Alvarez Review: RD10

History:

Purchase: I got it as a Christmas present from my parents. It was my first guitar, and they didn't realize at the time that by getting it for me, they were starting me down a path which would ultimately end in my playing grunge rock on a cheap stratoclone at two in the morning. In 20/20 hindsight, they'd probably have given me a flute. I think they paid around $200.

What I Like About This Alvarez RD10: Pretty much everything. The guitar has a really nice, bright sound, and reasonably good sustain. The tuners are fantastic, as I can play for a few hours running without any trouble.

What I Do NOT Like About The Alvarez RD10: The finish could be better, I think, but that's really the absolute last thing on my mind while I'm playing. The pack-in LCD tuner was a joke, but that's nit-picking. I just really hate that tuner.

Alvarez RD10 Quality Rating: Very good. It held up very nicely under a totally new guitarist who didn't know how to take care of it. Any knicks it's sustained were entirely my fault, and I did a lot of stupid stuff I expected to really hurt the guitar, but it didn't even suffer a mark. A word of caution from a stupid punk rock kid who tried to cheap out; The guitar comes with a set of very nice strings, and tossing some cheap bulk strings on later will really hurt the sound quality of this (or any) guitar. Spend a few bucks more; it'll be worth it in the short and long runs.

Review Summary: I really like this guitar. It's been reliable for everything from acoustic rock to bluegrass and country. I really reccomend it to any new guitarist, or a more experienced player who's looking for something they can count on for a reasonable price. I'd probably trust it for recording, even. Now about that LCD tuner...

Rating of this Alvarez product: 5

This Alvarez RD10 Acoustic Guitars Review Submitted By: Alex Steven Dixon

Review Date: 2001-07-31