1970s Alpha A690 (Holland) Dreadnought Guitar

Family lore out there on the net says that these Alpha instruments were produced on the same line in Holland that made the same-period Vega-branded import guitars for Martin. Alpha, apparently, was the same series but branded for Europe. In any case, this unassuming guitar is actually quite nice. It sports an x-braced, solid spruce top (with some great bearclaw figure) over ply (I'm guessing) Indian rosewood back and sides.

Its dimensions, scale, and handling are all straight out of the same-period Martin D-28 mold and, sonically, it's in that sound-space but leaning more towards the Alvarez-Yairi or Martin Shenandoah or higher-end Martin Sigma vibes. It doesn't have that "stone dropped in water" D-28 sound but it does have a respectable, dreadnought voice for sure.

A friend of mine sent this in for consignment and I spruced it up to get it playing again. It's definitely a well-played, friendly guitar, but it does play bang-on and handles nicely.

Repairs included: fret level/dress, cleaning, setup.

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: ply (I believe) rosewood

Bracing type: x

Bridge: rosewood, stained

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 54w-12 lights

Neck shape: slim-med C

Board radius: ~14"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 25 3/8"

Nut width: 1 11/16

Body width: 15 3/8"

Body depth: 4 7/8"

Weight: 4 lbs 7 oz

Condition notes: it has pickwear and lighty usewear here and there throughout with scuffs and scratches more present on the back. The top center seam has a tiny separation just below the bridge that was filled/sealed some time back and is not a worry as it's bordered by the bridge plate and bracing. There's a bit of wear to the fretboard itself. The finish also has minor weather-check cracks here and there, too. The saddle is low (1/16" off the deck) but the guitar has been stable in service and it's string-ramped behind the saddle so back-angle on the saddle is good. There are two teensy-tiny hairline cracks along the finish where the lower (E and E) tuners mount with a screw in the back of the headstock. They're good to go and nothing to worry about.