[cyclistbrian]

Originally Posted by mesquivel

I had the opportunity to play the Dreadnought and OM Laureate series at my local guitar store. They both sounded good. Not exceptional sounding but good. Definitely would be a good value for a gigging musician. My two biggest complaints on both models is the finish is too thick and really does dampen the volume and tone. The second complaint is that the set up is low at the nut and buzzes on open strings. I also noticed fret leveling was not up to par either, which is something I have consistently noticed on Alvarez guitars that are not Yairi. To me there is nothing ground breaking in this series to my ears. Again they are solid guitars and with the HIFI pickup in them, they present a great value for a gigging musician.

I will add that I like Alvarez and have no animosity toward their products, this is just my honest opinion after spending some time with both models available. I do think that I would still choose an Eastman in the same price range as I believe their guitars have more character to their voice and actually sound unique and will probably inspire the player to dig in more and pull something great out the guitar. The Alvarez, to me, sounds like any other guitar you hear with not as much character as a comparable Eastman.

Just my opinion and I realize I only had two different examples to play. I am almost positive there would be an exception to my opinion somewhere.

About what I figured; a decent option in a crowded market. Nothing that makes me scream "shut up and take my money!"