This is the first comment I have ever made on any RUclips video. I found this video absolutely fascinating, I could not believe that anyone would cut open a perfectly good guitar to show us the inside, but I just like the braces was glued to the screen, and watched every detail. Fantastic well done and thank you.
I play a Yamaha LL16 and I love it. It stays in tune from gig to gig, I just plug it in the DI with no effects. 90 minutes set and still in tune on the last song. I would recommend it for the price, it's well worth it.
you should mic the guitar... the peizo pickup sound doesn't bother you??? It's sounds so artificial and bad to me. It sounds nothing like an acoustic guitar.
They definitely stay in tune better then most. I installed a zero glide zero fret which makes it even more stable. It's chinese made....if you're thinking about one be sure to play it before you buy it...mine had a 14th fret hump. I had to level the fingerboard and refret it. Bought it used. It's a Martin killer now!
Which DI do you use with this? I was thinking about getting a PZ-DI. Would you use a DI if just playing the guitar through an amp? What difference does it make? I have played my LL16M through a Roland Blues Cube and with some tweaking it sounds pretty good.
Hey there guys. Just wanted to say thanks to you for doing this review. I've recently purchased this exact guitar and have to say it's by far the best one I've ever played. Tried a lot of guitars before I found the one. I do have to say I near cried when you cut it in half. Thanks for showing us how a quality instrument is made. cheers guys
Thanks, loved this review. I am a Yamaha fan for the reasons you stated. Best v as lue in the business. I am still enjoying my 1972 12 string Yamaha dreadnought which still plays beautifully. Needed a new saddle and found Yamaha customer service to be outstanding. They had the saddle IN STOCK and shipped same day from their US warehouse. Remember, this guitar is 40 years old!
Excellent work, thank you. I never understand why Yamaha instruments keep getting relegated to tier two status. They are all built very well, play great and last. Yamaha knows musical instruments. Witness their pianos and the Red Label acoustic guitars as further examples
They make God tier instruments. However with Guitar they often made 'bland' instruments with even 'blander' colours. Or they overshoot it and made something way too technical and niche. And then they did the Revstar which is 10/10.
It's a mindset thing, nothing to do with Quality. As an example Gibson makes shittiest overpriced instruments, but people still holds it at high brand value...
Why does the string compensation apear under the A String in Stead of the b-String (27:16), that means somoene inserted the bridgesaddel the wrong way, when strings were changed last time. And nobody was worried about that???
Nice. I have an LL16-12 (12 string). I was in the market for a Taylor to replace a GA4-12 that I foolishly sold several years ago. I was prepared to spend up to $2000, but a friend admonished me to not ignore Yamaha (and to specifically check out the LL series) and I found one on Reverb for about $700 shipped. Less than half of what I was ready to pay for a Taylor and I couldn't be happier. It sounds absolutely wonderful and is now my forever 12-string acoustic. I'm still mostly a Taylor man (I have a 414 Fall Limited as well), but I'm here to tell you not to pass up a good Yamaha.
I’ve had the slightly less blingy LL16 for a couple of years and really enjoy it. Thanks for this detailed review. I know that sound preferences are so subjective but I really do enjoy playing it. Especially love it for the price paid. Incredible value, beautiful look and sound.
