Yairi Meets Collings! (Plus A Secret Alvarez Prototype) 

There is nothing to say that has not been said before! Except that who else would do this so unbiased honest comparison. Thanks again Chris and Dee.

You guys bring such a fresh perspective to the world of acoustic guitar. Nice comparison.

The intro with Dee playing the Yairi DYM 60 and Chris playing the Alvarez Masterworks prototype was delicious if sound can be delicious. I thought the Yairi was sublime. I went back and listened to it three times. At about 1:29 the guitar angel Yairi sang. Later on, the Collings sounded beautiful. The Prototype held its own in the A-B-C comparison.

Great Dreadnought comparison.The Collings has got such a rich tone.Nice seperation.Of course the Yairi's tone is right there as well.TOPS

You guys should try to have fun. I always look forward to these. Fantastic gentlemen!

This was a great episode. Thank you very much.

Your Alvarez prototype looks and sounds amazing.

The Yairi sounds like it is already 50 years old, just perfect. The Collings is also a lovely guitar , but not quite in the same league. The Alvarez, in a far different price bracket easily held its own in their company, certainly within touching distance of the Collings and in fact when finger picked to my ears it sounded just as good.

Love this video! So excited about the new Alvarez!!

Absolutely gorgeous tone!!❤

Great video. And Collins guitars are very nice guitars too. I know, I've played a few and was not disappointed. But I have a soft of spot for the Alvarez brand and what it stands for. I was planning on purchasing another Alvarez, to review on my channel and just enjoy. But health issues popped up and I'll have to put that on hold for a while. That sucks. I was thinking about springing for a Yairi model this time around too.. Anyways, it's a great time to be a guitar player, especially with the selection of fine instruments that we have today, at very good prices. We are no longer locked into getting a guitar from one of the "big 3", American, manufacturers. Keep up the awesome content and building great guitars.

Really cool for a company to do this ! Collings are great. So are Alvarez and Yairi ... I'm liking my affordable Masterworks 😂

Wow!!! Sounds STUNNING 😊😊

I played a good friend's trio of Collings years ago and was blown away. I'll never afford a Collings, but I love the sound of Alvarez and would be more than joyful and proud to have one.

the yairi is super gorgeous and has a hard to describe subtlety that is lovely and a thing beyond the other 2.

What is interesting here is that it is extremely difficult to just grab one or two guitars and make comparisons. I have played $500 guitars that knocked some $3500 guitars out of the water. I have built 8 acoustic guitars so far out of different woods with incredibly different results. The guitar that I made for my son out of some material I had laying around had bird's eye maple sides and back with an Engelmann spruce top. It has the clearest bass tone I have ever heard. The thing is you can make a really good sounding guitar, but the exceptional ones just seem to be a matter of luck. I played all the Martin D28's at Long and McQuade and I wouldn't take any of them and yet there was a fairly inexpensive guitar made in Quebec Canada that was incredible. I had a $3200 Larrivée that I just could not stand the sound of the B string no matter what I did. So to anyone buying a guitar forget about the price and play as many as you can and you will find one that you can't put down.

Wow! I’ve really been enjoying watching AlvarezTV. This episode and the vid comparing the tonewoods (loved the all solid Walnut tonewood in the former vid awhile back btw) are top of the list for me for episodes that I’ve watched. The world of guitars is relatively new to me as I’m a drummer by trade, but have always been fascinated by how each guitar is a work of art in and of itself yet is also an extension of creating art. I’m partial to Alvarez, Taylor, and Collings with Alvarez being the first two guitars I ever bought and the brand that got me interested in learning another instrument. And just as an aside, it was a different brand that caught my eye walking past a store window in Dallas, Texas three years ago, but when I sat down to play the whole spectrum of guitars they had on that back wall in that little store it was the Alvarez that just seemed to speak to my ears along with the attention to detail. I knew I wasn’t going to leave the store without it. Guess in a way you could say Alvarez guitars are my first love as far as guitars go. As to AlvarezTV, I find myself constantly looking and anticipating your next episode. It is absolutely amazing to see a brand doing the experimentation and comparison of their craft while having fun doing it and recognizing that one piece of art is not any better or worse than another, but just a different form of expression by the craftsman put into the hands of the player who brings out that expression. It is very cool to see one who is a master of their craft also recognize and appreciate the work of another to also help educate the playing community. The comparison of the three guitars in the video was an incredible line up. The Collings seemed to have a focus all around albeit for both strumming and finger picking, while the Yairi seemed to have a resonance that was quite impressive. All that said, out of the three, it was actually the prototype that I found myself wanting to play based on the way it sounded to me during the finger picking comparison with its slightly richer/darker sound, so I really hope to see Alvarez continue its experimentation and move to production at some point. In any case, thank you for the videos as I enjoy them all and will be looking to soon acquire my next Alvarez, the Masterworks Elite all solid walnut as I anticipate it will become my favorite. Best regards, Cuz

