MGR/Mike Peck « Alvarez 5002 »
Published on 12/08/07 at 15:00I've been playing acoustic guitars for 35 years. Mostly jam with some friends, don't look for gigs any more. Love rock and roll, some country rock, blues.
I went to a friend's house for a Super Bowl party back in the mid 1970's and he had this guitar sitting in a corner. He bought it for $400, fooled around with it for a couple of months and then decided he didn't want to learn how to play. I kept picking it up and pluncking out short riffs, and was really impressed with it, so he started trying to sell it to me. And, I ended up taking it home that night for $150!
I have always liked the size of this guitar. 24 3/4" scale but only 39" total length and the body is 4" deep. You can sit comfortably in a LazyBoy and just play for hours. Laminated Mahogany sides and back, solid spruce top and Rosewood fretboard. Oh, and did I mention the sound? Very nice!
The action at the top of the freboard is good, but rises to about 3/8" at the 12 fret. I filed the bridge nut down as far as possible to get it there, and now there is no adjustment left. I plays pretty good below the 6 or 7 fret, but starts to buzz when you go any higher.
I do not have a case for this guitar and have never used a humidifier for it and it has held up very well. I have been amazed that it holds tuning forever, sometimes I'll leave alone for a couple of months, and it's still in perfect tune when I pick it back up. Over the past ten years, I have noticed the saddle is starting to pull away from the top, and the top has a bit of a ripple in the lower bout. Still, a fresh set of light strings, a bit of polish and ..."I'm on the road again"... Canned Heat, ca1977 or so.
This has been one of my best guitars. For a small dreadnought, the volume and crisp sound are very impressive. You have to play it with a pick to get the strings to ring. It sounds kinda dull when you flatpick or strum with your fingers. I also have a Martin D28 and a Taylor 410 and they are great instruments. But if I were in the market for a new guitar, I'd have to sell or trade one of those in. I'll never part with this little Alvarez 5002.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
I went to a friend's house for a Super Bowl party back in the mid 1970's and he had this guitar sitting in a corner. He bought it for $400, fooled around with it for a couple of months and then decided he didn't want to learn how to play. I kept picking it up and pluncking out short riffs, and was really impressed with it, so he started trying to sell it to me. And, I ended up taking it home that night for $150!
I have always liked the size of this guitar. 24 3/4" scale but only 39" total length and the body is 4" deep. You can sit comfortably in a LazyBoy and just play for hours. Laminated Mahogany sides and back, solid spruce top and Rosewood fretboard. Oh, and did I mention the sound? Very nice!
The action at the top of the freboard is good, but rises to about 3/8" at the 12 fret. I filed the bridge nut down as far as possible to get it there, and now there is no adjustment left. I plays pretty good below the 6 or 7 fret, but starts to buzz when you go any higher.
I do not have a case for this guitar and have never used a humidifier for it and it has held up very well. I have been amazed that it holds tuning forever, sometimes I'll leave alone for a couple of months, and it's still in perfect tune when I pick it back up. Over the past ten years, I have noticed the saddle is starting to pull away from the top, and the top has a bit of a ripple in the lower bout. Still, a fresh set of light strings, a bit of polish and ..."I'm on the road again"... Canned Heat, ca1977 or so.
This has been one of my best guitars. For a small dreadnought, the volume and crisp sound are very impressive. You have to play it with a pick to get the strings to ring. It sounds kinda dull when you flatpick or strum with your fingers. I also have a Martin D28 and a Taylor 410 and they are great instruments. But if I were in the market for a new guitar, I'd have to sell or trade one of those in. I'll never part with this little Alvarez 5002.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com