I have an LL16 and had it for about 5 years [ bought in 2017] travelled a lot I bought it in the ME[Virgin Doha] with a soft bag after about 8 months returned to Sri Lanka [humid] its been the UK over winter time twice and in Asia Thailand now and it has been fine I had the string action reduced after two years in the UK I now have 3 Yamaha's and the LL16 is great what an investment at the price point Not so with my Martin 00028 EC purchased in the UK [in 2015] which has needed the de laminated binding re fixing for two years now playable sounds good but uncomfortable with the constant binding issue I plan to return it for repair once back in the main land UK No body wants the responsibiliry for the repair in Asia due to the high value & potential down side issues as a result the Yamaha LL16 being more durable has been my go to guitar. Thanks for posting keep it up ✌ excellent informative vids 🙏
Great and fair review. The minutexyou started plsying I said yep, that is MY guitar. i have an LL16D and it sounds identical. Even down to the massive ringing open strings. The sustain in these is mind-boggling to me. Even my wife who really doesnt pay much attention at all to my guitar obsesssiveness and gear said "Wow!" the first time I strummed it. It is what I like about Yamahas. Consistency of value and craftsmanship is 'always' there. You WILL absolutely will get more than you pay for in comparison. You have such a flat, even definition of all strings, you can EQ this to be anything you want it to be. Don't dismiss it's pickups either. They are not cheap 'quackers' by any stretch. Many dismiss Yamaha as being flat or lacking in a specific 'character'. I look at it like dialing in an EQ I want, instead of fixing deficiancies.
As a Yamaha fan, I think this sums up nicely. Incredible value for money and great craftsmanship from Yamaha. I love the big brands and have owned most of them, but keep coming back to the Yamaha.
I was excited to see a new video in this series and when I saw Yamaha I assumed they would do really well. Scratching my head about the back strap, though. Everything else looks really good for a factory machine. Thanks as always for doing and sharing these explorations. Great stuff!
I enjoy your “guitar breakdown” videos (what happened to the final rating though?) and find them very useful. This one confirms what l’ve been hearing for a long time about Yamaha acoustics in general and their LL series in particular, ie that they compete with much more expensive instruments in sound & playability and are very well made. One other make which seems to be building up a very good reputation is Eastman. I’d love to see a “breakdown” episode dedicated to one of their all solid acoustics, perhaps something like their E 8 or the older AC 420. Thank you for your interesting, no frills channel.
These videos are probably the most informative, yet at the same time the most painful guitar reviews I've even seen. That drop test rattles my bones every time.
The L series Yamaha acoustics are really nice guitars. The 5-pc necks feel so good. Both in terms of in-hand feel and sturdiness. I've played this model and their folk sized body. If something happened to my Alvarez Yairi, I think I'd be in the market for one of these, or a Guild. Great value, and a fantastic instrument.
I have an LJ56 Custom ARE, and though I hated to see a beautiful guitar cut up, glad you chopped a Chinese factory made guitar vs the premium Japanese handcrafted guitars! Great review, I need to sneak a boresnake camera around the inside of my guitar and make note of the grain orientation and glue squeeze out and see how it compares. Keep up the great work, fascinating videos!
I just got an LS16 (orchestra size) and am very much in the honeymoon phase, so do take this with a grain of salt. But I have to say, I am very impressed. I had gone into my search thinking I'd be paying 2k-2.5k for a good mid-range guitar (solid woods, orchestra size, good tone and playability). I played several Taylors and Martin's that were 2.5k or even 3k+ guitars and, in my honest opinion, the Yamaha beat anything I could find under 3.5k or 4k. The neck finish is fantastic, very comfortable and smooth-feeling; the sound rich and clear; the fit and finish are great, excellent attention to detail in terms of craftsmanship and set up out of the box. Even the piezo sounds quite nice to my ear. I also tried out an LL16, and was equally impressed. I ended up paying much less than I had planned to, and frankly, I cannot believe I got such a great guitar for that price. Very happy camper here!
I have to say, it hurt my soul to see that LL16D get dropped and cut in half. I appreciate the in-depth analysis, though. Not for the faint of heart XD
Martins and Gibsons are easily priced double what they're worth if it wasn't for the name on the headstock. They've spent a lot of money cultivating the hype because they know that a fool and his money are easily parted .
For a little perspective, I have the LL-16 and the LS-16. The LL-16 sounds so much better, there is no contest. They are totally different instruments.
