Eastman OM + Hyvibe vs Yamaha Transacoustics

[KevinH]

I've had a Yamaha Transacoustic (FS-TA) for about a year and really liked it, but just couldn't get used to the 1-11/16" nut. I was thinking about replacing it some time ago with one the wider neck Transacoustics, but then got interested in the Hyvibe system. If you're familiar with these, they are in ways similar to the Tonewood Amp. All three of these systems use the signal from the guitar's pickup, run that though some electronics, then send a processed signal to "exciters" that cause the guitar's back (Yamaha TA, Tonewood) or soundboard (HyVibe) to vibrate. The electronics can then add various effects, like reverb, chorus, etc. It's quite surprising when you first hear it. I know from previous threads that they are not everyone's cup of tea, but I find them interesting and a way to add a different sound and style of play. So I thought I'd give a short review and comparison of the Yamaha TA and the HyVibe, in case anyone is thinking about picking one up.

First the Yamaha. It has three knobs on the side - one for power on/off, one to control the volume of the chorus effect and one to control the volume of the reverb. The TA has two kinds of reverb: small room and large room, both controlled by the one knob. I should say that it is all self-contained - no cables involved. They did a really good job with the reverb effect. The large room reverb sounds much like what you'd expect when playing in, say, a parking garage. The chorus is nice as well, though I didn't tend to use that much.

The HyVibe system, until recently, had to be purchased pre-installed in a Lag guitar. The HyVibe is a much more robust system than the Yamaha TA. It has a variety of effects, and a looper, which is pretty cool. With a couple button presses you can start recording a loop. When you're done it starts playing the loop though the guitar, and you can play lead over it. It's going to be useful for me since I haven't done that much. You can also play music through the guitar, much like a USB speaker, if you want to play along with a song you're learning. All of this can be controlled through a phone app (I can hear you guitar purists cringing ). Another nice thing about the HyVibe is that its firmware can be updated. So if they make improvements to any of the effects you can just download them to the guitar.

Justin Johnson gave a nice review of the HyVibe system:



I held off for several months because Lag only offered the HyVibe system in dreads and I was looking for something smaller. A couple months or so ago HyVibe started offering their system separately - so it could be installed in any guitar. I found a good deal on a new Eastman E20 OM and took it to a luthier to have the system installed. Here it is:

Eastman.jpg

As you can see, there is now a control panel on the side of the guitar that has a small display, a knob to control the volume of the effect and a slider to control a parameter you want to attach it to - like the decay time in reverb for example. The other buttons are for selecting an effect and moving through the menu.

I've been playing the modified Eastman for about a month now. Here are some positives:
- the HyVibe system is much more versatile than the TA. You have control over just about everything.
- there are many effects, around 16 or 18.
- the looper is very nice. Great for working on timing.
- you can make your own effects by stacking the pre-installed ones. For example, you can stack reverb on top of a little bit of chorus.
- there is an EQ effect, with 6 frequency bands. So, to a degree you can apply an EQ to your guitar. But it's limited. You're certainly not going to make a parlor sound like a dread.
- you can also use a flat EQ to boost the sound of the guitar. But, again, there are limits.
- the USB speaker works pretty well.
- the phone app is very nice. No problems with it so far.
- HyVibe is making improvements pretty frequently and so far have been eager to hear comments. That plus it's upgradable nature should mean its only going to get better.

Some less than positives:
- installation is fairly permanent. Though if I ever had to remove it, I'd just convert the control panel hole into a sound port.
- while there are many effects, I only see a few as being useful. Don't need tremolo for example.
- it is quite easy to turn an effect up enough to induce feedback. But, to be fair, it's easy to keep the gain down to avoid that. And they do have a notch filter than can be very helpful to remove feedback.
- I like the Yamaha reverb a little better. It sounds more natural to me. I suppose that may just require some time. If I'd started with the HyVibe, maybe I would have liked it better.

Anyway, I'm liking the HyVibe so far. It's a nice way to get a different sound out of a guitar, and you don't have to be hooked up to anything.

[lar]

Kevin, when you say

'the USB speaker works pretty well'

and

'You can also play music through the guitar, much like a USB speaker,'

Is it really a 'speaker' inside the guitar or does it vibrate the back of the guitar by other means? or both?

[SRL]

This is a really great writeup, thanks!

Did you look at the Tonewood Amp as an option instead?

[KevinH]

It uses the exciters to vibrate the top of the guitar, turning your guitar into a speaker of sorts.

