Yamaha NTX1 vs NTX3

[Yingyangboy]

Hi all. After a long period of on and off RSI in my hands, limiting my playing time, I got a Yamaha NTX1 nylon string, which plays beautifully and also very easily. I'm seriously considering taking the big step of eschewing steelstring acoustics and going back to nylon, which is how I started playing guitar so many years ago. I realised how much I love the warm sound of a nylon!

So does anyone have experience of the NTX3 and/or NTX5? I'm interested in how much more each model brings to the table. I may get a small amp and play around with some looping and effects, so I think that the electronics side of the guitars will be used by me (though not for performing).

So if I did upgrade to an NTX3 or 5, how much better are they than the NTX1?

Thanks for any thoughts.

[Yingyangboy]

Bump to see if anyone has thoughts on this, as it would be most helpful.

[Jim Comeaux]

Yes, I too am interested in hearing about these guitars. There is some Russian folk music that I would love to learn, but it really sounds best on a nylon stringed (strung?) guitar. Cordoba also makes a couple of “transition” or “crossover” guitars. Those also interest me.

[kurth]

post in the classical section. Maybe the 1 has a cheaper preamp.

[CoastStrings]

It was my understanding that the NTX3 had the Atmosfeel system which combined a mic, undersaddle, and contact sensor pickups with a blend system.

As is typical in acoustic-electric guitars, the piezo sensor is located in the bridge. What’s not typical is that the piezo is set to capture only the instrument’s lower frequencies. This addresses the main problem that many players have with piezo pickups: their harsh, brittle-sounding high end. To handle treble frequencies instead, the Atmosfeel system employs an ultra-thin sheet transducer — a new, proprietary Yamaha design — which is located under the guitar’s soundboard, below the saddle. Finally, the mini-mic, placed inside the body on the left side of the upper bout, fills out the low and mid parts of the sonic spectrum. In short, the piezo picks up how the guitar sounds where the strings meet the bridge, the sheet transducer picks up the vibrations of the top soundboard, and the mini-mic picks up the resonance inside the body. Put all three together and you’ve got a full representation of an acoustic guitar’s natural tone.

The NTX1 just has an undersaddle pickup.

This vid covers the NCX3 but it should sound similar.




And this vid gives an overview of Atmosfeel.