Alvarez Laureate LT70e Sunset (new)

‘Laureate’ is the name of the new high-quality range from Alvarez Guitars.

Alvarez combines the decades of experience of the Japanese Yairi workshop with continuous development work down to the finest detail, from wood drying to the application of a thin coat of varnish. The aim: durable guitars that inspire players and offer excellent value for money.

The new Alvarez Laureate LT Series selected by us is a fresh, highly appealing, and excellently sounding interpretation of the 000 shape. The LT70e combines the traditional 12-fret design with a standard we highly appreciate in Alvarez: offering high-quality materials and careful guitar construction at a fair price. The medium-sized body and full 648 mm scale length make it an interesting alternative to the frequently short-scale 12-fret models.

Materials and Construction

For the top, Alvarez uses AAA-grade solid Sitka spruce, and for the back and sides, solid rosewood. The care extends to the interior: For the Laureate series, the wood for the bridge, braces, and side reinforcements is also carefully selected. The forward-set FS6 bracing, made of quartersawn Sitka spruce, is hand-fitted to optimally tune the responsiveness and vibrational behavior. 

The LT70e combines AAA Sitka spruce with rosewood for the back and sides. The LT60e, on the other hand, combines AAA Sitka spruce with mahogany; in the LT66e, the top, back, and sides are made of mahogany. Within the shared 000-12-fret design, the LT70e thus tends to offer a richer overtone profile with a more pronounced bass foundation and longer sustain. The LT60e is more interesting for a focused fundamental tone and a more direct character, while the LT66e is for warm, present mids and a drier tone. This classification serves as a guide: how the differences manifest in the individual instrument also depends on construction, strings, and playing style.

Visually, the LT70e also fits in with its historical predecessors: The beautiful Sunset Sunburst finish gives the top a special accent and underscores the vintage character of the 000-12-fret design. Ivoroid binding, abalone inlays, and open tuners complement the classic appearance.

The fretboard, bridge, bridge pins, and headstock overlay are made of ebony, while the nut and bridge insert are made of bone. Instead of the bi-level bridge otherwise typical for Alvarez, a traditional, single-level construction is used here. In terms of value for money, we consider the overall package: full solid construction, hand-crafted bracing, ebony, and the already installed, very good LR Baggs HiFi pickup system. The matching AFC30 hard case is also included. Alvarez is investing in quality here and delivers a specification where everything has already been considered for both acoustic and amplified playing.

With a nut width of 44.45 mm, the LT70e offers room for clean fretting and fingerstyle playing. Anyone looking for a 000 with a 12-fret neck joint, Sitka spruce top, and rosewood back and sides, who also prefers a full scale length, will find a distinctive combination of traditional shape and modern specification here.

Specifications

Model: Alvarez Laureate LT70e Sunset
Shape: 000-12
Neck-body joint: 12th fret
Top: Solid Sitka spruce, AAA
Back & sides: Solid rosewood
Neck: African mahogany
Headstock overlay: Ebony
Fretboard: Ebony
Bridge: Ebony, single-level
Bridge pins: Ebony
Bracing: FS6, hand-sanded
Inlays: Premium abalone
Binding: Ivoroid
Nut & bridge insert: Bone
Tuners: Premium open gear, open
Top finish: Sunset Sunburst, high gloss
Back & sides finish: Natural, high gloss
Pickup: LR Baggs HiFi
Strings: D’Addario XSAPB1253
Number of frets: 20
Overall length: 1,012 mm
Body width: 380 mm
Body depth at neck joint: 100 mm
Body depth at body end: 120 mm
Scale length: 648 mm / 25½″
Nut width: 44.45 mm / 1¾″
Case/Hard case: AFC30
Made in China