SeriesYamaha APX

(Originally written by biecoul/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Made in China, conceived by Yamaha Japan. Mini jumbo slim body. Preamp with 3-band EQ. Glossy finish (I clearly prefer the LAG matte finish). Plastic bindings and rosette! Generally speaking, I prefer the LAG natural finish. UTILIZATION I chose this guitar because it is very comfortable to play! I usually play electric guitar but I wanted an electro-acoustic one. I bought a Jumbo (LAG Autumn 300) for its warm sound but I quickly realized that it wasn't that comfortable to play. I'm quite big and I'm used to playing a Stratocaster, so I feel much more comfortable with a slim acoustic guitar! I tested several models and I found the Yamaha APX is the best for me. The action is low, the strings are neither too soft nor too hard, the slim neck reminds me of my Strat... It's great! SOUNDS The acoustic tone matches all my expectations: it's not a big sound but a well-balanced sound to play chords at home without disturbing my neighbors! The amplified sound is simply amazing! For electric guitarists who aren't looking for the Paco De Lucia sound, this guitar is perfect. Oasis, Chapman, Floyd, etc. Perfect! With a modeling amp like a VOX DA, everything sounds well, warm and full. OVERALL OPINION If you have a weakness for that warm, big and powerful MARTIN sound, choose a Yamaha APX! The APX 500 is for small budgets, the 700 is for people who just sold a couple of guitars, and the 900 for people who want the same guitar as AYO or Tryo (Gizmo). It's a guitar you'll take with you everywhere. It's perfect to practice or to accompany a singer. Very good value for money. Just try it out!

General Specifications: APX Soundhole: Oval APX Body Depth: Thin 80-90mm (3 1/8” - 3 9/16”) Non-scalloped X bracing Solid Spruce Top Nato (Eastern Mahogany) Neck, Back & Sides Rosewood Fingerboard & Bridge Die-Cast Chrome Tuners 12 strings! ART (Acoustic Resonance Transducer) pickup system UTILIZATION This is a fun guitar to play! The body has a narrower depth to it, and the neck is very thin, which helps the playability factor a lot. The finish is ultra-smooth - this glossy black looks like a mirror in the light! The onboard tuner is easy to use, and a very handy feature to have, especially when trying to get a 12 string guitar in tune in a loud, noisy club. Also, the ART pickup system does a good job of amplifying the signal. Yamaha put a lot of effort into making sure this is a good guitar, and it shows. SOUNDS The shallower body depth generally hinders bass frequencies, but on this 12 string, the oval soundhole helps to enhance the low end, while the upper string of each course of the 12 greatly increases the "shimmer" factor. The natural chorusing of this guitar is strong, and it really shines through with a thinner pick. Plugged in, the axe sounds a tad on the "honky" side - the upper midrange is boosted a bit overall. But that can be controlled at the mixing console or on an acoustic amp, so I'm not concerned. OVERALL OPINION I have been a fan of Yamaha's guitar craftsmanship for quite awhile, and this guitar is no exception. They have put a lot of thought into the feature package of this instrument, and the attention to detail shows. It is a nice sounding, great playing guitar, and the finish is an added bonus. For anyone looking at a quality 12 with some bang for the buck, this axe is recommended.

I got this off of e bay for $265 I bought this site unseen because of the Yamaha name and some reviews I'd read. Generally, Yamaha means quality. The action is a little high for me but can definitely be tweaked to your liking. The fit and finish is excellent. Frets have no sharp edges and the fret finish is mirror like. I'm assuming this is a factory fret job. The tone acousticaly is really even all the way up the neck. The neck radius is very comfortable almost to the electic guitar feel. It plays fast and is quite loud for a thin body acoustic/elecric. I haven't plugged it in but am assuming it will carry the same sonic traits as it does acousticaly. The tuners are smooth and are about an 18/1 ratio(Can't say for sure as I didn't count) The low "E" buzzes a little but with new strings and a little bit of setup this would be easily fixed. The guitar seems solid and the fit of neck to body/fret board to neck is smooth. I would recomend this guitar to anyone. Pro or amateur looing for a decent sounding quitar. The only factory acoustic/electric that compares to this one is a $1000 Ovation that I tried out about 8 months ago. This includes some Sigmas, Gibsons, Fenders and other Ovations........For the record I am 39 years old and have been playing guitar since I was forced by my mama when I was 6.....as a full time gig for the last 12 years.... This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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!).