I really do love your videos and your love of great sounding guitars. I don’t know of another maker who would do this type of video. I liked the sound of all of the guitars demoed. For my style of music and playing I think the Yairi would be the best fit for me. What a gorgeous sounding instrument!

I really appreciate how you can see the deep love of great guitars here, the deep respect shown for another builder as a colleague rather than competitor. I have a Furch Yellow Master's Choice Gc-CR, I'm not currently an Alvarez owner, but this is one of my favorite guitar channels because I am drawn in by the passion and sincerity displayed in every episode. I appreciate the joy of exploration as well!! Surely all the guitars featured here are creations of great craftsman driven by a passion for excellence!! Thank you!!

Great video. Just played the new Laureate dreadnought along side a Martin D-18 and a Collings D1. All beautiful and different in their own ways.

The Collings is really nice but man that prototype Alvarez is just flat out amazing!

I find it hard to easily discern just how a guitar plays and sounds from RU-vids but that is simply the way the world is. If I’m going for a vintage instrument I wouldn’t buy it if I hadn’t actually played it, and if I’m going for a great quality, well finished working guitar Alvarez would certainly be on my shopping list! Love these vids guys, keep them up please.

I thought for strumming the yairi was so well rounded and full. It has a lovely sparkle in the top notes which is wonderfully complimented by the rich full roundness of the deep tones. The Collings came alive (and into its own) when picking and is clearly a beautiful guitar. I feel the masterworks held it's own in the other twos company while not quite reaching their levels. That being said, for the cost difference, why should it. I have a masterworks and accept happily that for the price range I have as good a guitar as I could get my money. I love your content fellas, and look forward to your honest, informative and genuinely interesting posts. Thankyou 👍

Thank you for another great guitar talk. Instrument comparisons are super interesting! On a different note, is there a material on different guitar finishes in the pipeline? Best wishes

well first thing i want to say what a great video and i respect that you gave collings the review that you did so many times other builders dont do tht it was refreshing and i watched the whole thing and those Alverez guitars sounded amazing great job im builder myself and hope to one day here someone give our guitars a honest review as you guys did , i will be watching and learning more about the Alverez guitars

I really like the Alvarez guitars. They sound beautiful !

I own the yairi dym60hd took it with me to meet tommy emmanuel.he played it and was blown away.

Thank You Guys, I Loved The Video! After the bridge pin video I decided to use Martin Liquid Metal Pins + Parabolic Medium Tension Santa Cruz strings on my MD60BG. It modified the tone of the guitar and made it similar to the Yairi DYM60HD with some nice overtones while still maintaining its mahogany focus and warmth. I love Alvarez Guitars 😀❤️

Everyone that hears my DYM60HDE is blown away by the bass and the ringing overtones... very biased I am, but wow, what a guitar

Beautiful guitars all round. The Yairi DYM60 Masterworks is truly magical and it's great to see it measured against an instrument as revered as Collings.

I wish I could afford a DYM60HD!!!! I have an Alvarez from the 90s. It’s a cutaway dreadnought with no electronics in it which I thought was pretty cool. Still hands down my favorite acoustic I own.

What a Great comparison sooo close but through earphones Yairi 1- Alvarez 2- and the Collings 3, it's only slightly 3rd but that's where I'd them,But I Must emphasize they are ALL great Acoustic's. Just old Don here from Hamilton NZ on my Wife's tablet-SUSAN, keep 'em coming 😊😊😊

I am definitely partial to the Yairi DYM60HD since I own the FYM60HD. Bit sound wise I think the Yairi held its own against the Collins. The prototype sounded good but not in the same league as the the other two.