Originally Posted by lar

Kevin, when you say

'the USB speaker works pretty well'

and

'You can also play music through the guitar, much like a USB speaker,'

Is it really a 'speaker' inside the guitar or does it vibrate the back of the guitar by other means? or both?

[KevinH]

Thanks. No, I haven't had any experience with the Tonewood Amp. I've thought about buying one to give it a try. The looper on the HyVibe was one of the main reasons I went with it. But the TWA looks like a useful thing as well.

Originally Posted by SRL

This is a really great writeup, thanks!

Did you look at the Tonewood Amp as an option instead?

[jcpharm]

nice review- how much weight does the HyVibe system add to the guitar? when i owned the LL-TA, the system added a fair bit of weight to the guitar.

[KevinH]

Unfortunately I wasn't able to measure the weight of the guitar before it went to the installer. Its weight after the installation is 5.6 lb. I found online a weight for the E20 OM of 4.7 lb, which would mean 0.9 lb for the system. The bare E20 OM isn't a light guitar to start with - it weighs the same as my Yamaha FS-TA did.

Although the HyVibe exciters aren't very big, I was curious if attaching them to the top would affect the tone of the guitar. I didn't do any detailed before/after comparisons, but didn't notice any significant change, which agrees with the experience of a few other people I've asked.

Originally Posted by jcpharm

nice review- how much weight does the HyVibe system add to the guitar? when i owned the LL-TA, the system added a fair bit of weight to the guitar.

[jcpharm]

finally installed a Hyvibe system into my Eastman AC222CE - i don't have much to add to Kevin's initial review which is pretty dead on. i would say the effects are not as loud as i expected at first, but i realize if they were much louder would probably contribute to more feedback so probably not feasible (nor would it necessarily sound better). i agree that the Yamaha TA reverb sounded slightly more natural but the Hyvibe reverb is fine - just sounds a bit more distant maybe (more Hall reverb than room reverb, if that makes sense). but the looper, metronome, BT speaker feature, are all huge pluses. Definitely recommend the app so you can stack effects into a custom patch that you can save into the unit and call up when needed. it definitely adds a fair bit of weight to the guitar after all is said and done. also had to remove the pre-installed Fishman sonitione pickup which isn't that great anyway.

all in, this was a ~$700 upgrade ($300 for the system itself plus $400 for the install - YMMV based on installer pricing) so i would not install this into a premium guitar (~$2k) due to the permanence and the fact that i don't think the effects will make a great guitar sound that much better - but it can make an average to above average guitar sound more complex with the reverb/delay and equalizer.

[KevinH]

Nice to see another HyVibe review.

Originally Posted by jcpharm

...but the looper, metronome, BT speaker feature, are all huge pluses...

Couldn't agree more. The looper is especially nice for working on timing and learning to play a melody line - which I still have a ways to go on.

Curious to know who did your install, and were they able to get the exciters mounted directly on the bridge plate?

[jcpharm]

just a local guitar tech who does all my setups and pickup installs. yes, he was able to get the transducers on the bridge plate - but looks like they barely fit on. it is GA body so probably a bit larger than your OM-body.

[Quintus]

How does the HyVibe sound going straight into an acoustic amp or PA system?

[jcpharm]

Originally Posted by Quintus

How does the HyVibe sound going straight into an acoustic amp or PA system?

It's fine - just like a regular pickup but if you were using effects prior to going into the system they may sound amplified/intensified (not necessarily for the better) so you will need to adjust the settings of your effects if you want them. also, because the system tries to conserve battery, if you stop playing for like 5-10 mins, the system turns off and so does the plugged in signal so you'll have to hit the button to activate again and you'll hear a pop sound just like if you plugged in the cable with the system on.

[Quintus]

Thanks. I’m debating between an LR Baggs Stage Pro Anthem and the HyVibe. The Vibe seems like a fun, mobile practice tool with great versatility but I need something that sounds great through a PA or amp as well with minimal or no effects. I don’t want to compromise the latter for the former.

[jcpharm]

Originally Posted by Quintus

Thanks. I’m debating between an LR Baggs Stage Pro Anthem and the HyVibe. The Vibe seems like a fun, mobile practice tool with great versatility but I need something that sounds great through a PA or amp as well with minimal or no effects. I don’t want to compromise the latter for the former.

For your purposes, an LR Baggs SPA sounds like a better fit especially if you can add your effects in another way. i do plug in my HyVibe guitar but rarely do i add in the effects - it's a bit over the top for what i do (church music).

[Quintus]

I’m leaning towards the Stage Pro for those reasons. I may try a HyVibe in an Emerald X7 down the road. Appreciate the feedback, guys.