SeriesYamaha Silent

I believe this guitar was made in Taiwan (as are most Yamaha products). If not then it was built in Japan. This is the nylon string version of the Yamaha Silent Guitar. It has a 50mm Nut and is built a little more ergonomic than it's cousin SLG100NW(neck wide - meaning the classical 52mm). The guitar does feel like a real guitar even though there is no reall body to it. The fretboard is rosewood and is a real neck. The pickup is I believe a BBand and sounds very punchy and natural (even though also very direct). There is the option to add reverb for playing and it is quite useable. If you are planning on playing with the batterie though then turn this off as it sucks the battery dry in no time! UTILIZATION The neck feels very nice and playable. Also the intonation is very good and the instrument seems to be of high quality. This instrument was developed for practicing and quiet playing but it can be seen on stage as well (I think Queen is currently using it...) It is really very straight forward. You can adjust his and lows, volume and the level of an external signal (aux) if you want to play along with a recording. SOUNDS With the right acoustic amp this guitar can definitely deliver. It has one sound and that is not really a disadvantage. I found adjusting the hi and low frequencies to not be too efficient...probably better on an amp. Again - if you play with a power supply then use the reverb. If not just be aware that the battery dies A LOT sooner! OVERALL OPINION I bought this guitar about a couple of years ago. For the right person this is a great instrument as you can just take it apart and easily bring it with you (be it on a plane, train, etc.)- this being the reason of my purchase. I do need a resonating top however and have never really warmed up to it...so I am currently selling it on Ebay :-) But that is just me and I would recommend anyone looking for a guitar you can play with your headphones or is small and lightweight to check out the Silent Guitars. The guitar sounds nice, stays in tune and has a very good intonation. So it is not cheap but definately worth the price.

I bought the Trumpet Silent Brass system in 2003-4. This may not be the same model as the SB7X. The Silent Brass system provides a mute on the projecting qualities of the trumpet. As a practice tool, the Silent Brass is nifty for late practice sessions, apartment dwellers, and last minute hotel preparation. I only have used my Silent Brass system a few times. The amplifier/headphone setup is pretty cool if you're into that. I used it during late hour practice at our condo, usually just for chop exercises. The model I owned was somewhat "dense" and despite claiming a natural feel, often still felt like the backpressure of a mute. I give the Silent Brass system 3/5 for personal experience. It's useful if you have the need, not extremely so without. If the SB7X has done away with the tight airflow problem, it earns an automatic 4th star for ingenuity.