Guitars

The six strings of a guitar encompass four octaves - more than half the range of a grand piano. They can all be played at once, giving the "little orchestra" its characteristic luxuriance of harmony. A guitar combines deep resonance and a pure singing tone-not bad for an instrument that's three feet long and weighs under four pounds.

When I take a new guitar out of the case, I start inspecting at the neck and work my way down t hrough the body and end up at the bridge and end pin. The neck's alignment and stability are critical.

Alvarez necks are all solid Nato mahogany-dense and stable for a long warp-free life. They're cut on a bias to reverse the woodgrain and prevent twisting. The neck must be rigidly attached to the body; I look for a good solid heel on the neck where it joins the body. It should be dovetailed into a block inside the guitar body, rather than bolted. All Alvarez guitars are dovetailed.