This is a very timely review as I bought this guitar at the beginning of July in the black finish. I bought it because I’m mainly an electric player but looking to move over to more fingestyle as I get older and wanted to test the water. I have several good performer friends who have very good quality acoustics (Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, Martin, etc) and know what the top end sounds and feels like but didn’t want to go that level at the moment. After trying some of the mid range offerings fromTaylor, Martin, Gibson, Epiphone etc, one friend suggested trying a Yamaha because, amongst others, Bert Jansch played one. Off I went to the Yamaha flagship store in London, I’m in the UK, and tried all of their ranges and the one thing that stood out for me was how and consistent in quality and sound their guitars are irrespective of the price (also tried the Revstar range and nearly came out with one of those too). However, the LL16 sounded great and the salesman suggested I try the LL16D as an upgrade. The D is essentially the same guitar but has more upmarket appointments like the ableone and Ebony but is also, apparently, voiced individually for a more higher end sound. Everything you say is what I found, it lacks some midrange but has great bass and treble and is a very easy guitar to play, the neck is very good and the width is just right. It looks fabulous and the recording I’ve done with it shows it to sit very well in the mix and you can always some midrange if you want to. Mine also came with a very good quality and sturdy soft-shell case that is more than capable of handling transportation. My guitar was made in March this year so maybe they’ve changed the case since you got yours. It’s also made in China whereas the next models up, the LL26D, LL36D, LL56D, are all hand-made in Japan by one Yamaha’s master luthiers and are by all accounts the equal, if not better, than the more common high-end guitars (also much more expensive, the LL56D is around $6000). I plan on doing some open-mics and jam sessions with it so feel more comfortable taking it to pubs and clubs rather than a very expensive guitar. One thing this guitar is not is that it’s a ‘beater’; this is very good quality, great sounding, great playing, and great looking guitar and could quite easily be your one acoustic guitar, certainly at least until you get to a standard where you need to have a much better acoustic guitar. I’m very happy with this guitar and agree with your final thoughts!
Best guitar review that I have ever seen. I love that you are willing to cut the guitar open and allow us to see everything inside the guitar. Thank you for doing these videos.
It’s interesting that the Yamahas have been around so long that you don’t hear all the hype that’s around newer brands. They’ve always been good value well made instruments even 50 years ago. Thanks for the review.
Love these reviews, never seen such in depth reviews anywhere. The only thing I missed from this one was the score card that you usually do at the end, can you please carry on with the scores? Kinda gives a final conclusion and good to compare scores with other guitars 🙂 Keep up this great work!
You did a great job on this review! It's truly a lovely guitar and it highlighted your lovely playing quite nicely! Quick request, do you think you could add the Phil McKnight sock test to help us see how the fret ends "feel?" It's a smart way of revealing what kind of adjustments, if any, are needed. Might I suggest focusing just a bit on the fret work... just a little. Any high spots, the "scratch" test when bending notes, fret sprout, sharp ends, that kind of thing. Thanks again for the great review, Chris!!♥
@DriftwoodGuitars You mentioned that you prefer soft cases. I was wondering your thoughts on how well a soft case holds stable humidity? Particularly if you were using Diadarrio humidipacks or other humidification system to stabilize your guitars humidity in its case?
This is my favorite series by far. I would LOVE to see a Taylor GS Mini reviewed. They are worshiped by a TON of players worldwide and Taylor now has GS Mini models that are over $1,000. I would love to see the internals of one of these guitars to see if the craftsmanship really stands up to the hype.
I got a GS mini as part of their summer deal. I will say that as a travel guitar, I really love it and I’m glad that I got it at the price that I did ($200 along with the purchase of another guitar). However, that being said, I absolutely would never pay over $1000 for it
@@codyscott8687 I have played a ton of GS Minis myself while I was searching for a great travel guitar. I will admit that for their size the build quality and sound is far superior to other “travel size” guitars. But I think the way they are advertised and the way some people review them as being a “do it all guitar” is complete rubbish. There’s no way that you could play a GS Mini in an ensemble setting and cut through enough to be heard. They are great guitars for travel, I just want to know why people literally worship them. I have not discovered anything overly compelling with the ones that I have played.
