the Yairi direct coupled bridge.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Hey @architypeone8646, thank you for you comment. We chose a traditional single level bridge for this series as Laureate is a traditional guitar line in the sense the body shapes are based on guitars which appeared from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s, and they’ll always be traditionally styled. Although it was a tough decision, for this reason alone we decided not to use our Bi-Level bridge. The Bi-Level bridge is synonymous with Alvarez, and even more so, our direct coupled bridge Mr. Yairi developed in the 80’s. Moving to a single level bridge doe not mean it is better, or our thinking on the benefits of the Bi-Level has not changed. We will do more on our channel to show how the two bridges perform and impact feel and response, but due to other design elements and construction, Laureate response and volume is as impressive as they are with other Alvarez models.

[@FiveStringCommando]

The AF77E Custom is my absolute favorite guitar and it serves as my workhorse acoustic. That said, I would love to see an equivalent to the AF77E Custom made in the Laureate line.

[@Amadeus1066]

I own 8 Alvarez Guitars....looks like I'll be buying more!!

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Ha! Love to hear it. 👍

[@mattschafnitz5843]

I play a 5212sl from the 80s it's simple but plays and sounds great. I'll probably upgrade eventually

[@burns1017]

Are there any plans for a baritone in this series?

[@CameraLaw]

Wow … Chris, you’re a great salesman. Got me looking at Sweetwater, comparing Laureates to Yairis.

[@IanBroon1]

Would love to see a Mahogany b&s.

[@bosse641]

Beautiful. Would love that.

[@notme3272]

Will a lefty version be available?

[@130swanny]

Hey Alvarez love the promo and the compare tool on your website. How about some sound samples of the Laureate. Just bought a Larrivee, after this it’s tempting to return it for this.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Hey @130swanny! We are currently recording for the next version of the comparison tool now, which will launch this March. Thanks for your question! 👍

[@derekfromtauranga6012]

Alvarez certainly knows how to market their guitars. It seems with this range they are trying to make a Yaiari quality guitar under the Alvarez name. I wonder if they have too many different models now? I own a lowly AD30 Alvarez which sounds great for the price.

[@scottfishkind5335]

Really beautiful and exciting!! Are these individually voiced?

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

They aren’t, but we hope you’ll find their voicing very impressive!

[@rogerd9150]

Ok I want one now! When are they available to the public? UPDATE: I just searched the Alvarez website and there is no mention of this new Alvarez model anywhere.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

They are available in the USA on sweetwater.com!

[@burns1017]

I know it's somewhat niche, but is there any chance of a baritone in this series?

[@user-hz5zk4rm4c]

Great guitars from a great guitar company. You guys keep raising the bar!

[@souvikmitra6198]

Where they are manufactured?

[@Bohwie]

at 2:22 he says, "we choose the side braces to make sure that the colour of the side braces the colour of the rosewood matches the sides and the back"....?

[@jrlopez4341]

And if I could ever find another one like this or if you guys make one and a small body double oh, Pipolo, please let me know

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

More body shapes are in development! The next release may be a 000 12th Fret. 🤫

[@craigbaugher3230]

Disappointed, yet I understand. I love the Yairi String Plate and stand alone bridge. It makes total sense to me, but I get the "Traditional" approach too. In the U.S. it will sell more guitars the more "Traditional" your guitar is. So sponsor more bands tours, give them your Laureate guitars. Sponsor more music award shows and load those artist appearing with your Laureate. Then take over the old Gibson plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan and make the Laureate series out of that plant. U.S. Made carries a lot of weight, especially if you want to sell High priced guitars, loved by American Bands and Guitarist.

[@halfabee]

Not a single dealer in the UK

[@user-fq8hk2wc6i]

I do we see what they cost? I can’t find theses on the web site.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Hey, thanks for your question. They are available on sweetwater.com in the USA! Hope this helps.

[@azcharlie2009]

Have they delivered any of these yet? I am a loyal Alvarez customer, BUT.... With the way things are going these days, I don't trust anyone! Let's see the product... Then I'll buy it... If it's as good as claimed.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Hey @azcharlie2009, great question! They’re currently on sale in the USA on sweetwater.com, and will be available with all USA dealers from Feb 1, and have started shipping to other distributors in other companies

[@kimberlywilliams1205]

Really look forward to seeing and hearing it at NAMM ❤

[@Whitty43]

Alvarez guitars would be unmatched if they could collaborate with Maton or Cole Clark and get one of those pickups fitted to their guitars! The hi-fi pickup is quite thin sounding, the element pickup is harsh and quacky! Other than the pickup tho, the guitars are insane quality and value for money.

[@Wobbz9413]

Buy without a pickup and install a K&K Mini. Problem solved....

