Guitarists: question, not penis-related

DC_DEEP

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I have been looking for a specific model of guitar - Alvarez 5054. Are any of you familiar with it? The company no longer manufactures this model. I have done internet searches, trying to find a used one for sale, and I have found hundreds (maybe thousands) of other models, but not the 5054. The closest similar model I have seen is the RD20S12. Can anyone give me a comparison of the two?

When my brother was a senior in high school, he had self-taught on a very cheap old off-brand 6-string. My Mom and I decided to get him a better guitar, since he had progressed very well. We weren't rich, so we went shopping to find the best compromise between quality and price, and found the Alvarez 5054 on sale at a local music store. I strummed a couple of chords and fell in love. We bought it, and now, 31 years later and with a moderately large collection, he says it is still his favorite guitar and has even improved with age and regular use.

All the internet reviews of this instrument are rave reviews, so I guess that's why no one wants to sell them.

Thanks in advance for any feedback any of you can give.
 

djegoi

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cant help you man, sorry. I'm a pretty big guitar fan but i have no known connections for that one. I'll keep my eyes open though for you, maybe i stumble across one
 

DC_DEEP

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djegoi said:
cant help you man, sorry. I'm a pretty big guitar fan but i have no known connections for that one. I'll keep my eyes open though for you, maybe i stumble across one
Thanks, I hope so. But considering the experience I've had with that particular vintage model, and the commentaries I've read online, I'm beginning to think that anyone who has one is not going to be willing to part with it. <sigh>
 

mephistopheles

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That is indeed a very rare guitar.

It's a very good model to, I have a friend that has one; though he lives in a different city. I doubt you'll find any for sale very easily. 12 string gutars arent usually bought by ppl that play for a hobby, they usually use it for something more., and for a 1979 model thats even tougher!

Rockmanx_89@hotmail.com

Thats my friends email, send him a message, maybe he'll sale his to ya.

He lives in chicago btw.

You might have better luck looking through tons of pawnshops
 

Riven650

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I do hope you find one. I'm a guitar player and I know what it is to finally get your hands on the 'right' instrument.

For longer than I care to remember I thought learning to play was something other people could do but not me. Last year I found myself encouraging my son to go for it when he expressed an interest. I dug my old guitar (a cheap Spanish guitar a mate gave me when I was 18) out of the attic in order to learn with him and, yes, it was still as horrible as ever. My son's new Squire Strat was so easy by comparison. 'If he can have a new guitar for his birthday why can't I?' I thought. So on my 50th birthday my wife took me to a music shop where they gave me a mug of coffee and encouraged me fiddle with loads of guitars. All I knew was I wanted a nice easy to play solid bodied electric, and something very different from my son's Strat. I had a fancy for a Les Paul, but I kept an open mind. I tried losds then I found myself unable to put down a used USA Telecaster. The sound of the thing made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and it felt so nice it was begging me to play it. It was the best £500 I've ever spent. I now have 3 other guitars as well as that dreadful old Spanish beast, and the Tele just makes MY sound.

I think you should keep a search going on eBay for an Alvarez 5054. Sooner or later someone will put one up for sale. But in case you don't find one for years, keep dropping into guitar shops and trying different instruments. You never know, something might surprise you. I shopped (same shop) for a dreadnaught last summer and found a fantastic Tanglewood TW15NS Solid US spruce top, solid African magogany sides, Grover tuners, nice bound neck, etc. for less than £300! Feels as good as all the £500 Gibsons, £900 Martins, etc. and sounds good too - very well balanced, subtle but can really punch above it's weight. I'm very pleased with it. Have you seen the reviews of the Tanglewood guitars on Harmony Central?
All the best
Riven650
 

quercusone

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Buying guitars off ebay would not be something I would do. There is too much variation in the sound of two guitars of even the same model. Find the "good" guitar shop near you. Every town has that one shop everyone respects. Go talk to the guys there and I'm sure they'll point you in the right direction.
 

transformer_99

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DC_DEEP said:
I have been looking for a specific model of guitar - Alvarez 5054. Are any of you familiar with it? The company no longer manufactures this model. I have done internet searches, trying to find a used one for sale, and I have found hundreds (maybe thousands) of other models, but not the 5054. The closest similar model I have seen is the RD20S12. Can anyone give me a comparison of the two?

When my brother was a senior in high school, he had self-taught on a very cheap old off-brand 6-string. My Mom and I decided to get him a better guitar, since he had progressed very well. We weren't rich, so we went shopping to find the best compromise between quality and price, and found the Alvarez 5054 on sale at a local music store. I strummed a couple of chords and fell in love. We bought it, and now, 31 years later and with a moderately large collection, he says it is still his favorite guitar and has even improved with age and regular use.

All the internet reviews of this instrument are rave reviews, so I guess that's why no one wants to sell them.

Thanks in advance for any feedback any of you can give.
This one perhaps as an alternate to the 1979 version:

http://www.iwantguitars.com/store/?product=9690

It appears the 8040 and 5054 are the same from a comparison of pictures:

http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/26U-1510.htm

Outside of possibly the antique aspect of having a 5054, I don't know that the 1979 would be anymore more or less preferable than the 1984 version ? I say this because the price suggests it, the 1979 is $ 250 and the other $ 695. That and the sentimental value you indicated.
 

DC_DEEP

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transformer_99 said:
This one perhaps as an alternate to the 1979 version:

http://www.iwantguitars.com/store/?product=9690

It appears the 8040 and 5054 are the same from a comparison of pictures:

http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/26U-1510.htm

Outside of possibly the antique aspect of having a 5054, I don't know that the 1979 would be anymore more or less preferable than the 1984 version ? I say this because the price suggests it, the 1979 is $ 250 and the other $ 695. That and the sentimental value you indicated.
Thanks, T. I have actually done more digging, and the Alvarez model 5021 is actually visually identical to the 5054. Both are stunningly beautiful dreadnoughts, with very detailed inlay rosette around the tonehole. I've not played a 5021, but the 5054 has the most amazing sound of any acoustic guitar I have ever heard, felt, or played. It has a low action, without buzzing, and very even tuning all the way up the neck.

I'm not sure about the quality of some of the later models, but one of the reasons the older Alvarez guitars are so prized is that even for their cheaper models, the craftsmanship was exceptional and consistent. Do a google search, and read some of the comments people post about their "prized guitars." Many that I read commented that their $400 Alvarez played and sounded better than their $3500 Martin or Ibanez guitars.

Quercus, I would not buy something like that on eBay unless the seller had a return policy. I have bought a few things on eBay, and have returned only one. If you go through PayPal, both PayPal and eBay will "protect" your purchase if the item is not as described. I'm fairly confident.

Everyone, thanks for all the input.