1970s Alvarez 5055 Jumbo Guitar

I've worked on so many of these guitars. They're a perfect match for heavy-handed strummers and backup players mostly belting-out chords. I mean -- they are J-200 clones -- why would you expect them to be a fingerpicker's dream guitar? Though -- to be fair -- these do sound pretty dang good with bare fingers!

Like all the rest of these, this one's all-ply throughout the body -- ply spruce over ply flamed maple. This is not a bad thing. Just like in the world of nicer '60s and '70s ply-body Yamahas, these (also Japanese-made) Alvarez models (sometimes these are found under the Aria and Ibanez brands, too) sound big and full and are extremely durable. Because of the bling, a guitar like this looks great on stage, but because of the comfy neck and practical features (adjustable-height saddle, 3-piece maple neck, good truss rod, freedom from weather-induced headaches) they make superb gigging guitars if you like long scale and big bodies.

Work was light on this one -- I leveled/dressed the frets, reglued the bridge, compensated the saddle a bit, and set it up. It plays fast and easy and is nice and stable. All it needs is a pickup for its future of all-day stage work, no? Currently it's wearing 54w-12 gauges.

The prices on these guitars continue to climb, climb, climb -- and I get why.

Repairs included: fret level/dress, bridge reglue, setup.

Top wood: ply spruce

Back & sides wood: ply flamed maple

Bracing type: x

Bridge: rosewood w/adjustable saddle

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: 3-piece maple

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

Neck shape: medium C/D

Board radius: ~10-12"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 25 5/8"

Nut width: 1 11/16"

Body width: 17 1/8"

Body depth: 4 3/4"

Weight: 4 lbs 12 oz

Condition notes: it's quite clean for its age. The only thing replaced on it are the two pearl dots on the bridge (covering reinforcement bolts). The finish is in good shape and overall it only shows mild wear throughout the body. There are some very minor scuffs and dings but overall it looks great -- like a few-years-old instrument rather than a '70s one.

It comes with: a non-original hard case.