Alvarez Guitars

Alvarez is a guitar brand founded in 1965 by distributor St. Louis Music. Alvarez has generally produced acoustic and acoustic-electric guitars, including classical guitars, and for a time solid-body electric guitars and basses.

From 2005 to 2009, the brand was owned by LOUD Technologies, which also owns Mackie, Ampeg, Crate and other music-related brands. In 2009, Mark Ragin brought the management and distribution of the guitars back to St. Louis Music. As early as 2011, SLM senior vice president Chris Meikle has acted as Alvarez head of development, overseeing the redesign of Artist Series and other models and rolling out new instrument lines such as the 2014 Masterworks Series and the Alvarez 50th anniversary 1965 Series.

While many of its models are produced in China, the top-tier Alvarez-Yairi instruments are handmade at the Yairi factory in Kani, Gifu-Japan, part of the legacy of Kazuo Yairi, the late master luthier.

Artists who use Alvarez guitars

 * Raulin Rodriguez
 * Antony Santos
 * Devin Townsend
 * Bob Weir
 * Carlos Santana
 * Harry Chapin
 * Glen Hansard
 * Ani DiFranco
 * David Crosby
 * Graham Nash
 * Jon Anderson
 * Pete Yorn
 * Jeff Young
 * Joe Bonamassa
 * Shaun Morgan
 * Josh Turner
 * Monte Montgomery
 * Mike Inez
 * Miguel Dakota
 * Viktor Tsoi
 * Rick Droit
 * Mason Ramsey