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Old 02-28-2008, 10:08 AM
mmmaak mmmaak is offline
The Foreigner
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Malaysia
Posts: 5,284
Default Yamaha LL16 Review

I had been meaning to write this review for some time now. But seeing that many of the users on this forum are from the US (where the market is already saturated with lots of good, affordable instruments), I assumed that there would be little interest in a "cheapo" China-made Yamahas. However, the recent thread about "cheap, solid-body guitars" which received a fair bit of responses from both sides hinted to me that there may be a niche market for these mid-range Yamahas after all, even if only as beater guitars.

I had been looking for an upgrade from my faithful Korean Ibanez Artwood. I really wanted to get myself a Taylor (something in the range of the 200/300 series) but soon realized that anything "Made in the USA" sells with a hefty premium over here. I was a little discouraged to say the least (I only earn about $8k a year), but kept on going from store to store trying out Matons, Takamines and even a parlour Larrivee (which was great, but not what I was looking for) till I ended up in my friendly neighbourhood Yamaha. Now, I've been in and out of Yamaha showrooms for years, but always to pick out beater guitars (< $100) with my beginner friends. Lately they've been trying to tap into the mid-range guitar market with fancier displays, made-in-Japan models and the L-series.

To cut an already long story short, I picked up the only LL16 available, ended up not being able to sleep on it, and went back to buy it the next morning.

The price? A whopping $800!


Yamaha LL16

Body Style: Slender Dreadnought
Top: Solid Engelmann Spruce
Back and Sides: Solid Rosewood
Neck: 3-ply Mahogany-Rosewood-Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Bridge: Ebony
Nut Width: 1 3/4"


Woods
Certainly not high-grade woods by any means. But that's not to say they aren't attractive. I do realize that there seems to be less prominent figuring on the spruce and rosewood than I am accustomed to. Not sure if that's a bad thing or simply a matter of different lumber origins, but it does lend the instrument a very composed, understated look which is in keeping with Yamaha's overall image for the L-series as a whole. I do like the fact that it keeps people's expectations low so I can shock them silly
The ebony bridge and fingerboards aren't pitch black, which is not necessarily a bad thing unless it also means that density was compromised. Mahogany on the neck is a little lackluster in some areas, but quite decent overall.
Note on woods: I played an LJ16 and an LS16 as well. All three guitars seemed to have very different looking rosewood sides and backs. Not sure how the grains would affect the tone, though.

Finish
The high-gloss on the body is pretty much flawless as far as I can tell. Nice double-inlay round MOP markers in the usual positions on the fretboard and a characteristic Yamaha rosette with inlay (not too shabby, but not beautiful either). The satin neck is nice and quick, except for a tiny patch of roughness which I'm hoping I can sand over later. A little "smudge" near the nut hints at its China-factory origins.

Hardware
Pretty crappy gold tuners, I have to admit. But thankfully, they look like faithful Grover imitations, so it shouldn't be much of a hassle upgrading them to originals. Keeps strings in tune just fine, but the gears were simply not made for fine adjustments.

Playability
The neck has a slight v-profile which takes a bit of getting used to, especially if you've been playing with low-profiles such as on my old Artwood. But over time I have found that certain positions are actually more comfortable and some chords fall into place more firmly with the current profile. Nut and saddle action were too high out of the factory which makes the guitar seem less playable than it actually is. But the saddle is probably something you'd want to change anyway (see below). One word of caution: Evaluate the neck angle before buying. All the L-series models I played were borderline-neck-reset. I don't know if this was a design feature, a lack of quality control or a result of my country's high humidity. Not a big issue, for sure, but something you may want to consider if you like your action really really low.

Sound
At this point you may be wondering why I would recommend a guitar with so many faults. Well, the truth is I've been thoroughly spoilt by this forum after looking at pictures of all the Collings, Goodalls, Ryans, Omegas, etc. To be so critical of a guitar in this price range is simply nitpicking, especially when it sounds like every single dollar was invested in its tone. That's right, the sound is what really sets this guitar apart from almost everything below $1k. Owners of more expensive guitars than I myself can afford could probably even convince you that the LL16 gives some instruments 2-3x its price a good run for the money. Based on the classic dreadnought design, the bass response is solid but not boomy, perhaps because Yamaha rounded down the overall boxiness. The volume and projection are great for unamplified, delicate fingerstyle. I can only wonder how it *could* have sounded like if it wasn't so overbuilt (it did come from a Yamaha factory after all). Clarity and separation could do with some improvement, so I'm still waiting for my bone saddle to arrive from Bob Colosi. Note that this guitar is shipped with crappy factory strings, but even then sounded pretty good!
(I would like to record some sound clips in the near future, but have yet to assemble my DIY mic preamp. The noise floor through my notebook soundcard is too high to record anything)


To summarize:

Pros
Good solid woods and finish for $800
Understated looks (if you like it)
Handcrafted (not sure to what degree, though)
The sound
The sound
The sound

Cons
Cheap tuners
Overbuilt
Little spots of imperfection

Click for larger images in my web album:
[More pictures below! I couldn't fit them all in one post]




Last edited by mmmaak; 02-29-2008 at 12:28 AM. Reason: Added pictures
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