Alvarez AD60CK

I bought this guitar at Crossroads Music in Delaware, Ohio for $350. Owning an Alvarez KOA #5040 already, I was looking for another KOA wood guitar that would have a built in pick-up.

First off, the guitar looks great. Mine had a very,very minor stain error on the side and was labled "almost perfect" from the factory. Im pretty particular, but this flaw was something even I could live with. The sound is very nice, lots of warmth, yet gives a nice "changy" sound as well. You can get some good different sounds out of it with the built in System 600 pick-up. It also has a tuner built in.
The neck is just right, and it plays easily.

Really my only dislikes are the location of the output jack where you attach the guitar strap. I would rather it was on the lower side than in the middle. The bridge pegs dont seem to stay in place very well when you first change your strings, but after that they seem to be fine.

The finish seems very nice, and the woodgrain pattern seems asthetically pleasing. It has binding going up the neck, on the body, and around the headstock. There are no marker dots on the fretboard, omly on the side of the neck. This is a full size cutaway body guitar and gives a very nice sound. It seems to be very well made.

I think this is a great guitar for the money. In some ways I even like it better than my Alvarez FD60AMB. Then again, it will by nature sound different since the FD60 is MAPLE and a thinner body. Koa gives a nice sound, and that was a big reason why I chose this guitar. Its well worth the money,.. you wont be dissapointed at all.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com