Yamaha LS-16

[eyesore]

Hi, considering this guitar . anyone own one ? I mentioned in another thread that I'm trying to not bring my Martin OM28 out to "rougher" gigs. Rougher as in ,no room to even put a glass down ,not fighting.Thanks!

[YamahaGuy]

I had owned an LL16M A.R.E. The guitar sounded phenomenal unplugged. I was not please with the rather anemic sound plugged in, though that could be remedied with a decent preamp. Fit and finish of the guitar was good. Intonation was good. I just didn't care for the plugged in sound and I play plugged in almost always.

[KCharlesD]

I agree 100% with Yamaha Guy. I have an LS16M. I wouldn't use the pickup live - although a pre-amp helps, it's still very quacky. I've got a JJB 330 pickup (similar to K&K) that I plan to put in. Not plugged in, these guitars sound great, very balanced. Can't go wrong with Yamaha.

[Arthur Slowhand]

I'm considering buying one, or the LS6, having played a few on Tuesday this week, in rosewood and mahogany. I also, however, made the mistake of trying a Yamaha FS3 and I've got high octane GAS for that one. (All this, after I originally went to the store to try an LL6.)

FWIW, I liked the LS6 rosewood so much that I'm not too bothered about the 'all solid wood' thing. And that's what I have to keep telling myself, so I don't blow everything on the FS3. Mind you, the obvious conclusion to that is to check out the FS800 or FS830 rosewood... have you considered that, OP?

Other than a mutual enthusiasm for Yamaha, that's probably of little help to you I'm afraid.

[Cool555]

Yes, I used to own a LS16. It had a nice sunburst top with solid Rosewood b/s. I bought it used. I was very impressed with the rich tone of this guitar. I don’t use it for gigs, just to play and sing at home and sometimes in group sing-along sessions. So I don’t use the pluck-in electronics.

However, over time, I just found the neck too chunky for my rather small hands. I also found that the tone of the Rosewood doesn’t compliment my singing (voice) and vice versa. I find that Rosewood has “too much” overtones and I preferred something more midrange like with the mahogany b/s. So I decided to sell it.

I guess I haven’t learned to fully appreciate the tone of the Rosewood yet. Nonetheless, I must say that the LS16 is a great guitar, with good workmanship, definitely value-for-money and worth owning.

Hope this help.

[lowrider]

Not the LS but I recently played a LJ16 jumbo at Music Zoo, a high-end shop near me and I didn't want to put it down.

[ohdriver]

Originally Posted by lowrider

…recently played a LJ16 jumbo at Music Zoo, a high-end shop near me and I didn't want to put it down.

I picked up an LJ16bc a few months back - not that I knew much about Billy Corgan or his signature model, but what a nice guitar! Looks great, sounds great, records well… just don't plug it in.

The three-source pick-up system in their new FG Red Label line is a vast improvement, equal to the best, I'd say.

[Beakybird]

I have the LL-TA and, regarding the piezo, I bought a Boss AD-2 preamp, and it sounded fantastic at the open mic I did last night. This was my first time using it, and it was light years better than just plugging it straight into the board.

[GuitarLuva]

They're quality guitars just like all Yamaha's. Regarding some peoples comments on the plugged in tone, this particular series use Yamaha's passive UST which has an impedance of 10 Mohm, which is very high. Most acoustic preamps have an input impedance of around 1-5 Mohm so if you plug into any of those preamps the pickup will sound extra harsh (very trebly). You would want a preamp of 10Mohm or higher to get a proper match which will make a big difference. You can plug a low impedance into high with no issues but not the other way around.

That being said it's still a UST which does sound unnatural, quacky when strummed, all UST's are the same in that regard. The transacoustic systems are already active and matched onboard so you don't have to worry about those.

[gerardo1000]

I had a LL16 ARE, it sounded great unplugged, a bit on the bright side. Fit and finish were phenomenale. Never played it unplugged. I sold it because it is not really a 1 3/4 neck guitar, strings spacing is a bit too tight for me.

[Shortfinger]

My LS-TA sounds most natural plugged to my Fender Acoustic 100 amp, when the amp has effects level at zero, and the onboard TA controls are set at zero for both chorus and reverb.

As far as I can tell, looking at online specs, every Yamaha LS has the same specs for body size, shape, scale length, fretboard radius, neck shape, and all they are varying is the tops, sides, backs, electronics.

The new Yamaha FS in both 5 series (made in Japan) and 3 series (China) also have the same dimensions. In these new ones, we get different top bracing, and if going X, the new pickup system.

[Beakybird]

Originally Posted by GuitarLuva

That being said it's still a UST which does sound unnatural, quacky when strummed, all UST's are the same in that regard. The transacoustic systems are already active and matched onboard so you don't have to worry about those.

I've had my LL-TA for over a year, and for some reason, I didn't know it had a preamp - probably some faulty online review I had read. Still, it sounded much better with the Boss AD-2.
However, it makes sense that under the saddle pickups can't deliver the full spectrum of the guitar's sound.

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by Beakybird

I've had my LL-TA for over a year, and for some reason, I didn't know it had a preamp - probably some faulty online review I had read. Still, it sounded much better with the Boss AD-2.
However, it makes sense that under the saddle pickups can't deliver the full spectrum of the guitar's sound.

Basically any guitar that requires a battery has an onboard preamp. The good thing about that is the output will be already converted to low impedance which can be plugged into anything. It will sound better of course with tone shaping such as your Boss-AD-2. My personal favorite external preamp is Tonedexter. While most acoustic amps will offer some sound coloring to make a UST sound more natural, Tonedexter will make it sound like a mic'd guitar.

[rumble]

I own the LS16 R with the A.R.E. Treated top. A super dynamic player. I.ve owned both with and without the ARE treated top.. The ARE is much more lively in response.

[ghostnote]

I have an older LL-16; no ARE, no electronics at all. It's still a very nice guitar that I play a lot. I use a Baggs M1 in the soundhole when I amplify it, and it sounds good that way. I have no reservations about recommending any of the Yamaha L-series guitars. Actually, I've never played any bad Yamaha, regardless of price.