Back to navigation


A Handmade Folk Guitar





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





Handbuilt at the Yairi workshop in Kani, Japan, the Alvarez FY70CE Yairi Standard Series Folk/OM offers incredible tone that’ll flourish for years to come. To start, its solid AA-grade Sitka spruce top and east Indian rosewood back and sides offer a tonal fusion ripe for intricate chords and fingerpicking styles. Its folk/OM body shape delivers powerful projection, while its size makes it comfortable for long gigs and recording sessions. The FTS6 bracing system, a Yairi luthier secret, puts years of research and development to work for balanced projection and optimal note separation. Another remarkable guitar offered by Sweetwater, the FY70CE offers incredible sound whether you play acoustically or plug in with its LR Baggs Stage Pro and Element pickup system. Master craftsmanship, exceptional tone, renowned electronics - what’s not to love?





Related Videos: FY70CE Yairi Standard Series Folk/OM Acoustic-electric Guitar - Natural


Outstanding tonewoods seasoned and cured for years





This masterful musical machine proffers up a selection of tonewoods beloved by guitarists of all stripes. From the first strum, the FY70CE will treat you to the bright articulation of its AA-grade Sitka spruce top and the warm tonality of its East Indian rosewood back and sides.What makes the tonewoods in this Alvarez stand out? Before they even make it into their final shape, they undergo a seasoning process that can take years to decades until they finally offer an Alvarez guitar outstanding tonal properties and playability.





Serious attention to detail





While the stellar tonewoods are show-stoppers themselves, the Alvarez FY70CE boasts a range of other appointments and construction attributes that combine to make its tonewoods truly shine. For instance, a Direct Coupled Bridge developed by Mr. Yairi in the 1980s serves to add response and projection by transferring more vibrations from the bridge into the top of the guitar. Also, the FY70CE’s mahogany neck, which contains a dovetail joint, found its shape through spoke shaving done by hand to ensure maximum comfort while fretting in any position. Lastly, stunning inlays, a real bone nut and saddle, and Gotoh tuners are exceptional appointments that’ll make this instrument your next family heirloom.





Nuanced sound from LR Baggs electronics





When you’ve got a show-stopping guitar, you need a pickup system to match. Luckily, the FY70CE is outfitted with LR Baggs’ Element active pickup system meaning the superb tones of your guitar will find warm, articulate sound whenever you need to plug in. The pickup itself delivers nuanced sound capture through its flexible film sensor, capturing the movement of the soundboard rather than just that of the strings. Also, the Stage Pro Element preamp adds a chromatic tuner; bass, mid, and treble control; and a master volume. It all adds up to providing you with discrete, soundhole-mounted electronics that can be easily adjusted for any performance or recording session.





The Alvarez-Yairi system





Comprised of 24 luthiers, four of them holding master luthier status, the Yairi luthier workshop in Kani, Japan handcrafts guitars with artisanal dedication to their craft. These bench-made guitars find their distinguished voices through the hands of skilled luthiers - some of them boasting as much as 55 years experience in the industry. That means when you hold an Alvarez-Yairi guitar in your hands, you’re holding a piece of art that received immense skill and precise concentration from start to finish. Yairi earmarks like their FTS6 bracing system, thin finishes, and Direct Coupled Bridge set these guitars apart from others in the industry ? after all, it’s no surprise with 85 years of experience building concert classical guitars.





Alvarez FY70CE Yairi Standard Series Folk/OM Acoustic-electric Guitar Features:


Handcrafted by industry professionals and master luthiers in Kani, Japan


AA-grade, Sitka spruce top offers bright articulation


East Indian rosewood back and sides offer a powerful tonal foundation


FTS6 bracing system for optimized separation, balance, and projection


LR Baggs pickup and preamp system offers volume and EQ controls for rich, articulated sound


Folk/OM body shape offers excellent balance perfect for intricate fingerpicking and chords as well


Tonewoods seasoned and cured for years, ensuring exceptional tone and construction


Direct Coupled Bridge transfers more vibration from the strings to the top of the guitar


Cutaway body makes reaching higher frets easier


Thin finish shows off the elegance of the tonewoods