Yairi is not well known enough. I own 2. The Dymr70sb and the Wy1sb. I just Pre-ordered the PYM60 12 fret in sunburst. I would love to hear a demo of that thing!!! I'm dying to play it, but it's going to be a few months at least it sounds. I also own a Gibson Songwriter in Rosewood Burst. A 2012 HD-28 in tobacco burst. The Yairi's are still my favorite guitars out my collection. Not only the amazing sound and craftsmanship, but the story behind them.

My choice in this choice comparison was the Alvarez prototype. No real explanation, just a feel. I own an ‘89 Alvarez Yairi DY90 (the Super Abalone with double plate Jacaranda back and sides). It came to me used in excellent condition, but with a poorly shaved down saddle. I called Alvarez and your guitar tech graciously and knowledgeably was able to find a vintage saddle for me. For pennies. Really helped bring this classic back into shape. That type of service is invaluable! So thanks!!

I am already a huge fan of the dym 60hd but I have to say I am intrigued by that prototype, as I am predominantly a flat picker and currently play an AD70 that I like a good deal

Oh, man. A DYM60 is my dream guitar.

Easy pick to my ear here= Yairi hands down. Others nice, but oh the full bodied lushness of Yairi was noticeable. Thx.

Nice. It takes some guts to put your guitar up against a Collings, but that Yairi absolutely matched it. Both amazing guitars. The masterworks was beautiful too, but there is something about that Yairi that is really magical.

The Yairi would be a good choice for those who can’t afford, or justify paying big money for a Collings. This video is a clever piece of marketing. Well done. It will undoubtedly up the Alvarez name, but it won’t detract from Collings sales. Influencers pitching their guitars up against superior models is common these days. Epiphone and Gibson. Sigma and Martin, etc.

To me, the Collings sounded better finger style wise, only by a fraction. The Yairi on strumming. Thank you for being honest about the different strengths and weaknesses. We knew these two were going to be good. The prototype held itself surprisingly well, considering what it was being compared to. If either Molly Tuttle or Billy Strings are on tour in the Uk, you should invite them to do some flat picking 😎

A. Alvarez HD60, B. Collings. C.Prototype. The Alvarez sounds like a strong Banjo Killer Martin. I'm partial to Martins and appreciate Alvarez so that doesn't surprise me. I believe Molly Tuttle plays a Collings. What more can you say? The Collings is definitely more balanced. I expected more from their brand new secret weapon prototype.

Strumming-wise, I thought the Collings and Yairi were indistinguishable. The Alvarez didn't quite compare, sounding less loud than the first two but still very good. Fingerpicking seemed to even them all out, with the Alvarez holding its own at a fraction of the cost of the other two. Keep these comparisons coming, guys!

Nice comparison. Being a Yairi owner, I am already somewhat biased. Even so, I still think the Yairi sounds better to me doing a blind test. Thanks for setting up the time slots so the blind test can happen with someone else playing the sound for me.

I've played a many a guitar, Martin, Yamaha, Guild, Taylor etc. I have not, however had the pleasure of playing a Collings guitar, although I have heard nothing but good reviews. I'm not entirely sure why it took me so long, but as of a year ago when I purchased my very first Alvarez, RD26, (which is what has now made Alvarez my most favorite guitar period), i very quickly became convinced that i would gladly put my brand new under $400 dollar Alvarez up against my old almost $900 Martin any day, twice on Sunday and I would very happily put my Alvarez up against any Taylor. Alvarez is most certainly a testament to the fact that one does not have to spend an arm and a leg to get breathtaking, beautiful sound, tone and overall quality from a guitar! No disrespect intended to Collings, but Thank you Alvarez! The best ever!!

I’ve been looking to get another Masterworks and I really wanted that old vintage orange tint, is tha something Alvarez is going to do?

I visited Gruhn Guitars in Nashville and the Collings guitars I played were all exceptional. Of all the high end guitars out there, I would spend my money on a Collings. I think the DYM60HD held its own against the Collings that is probably double the price.

