NGD Yamaha LJ16 - great value guitar

[CycleBob]

I recently bought a guitar that i was pleasantly surprised with and is in a popular discussion niche here on AGF: all solid wood at <$1000. The guitar is the Yamaha LJ16.





The L designation means their more traditional (advertised as “handcrafted”) line, J for their medium jumbo body size, and 16 refers to their entry level all solid wood models.

I was looking for a larger bodied guitar with a slightly beefier neck, at least 1.75 inch string spacing at the nut, and a strong, balanced tone. I was also looking for something that I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about around kids or traveling / camping (I.e. not terribly expensive). There are of course many dreads available, but it’s not my favorite body shape ergonomically and dreads tend to be equipped with pretty scrawny necks (for some reason...).

The top wood on the LJ16 is Engelmann spruce, which I would have thought is a less common spruce choice for a larger bodied guitar, but it sounds good coupled with the lovely east Indian rosewood back and sides. The top is treated with Yamaha Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (ARE), which means the tops are stored for a time under controlled temperature, humidity, and pressure to get an aged quality to the sound. I have no idea how effective this is as I don’t have an equivalent uncooked guitar to compare with, but I can say the tone is pretty good to my ear and the balance across the tonal range seems particularly good, which I tend to be sensitive to. Good balance is one of the advertised benefits of the ARE technology.

The LJ16 is made in China, which helps explain the very reasonable price for an all solid wood guitar. If you aren’t a stickler for perfect joins completely free of dried glue etc. the construction seems quite good and the playability and sound is really excellent for the price. The fiddlier bits such as the binding and rosette for example are executed reasonably on mine. The LJ16 does come with a plastic nut, saddle, and bridge pins which is less than inspiring, but these are obviously all easily replaceable.

I’m certainly no Yamaha expert, and others can pitch in with salient points I’ve left out. Overall the LJ16 is probably not your first choice if you’re a nuanced and sensitive finger-stylist (which I try to be about 20% of the time—with limited success). I really think though, that many will find this guitar very satisfying for a whole lot of playing styles, and pretty amazing value.
IMO, YMMV and such

[jim1960]

That's a beautiful guitar and the burst looks very nicely done. In recent years I haven't played any Yamahas except for the their low-end offerings. But 5-6 years back, I gifted one of their mid-priced guitars to a friend. I forget which model but it was in the $500-$600 range. To this day he still loves that guitar. I was over his place last week because he and I were fleshing out a song for a movie short he's scoring, and all these years later he still raves about that guitar. So I'm not surprised when anyone says they love their Yamaha. Best of luck with it.

[Paddy1951]

Wow! That is a very pretty guitar. You are correct- a great value, too.

I think Yamaha has a way of making what ever materials mix they choose for a guitar, work. They don't follow the crowd, necessarily.

Enjoy your new guitar. Play it often.

[Nyghthawk]

For some reason those are much harder to find in the US. I love yours and that burst is gorgeous! Happy NGD!

[CycleBob]

Thanks for the kind thoughts folks !

Originally Posted by Nyghthawk

For some reason those are much harder to find in the US. I love yours and that burst is gorgeous! Happy NGD!

Yes! I noticed this as well when I was googling what the US prices on these were. It’s a mystery—usually the other way around...

[jonbee]

I owned a LS16, which I was very impressed with. Great construction quality, easy to play, good tone. Not enough bottom end for me, though, but very impressive.
I'm sure the LJ model fixes that, as does the LL.
Superb values, along with the A series.

[Chickee]

Hey CycleBob does that way cool alligator skin case come with that guitar?
Also do you know what the size difference between the LJ16 and the LL16 is? Which is bigger/smaller?
Beautiful guitar! I really like the finish.

[Blind Dog]

Congrat's on a great guitar!

I'm a long-time Yamaha fan, and especially the L (Lotus) series. Best dread' I've ever owned was an L series Yamaha.

Enjoy.

[marty bradbury]

Very pretty guitar! Enjoy!

[taylorgtr]

That's a sweet looking guitar, and Yamaha has pretty consistent build quality. Enjoy!

[Jaden]

It’s amazing what that guitar provides for that price - ebony fretboard and bridge, solid rosewood back and sides, Yamaha finish quality, 1 3/4 nut and neck with substantial profile and multipiece (better). Nice write up and burst on that one.

[Nyghthawk]

I know we have folks that work in or own retail guitar stores on this forum. Can anyone tell me WHY this wonderful instrument is so rare here in the States? The only ones that shops carry are the signature models for 1K.

I keep an eye on EBay, Craigslist, and GC used but they are rare as hen's teeth there as well.

[L20A]

Looks nice. Would love to play one.

I have an 1981 L-20A Yamaha that is a wonderful sounding guitar.
If your LJ16 is anything like my L 20A, you have a keeper.

[CycleBob]

Originally Posted by Chickee

Hey CycleBob does that way cool alligator skin case come with that guitar?

Also do you know what the size difference between the LJ16 and the LL16 is? Which is bigger/smaller?

Beautiful guitar! I really like the finish.

Hey Chickee. I should have said: the case is sold separately from a company called Xtreme. It’s no Hiscox, but I also liked the faux alligator skin! I just happened to have it kicking around the closet and was delighted with the fit.

The LJ16 comes with what’s called a hard gig bag. As it sounds, the top and bottom are rigid and actually looks like an OK quality bit of kit as gig bags go, with decent material, a big gear pocket in the front, and backpack straps.

Good question on the sizes. The LL is the original jumbo shape and larger, but not by heaps. Here’s all three sizes:



The LJ is the medium size and on the left, LL is in the middle, and the small jumbo on the right. The actual dimensions of the LJ (above) and LL (below) are here:

[Jambi]

I totally love my LL16 ARE. My FG820 ain't no slouch either.

Yamaha brings their A game, especially for the asking price.