L-Series Transacoustic Guitar with Hard Gig Bag- Dreadnought, Brown Sunburst

I have several acoustics, a 20yr old Takamine cedar top which has aged up, a brand new Ibanez acoustic artwood, and now this Yamaha. The way that wood ages does change the sound and it's hard to describe and not that easy to notice without an a and b comparison, but the first notes I played on the Yamaha, I was struck by how clear they rang out. The torrefaction aging they are doing to the wood isn't snake oil, and it has an easy to hear change on the tone. The upper mid range of the guitar for instance is louder, and there seem to be more overtones. If you could imagine starting with a soft, wet wood, how it would tend to muffle the treble freqencies because it's not very stiff, and then imagine you somehow made that wood as stiff as carbon fiber, and then played it, how much brighter it would sound, it's something like that. The notes sound very clear, and project very well. It actually 'sounds good'. Like play an A chord and someone can tell it's an expensive guitar just from that. It just has that sound. The electronics are also great. I wish it had a built in tuner like my Ibanez but the magic wizardry that is the built in chorus and reverb is pretty incredible. It takes 2 AA batteries from down by the TRS jack, and I haven't had to change them yet after about 20 hours of playing. The chorus especially gives you a 12string sound on a 6 string. The plugged in sound is better than my Ibanez, but still sounds like a piezo. It's okay for using an amp but if you're recording guitar, you're still better off using a microphone pointed at the 12th fret. Now the action......is great. It's the easiest acoustic action I've ever used. It's not as easy to play as an electric, but you won't struggle with it even if you don't play acoustic. It's nothing like my Takamine which is a finger destroyer. The neck also has that knurling down both sides to kind of protect your hand from fret sprouting and such so that even wrapping your thumb around the neck you have nothing grinding on your hand on either side moving up and down the neck. Very smooth, and a matt neck finish so it's not grabby. The tuners are very fast, which is usually a sign of quality. It takes very little movement to tune up or down and once the strings stretch out, it stays in tune. It also does not affect tune very much if you're pulling on the neck or pushing on it which is a good sign. I did not have to adjust the action to get a buzz free experience. The action as a whole is a little higher than I'd like, but you won't get any string buzz with it set like that. My fit and finish is flawless. No scuffs, dings, flaws, from the factory. The guitar uses thick top wood which is much thicker than my Ibanez or Takamine. The guitar also weighs more than my other 2 acoustics and it feels solid. I expect this guitar to last a lifetime.

I had a technician at Guitar Center tell me about these Transacoustic guitars and how much he liked them. I honestly thought it was a gimmick. It's not. They do make a cheaper one (F series) and I played one at GC before buying the L Series Dreadnought. Head-up, the F series doesn't come with a bag. That was enough for me to wait on the L series to ship. I really wanted the solid wood back and sides anyway, so, glad I waited. I've been playing a Taylor 810 ($3400 for a new one) for years and it has the same woods in the construction. First, this guitar sounds great without the Transacoustic electronics. It's very piano-like if that makes any sense, warm but very snappy with a punchy mid-range. The action from the factory is a bit high but I'm going to have a technician work it over and will try to update the review. When you turn the electronics on the effects are fantastic. The reverb sounds natural and the chorus adds a 12 string kind of effect. Pretty cool. This guitar is loud, with or without the electronics , and will fill a room with sound easily. I especially like adding a bit of reverb on when fingerpicking to add a bit more volume. It really makes you sound better than you actually are and with the reverb, can make an acoustically dead room sound great. It's a great value for the money. All the hardwoods, electronics, hard bag, and build quality make this a great choice for someone who wants a great sounding guitar with a bit extra to help you keep playing. It doesn't hurt that the guitar is beautiful too. The maple binding is a very nice touch. Update: As mentioned, the action from the factory was a bit high. I had a technician sand the saddle, file the fret edges, and nut. I highly recommend having someone qualified setup the guitar. It made a huge difference in the playability. The going rate for a setup is about $45, well worth it.

