Yamaha Silent Guitars... How good are they?

mcfingers
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:47 am

I am seriously considering a YSG, steel string version. I am shaking I have :woohoo: G.A.S. so bad. I would like to here from those of you that have had your YSG's for a while. What do you think? Al? Chas? Tony? Anyone else that I have left out? I am going to a Guitar Center this weekend while my wife and I are in Sacramento, visiting our daughter. I want to check out the feel. Our local store hadn't even heard of them.

Please fellas, let me know....good and bad?

Thanks,


tovo
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:56 am

Hi Steve. Dennis has one, I don't think Chas has but could be wrong. Actually I thought I WAS wrong once...but I was mistaken.

Almost all good from my point of view. Sounds good plugged into an amp but the real value is when you put on some headphones and practice away in relative silence. Of course you do get some external sound but with the TV on my boys can watch a show while I practice and not be disturbed. For travel it fits easily in the overhead bin and there is minimal risk of damage compared with a traditional dread for example. Great for hotel rooms with thin walls! Finish is pretty solid I haven't got any complaints. The ability to plug in an external device and play along with it is cool also. It has 2 reverb positions built in but I tend to prefer clean sounds so I don't use them much. They drain the battery much more quickly apparently. The battery is a little 9 volt. You can also plug into a wall socket.

Bad? I didn't like the crap strings Yamaha had on it so I changed them for Elixirs right away. Much better feel. That's about it. It's got a unique look. I imagine some wouldn't like it. I don't mind it. It draws a lot of comment. I took it to a mate's place last weekend and he was a real skeptic but is now a fan. He was real surprised at how good it sounded.

Hope that's some help.


Chasplaya
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 1:44 am

Tony your not wrong your right so your record is intact. However, a good friend of mine has one and he played a recording of him and his band to me recently and asked me if I knew what guitar he was playing, now I know he has a beautiful Takamine,top end one and I naturally said that then he pulled out the Yamaha Silent guitar and said nope it was this, I was gobsmacked. SO don't have one but want one, no need one lol


dennisg
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:48 am

Let me put it this way, I often grab the YSG instead of my new Taylor 814, that's how much I love the Yamaha. The sound you get through headphones is just spectacular -- like a good electric guitar without distortion. Last week I took mine with me on my trip to the Taylor factory, and because I make it a habit to get to airports very early, I was able to kill time by playing in the waiting area near my gate -- a very productive use of time. And then, of course, I played it all evening in my hotel room. Much better than watching the porn channel. I don't have the issue with the strings that Tony does. I'm fine with them.

The one negative is the ridiculous reverb switch. Yeah, you get reverb, but you also get a lot of noise. The guitar also munches batteries like candy in that setting.

The major surprise for me is how much I love this guitar and how often I play it. At $599, it's a major bargain.


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neverfoundthetime
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:09 am

Wow that price is $300 lower than here Dennis!
I tried one out and it really is nice to play on the head phones and I'm betting it's just great through the amp. Tony and Joe's endorsements are strong and Al loves his too Steve. That Dennis sometimes favours it over his Taylor is saying something but that he likes it more than porn, that's got to be an endorsement! :woohoo:


dennisg
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:38 am

Actually, I just looked at my sales receipt, and it was $559, not $599, so the disparity is even greater. Not sure why it costs so much more in other parts of the world.

I think using it with headphones is definitely its strong suit -- the sound is amazing. It's a little less amazing, although still good, when run through an amp. I thought the lows got a little muddy. But if I intended to run a guitar through an amp all the time, I'd get an electric guitar. Still, for what it is, the Yamaha absolutely can not be beat. You can take it with you anywhere, put it in the overhead compartment on a plane, use it in your house without waking up the damn dog, and play at all hours of the day or night. In fact, you can get in a lot of practice while playing it through your divorce proceedings.


izzyhara
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:52 am

OK now I want one. I am thinking my husband is just too polite to tell me that my guitar practicing bothers him.... but am not certain that it is the music as much as it is that I am not paying attention to him. Guess I will put this on my G.A.S. list. When I bought my piano, I bought electric - well for lots of reasons - but mainly because I could play with headphones. Can one of you put up pics of what you packed it in to travel? Did it just go into a gig bag, or does it completely break down to go in a smaller case? If I have to start traveling a lot again (just got back from a trip), I will need one. Thanks for starting the thread and letting us all dig into this a little more. Izzy


mcfingers
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:59 am

Hey, thanks a lot everyone. That's pretty much what I have been reading. Wow, endorsed even over Porn..... what's porn? Hehe.
Izzy, from what I've gathered the top half of the body disassembles and then when fit in the case only takes half the space. Here is a picture of the case.

Thanks again guys, I will proudly show it off if all goes well.

Steve Image


Catman
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:41 am

I spent some time recently at the guitar store playing both the steel and nylon YSGs, and some other guitars as well.

I think they are good, but not great. The steel is definitely better than the nylon. There is a definite "cool" factor to this guitar. I decided not to purchase one at this time (an announcement of what I did purchase is coming soon...) I would have to pay the equivalent of $750 for the steel, a bit less for the nylon.

If I find myself looking at air travel, I will get one. My practising is not loud enough to irritate my wife, but if that changes, I will get one. Currently, it is about #5 or #6 on my GAS list.

David


mcfingers
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:49 am

Thanks for you thoughts David. I certainly understand your reasoning. They go for $559.00 around here and on the internet at places like Musician's Friend and Guitar Centers plus free shipping. I will let you know what I find after Sat. which is when I plan on checking one out.

Thanks again, Steve


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