#100140  by hippieguy1954
 
JamminJommy wrote:I half expected a doctored pic of you playing righty :)

these are SWEET guitars!

Peace,

Jommy
They are very SWEET with a price to go along with it! So, after a lot of research, I ended up buying a Takamine G440C NEX for $250 that sounds just as good and is built just as well. The thing is, the Alvarez Tairi is slightly larger and louder and much, much, much, much prettier! The craftsmanship of the inlays and the other finishing touches is just exceptional.
 #100144  by broesau
 
They aren't making them with the modulus neck anymore? For that money I'd expect the graphite neck and the vine inlay.
 #100148  by playingdead
 
I don't understand your question ... it's a GY2E, which is a discontinued model that Garcia had a hand in designing, and this is a new guitar, as in, it's not preowned.

Image

I think the DY-98 is the Garcia signature model with the graphite neck, that's not made anymore, either. That had a tree of life inlay, I think.

I seriously doubt a $250 Takamine would be comparable to this particular Alvarez ... I had a Bob Weir model WY1-K (koa) that was a very finely made and great playing instrument. The regular entry level "Alvarez" guitars are very run-of-the-mill instruments, but the ones with the Yairi name are a different ballpark altogether.

However, if it sounded as good to your ears and played as well, then that's the main thing.
 #100152  by hippieguy1954
 
playingdead wrote:I don't understand your question ... it's a GY2E, which is a discontinued model that Garcia had a hand in designing, and this is a new guitar, as in, it's not preowned.

Image

I think the DY-98 is the Garcia signature model with the graphite neck, that's not made anymore, either. That had a tree of life inlay, I think.

I seriously doubt a $250 Takamine would be comparable to this particular Alvarez ... I had a Bob Weir model WY1-K (koa) that was a very finely made and great playing instrument. The regular entry level "Alvarez" guitars are very run-of-the-mill instruments, but the ones with the Yairi name are a different ballpark altogether.

However, if it sounded as good to your ears and played as well, then that's the main thing.
It only comes down to the wood, bindings, supports and the person putting it together (as far as the sound goes). I did have to lower the action a tad. Yes, the graphite neck will never move, but I've had a 1970 L Degas I bought new in SF for $300 and I've only had to adjust the neck 3 times.

I could have any guitars I want. I'm just picky and frugal when it comes to spending money on hype. Which ball park are you talking about? Fenway?

Also, you have to be good at playing cheep guitars! :lol:
Last edited by hippieguy1954 on Tue Jun 28, 2011 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 #100155  by barefootdave
 
I haven't played this model, but I owned a Weir model Yairi for about 10 years. It looked great onstage and sounded great through FOH. Acoustically it sounded like a cigar box. I have had other Yairis and found them to be excellent.

I sold it last year and got a Rainsong. Very nice, it is now my main acoustic for gigs.

I doubt a $250 Takamine sounds like a Yairi. I would love to hear some samples of a $250 guitar that sounds like a $2500 box. Please help us out and upload some.

These Garcia models are very rare, so if you want one just like Jerry played then maybe it's worth it.
 #100156  by hippieguy1954
 
I'll be uploading samples soon of different things including the acoustic. Got a lot goin on right now. By the way, do you know if Jerry used the Yairi on NOT JUST FOR KIDS ONLY?
 #100160  by tcsned
 