Excellent video! Big fan of the Driftwood Channel. I played one of these earlier today at a local music shop. It was used and in perfect condition and it almost came home with me. I didn't buy it because my wife thinks I already have too many. Anyway, it sounded absolutely amazing and was so well set up it played like butter and sounded as good as this video makes it sound. Who knows, I may go back after NY.
Oh awesome video. Please please do a guitar breakdown on an Eastman E6 or E8 Dread or OM and or Seagul s6! Similar price ranges to the Yamaha and really great budget friendly guitars!
New subscriber after seeing this wonderful review!!! I'm an ASCAP songwriter and not a good musician, but I enjoy a great-sounding guitar that's reasonably priced.
Hello, very nice review. In 4:51 I could notice the saddle has A compansated. Is that saddle correctly installed? I tought this guitar is B compensated.
nice videos. one note about playing blackbird, and sorry if this has already been mentioned. on the ascending/descending runs, it's much easier to play the high notes on both the b ad e strings. there are videos of McCartney himself playing it where you can see what i'm saying. the pinky stretch trying to play all the higher noted on the b string is more difficult. but keep playing; keep making, and keep reviewing.
*I had an LA-8 Yamaha way back. I never found a guitar that sounded as good no matter how much I spent or how far I traveled to find guitars.* *Then I found the LL16 A.R.E. It was nearly the same sound. Definitely the exact same feel. So I was over the moon.*
Although the bridge and nut are plastic (actually synthetic polymer), they are a special type of plastic and are specifically blended to sonically match the guitar. On forums people have tried to swap these out for bone/tusq/etc with diminished results. Tusq nut/saddle are technically a 'plastic' also.
My favorite videos from you guys! Love that you're keeping the guitar companies honest and making sure we all know what our money is buying us. Just curious, what happened to the rating score though?
I've been shopping for a mid-priced guitar that I can gig and practice/learn some basic setup skills on and been really impressed with some of the Alvarez Masterworks stuff - even more so than Yamahas in the same price range. If you're looking for a candidate for the next lovely assistant to be sawed in half, I'd love to see a Masterworks MF60 OM, or any of the series. Thanks for all the great videos!
Re: Torrefied woods: I agree that treated woods do make a difference on a new instrument. However in my experience non-treated spruce tops need a few months (I have heard 6 months, mostly) to mature to the same point. I use Western Red Cedar for the tops in my guitars and find about 4 months is needed for maturing provided the guitar is played regularly.
I agree that Yamaha is a very under rated company for a lot of things. I think it sounds best for a singer song writer task. The ducking of the mids will help the vocals fit better, were as something like a Martin would be better for a solo acoustic act.
I owned a D-41 and sold it to pocket the difference after I'd played the LL16D. It is a stellar guitar and easily holds its own with ANY Martin, including my friend's D-45. It may not 'surpass' the great Taylor/L'Arrrivee/Martin/SantaCruz/Collings but it sure does feel and sound fine for several times less money. And it's NOT just about the money. It flat out sounds great, has a fine neck superior build, and I'll be upgrading further up the LL line to the handmade. I like all your videos and truly appreciate the efforts. Can't currently order one of yours, but working on it. Thanks for this cool dissection! I really push mine when strumming, and find that the bass capacity is enhanced by bringing up the action a bit. I typically play classical as well, so no problem. The scooped mid thing levels out a bit too--and I agree with the shimmer. This guitar does that. The staunch bass of say, an Alvarez Artist Jumbo (even in maple) is bigger than this guitar can offer though. When I really pounded barre chords I find the LL16D keeps up with any Martin, as I mentioned. For balance my L'Arrivee 10 Koa / Mahogany is unsurpassed, but I just use it for mellow shows and studio. Anyway. Thanks again for your thoughtful expertise, and evoking a response. Fun!