Had it for 8 months now. It comes with a urea saddle & nut, which are okay but I think for this price they both should've been bone. I had it tricked up: Colosi bone bridge pins; bone saddle; and a Zero Glide nut which I had custom made for this guitar for a drop-in fit, as well as a stainless steel zero fret. But truthfully, I wouldn't say any of that improved the sound or intonation to any major degree. But there is more sustain for sure, and the Zero Glide certainly changes the tone of open strings since they're now going over a fret at the nut. That helped greatly with the thin, pingy sound I was getting on the high E&B with certain string sets; that's no longer a problem. But overall, I'll say this to any future buyers: you don't need to do all the customizing I did, which cost me around $200 total. Play it just like it is and you'll be happy (unless you're extremely picky & precise about tone & tuning like I am.) This guitar is above average, in fact unique due to the onboard effects, but I'm not thrilled with it completely by any means. It tunes rather poorly. The intonation is still off even after the new nut & saddle. The action has to be set fairly high to avoid buzz. It doesn't have very good projection; I use Newtone & TI Plectrum extra-heavy gauge strings and play with my thumb & fingers, rather aggressively sometimes, and it's sure not very loud unplugged - but not so soft that it's a problem. Using a pick to strum almost doubles the volume, but makes the tone too trebly for my taste. I like a more warm, woody sound like Kevin Eubanks gets, and can only get close to that sound with my thumb & fingers. I play it every day, sometimes with reverb and sometimes not. I seldom use the chorus which does sound authentic but just isn't up my alley style-wise. The LL-TA sounds good enough that I'm motivated to go pick it up when the impulse hits. I just wish it tuned better and didn't have buzz & other noise problems unless the action is pretty darn high. It doesn't play very well higher up on the neck. The intonation goes off a little and certain strings get those buzzy sounds when picked hard. I keep raising the action via the truss rod to help with that, and it does help, but high action sucks for jazzy playing. A really precise setup by a true pro might help with these problems to some extent. It could be that the frets are slightly uneven straight from the factory, I'm not sure, but something is just not quite right, despite the Zero Glide making the strings even all the way down the neck and the saddle being sanded down to the appropriate height as far as I can tell. All of that should've helped with intonation & action, but it did not.

So after watching online reviews/videos, and playing a FG-TA at local store, i had to try one of these and wanted the L-series with solid rosewood back and sides (both Transacoustics (TA) F-series and L-series come with solid spruce tops, but he F-series has laminate mahogany back/sides). this would be a nice $1000 guitar without the TA tech, but it can sound like it's worth more with the reverb and chorus. the chorus almost makes it sound like a 12-string guitar when added and played tastefully. would consider myself an intermediate guitarist and own a Larrivee DV-09 which probably sounds a little better than this Yamaha but costs a lot more. this guitar is just FUN....you just don't want to put it down and can make anything you play sound like you are on stage. the construction is really nice. it takes 2 AA-batteries in an easy to replace area under the body strapnut line out. reportedly batteries last 8-10 hrs of play time (there is an auto shutoff after 30 mins of no use if you forget to turn it off) so keep a few AA batteries handy. there is also an EQ adjustment option which can boost the midrange which reviews don't seem to talk about. BOTTOM LINE: although guitars can be very personal/subjective, if you are interested in this guitar, check it out at a local store (eg. Guitar Center, Sam Ash, etc.) either the FG-TA, FS-TA, LS-TA, or LL-TA (the one i got), to see if it suits you. before i played these, i would normally recommend beginners who want to spend no more than $600 on a Seagull S6 but now i would recommend the FG-TA. i would definitely recommend this guitar.

Good guitar.Over priced.

This is a fantastic guitar. First it is beautifully finished and more importantly it has a great sound ; even without the Transacoustics turned on. I have several nice acoustics and this guitar is my favorite. I've played the other top brands starting with M and T and for the money, I prefer this guitar.

A lot of coin but worth every penny. I had reservations about it before I had even got it and was ready to ship it back if I wasn't 100% satisfied. Still have it. The craftsmanship of the guitar itself without the TransAcoustic addition is absolutely stunning in every aspect of the build 10++++ The sound is equally stunning with nice rich bass tones and treble that sings. The TransAcoustic part works exceptionally well and has plenty of range within the chorus and reverb settings and the line out works flawlessly too. Honestly this is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship and hasn't left my side since I received it. Fantastic job Yamaha!!!

