Yamaha LL26 or higher worth getting?
 

Does anyone own a LL26 or higher?

Is worth it? Does it sound better especially with a nitro finish?

Sweetwaters is selling them now. Tempting to get.

If I was going to buy a dreadnaught, and spend that much money I cant think of a reason not to buy Martin. Is there something I dont know going on?

I had a MIJ LL400 from the '90's. It was a wonderful dreadnought that went toe to toe with my brother's Martin HD-28.
Used LL26s come on the market at quite depreciated prices.

I don't own one, and I'm not trying to be snarky, but, if it sounds & feels good to *you*, if the price is right for *you*, then by all means, get one.
Everyone here has a different idea on what is good or not and what's worth it or not. ;)

A Martin would certainly hold its value better. But I have yet to find a maker who puts out a more polished/flawless product per dollar than Yamaha... nor a more structurally sound product IMO. Yamaha builds amazing guitars period... and I'd love to lay my hands on a higher end model. My LL16-12 holds its own against 12-strings costing three times as much or more. I know, because I went in looking at any/all 12-strings up to the $4K price point, and walked-out with the LL16, as well as a Guild 2512. Those two 12s lit my fires more than any of the American Taylors, Guilds, Gibsons, Breedloves, etc that I played. I didn't find any Martin 12s during that process, but I've played plenty of Martins and have no reason to think that a Martin 12 would have been the one to light my fires.


Cliff's notes version: Yamaha builds amazing guitars and despite what some brand snobs will say, they hold their own against any other production guitar made.

MIJ Engelman over EIR, ebony bridge & fingerboard? Not a lot to not like here; Bert Jansch certainly seems to think so, as he's known for playing high-end Yamahas for decades....not sure if this is the same model he uses but it is similar.

Yamahas definitely have their own sound & aesthetic; they may not retain value like a Martin, but if this is your bliss, you'll have it forever.

I own a 1981 Yamaha L20A.
It is close to the specks of the newer LL-26.
Mine has a 3 piece Rosewood back with Engelman top.
I have had people play it and comment that they are very surprised at how good it sounds.
I also have a 1981 Martin D-35 and I will put the Yamaha up against it in sound and build quality.

The one downfall to an upper end Yamaha is the lack of knowledge from most buyers. They will always think of Yamaha as an enter level guitar which keeps the prices of used high end Yamaha guitars down.

I have never considered selling my L-20A so resale pricing isn't an issue for me.

I can tell you that I played a $3000 Yamaha at Music Zoo and it was, to my ear, the best guitar in the room. The thing that would hold me back from buying it is resale. I doubt that you'd ever have much interest if you had to sell it.

I may be misinterpreting as these seem contradictory.

(EDIT: never mind. In my mind I equated "hold their own" with "hold their value").

But my real question are we talking used vs used? Just curious.

BTW, there is a CL ad near me for an LL-16 for $300 that doesn't seem to be selling. And that's pretty cheap . The LL-26 retails for almost $3000 more; not sure why as both models are solid rosewood back & sides, and solid Eng Spruce top.

That should be the standard response to any thread that starts: "Is such & such worth it?"

I once owned a LS-16 ARE that was great but I finally got bore by its cristal clear sounds. Tried a LL-16 ARE I did not like it. Store also had a LL-26, but it did not convince me to pay the quite prohibitive price. Later on, got a Martin OOO-18 that made me forget about the Yamaha...

Yes, I owned an early version some years ago. It's an absolutely stellar guitar and all L-series from 26 and up are made individually by one luthier-not on a production line. Well worth the money. The 26 doesn't have a nitro finish; that starts with the 36 models up to the 86 Custom at over $10,000.

The 16 models are mass produced in China. The 26 and up are individually built by one luthier in Japan at Yamaha's Hamamatsu custom shop.

I'm of the opinion that all of the Yamaha guitars are worth the money they charge for them, including the Japanese made LL series. But, once you get into the $2,000 and $3,000 range, you should be sure you like the tone of that model. It will be difficult to resell without a steep loss. They are somewhat unique sounding instruments, not dissimilar to what modern builders are doing with the modified dreadnought shape.

There's a new LL26 on Reverb.com for $1700 shipped. I don't think a used one goes for much less, maybe $1400.