Don’t laugh but I have a Yamaha APX A4, I picked it up played an Open E chord on it, it rang for about 6 hours and I bought it and I still have it. But in the shop they had 3 or 4 of the same model but I knew that only this one was very special indeed.
Always had a soft spot for yamaha acoustics. My very 1st guitar was a 700 series ,I believe.i got it for Christmas as a teen in the early/mid nineties.i drug that thing around and played it to death.until the black painted binding had worn completely off around it.i didn't even own an electric for the 1st 4-5 years of playing guitar.my calluses were epic.It played easy,had good projection etc..when I look back I still wish I owned the beat up old beast.i have a really nice acoustic.but I'm definitely considering picking up a new yamaha.i don't know if my budget will allow for this.but I think I'd be happy with a $500-$600 model honestly.
Big Yamaha fan here. Had many brands including Martin and Taylor but I'm down to 3 Yamahas now. My 50 year old FG-160 being my favorite. Great company, great guitars.👍🏻
I spent hours demoing smaller acoustics, picked up an FGX 5 and once that neck hit my hand the choice was made. Not fancy looking but feels and sounds amazing.
Sounds much better than any Taylor I have ever played or heard! Mahalo! Yamaha, unfortunately for them, is often overlooked by the “normal” guitar buyer. Best value in playability, sound and durability.
Nice review, I'd like to see you make a guitar sound as good as possible before cutting it in half, would have been nice to hear the difference a bone nut and saddle, slotted bridge! Etc would have made. How good can it sound if you took it to a luthier?
I own LS-Ta which is transacoustic version of that in Jumbo size. Very stable and enjoyable. Had to do some adjustments and changed to solid pins as you advised before. Great guitar for 700$ used plus adds
Great series, Chris and Matt! Good to see Yamaha lives up to their reputation as an outstanding instrument builder. It would be great to see a breakdown of the Seagull Artist Tuxedo Black. North American build with solid mahogany back and sides, a maple neck(!), and a Richlite fretboard and bridge(!). Priced around $1500
Ah, finally another breakdown :) I suggest next breakdown should be one of those Harley Benton guitars, who are dead cheap but actually not bad at all (for the money). I'd love to see which corners they cut to build such nice but cheap guitars.
Yeah, cool idea! I recently bought a HB for 200 EUR , a b stock one (Harley Benton CLF-200 WN) and looks amazing. Sounds decent too. My only issue is the neck profile is kind of like a C/D or D profile. Funny they don't mention it in the description for this model, for other similar models it says C shape but I wish it was a real C shape indeed.
Always had Yamahas! Had the FG30 beginner model, sadly the soundboard lifted up because I left it unplayed in the open for years. 2nd is the LJ6 which I sold when I moved countries, & now I have the FS Trans Acoustic. Fantastic guitars. Good quality instruments.
Sounds pretty dang good! And just so people know, martin had non scalloped braces for decades and still does on some models. A bone nut and saddle, good SOLID PINS. That thing would sound amazing
Great review. Just one thought though, some of the guitars sold in high volumes are guitars around the $200 price. Guitars like Fender cd60 v3, Yamaha F-310, Epiphone DR-100, etc. Even then it's rather hard to find review of these. With the quality I've seen here, it will be amazing if you could look into that side of things as well. Maybe if not go for individual ones, you could grab 3-4, and compare/contrast them together in one video.
At 4:50 one can see that the compensated saddle is the wrong way around, that is to say, the part of the saddle that touches the A string should touch the B string and vice versa. The way it is it will be impossible to tune. Did the guitar come like this from the factory o.O?
I've got a recommendation for the next one: could You please do one of the Seagull Guitars (S6 cedar preferably) next? I've played one 10 Years ago in a music store in Poland and it was absolutely fantastic (Seagull Coastline S6 Cedar). To this day I remember the sound of it- bassy, full and beautiful, but at the time I was dead broke, and couldn't afford it. I would like to know if after 10 years they're still worth it. Thanks 🙏!
