One of the leading acoustic guitar brands in the USA and around the world for nearly 50 years, the Alvarez name is synonymous with quality and innovation.

Alvarez was established in 1965 by St. Louis Music, and in the late ’60s the company began working with Master Luthier, Kazuo Yairi — a successful collaboration that has continued to this day, with flagship Alvarez-Yairi guitars still handmade in the Yairi factory in the small Japanese town of Kani.

The bond between SLM and Yairi is underpinned by a desire to produce some of the finest guitars in the world. Alvarez instruments are a mix of tradition and innovation, and over the last five decades many of the world’s top artists have gravitated towards the brand and its guitars.