AG660CE12 Artist Series Grand Auditorium 12-String Acoustic-Electric Guitar

The AG660CE-12 is a fine-looking Grand Auditorium displaying Alvarez’s renowned high-gloss, fine finish over a solid African mahogany top. The flawless semi-gloss back and sides allow the guitar to resonate and the same finish applied to the neck makes for a great feeling instrument that is smooth and easy to play. Tonally, the AG660CE-12 has the articulation only a Grand Auditorium can offer, which is transformed to shimmering wall of sound when strummed. 12-strings deliver that amazing upper frequency, almost chorus effect of chimes and this guitar delivers the classic 12-string sound perfectly.

It’s fitted with the discrete but lively SYS100 pickup and preamp which is located in the end pin and controlled by a smartly designed soundhole console offering volume and tone controls. Overall, the AD660CE-12 is a beautiful, articulate GA suitable for anyone looking for the chiming sound of a well-made 12-string.

Artist Series
After 50 years of making guitars, continual improvement through the use of emerging technologies, processes, and materials is still at the heart of our culture. Alvarez guitars are constructed correctly in every sense, from raw material preparation to construction and manufacturing processes. Tonewoods are carefully cured; components such as neck blocks and wood joints are carefully designed. The painting, sanding and polishing techniques uses are continually researched and developed, and this tone is impeccably crafted and married to a stable, consistent and lively sound box.

This caring approach to development comes from one simple goal: To deliver the best guitars in the market at every price point, instruments that are truly amazing value and offer a fantastic player experience. Alvarez believes their multi-award-winning Artist Series is one of the finest solid top guitar lines in the world today and demonstrates our commitment to design. The term “solid top” refers to the soundboard of an acoustic guitar being made of solid wood, rather than being laminated. However, just because the top is solid, it does not necessarily mean the sound automatically benefits from this feature. The tone of the instrument only improves significantly when the whole guitar is built correctly to optimize the energy a solid soundboard can generate. Artist Series is built to do exactly this.

Each model is designed to get the best out if its components, and for them to work together to produce balance, lively projection and great response. These components include our FST2 bracing system, bi-level rosewood bridge, real bone nut and saddle, great quality tonewoods and thin finish. FST2 is a forward shifted X brace design, this means the axis of the X is closer to the soundhole and therefore creates a larger soundboard area allowing for more energy and vibration to be harnessed. Both the X braces and asymmetric tone bars are carefully scalloped. The scalloping design was the result of years of continual development in their Yairi workshops. The Artist Series sound and personality is open and powerful. FST2 also creates very good balanc, so both the treble and bass registers are clearly present and balanced in relation to each other. Artist Series feel right and are exciting to play; no matter if you are strumming hard or picking lightly, the guitar will do what you ask of it.  

Along with a more angled headstock, Alvarez's bi-level bridge increases string tension by making the break angle of the strings from the saddle to the top more acute. Improved string tension adds to the guitar's sound, feel and response, which is also heightened by the use of real bone nuts and saddles.