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phraseland
Published on 12/05/08 at 06:46
These guitars are made in Taiwan (like the other APX Models) - Yamaha is being politically correct and mentions it as a part of China.
Anyway - I don't own this guitar but have sold it many times and think it really bridges the gap for electric guitar players looking for a nylon sound without having to adjust to a completely different neck.
The APX-10NA has a laminated rosewood body, massive cedar top, a neck made of mahagony and a fretboard out of rosewood. The headstock is open (like other nylon string guitars) and allows for quite precise tuning.
Built in are a BBand Pickup and an adjustable microphone inside the body. The guitar comes with a feedback buster which is direly needed when intending to use the mic. Don't lose it and when you buy the guitar ask the sales clerk about it as often this gets forgotten. The APX all have an oval soundhole and you can't just go to the store and buy another one.
Constrution is of high quality as can be expected in this price range.
UTILIZATION
The guitar is APX shaped - this means it's quite small and comfortable to play. It is definately made for use on stage. Once you plug it in you will get a direct and clean sound right away. Be careful when you dial in the microphone as they very quickly make the sound very muddy. As with similar systems the mic should be opened about 20-30% - anything else just doesn't really sound good anymore.
The neck is probably the most distinguishing part of this instrument as it is as slim as on a steel string guitar. This might be terrible for nylon guitar players but for everybody else this is a true blessing. Yes you can't bend nylon strings like steel strings but besides that it is very easy to pick this instrument up and get playing.
SOUNDS
Most people I have sold this instrument to were looking for a nylon sound within a Jazz, Fusion or Singer/Songwriter context. And that is what this guitar is built for. Acoustically played it is not really a revelation. It is quite balanced but has no real bass and no real nuances. Acoustic guitar players should look for an instrument with a fully massive construction if they want added bass or overtones. I am sure this is also the reason why Yamaha didn't built this guitar fully massive.
Plugged in you get a very nice sound. It sounds a little artificial but once you find yourself in an ensemble that becomes a lot less apparent. What does become apparent is that you are still able to cut through the mix quite a bit. A lot of times BBands are too soft and warm sounding to be able to do this - but this guitar was specifically built for amplification.
OVERALL OPINION
I really like the fact that you can buy this model pretty much out of the box an will usually always get the same good quality. This thing is mass produced but it is built very well and with a very good design.
Again: Classical guitar players should try out something else. I also think it would have been nice to make the guitar sound a little better acoustically but I am pretty sure Yamaha had its reasons for that. The rosewood body looks nice but since it is laminated maybe a mahagony body would have been just as good.
I can definately recommend this instrument as it is the only one I know with this type of neck (very slinky and fast!).
Anyway - I don't own this guitar but have sold it many times and think it really bridges the gap for electric guitar players looking for a nylon sound without having to adjust to a completely different neck.
The APX-10NA has a laminated rosewood body, massive cedar top, a neck made of mahagony and a fretboard out of rosewood. The headstock is open (like other nylon string guitars) and allows for quite precise tuning.
Built in are a BBand Pickup and an adjustable microphone inside the body. The guitar comes with a feedback buster which is direly needed when intending to use the mic. Don't lose it and when you buy the guitar ask the sales clerk about it as often this gets forgotten. The APX all have an oval soundhole and you can't just go to the store and buy another one.
Constrution is of high quality as can be expected in this price range.
UTILIZATION
The guitar is APX shaped - this means it's quite small and comfortable to play. It is definately made for use on stage. Once you plug it in you will get a direct and clean sound right away. Be careful when you dial in the microphone as they very quickly make the sound very muddy. As with similar systems the mic should be opened about 20-30% - anything else just doesn't really sound good anymore.
The neck is probably the most distinguishing part of this instrument as it is as slim as on a steel string guitar. This might be terrible for nylon guitar players but for everybody else this is a true blessing. Yes you can't bend nylon strings like steel strings but besides that it is very easy to pick this instrument up and get playing.
SOUNDS
Most people I have sold this instrument to were looking for a nylon sound within a Jazz, Fusion or Singer/Songwriter context. And that is what this guitar is built for. Acoustically played it is not really a revelation. It is quite balanced but has no real bass and no real nuances. Acoustic guitar players should look for an instrument with a fully massive construction if they want added bass or overtones. I am sure this is also the reason why Yamaha didn't built this guitar fully massive.
Plugged in you get a very nice sound. It sounds a little artificial but once you find yourself in an ensemble that becomes a lot less apparent. What does become apparent is that you are still able to cut through the mix quite a bit. A lot of times BBands are too soft and warm sounding to be able to do this - but this guitar was specifically built for amplification.
OVERALL OPINION
I really like the fact that you can buy this model pretty much out of the box an will usually always get the same good quality. This thing is mass produced but it is built very well and with a very good design.
Again: Classical guitar players should try out something else. I also think it would have been nice to make the guitar sound a little better acoustically but I am pretty sure Yamaha had its reasons for that. The rosewood body looks nice but since it is laminated maybe a mahagony body would have been just as good.
I can definately recommend this instrument as it is the only one I know with this type of neck (very slinky and fast!).