The AGE95CESHB is a beautifully developed Grand Auditorium with a rare and inspired pairing of tonewoods. Its AA North Western Red Cedar top and Macassar Ebony body give this guitar a warm and open voicing with darker trebles and clear bass. Aesthetically the guitar is stunning with a lighter shade of our standard Shadowburst carefully crafted to let the grain of the wood stay visible right to the edge, where it is met with Ebony binding. This is a standout guitar with a character true to its sound. The AGE95CESHB is fitted with the fantastic LR Baggs StagePro EQ and Element Pickup. In conceptualizing Artist Elite, our goal was to produce a collection of guitars beyond comparison. This incredible line of guitars is the culmination of years of R&D that allow us to develop custom style instruments from amazing tonewoods with a truly radiant vibe. Artist Elite guitars look amazing, sound rich and offer a level of fit and finish rarely attainable at such price points. Master Luthiers around the world have been crafting bevel-edged armrest guitars for many years. The feature makes the guitar more comfortable to play while adding a finesse to the instrument, allowing the maker to engage their skill and craftsmanship. After 55 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. Our tonewoods are carefully cured; our components such as neck blocks and wood joints are carefully designed. The painting, sanding and polishing techniques we use are continually researched and developed, and our tone is impeccably crafted and married to a stable, consistent and lively soundbox. The term “solid top” refers to the guitar’s soundboard being made of solid wood rather than laminates. However, even when the guitar top is made of solid wood, 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 of its components, and for them to work together to produce balance, lively projection and great response. These components include our FS6 bracing design, which allows the soundbox to sing and brings uniformity across Dreadnought, Grand Auditorium, OM and Parlor body sizes. This means the voicing has a similar character, but the individual tone is more purely influenced by the size and shape of the guitar. Our bi-level bridge is designed to heighten string tension and improve sustain and response. Real bone nut and saddle, premium tonewoods, and our crafted attenuated finish all further the quality of construction and positively impact the performance of the instrument. The personality and voicing of Artist Series is open, dynamic and instantly responsive. 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.