To me, the Yari wins hands down (I may be biased I own a 1974 DY74) It's so well rounded. The Collings is also very nice, doesn't quite have the same volume across the frequency board but a similar sound. The Prototype needs some work to stand up with the other two, and I think Chris's inquisitive look at the end says it all. I have no idea where the prototype fits price wise so I don't want to be too judgmental. Great show, love to hear this kind of A-B-C comparison.

The MW has a bigger spread, Collings is warm. I liked the Prototype, felt in between the two

Hey guys have you shown the new models with the normal bridges and the new wierd color?? Seen them at naam.. We need a video of these, they looked amazing.

The Yairi is what I would want to sit around and play all day, and on solo guitar or smaller band settings. The Collings would cut through a mix better in a more complex group. That masterworks Alvarez sounds nice. Maybe a non cutaway Grand Auditorium in that wood configuration!?

Love Yairi. Mines 27 year old

Guitar No. 3 the Alverez prototype, it sounded to have a Rosewood back and sides?

Collings by a solid mile but it’s just because I prefer the much more musically pleasing Sitka to the sterile/harsh “clarity” of Adirondack tops. If you guys start building with Sitka when the Honduran line runs out of wood, I’ll be first in line for a mahogany dreadnought because the build quality of Yairi line guitars is excellent and the price is right. Real bummer to have to pass on the 50 year vintage mahogany wood, but it was paired with the wrong top to my ears (tone being subjective etc).

What sort of price will the new prototype please

For the life of me, I can’t find the neck shape of the FYM60hd. Can you shed some light on that? What shape does it more closely resemble? Thanks

I have a DYM60 and had a D2H for 12 years that I traded for a Boucher BG-52. Apples and oranges. The D2H was a flatpicking beast with a piano string low E. The DYM60 is the most harmonically rich mahogany guitar I have ever played. The Collings was a considerably heavier build. Is that the reason you don't string the Yairi with 13-56?

So what did the Alvarez Masterworks prototype become, released as?

I have a friend with a Collings D2. It’s a very different guitar. After playing it a few minutes, it’s like a switch flips, and the guitar “wakes up”. I admit that it is better than my MD70CE. Is it $3000 better? I can’t say that. I want a DYM-70 when I retire and can play much of the day. But I do love my friend’s Collings.

How much does the masterworks cost? I own 2 Collings (along with guild, Martin, Gibson and blueridge)

just discovered u guys I have been playing a long time and have owned and played hundreds of super high end guitars ....the last guitar proto. had no chance here Im assuming around 900?? dollars the Yairi was wider broader seemes it could do alot...a bit rosewoody for sure,,,but the collings was the warm more fundamental....WHAT STRINGS ARE ON HERE// THANKS!

i have a dy-84m ,never play whit it by it in the 90 ,what do you ting it s worth it.

I am impressed with the MW proto. The Yairi sounds better than the Collings but it is really just a different voice with fuller mids and a controllable bass intensity. and therefore subjective.

I own both an Alvarez and a Collings. The Collings is superior in every way, but quite a bit more expensive. If money were no object, anyone in her right mind would choose a Collings. The Alvarez is a very good guitar and a great value. Perhaps this comparison is akin to comparing wine and champagne.

Thank you. The tome seems a little bass-y. "to my old ears" ' I'm curious how much weight does nitro cellulose eliminate compared to what?:

I expected to really like the Collings sound, but it was almost too focused for my taste. The Yairi sounded more balanced to my ears. Amazing instruments!

The Alvarez DYM sounds the best. The Collings seemed muffled

may I have the prototype please

Yari for the win!

As much as I hate to say it, the Yairi came in last. Collings was so warm sounding. The masterworks was second. The Yairi just had brash sounding highs that neither of the other two had. Why?

nothing is worse than playing guitar in low chairs, need to upgrade, or put them on a platform to raise them. Makes playing 10x more enjoyable imho. Great demo btw

To compare another totally different mahogany beast. Compare to a J45. It's in the construction :)

I think your microphones are too close. I keep getting a fuzzy noise. I like that you are comparing brands.

I’m genuinely shocked to see this comparison on this channel. I really thought this was just Alvarez marketing only.

Buy the alvarez and get some guitar lessons with the change. It's all in the hands of the player anyway, a good guitarist can make a shoe box with strings sound good

The Yairi wins Hands down all day over the Collings.

Love this video! So excited about the new Alvarez!!