**Disclaimer** I haven't played a GY2E

I have played several Wier model Yairi's and thought that they sounded decent but was a little over priced as I found most of the Yairis for what you get. Especially considering that I'm pretty sure that the back and sides are plywood. You can get a Martin D28 or a Taylor 810 for the same money as the Garcia and get a solid wood instrument that sounds as good as any factory instrument out there. Though if the Jerry signature thing is important then that can be worth the extra $$. Didn't Jerry use a D18 in the 70s? Those can be had for $600 less than the Alvarez, still all solid wood - and there's something I really like about the ring of a mahogany body guitar in a band setting though all of mine are rosewood. Though the solid wood vs plywood thing isn't cut and dry - there are plenty of solid wood dogs out there with well respected names on them as there are tons of plywood guitars that sound better than some Martins, Taylors, and Gibsons - guitar making seems to be part science, part art, and part dumb luck - sometimes dumb luck can beat out science and art though usually not. When all three come together you get a real gem (and don't ever sell it). My Dell'Arte is the closest thing I have to a gem, the Taylor has the science and art but I've heard better. My wife has a $189 Takamine that sounds good enough for me to play on stage though it doesn't have the complexity and depth of tone that is possible with a hand-made solid wood guitar. If I were still single and childless I would probably buy a GY2E but it wouldn't be the first guitar in that price range I would get.

When it comes to a guitar, especially an acoustic, it has to speak to you personally. If the $250 Takamine does it then it would be silly to pay 10x as much for a guitar that doesn't make a difference to you. And it is certainly possible that the Takamine sounds better than the GY2E though statistically unlikely.
 #100163  by hippieguy1954
 
Takamine G440C
Rosette: Abalone
• Top: Spruce
• Inlays: Abalone Dots
• Back: Mahogany
• Sides: Mahogany
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
 #100174  by JonnyBoy
 
tscned is totally right. I have a 20 yr old Takamine Santa Fe with nice appointments and such, I have loved that guitar forever, about 20 years now. It looks about as bad as Willie Nelsons acoustic, it has some in house repairs and lots of scratches. The tone is awesome to me. I went looking at new acoustics and the Taylors 800 series were killer, but something was missing. My buddies martin is nice, but I don't like the amplified tone AT ALL. Breeedlove's were my favorite, forgot the number/name I played, super killer guitar amplified too.
 #100177  by gdrfk1990
 
These are sweet guitars my buddy bought a used one in the 90's for $1200 it played and sounded great acoustic or plugged in. He still has it and it still is in great shape 20 years later
 #100178  by playingdead
 
Let's have a little reality check here ... neither the Weir WY1 or Garcia GY2e guitars are made of plywood.

Both guitars have solid tops. Both guitars have laminates on the sides and backs because they were designed that way. The guitars were designed primarily for live performance, and it was Weir's belief that using laminates on the back and sides of the guitar reduced the propensity of the instrument to feed back in a loud stage setting. I can tell you that I did some gigs with my WY1-K with very loud stage monitors and the guitar never gave me problems with feedback.

The WY1-K I owned was about the most aesthetically beautiful acoustic guitar I've ever seen. Here's a picture of it.

Image

It has a small, extremely comfortable neck that is very good for lead playing, the action was impeccable and it was about as easy to play as an electric. I found the tone to be balanced and pleasing unplugged. Plugged in, it was good, but not as good as the modern guitars with the Fishman Aura system, that's as good as it gets today, to me.

I prefer a smaller acoustic guitar, and I fell hard for a Gibson CJ-165 in maple and no cutaway. It was (is) about the most lively little guitar I've ever played (and I've played a lot of them) and it sits just perfectly in my hands. I traded the koa Alvarez for it. I play it through an Aura preamp live and it sounds terrific.

If you go and play some of the really fine boutique instruments, you will get a feel for materials and craftmanship that extends well beyond the guitars from Taylor, Takamine, etc. I think they both make some nice guitars, but go to a serious acoustic guitar store (not Guitar Center) and play an upper end Martin -- my D-41 Special has a piano tone that is not to be believed. But Martins are just the tip of the iceberg and they are mass produced ... try yourself a Collings, Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, Goodall and a Huss and Dalton. I played a Goodall Grand Concert a month ago that was to die for ... but for $5k, too much coin for me.
 #100179  by jdsmodulus
 
The GY2E was supposed to be a Garcia signature model. They did make them with graphite necks. This model is now known around guitar world as the Warren Haynes model. There are several JG Yairis out there. The most rare is the one that we saw in the thread the other day. Yairi DY-99 that had the vine. DY-98 had no vine or electronics. Hope that helps.
Yairi...there is no substitute. IMHO! :P