Alvarez Guitars continue to expand their acoustic guitar offering with the new Delta 00, inspired by vintage blues boxes from the early 1900s.
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This guitar is part of their new “genre specific” Jazz & Blues line of instruments, and as the name implies, it is meant to capture the vibe, look, and tone of acoustic guitars used by Delta Blues players of the past.
Instead of going for versatility, the new Alvarez Delta 00 is designed with a specific sound and look in mind, that of old blues boxes that were used by the pioneers of what we now call blues music. As expected, they followed traditional designs while interjecting modern reliability and playability improvements.
Alvarez Department Head and SVP of St. Lousi music Chris Meikle said, ““Guitars in the early 20th century had a tone and texture that defined the sound of early American Folk and Blues. We know blues is a huge part of any guitarist’s education and palate, and with the Blues 51 and Delta OO we’re recreating those classic tones with added response and projection.
The most notable vintage inspired features of this guitar include its smaller parlor style body, arched back design and back-shifted bracing. The top is crafted from solid Sitka spruce top, while the back and sides are from mahogany. This is a tried and tested combination well loved for its punch and clarity, and since its paired with a smaller body, there is the vintage vibe midrange emphasis and compression, but with more projection thanks to the back-shifted bracing.
The neck follows after the same old school theme, crafted from mahogany with a soft V profile and topped by a rosewood fingerboard. It has a slightly short scale length of 24.813 while the fingerboard spacing is similar to bigger bodied acoustic with its 1.75″ nut width. This wider string spacing is implement to make this guitar ideal for fingerstyle players. Interestingly, the company did not go for period correct 12-fret neck joint, rather, they went for the more modern 14-fret dovetail neck joint for a more familiar playing feel and easier access to the upper frets.
Rounding up the features of the Delta 00 is its traditional rosewood bridge and open gear tuners. My only gripe is the use of Alvarez’ square tapered headstock instead of going for a slotted headstock design. Other aesthetic features include ivory ABS bindings, and Abalone & Mother of Pearl and vintage style “Teardrop” sunburst finish.
The new Alvarez Delta 00 has an MSRP of $599 and has an expected street price of around $399, which is quite generous for its specs and looks, and it is expected to hit store racks by March. The Delta 00 is also available as an acoustic electric version, and it comes equipped with new LR Baggs VTC systems. For more information, you can head over to Alvarez Guitars.
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