Astor

> Alvarez MD60 or Alvarez MD80 acoustic guitars [..] are on blowout for $299 Holy cow! That deal seems too good to be true. I haven't played the specific models the original poster mentioned, but Alvarez and Takamine in general seem to make fine guitars for the money. As for my personal experience, I adore my Alvarez RF20SM. It's a "folk" (actually 000) body, with a solid mahogany top (and laminate sides) -- basically a Chinese version of the Martin 000-15. Alvarez doesn't list this model anymore, but the RF300 looks identical, and sells for under $300: http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/RF300.htm If you spot one in a store, definitely pull it down and check it out. Maybe I lucked out and found a gem, but this thing has pretty much replaced my Taylor 510 -- an embarrassing fact to admit. It even holds up well next to the Martin it copies. The 000-15 does have better tone, but it isn't a big difference, and I think I prefer the neck on the Alvarez. And then there is the price... Anyway, good luck with your decision, and definitely take your time deciding. Astor