Great video as always 😊! I have some more red spruce tops for you ! I’ll never forget I sold you a red spruce top a few years ago on eBay. To driftwood guitars in good old Florida. I am a luthier myself from Baltimore Maryland. I love all your videos. !! Keep up the great work !! Thanks 🙏
Thank you! Enjoyed! Very good shake down. Had a friend who owned one of these? Not sure ll16D but looked similar. It cracked on the back. Rosewood cracks really easily. No doubt its a beautiful guitar though. Excellant test! Most greatful. Would Brazillian have better bottom end? I think you said indian rosewood. Thank you again. Do they make that model in a 12 string configuratikn? Could you test a all maple guild blond auditorium in 12 course? Thanks very much.
I bought the twelve-string version of the LL16 three years ago and it is the best guitar I’ve ever played! And it’s my favorite guitar to pick up and play. It was the best $900 I’ve ever spent on myself!
I’ve the LL6 and I love it. I don’t think I play well enough to drop a grand on a guitar but out of the 4 guitars lined up next to my living room chair, all of them are Yamaha.
I've only bought one guitar new, a Yamaha LL11-e bought in 2001. It plays nicely and I like the sound of it bouth acoustically and through the external pre-amp. Despite being the model that Bert Jansch played it was discontinued several years ago and there's not a lot about it on the internet, but I've never felt the need to replace it.
This is one of my favorite guitars regardless of price. People think I'm crazy when I say I prefer it to most gibsons and Martin's, but it's true. The entire L series is fantastic, but the LL16D and the Ls16 are so so good. I wish they had a deluxe version for the LS16. Super cool video. Thanks.
Very interesting. I've owned Yamaha guitars and they are indeed well made. Perhaps I will come visit some day and consider a guitar. I am not far from you. I live in Santa Rosa County. Glad I found your channel.
I'd be interested to see a Seagull breakdown, probably the S6. Like the Yamaha, they always seem to do well on the "bang for buck" criterion, and I'd be interested in seeing how well made they are. Thanks for your videos!
seagulls are 400$ laminate guitars, not worth it. We need them to do an American made solid wood instrument and step it up! Martin 15 series or Taylor 3 series should be next! time to see how the big boys stack up!
@@sacardevos I dont care ab america either but the best(aside from Bourgeois) and Japanese Yamaha, Furch, and a few others are MOSTLY made in America, it is what it is.
@@angelg8445 The laminate that Seagull uses isn't the typical guitar laminate. It is 3 solid pieces of cherry glued together, which makes for a great sounding laminate. Most laminates have a thick poplar core, which is a terrible tonewood, surrounded by a thin veneer of a good looking tonewood.
Thats a great review very compressive --would have loved to hear what that Piezo pick up sounded like through a quality amp not sure if i should get one without the pick up and get a passive KK system installed --any advice please ?
Hi, your tests are really great! I'd like to see you take apart a Gibson Acoustic SJ-200 Standard Maple Acoustic, and a Cordoba C12CD classical guitar.
I had a Yamaha LS16R. Very similar but not exact. A guitar I kick myself for selling. These are made so well, no not perfect, but amazing for the money. Great video but painful to see a nice guitar cut up. Thank you again
This is the first comment I have ever made on any RUclips video. I found this video absolutely fascinating, I could not believe that anyone would cut open a perfectly good guitar to show us the inside, but I just like the braces was glued to the screen, and watched every detail. Fantastic well done and thank you.
I play a Yamaha LL16 and I love it. It stays in tune from gig to gig, I just plug it in the DI with no effects. 90 minutes set and still in tune on the last song. I would recommend it for the price, it's well worth it.
you should mic the guitar... the peizo pickup sound doesn't bother you??? It's sounds so artificial and bad to me. It sounds nothing like an acoustic guitar.
