Yamaha L Series Club II

[dgt178]

Originally Posted by crgoddard

Question for those of you who replaced the tuners. Is there a brand that worked better than others? I am having my tech replace the saddle, nut and pins on my LS16M. While has has it, I was think of having him do the tuners also.

...why would you have the tuners replaced?...are you having problems with them?...the tuners on my LL-16-12 are top notch....wouldn't think of replacing them......

[crgoddard]

No problems right now. I saw some had them replaced and am evaluating if getting ahead of any potential improvement may be a good idea while my tech has it.

[dgt178]

Originally Posted by crgoddard

No problems right now. I saw some had them replaced and am evaluating if getting ahead of any potential improvement may be a good idea while my tech has it.

...well....suit yourself....I really like mine....they turn nice and smoothly, and the gears stay put.....and amazingly, the guitar stays in tune very well.... I can't imagine too much of an upgrade.....

[jonbee]

Originally Posted by crgoddard

Question for those of you who replaced the tuners. Is there a brand that worked better than others? I am having my tech replace the saddle, nut and pins on my LS16M. While has has it, I was think of having him do the tuners also.

FWIW, my Taylor has Gotoh 510 21:1 ratio tuners (like the Taylor 900 series, etc). The Yamaha tuners hold tuning well, but the 21:1 ratio (vs 14:1 ?) on the Gotoh makes very precise adjustments easy. My guitar tech loves them, but they are well north of $100 a set. There are Gotoh models that should be a direct replacement for the stock tuners.

[bajawatt]

7 years strong with my LJ16. Love it all the more. Versatile, great tone, easy to play. Gets even playing time with Taylor 522 12 fret. Two very different beasts. L series is superb! Sad if these are their last days.

[dgt178]

....Yamaha should be expanding the L-series, not liquidating....

[Runamuk]

Count me in as a Yamaha fan, although it was completely by accident. After spending a reasonable amount of money on other guitars, I bought my first Yamaha about a year ago (LL16 ARE) I pretty much forgot about my other guitars after that. A couple weeks ago I decided to take one of my other underplayed guitars to a small shop in hopes of trading it in on a D18, ended up coming home with another Yamaha, LS16 Trans-acoustic. That little guitar is so much fun to play! Funny thing is everyone who isn't into guitars that hears it loves it way more than than any of the other guitars that I have. They may not be for the traditionalist but they're a hoot around everyone else. Still a D18 in my future but just have to find the right one and they all sound different to me.

[backdoc]

I have an LS6 ARE that I love. I have since gotten a Martin and an Eastman and I do see a difference in fit and finish and the tone is definitely better on those solid wood guitars. That said, the LS6 neck is absolutely a joy to play and the width is great for me. I have found that despite my short fingers, a 1 11/16 neck doesn't suit me well. The LS, while listed at 1 3/4 is just a tiny bit shy of that and is a good compromise. The fit and finish on the LS would be superb if Yamaha could settle on one color of binding. I have three different shades of off white, yet for a guitar that cost under $400 brand new, I think it is an absolute bargain!

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by dgt178

....Yamaha should be expanding the L-series, not liquidating....

Absolutely, unless it's an unfounded rumour. If true, however, we can at least (hopefully), look forward to discounts as remaining stock is cleared. Perhaps Yamaha have something even better in store for us...

[WaltH]

Well, they are still listed on Yamaha's website, for whatever that is worth.

[dgt178]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Absolutely, unless it's an unfounded rumour. If true, however, we can at least (hopefully), look forward to discounts as remaining stock is cleared. Perhaps Yamaha have something even better in store for us...

...agreed.....wouldn't it be nice if Yamaha expanded the solid-wood L-series similar to Taylor....using various sustainable tone woods....like an LL-16 mahogany with shaded edge burst (i.e. Taylor 300 or 500 series)....

[dragon1952]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Absolutely, unless it's an unfounded rumour. If true, however, we can at least (hopefully), look forward to discounts as remaining stock is cleared. Perhaps Yamaha have something even better in store for us...

I researched this and the only thing I found was a blurb in an article on the best guitars under $1000 saying the LL6 was being discontinued.

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by dgt178

...agreed.....wouldn't it be nice if Yamaha expanded the solid-wood L-series similar to Taylor....using various sustainable tone woods....like an LL-16 mahogany with shaded edge burst (i.e. Taylor 300 or 500 series)....

Interesting idea; they already do the all-hog FG850.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18uIgHo3wVg

[backdoc]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Interesting idea; they already do the all-hog FG850.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18uIgHo3wVg

But it is not all solid wood and the nut and bridge widths put an awful lot of players off.

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by backdoc

But it is not all solid wood and the nut and bridge widths put an awful lot of players off.

True enough, although I personally have no issues with swapping from 1 11/16 (FG) to 1 3/4 (L), with mine.