Alvarez AEG99CESPBARSHB Artist Elite Grand Auditorium 99CE Acoustic Electric Guitar - Shadowburst

The AEG99ce is a beautifully developed Grand Auditorium with its AA North Western Red Cedar top, Figured Acacia body and slim Flamed Maple bevel.

The FS6 forward shifted bracing pattern allows for a larger soundboard area to heighten vibration, which is aided by a high-quality solid wood top and premium components throughout, all working together to deliver an engaging playing experience.

This cutaway model allows for easy access up the neck and is fitted with the LR Baggs StagePro Bronze. The StagePro Bronze is a small-footprint side-mounted EQ incorporating the renowned LR Baggs Element under-saddle pickup. This is a low-profile unit with a large backlit tuner, volume, bass and treble controls and phase. The battery box is built into the end pin jack compartment for easy access with a simple push to open and change batteries.

About Artist Elite Series
Alvarez Artist Elite is our series of solid-top guitars with a custom style vibe made with premium materials and appointments. Exotic woods, bevel armrests and wood bindings give the series a rich aesthetic, enhanced by a flawless gloss finish, radiant and thinly applied, to increase response.

Artist Elite features tonewoods such as African Mahogany, Macassar Ebony, East Indian Rosewood, Acacia and Flamed Maple, framed in Ebony, Rosewood or Maple binding. We craft a slim armrest on our Grand Auditoriums with a slightly thicker bevel on the Dreadnought for more comfortable playing experience. All Elites are cutaway, acoustic-electric models, fitted with the LR Baggs StagePro Bronze.

The StagePro Bronze is a small-footprint side-mounted EQ incorporating the renowned LR Baggs Element under-saddle pickup. This is a low-profile unit with a large backlit tuner, volume, bass and treble controls and phase. The battery box is built into the end pin jack compartment for easy access with a simple push to open and change batteries.

Our Approach to the Build
All of our solid tops are selected by our team and graded independently of our suppliers. If it isn’t worthy, it isn’t used. Our laminated backs and sides are uniquely constructed with Mahogany as our middle layer, and our inner and outer layers are always matched. 

Artist Elite guitars strike the right balance between strength and vibration, crafting a voice to both inspire and give players “tools in the tone.” Alongside this approach to development lies our respect for sourcing, preparation and nurturing the wood we use to make our guitars. No matter how considered design may be, it can only be as good as the wood we use to realize them. 

Our all-solid wood tops, backs and sides, as well as the mahogany used for our necks, go through a curing process developed over years to create stability, strength and tonal benefits. Depending on the wood and its use, this process takes many months or even years for some of our models.

After months-long seasoning, we perform an extra drying stage in thermo-kilns to further enhance wood stability and improve resonance. We call this process ATR—Advanced Tonal Response. ATR™ is a form of torrefaction—oxygen controlled, vacuum curing at special temperatures to remove more moisture and volatiles such as saps and sugars from the wood. 

This does two things:
ATR™ makes our wood more stable when exposed to adverse dry or humid climates. While we can’t stop the effects of dryness or moisture saturation that can damage guitars, ATR™ goes a long way in helping our guitars become more resilient. Guitars will move or change according to the environment they are in and are more likely to move within the first two years from their production. A guitar usually becomes drier as it ages; this is one of the reasons why players often like the sound of an older guitar. ATR™ advances the natural, post-build drying process so the wood behaves as if it were more mature, stable, and resonant from the first day it is used.

The effects of ATR™ are also audible in the instrument. The biggest difference is the clarity and separation between notes and the overall response of the guitar. As the top is drier, it’s also quicker, more resonant, more open, even louder. New guitars can sometimes take time to reach this state as the wood dries over the years. ATR accelerates this effect to deliver a more sophisticated and complex voicing from day one.

Our caring approach to development comes from one unwavering goal: To deliver the best guitars in the market at every price point—instruments of a truly remarkable value that offer an unparalleled player experience.

Features:
Top Wood - Solid AA Western Red Cedar
Back and Sides Wood - Figured Acacia
Top Color - Shadowburst/Gloss
Back & Sides Color - Shadowburst/Gloss
Armrest - Slim Flamed Maple Bevel
Headstock Facia - East Indian Rosewood
Bridge Pins - PPS Synthetic Bone
Shape - Grand Auditorium
Neck - African Mahogany
Pick Up/EQ - LR Baggs StagePro Bronze
Bracing - FS6
Bridge - Bi-Level Indian Rosewood
Inlays - MOP & Arylic
Fingerboard - East Indian Rosewood
Nut and Saddle - Bone
Tuner - Chrome Closed Gears
Bridge Pins - PPS Synthetic Bone
Strings - D'Addario XTAPB1255
Neck Meets Body - 14th
Number of Frets - 21