I LOVE the guitar. However, I couldn’t get the Reverb effect to work at all….and almost returned the guitar altogether, but did some searching online first, to see if this was solvable…and it is! If the Reverb and/or Chorus aren’t working for you, read below for a possible solution (assuming your electronics are functional/turning on ok): Essentially, what Yamaha describes as "EQ adjustment" is in reality, an effects level/volume adjustment. Additionally, the instructions for this process (in the manual) seem to be flawed. The following process worked for me: Follow the instructions for accessing "EQ Adjustment" (i.e. hold down the on/off middle button for about 5+ secs, till the LED flashes). Then turn the same button right down to Zero (counter-clockwise). Now store that setting by coming out of "EQ" mode - (i.e.by again holding down the middle ON/OFF button for 5+ secs until the LED STOPS flashing). Now try playing your guitar and try your reverb and Chorus. You'll find, like me, that your effects are at a really low level / hardly audible at all (which is what I first heard). Now repeat the whole "EQ" process above, but this time rotate the middle ON/OFF button right round (clockwise) to max. Come out of EQ mode again and now play your guitar. The effects will be huge by comparison. You may even hear some feedback! OK Now repeat that "EQ" process yet again, and set your Middle knob at about 7 out of 10. Come out of EQ mode, and play your guitar. This allows you to make significant adjustments to the level of Effect Output coming from your actuator. Each time you come out of EQ mode, the new setting is stored and retained. This solved my issue. Hope this helps someone else!

Buena construcción, materiales de primera, el acabado impecable. En cuanto al sonido, tiene un volumen impresionante, bajos potentes y agudos cristalinos. El perfil del cuello es fantástico. El sistema Transacoustic es una maravilla, aunque no es necesario para disfrutar esta gran guitarra. Ya llevo muchos meses con ella y ni una falla. Solo ojo, el precio a veces lo inflan demasiado, comparenlo con el precio en dólares para no pagar demás.

I own both the LL-TA and LS-TA. Here are my thoughts on them. Pros: - The Transacoustic technology is not a gimmick. The added chorus makes the guitar sound like a 12 string. Reverb makes everything better. - If you turn off the Transacoustic electronics, it functions as an amazing acoustic. The guitar is worth the price even without it. The electronic are stealthily placed into the deep pockets of the guitar so it doesn't look like a cyborg's instrument. - Has all the premium features that you'd have to pay Taylor $4000 to get: neck binding, body binding, full (and beautiful) gloss finish, abalone inlay on fretboard and soundhole, rosewood back, etc... - The LS-TA's body shape is very comfortable to play with. LL-TA's dreadnought is a bit bulky but is louder. - Being heavy guitars has both pros and cons. The pros of high body weight is the guitar won't have neck dives. - Good feeling satin neck - Without the electronics, the guitar sounds solid - not as much low ends as J45, not as bright as Taylors - exactly somewhere in the middle. Very reliable sound. Cons: - They are quite heavy - not sure if because of the wood choice or the added electronics. - The fretwork is not the best - consistent looking, but lots of sharp ends. Expect to spend a little bit at the tech to round out those frets. - The tuners are acceptable, but could be better. - The two skunk stripes on the back of these guitars are a little bit weird to look at - but purely cosmetic. - Did not come with a strap pin. - Action is a tad high, but still acceptable. - The "Made in China" tag might throw some off. - Battery lasts for about 2 weeks of regular playing. In conclusion, all these cons are justified by the fact that these guitar are extremely underpriced, undervalued and underrated. These cons can for the most part be fixed by a technician, or safely ignored. These are the ultimate campfire guitars - a piece of innovation that I hope other brands will pick up and apply on their guitars. This is among the top 5 best deals in the guitar world. Get one if you have the cash before their values get corrected.

Llegó en perfecto estado

I have been playing steel string fingerstyle guitar for 53 years and have owned many high end guitars including Guild, Martin, Larivee, Kevin Ryan and Lowden. The build quality, materials, playability and sound quality of this LL16 is a good as any of these. Add to it the transacoustic effects of reverb and chorus, and this guitar exceeds all of them and makes the Yamaha much more enjoyable to play. At twice the price it would be a great purchase. Select grade woods are also very much appreciated. Nice gigging backpacking case too.

Recibí el producto en tiempo y forma. Sin embargo quisera comentarles que las cuerdas 1ra y 2da venían oxidadas y tengo la impresión que los efectos de chorus y reververancia no tienen la potencia adecuada. Mi pregunta es si el producto estuvo mucho tiempo almacenada. Se puede hacer algo al respecto?