Alvarez AD60SHB Artist 60 Series Acoustic Guitar

Back in 2010, the AD60 was the model which our then new design team first focused on. It became the benchmark model, a reference in which other brands and our previous models were measured. The goal and therefore the whole approach of the team was to simply make the best performing entry level guitar available. In tandem with developing our Artist Series, we were also developing bracing systems such as FST2 at the Yairi workshops, and bracing systems we cut there by hand were reproduced by machine for Artist Series in order to create “our sound” throughout our brand.

The result of months of R&D produced the early 60’s series which helped to set Artist Series apart from other solid top lines and go on to win a host of awards at shows and in guitar magazines around the world. Since then, the construction and design continue to be redefined making the Artist 60’s series a pretty hard bunch to compare.

The premium North American Sitka top is hand selected and paired with high quality laminated African Mahogany backs and sides. The response is quick and its voice open and dynamic. This cutaway model is finished in our flawless Shadowburst.

About Artist Series

Our multi-award winning Artist Series represents our commitment to quality and design, making it one of the finest solid top guitar lines in the world today.

Artist Series feel right and are exciting to play; whether you are strumming hard or picking lightly, the guitar will do what you ask of it. For a more focused sound with fewer overtones, choose a mahogany top. For a more open projection, go for Sitka. For warmth and response to a lighter touch, choose a Cedar top.

All of our tops are selected by our team and graded independently of our suppliers. If it isn’t worthy, we won’t use it. While top quality improves as you move up the Artist Series models, all are stiff and finely grained.

After 55 years of making guitars, continual improvement through the use of emerging technologies, processes, and materials is still at the heart of our culture. Alvarez guitars are constructed correctly in every sense, from raw material preparation to construction and manufacturing processes.

Our tonewoods are carefully cured; our components such as neck blocks and wood joints are carefully designed. The painting, sanding and polishing techniques we use are continually researched and developed, and our tone is impeccably crafted and married to a stable, consistent and lively soundbox.

This caring approach to development comes from one simple goal: To deliver the best guitars in the market at every price point, instruments that are truly amazing value and offer a fantastic player experience.

The term “solid top” refers to the guitar’s soundboard being made of solid wood rather than laminates. However, even when the guitar top is made of solid wood, the tone of the instrument only improves significantly when the whole guitar is built correctly to optimize the energy a solid soundboard can generate. Artist Series is built to do exactly this.

Each model is designed to get the best out of its components, and for them to work together to produce balance, lively projection and great response. These components include our FS6 bracing design, which allows the soundbox to sing and brings uniformity across Dreadnought, Grand Auditorium, OM and Parlor body sizes. This means the voicing has a similar character, but the individual tone is more purely influenced by the size and shape of the guitar.

Our bi-level bridge is designed to heighten string tension and improve sustain and response. Real bone nut and saddle, premium tonewoods, and our crafted attenuated finish all further the quality of construction and positively impact the performance of the instrument. Artist Series gloss models have a clear deep shine from a finish that is applied as thinly as possible to optimize tone. The personality and voicing of Artist Series is open, dynamic and instantly responsive.

Thank you for choosing Alvarez.