Differences in Yamaha Guitars

[adaw2821]

So do any of you guys have any in depth knowledge of the Yamaha line-up?

I recently purchased a Yamaha A3R this spring and love the guitar immensely. However i was fairly ignorant of Yamahas until I stumbled upon them in my search for a guitar. So anyway, I know the LL series are their dred line and LS is a smaller concert style guitar.

I thought that the SRT system was exclusive to the A series but have since seen it on other Yamaha models. So I'm kinda of wondering what the differences between my A3R and a similar LL series are. Just curious sense i never heard much about Yamahas and am relatively unfamiliar with their nomenclature.

P.S. I'm mainly interested in their all solid higher end guitars. Not any of the beginner ones.

[martingitdave]

The LL is a continuation of their Japanese built solid wood flagship legacy acoustic guitars, which gained popularity in the 60s and 70s. The FG/FS series are their basic guitars with laminate body construction. The A's are guitars targeted to stage performers who need/want solid wood construction and electronics, and a fast neck. All of these instruments are geared toward a specific price point, but all have excellent value.

[bluesfreek]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

The LL is a continuation of their Japanese built solid wood flagship legacy acoustic guitars, which gained popularity in the 60s and 70s. The FG/FS series are their basic guitars with laminate body construction. The A's are guitars targeted to stage performers who need/want solid wood construction and electronics, and a fast neck. All of these instruments are geared toward a specific price point, but all have excellent value.

I agree with this comment. Congrats to the OP on his new guitar. The A series is lovely.

[adaw2821]

OK that makes sense. Been doing a little digging on their website. I know that there are rosewood and mahogany versions of each but what are the differences say from an LL6, LL16, 26, 36 and so on up to an LL56?

Also these are listed as having a zero impact SRT system. Anyone know how it differs from a standard SRT system?

I'm guessing the A series are a little bit heavier built for stage use and the LL line are more acoustics just fitted with a pick up?

[adaw2821]

Don't get me wrong I love my A3R. But I'm curious about maybe an LL being a future guitar..

[bajawatt]

LL6 is laminate back and sides. I own an LS6. It's okay. Not a bad bang around guitar for me.

LL16-36 are all solid wood with increasing levels of bling and grade of materials. I think 26 level and up are made in Japan. 16 level and below made in China.

I own a (now phased out) LJ16. I love it. It is a versatile strummer, finger-picker awesome box. I'm not a bling guy and on a budget, so the 16 level works just great for me.

Not sure on the electronics stuff. Hopefully someone will chime in. If you like the A3R, check out the L series. They are excellent. Good deals to be had used, 16 and down. I don't see many 26 and up models.

[martingitdave]

I think you have it right. The LL pickup is passive for basic use. The A3 is their full blown stage system. The LL is a bit more lightly built and may be a tad more resonant than your A3, when comparing rosewood. Perhaps, a demo is in order? But, for stage and versitile use, you cannot go wrong with the A3R.

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[Jim-W]

Originally Posted by adaw2821

OK that makes sense. Been doing a little digging on their website. I know that there are rosewood and mahogany versions of each but what are the differences say from an LL6, LL16, 26, 36 and so on up to an LL56?

Also these are listed as having a zero impact SRT system. Anyone know how it differs from a standard SRT system?

I'm guessing the A series are a little bit heavier built for stage use and the LL line are more acoustics just fitted with a pick up?

The LL6 is a Laminate Dreadnaughtish guitar made in China?
The LL16 is solid wood and still made in China.
The LL26, and 36 are made in Japan and cost much more and supposed to be much higher quality.
Not sure about the LL56 - super high end?
The guitars come in either Rosewood or Mahogany.

There are 2 other models that follow the same progression:
The LJ which is more of an OM style (hourglass shape).
The LS which is smaller Grand Concert size.

Listening to You Tube videos the LL seems to have more Bass which would be typical of a dread. I have tried to find the LL16 to try it out, but the local music stores never seem to carry it.

Good Luck! Report back if you try them out.

[InTune]

Originally Posted by adaw2821

OK that makes sense. Been doing a little digging on their website. I know that there are rosewood and mahogany versions of each but what are the differences say from an LL6, LL16, 26, 36 and so on up to an LL56?

Also these are listed as having a zero impact SRT system. Anyone know how it differs from a standard SRT system?

I'm guessing the A series are a little bit heavier built for stage use and the LL line are more acoustics just fitted with a pick up?

The zero impact srt refers to the pickup only, the piece under the saddle. The l series has this pickup but it doesn't have the onboard preamp like the a3 or ac3. Pretty much all of the newer electric/acoustic Yamahas have this pickup. What the a3s have is the is the system 63 preamp that has the mic modeling options on the preamp. The a1s an fgx, fsx series have a similar preamp but do not have the mc modeling built in. The mic modeling is what sets the a3 series apart from the rest. The l series has perhaps a more resonant unplugged sound but plugged in will not have the same capabilities. I have both. Your a3r is a beatiful guitar and a gig worthy powerhouse. For my ll16r I use an external lr baggs para DI for plugging in. My ac3r is a fully contained unit I can plug In and make sound as big and resonant, or not, as I like hope this helps!

[adaw2821]

OK starting to make sense now. I wish more stores carried Yamahas. The weren't anywhere to be found when I was looking at guitars. Had to take the plunge and order it off of musicians friend.

[martingitdave]

Sam Ash sells them in my area. Sometimes smaller independent shops will have them. Yamaha has a listing of their "Rosewood" dealers that carry the higher end stuff.

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