Do you have a line in the middle of your guitar belly like this guy ? i.imgur.com/LGg0JNv.png
They definitely stay in tune better then most. I installed a zero glide zero fret which makes it even more stable. It's chinese made....if you're thinking about one be sure to play it before you buy it...mine had a 14th fret hump. I had to level the fingerboard and refret it. Bought it used. It's a Martin killer now!
Which DI do you use with this? I was thinking about getting a PZ-DI. Would you use a DI if just playing the guitar through an amp? What difference does it make? I have played my LL16M through a Roland Blues Cube and with some tweaking it sounds pretty good.
Hey there guys. Just wanted to say thanks to you for doing this review. I've recently purchased this exact guitar and have to say it's by far the best one I've ever played. Tried a lot of guitars before I found the one. I do have to say I near cried when you cut it in half. Thanks for showing us how a quality instrument is made. cheers guys
I’m glad you did a Yamaha. I’m a fan of Yamaha guitars. I would love to see you do a video on a Eastman guitar.
Thanks, loved this review. I am a Yamaha fan for the reasons you stated. Best v as lue in the business. I am still enjoying my 1972 12 string Yamaha dreadnought which still plays beautifully. Needed a new saddle and found Yamaha customer service to be outstanding. They had the saddle IN STOCK and shipped same day from their US warehouse. Remember, this guitar is 40 years old!
Nice! I still have my 12 strings that I bought new in 1988. Still sounds awesome.
I bought the LL16 ARE just yesterday. Great guitar, great sound, great care in construction. I am very happy with my purchase.
As an engineer, I applaud the detail of this review. Exactly the information I needed! Keep up the great work!
Excellent work, thank you. I never understand why Yamaha instruments keep getting relegated to tier two status. They are all built very well, play great and last. Yamaha knows musical instruments. Witness their pianos and the Red Label acoustic guitars as further examples
They make God tier instruments. However with Guitar they often made 'bland' instruments with even 'blander' colours.
Or they overshoot it and made something way too technical and niche.
And then they did the Revstar which is 10/10.
It's all about open mindedness, I even heard a RUclips saying yamahas are knockoffs.....
They also make great drums!
@@sleepymarauder4178u probably need to read yamahas guitar building history. im talking about their made in japan series
It's a mindset thing, nothing to do with Quality. As an example Gibson makes shittiest overpriced instruments, but people still holds it at high brand value...
Great breakdown, Chris. I love Yamahas and their specific sound... that "shimmer" that you mention at 16:03 is a big part of it for me.
As a guitar player who's lived in Japan for a couple decades, this doesn't surprise me. Japanese people tend to build things with care and pride.
I was thinking the same until I saw the label (At 25:59). It's a "Made in China".
@@VampireA-Oni that’s even more impressive imo
Only the red labeled are made in japan, and sounded so much better....(not saying that those MIC's are not good, just a night and day difference.)
@@VampireA-Oni Washburn guitars also made in China, as most things around the house.
@@VampireA-OniIt's assembled in China. Jaoanese luthiers engineered the guitar. So, they are just following instructions.
Why does the string compensation apear under the A String in Stead of the b-String (27:16), that means somoene inserted the bridgesaddel the wrong way, when strings were changed last time. And nobody was worried about that???
where's waldo? you should win a prize for noticing that.
Nice. I have an LL16-12 (12 string). I was in the market for a Taylor to replace a GA4-12 that I foolishly sold several years ago. I was prepared to spend up to $2000, but a friend admonished me to not ignore Yamaha (and to specifically check out the LL series) and I found one on Reverb for about $700 shipped. Less than half of what I was ready to pay for a Taylor and I couldn't be happier. It sounds absolutely wonderful and is now my forever 12-string acoustic. I'm still mostly a Taylor man (I have a 414 Fall Limited as well), but I'm here to tell you not to pass up a good Yamaha.
