Torrefied top with sunburst finish

[SpruceTop]

My Yamaha LL-TA Review From September 2019:

Last night, I played my just-received 2019 Yamaha LL-TA TransAcoustic both acoustically and plugged-in. This is an impeccably-crafted, Made In China, $999 instrument with solid torrified Englemann Spruce top and solid Rosewood back and sides, and it comes with a nice, hard gig-bag. The guitar sounds full and resonant and plays easily with its out-of-the-box setup and rolled-edges fingerboard.

The guitar has an onboard SYSTEM70 TransAcoustic + SRT Piezo Pickup System the output of which can either feed an onboard speaker-like, actuator system that bounces sound off the back of the guitar and into the guitar's inside or it can feed an outboard amp or PA system. The preamp features both Reverb and Chorus effects that can be turned on or completely off and can be delivered to the onboard actuator sound system or to an external amp or PA. When the guitar is plugged-in to an amp or PA, the onboard effects are disabled to the onboard actuator system and are available only to outboard amps, PA or other devices. The effects provide good-sounding reverb and chorus effects when played acoustically that adds a pleasant tonal dimension to unamplified playing. The effects can be dialed-in from subtle to over-the-top and overall are a real plus to have available for playing enjoyment.

Regarding the moderately-high output, onboard SYSTEM70 TransAcoustic + SRT Piezo Pickup System, the SRT under-saddle pickup yields perfectly balanced string signals with no "hot" strings and very little "quack." This SRT pickup picks up mainly string vibration with some top vibration but little or no body vibration added to the mix (is this what a Barbera UST sounds like?). Although I haven't tried it yet, the system should work very well with a ToneDexter or Fishman Aura Pedal. The plastic control designation surrounding the preamp controls is for learning the controls and is easily removable.

In summary, frankly, as received, right out of the box, I can't say anything bad about this guitar, and I feel it represents a very good, professional-grade value in an acoustic-electric guitar and would be a really good main-performance or back-up guitar! Your comments are Welcome & Thanks For Reading!

[Robin, Wales]

I thought that the original idea behind the sunburst was to hide less than perfect top grain anyway? So I don't see a problem using it over torrefied tops, or anything else for that matter! They are all going to get dinged, scratched, aged and checked in the long run (hopefully!).

[J Patrick]

...a sunburst finish is a matter of personal preference....I love some and can’t stand others....I see enough good looking sunbursts on torrefied tops to believe that it is a non issue and has more to do with the actual sunburst in question....

[blindboyjimi]

When torrefaction first started coming into vogue a few years back there were a lot of striped tops. The stripes were usually more toward the center of a bookmatched top. The sunburst is the lightest in this region and I believe that’s what Dbone is concerned about. Since then most tops are now uniform to a much higher degree. My only torrified top is my OM-28A from 2015 which is perfectly uniform.

[thomasinaz]

I like mine also. Torrefied Adirondack top, SJ200 Western Classic. Pictures don't do it justice. Gibson has the sunburst finish figured out.

[asobi]

My Collings SJ Koa has a torrefied Sitka top. Horses for courses but I like the Collings' sunburst job which is less dark than most, and how the amber-whiskey burst blends into the sides and ultimately to the back. I think in terms of aesthetics it matters more how a builder can artfully blend the sunburst into the rest of the guitar than whether it's torrefied or not. This kind of burst works on my torrefied-top guitar as it blends into the red-brown of the back and sides well, IMO.

In truth, I generally don't tend to like sunbursts, except for the work that few makers like Collings and Walker are able to pull off with their maniacal process. Ultimately, I do think there are builders out there who can pull off a great burst regardless of natural v. torrefied.

[Peter Z]

Mine looks more sunburnt than sunburst but I love that Dove!

[howard_c]

Torrified Euro Spruce on Martin CEO 8.2….

[Br1ck]

You won't get what most would call a classic Gibson burst, but it's own look. The guitar it comes with usually makes up for it IMHO.

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by howard_c

Torrified Euro Spruce on Martin CEO 8.2….

Wow that’s a looker for sure

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

My Yamaha LL-TA Review From September 2019:

Last night, I played my just-received 2019 Yamaha LL-TA TransAcoustic both acoustically and plugged-in. This is an impeccably-crafted, Made In China, $999 instrument with solid torrified Englemann Spruce top and solid Rosewood back and sides, and it comes with a nice, hard gig-bag. The guitar sounds full and resonant and plays easily with its out-of-the-box setup and rolled-edges fingerboard.

The guitar has an onboard SYSTEM70 TransAcoustic + SRT Piezo Pickup System the output of which can either feed an onboard speaker-like, actuator system that bounces sound off the back of the guitar and into the guitar's inside or it can feed an outboard amp or PA system. The preamp features both Reverb and Chorus effects that can be turned on or completely off and can be delivered to the onboard actuator sound system or to an external amp or PA. When the guitar is plugged-in to an amp or PA, the onboard effects are disabled to the onboard actuator system and are available only to outboard amps, PA or other devices. The effects provide good-sounding reverb and chorus effects when played acoustically that adds a pleasant tonal dimension to unamplified playing. The effects can be dialed-in from subtle to over-the-top and overall are a real plus to have available for playing enjoyment.

Regarding the moderately-high output, onboard SYSTEM70 TransAcoustic + SRT Piezo Pickup System, the SRT under-saddle pickup yields perfectly balanced string signals with no "hot" strings and very little "quack." This SRT pickup picks up mainly string vibration with some top vibration but little or no body vibration added to the mix (is this what a Barbera UST sounds like?). Although I haven't tried it yet, the system should work very well with a ToneDexter or Fishman Aura Pedal. The plastic control designation surrounding the preamp controls is for learning the controls and is easily removable.

In summary, frankly, as received, right out of the box, I can't say anything bad about this guitar, and I feel it represents a very good, professional-grade value in an acoustic-electric guitar and would be a really good main-performance or back-up guitar! Your comments are Welcome & Thanks For Reading!

Like my LL56, this guitar is not torrefied in the same way as most. As I understand it, Yamaha doesn’t “bake” the wood...They have some proprietary process of their own or something...

2015 Gibson L-00 Vintage. Baked Adi top, small burst.

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by asobi

My Collings SJ Koa has a torrefied Sitka top. Horses for courses but I like the Collings' sunburst job which is less dark than most, and how the amber-whiskey burst blends into the sides and ultimately to the back. I think in terms of aesthetics it matters more how a builder can artfully blend the sunburst into the rest of the guitar than whether it's torrefied or not. This kind of burst works on my torrefied-top guitar as it blends into the red-brown of the back and sides well, IMO.

In truth, I generally don't tend to like sunbursts, except for the work that few makers like Collings and Walker are able to pull off with their maniacal process. Ultimately, I do think there are builders out there who can pull off a great burst regardless of natural v. torrefied.

Yum