[@Whitty43]

@@Wobbz9413 k&k sound horrible! Far too much mid range honk and overpowering bass and when you cut in those areas you are left with a hollow thin sound that would cut you in half!! I've used nearly every pickup on the market and nothing comes close to Maton or Cole Clark

[@joepayne7843]

They are nice. I won't by another guitar without an Adirondack top.

[@ShawnGilbert1967]

I'm bummed to see the top notch guitars front Alvarez actually use a traditional bridge instead of my 2 Masterworks Elite bi-level. I feel tricked.... But got to love the Alvarez push for new products and their presentation, I enjoy both my MW Elites, plan to retrofit Hi-Fi at some point...I just hate that Bi-Level bridge isn't the better design after all :( kinda of a bubble bursting

[@LifeWideOpen780]

Yes quite shocking after all the hype up of the bridge

[@JackTheRabbitMusic]

Well, as a lover of Yairi and Alvarez, I can say this: marketing to a larger audience. Many people don’t understand, and won’t take the time to understand, why the bridges they use on the Yairis, and even their Masterworks series, work so well. The aesthetics are what’s important to most people buying at this price point, and many hold the opinion that the bi level and their direct coupled bridge are ugly. That is not how I feel, btw. 😂

[@jenniferstephenson]

​@@JackTheRabbitMusicExactly. I'm a big fan myself, but the number of times I've read someone in a forum or group say they wouldn't buy an Alvarez because of the shape of the bridge....well I can understand why they may want to try something else that will appeal to those people.

[@ralfybaby]

@jenniferstephenson I have seen that kind of "thinking " many times and I don't even hang out on guitar forums a lot ....

[@JohnDufresne]

Why do they weigh so much? Nearly 5 lbs for the OM / folk model that’s on sweetwater. Definitely beautiful, no doubt about that.

[@shelaghjordan9441]

Love the videos and guitars, but why do all guitar manufacturers fit pickups when majority of people don’t use them. 🤷‍♂️

[@ralfybaby]

Same reason why they make cars that cen go 150mph ... 😆

[@kurt8805]

And for the price range of the Laureate series, more people expect and would rather have a hard case than electronics.

[@rickw.3426]

So the bi-level bridge isn't the best style after all?

[@ralfybaby]

It is but dumbasses won't buy them ....

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We chose a traditional single level bridge for this series as Laureate is a traditional guitar line in the sense the body shapes are based on guitars which appeared from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s, and they’ll always be traditionally styled. Although it was a tough decision, for this reason alone we decided not to use our Bi-Level bridge. The Bi-Level bridge is synonymous with Alvarez, and even more so, our direct coupled bridge Mr. Yairi developed in the 80’s. Moving to a single level bridge doe not mean it is better, or our thinking on the benefits of the Bi-Level has not changed. We will do more on our channel to show how the two bridges perform and impact feel and response, but due to other design elements and construction, Laureate response and volume is as impressive as they are with other Alvarez models.

[@12cmf]

The lack of ramped/slotted bridge pin holes is a missed opportunity on a top-shelf guitar. Piezo? No thanks.

[@kurt8805]

Great strides in quality over the last few years! I like the bridge design and it's probably stronger than the stepped bridge. That subtle burst adds some distinction but if it adds significantly to production costs I'm not sure it's worth it, especially if too many dealers and on-line buyers get badly sprayed ones. All the effort to use good looking sitka would be wasted. I'd like to see a 12 fret 000 Laureate offered, preferably with a solid peghead for easier string changes. It'd be about as comfortable as a parlor with much fuller sound.

[@AnkitSingh-vx4dy]

Excellent guitars. Why aren't you doing mahogany version of them . Honduran mahogany not african !

[@lowellcalavera6045]

Sweetwater has them (for pre-order) in the US. They’re all around $1400-1500. Seems like a bargain.

[@SapulpaJim]

On Sweetwater now. $1399 - $1449.

[@Ourathe7thcolumn]

Honestly wish you'd dump the Alvarez name and focus on Yiari, Yiari needs much more respect 🙏

[@ralfybaby]

You just know these will blow everything away that is priced up to twice the price. Like my MD60BG that I got slightly used for $400 blows away everything up to $1200 or more. Sweetwater have then already, $1500 for the pretty one, $1400 for the natural one. It's a good chunk of dough but it will be a bargain.m all the same I wish it had the Alvarez bridge tho ..... . I really want a DYM60 so am probably not going to get one of these ...

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Wow, we love to hear this! Thanks for the kinds words, and good luck on the New Alvarez! ❤️

[@aliceverheij]

Just got myself a nice AD60. Would love to be able to buy a high end Alvarez or Yairi. But you guys must hate people like me. Less than 2% of your range is for lefties. Which is pretty ludicrous. So, nice this new series, but so not interesting! Which is why I started building my own guitars. Lefties with top Aussi woods and traditional techniques and my own designs. Because just like a lot of other brands you are letting us down.