The Yamaha LLX-500C acoustic/electric cutaway guitar, is a gem of an acoustic/electric guitar and should be looked at seriously by any performer looking at guitars in its $2,399 or higher price range.
Features
The Yamaha LLX-500C is hand built in Yamaha's Japan "custom shop" factory. Its features include a solid spruce top, mahogany neck, and solid rosewood back and sides. The 20-fret finger board is ebony with delicate mother-of-pearl snowflake inlays at the usually marked frets.
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| Yamaha LLX-500C Acoustic/Electric Guitar |
The headstock and neck of the guitar are attractively trimmed in ivoroid binding, and the Yamaha name on the headstock is mother-of-pearl inlay. There is an abalone inlay trim ring around the sound hole, and the body of the guitar has a gloss finish. The pleasingly "thin" neck has a matte finish.
Unlike many acoustic electric, the Yamaha LLX500C's sides are solid instead of laminated. Yamaha installs a laminated wood brace around the built-in preamp to keep the solid area strong enough to withstand structural side pressure, but the rest of the side wood is solid.
With a 25.6-inch scale, the Yamaha LLX-500C is standard dreadnaught sized, except for the cutaway, that permits easy chording up to the 14th fret. The guitar has gold-plated, Yamaha tuning machines that are silky smooth and easy to wind. The ebony bridge contains a standard plastic saddle.
Underneath the saddle is a piezo pickup that is wired to a powered, System 45 mic preamp/equalizer module on the upper "shoulder" of the guitar. In addition to the piezo pickup, there is a mini-gooseneck mounted electret mic placed in the soundhole. The gooseneck is attached to the preamp/equalizer module.
The two microphones can be blended or placed out-of-phase (to eliminate feedback perhaps), giving a substantial amount of range adjustment. For even more sound contouring, the gooseneck mic can be easily repositioned, even with the strings on the guitar. The battery has its own side-mounted compartment, separate from the preamp/equalizer module.
Inside, the construction was of high quality, but there were some sloppy glue spots. Another demerit was given for the half-inch gap between the spruce back-stiffening material and the block at the base of the guitar. The kerfing material is mahogany.
The strap button at the base of the LLX-500C doubles as the jack for the 1/4-inch instrument cord. There was no other strap button, so I tied a strap to the head by the nut.
The guitar has a thin, clear plastic pickguard, which is a design that I like. Light gauge strings were supplied with the guitar. The LLX-500C comes with a limited lifetime warranty. A case was not supplied with this review unit.
The Audition
The acoustic sound of the Yamaha LLX-500C was well balanced ù crisp and defined at the high end and rich bass that projected well. Using the strap or balanced on my knee, the guitar felt comfortable and natural to hold
The acoustic sound of the LLX-500C, at least with the strings supplied with the guitar, worked best for strumming, flat-picking and lead playing. It was a bit too dull for finger picking for my taste, but this might easily be cured with a brighter set of strings.
Plugged in to a good sound system, the LLX-500C can be adjusted for any type of sound. It was easy to get crisp sound while finger picking, and the range of adjustment for the electric pickups is excellent. I preferred to mix both the piezo and gooseneck mics, and then reduce the high-end sizzle of the piezo pickup with the on-board equalizer. The dual mics offer countless sound combination possibilities.
The action on the guitar I reviewed was excellent. I could strum the guitar hard and finger chords at any point on the neck without buzzing.
Summary
The Yamaha LLX-500C is a high-quality, solid wood acoustic/electric with easy playability and a full, balanced sound. The flexible preamp/equalizer module makes shaping the sound and notching out feedback easy.
If you are an active stage performer, the LLX-500C is an acoustic-electric that should not be overlooked -- even compared to more expensive models. It can deliver the beauty, richness and soul of a quality acoustic as well as a good plugged-in sound.