Product Description

Alvarez Acoustic Guitar RD20SC Cutaway Dreadnought Top Solid Spruce Back & Side Mahogany

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8564 in Musical Instruments
• Brand: Alvarez
• Model: RD20SC
• Released on: 2009-01-22
• Number of items: 1

Features

• 20-fret neck with rosewood fingerboard and dot inlays
• Alvarez System 200T onboard preamp/EQ with built-in digital tuner
• Chrome die-cast tuners for smooth, fast and accurate tuning
• Highly polished, perfectly dressed frets for maximum playability
• Six-string acoustic with Sitka Spruce Top and Mahogany back/sides

From the Manufacturer
Manufacturer's Review (April17, 2009)

The cutaway RD20SC features mahogany back and sides, a solid Sitka Spruce top, and rosewood fingerboard. With its rich tone and System 200T electronics, it's a great value for beginners or seasoned players alike.

A great value for beginners or seasoned players alike. Click to enlarge.

The Alvarez Regent Series
Who says a beginner's guitar has to sound or play like a beginner's guitar? And who says a good guitar has to cost an arm and a leg? Alvarez's Regent Series puts high quality instruments into the hands of aspiring students and performers, motivating them to become great guitarists. The Regent Series contains a wide variety of styles, sizes and finishes, putting Alvarez's legendary quality well within the reach of any budget.

A rosewood bridge ensures maximum transfer of string energy to the Solid Sitka Spruce top for superior tone. Click to enlarge.

Alvarez's System 200T Preamp/EQ gives you great amplified sound to match your acoustic tone. Click to enlarge.

Die-cast tuners provide smooth, fast, and accurate tuning. Click to enlarge.

Dreadnought Style
Dreadnought is the most common size and, arguably, the most versatile of the entire guitar family. The name "dreadnought" comes from the old British battleships, which sailors called "dread-nots." Typically featuring larger bodies, dreadnoughts project well, have exceptional bass response, and are ideal for general accompaniment and flat-picking. Even unamplified, a dreadnought will generally be loud enough for a small- to medium-sized audience.

Sitka Spruce Top and Mahogany Back/Sides
Tonewood selection is extremely important, so Alvarez uses Solid Sitka Spruce for the top and Mahogany for the back and sides. Sitka Spruce is an industry standard for guitar tops, since it's both tough and resonant. It adds focus and clarity to the tone provided by the instrument's body wood--in this case, Mahogany. Mahogany bodies generally provide a rich, warm tone with emphasis on the lows and high end.

The Acrylic Pearl Soundhole Rosette adds a beautiful finishing touch.

Rosewood Bridge and Fingerboard
The RD20SC's rosewood bridge ensures maximum transfer of string energy to the Solid Sitka Spruce top for superior tone.

The Rosewood Fingerboard features highly polished, perfectly dressed frets ensures maximum playability, even in the highest positions.

Quality Tuners
The RD20SC features chrome die-cast tuners for smooth, fast, and accurate tuning. Stay in tune no matter how hard you're playing.

Deep Cutaway
The deep Venetian cutaway gives you access to even the highest position frets.

Onboard Preamp/EQ
The Alvarez System 200T Preamp/EQ offers the same natural acoustic sound reproduction as Alvarez's well-known System 600T in a simpler Volume/Treble/Bass format. The System 200T includes its own digital tuner on-the-spot tuning reliability, and is powered by a 9V battery. Plug in and enjoy a tone that's as good amplified as it is acoustic.

What's in the Box
Alvarez RD20SC Cutaway Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

Customer Reviews

Great midrange guitar!
The Alvarez RD20SC Acoustic Electric Guitar was a great purchase for me. I've been playing guitar off and on for a couple of years now (mostly electric), but I've been dying to get a nice acoustic for a good price.

The RD20SC had a couple of things that immediately attracted me to it. First of all, this guitar has solid wood everywhere. Spruce on top, mahogany on the bottom and sides. The guitar has a great amount of sustain to it when you play notes, and as the spruce wears in it'll sound even better. As well, the guitar was delivered with D'Addario strings, which are pretty solid and have a full tone to them. The action (the level of the strings from the fretboard) isn't too high, so I don't have a problem playing- but it's definitely a little more work than an electric.

A couple of things worth mentioning- the electric component on the side is the basic level system 200T, which includes the tuner and three controls for sound, treble, and bass. If you plan on extensively using this with an acoustic amp, I'd suggest you look at the AD60SC, which has the 600T Mk II system in it with more control options. For me, this guitar fringes on personal and semi-professional use, so I don't really need any fancy controls right now. As well, the bridge pins are plastic, but they're also a cheap and easy replacement.

Overall Points:
-This guitar is made out of some quality material, so expect a pretty full tone with decent sustain on it.

-In my opinion, this is a great mid-range acoustic electric. (mid-range being $400-800) It's definitely a step up from the cheap 200 dollar guitars with laminated bottoms.

-It has a gorgeous finish on it, and doesn't leave hand marks (but make sure to wipe it when you're done!)

-Alvarez makes quality guitars for a good price. Amazon offers this guitar at $200 currently, where other guitar stores who have it on "sale" list it for 390. Check Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, or your local music store.

-My only gripes- guitar didn't come with a pick, and they put the wrong electronic pre-amp manual in my box.

-If you're worried about ordering a guitar online, play it at a local store first to get a good feel for it. My guitar was wrapped well and didn't have a scratch on it when I got it from amazon.com.

For my needs, I definitely give this guitar 5 stars. Price, sound, and quality of materials definitely sealed the deal for me on this one.

OLD FART'S GOT AN AXE - WATCH OUT!
Only Amazon would ship a set of pliers in a huge box with lots of packing paper and then send me a $300 guitar in a cheesy box that wouldn't survive a bus trip across town. The guitar is beautiful and it sounds really great but it got damaged in shipping and I have ro return it. I hope they'll replace it and not make me take a refund. It was a Lightning deal for $129 and I really, REALLY want it.

Excellent value for dollar
I have played recreationally for many years, and when I decided to buy myself another guitar, a musician friend told me of his admiration for the Alvarez and Yairi brands. When I saw the opportunity to get this gently used Alvarez RD20 (at a very good price), I jumped. What a treat!

The instrument is very good looking and well-built, with a warm sound in the lower registers. The action is outstanding - compared to the finger-buster I have been playing for ten years. No buzz or rattle. I love the onboard digital tuner, and found it so easy and intuitive to use ... you don't need instructions (just acute eyesight). The tuning machines are very responsive and the guitar holds tuning very well. I also like the neck location of the strap button (my preference for standing to play).

One note: I would always - ALWAYS - want to play a guitar before I bought it, no matter the brand. I will buy many items from Amazon or Ebay online, but when it comes to guitars, the feel and the sound are too important to leave to chance.