I’ve had the slightly less blingy LL16 for a couple of years and really enjoy it. Thanks for this detailed review. I know that sound preferences are so subjective but I really do enjoy playing it. Especially love it for the price paid. Incredible value, beautiful look and sound.
I have an LL16 and had it for about 5 years [ bought in 2017]
travelled a lot
I bought it in the ME[Virgin Doha] with a soft bag
after about 8 months returned to Sri Lanka [humid]
its been the UK over winter time twice and
in Asia Thailand now and it has been fine
I had the string action reduced after two years in the UK
I now have 3 Yamaha's
and the LL16 is great
what an investment at the price point
Not so
with my Martin 00028 EC purchased in the UK [in 2015]
which has needed the de laminated binding re fixing
for two years now
playable sounds good but uncomfortable with the constant binding issue
I plan to return it for repair once back in the main land UK
No body wants the responsibiliry for the repair in Asia
due to the high value & potential down side issues
as a result the Yamaha LL16 being more durable
has been my go to guitar.
Thanks for posting
keep it up ✌
excellent informative vids 🙏
Great and fair review. The minutexyou started plsying I said yep, that is MY guitar. i have an LL16D and it sounds identical. Even down to the massive ringing open strings. The sustain in these is mind-boggling to me. Even my wife who really doesnt pay much attention at all to my guitar obsesssiveness and gear said "Wow!" the first time I strummed it. It is what I like about Yamahas. Consistency of value and craftsmanship is 'always' there. You WILL absolutely will get more than you pay for in comparison. You have such a flat, even definition of all strings, you can EQ this to be anything you want it to be. Don't dismiss it's pickups either. They are not cheap 'quackers' by any stretch. Many dismiss Yamaha as being flat or lacking in a specific 'character'. I look at it like dialing in an EQ I want, instead of fixing deficiancies.
Awesome review. I have a Yamaha LS 16M and I love it. Would like to see a review on that one.
As a Yamaha fan, I think this sums up nicely. Incredible value for money and great craftsmanship from Yamaha. I love the big brands and have owned most of them, but keep coming back to the Yamaha.
thats the way i feel about my d 28 martin 50 years old and still rocks
I was excited to see a new video in this series and when I saw Yamaha I assumed they would do really well.
Scratching my head about the back strap, though. Everything else looks really good for a factory machine.
Thanks as always for doing and sharing these explorations. Great stuff!
A very thorough review. Well done. I do hate seeing the guitar cut in half particularly when I see how terrific it looks inside.
I enjoy your “guitar breakdown” videos (what happened to the final rating though?) and find them very useful. This one confirms what l’ve been hearing for a long time about Yamaha acoustics in general and their LL series in particular, ie that they compete with much more expensive instruments in sound & playability and are very well made. One other make which seems to be building up a very good reputation is Eastman. I’d love to see a “breakdown” episode dedicated to one of their all solid acoustics, perhaps something like their E 8 or the older AC 420. Thank you for your interesting, no frills channel.
These videos are probably the most informative, yet at the same time the most painful guitar reviews I've even seen. That drop test rattles my bones every time.
The L series Yamaha acoustics are really nice guitars.
The 5-pc necks feel so good. Both in terms of in-hand feel and sturdiness.
I've played this model and their folk sized body.
If something happened to my Alvarez Yairi, I think I'd be in the market for one of these, or a Guild.
Great value, and a fantastic instrument.
I have an LJ56 Custom ARE, and though I hated to see a beautiful guitar cut up, glad you chopped a Chinese factory made guitar vs the premium Japanese handcrafted guitars! Great review, I need to sneak a boresnake camera around the inside of my guitar and make note of the grain orientation and glue squeeze out and see how it compares. Keep up the great work, fascinating videos!
I just got an LS16 (orchestra size) and am very much in the honeymoon phase, so do take this with a grain of salt. But I have to say, I am very impressed.
I had gone into my search thinking I'd be paying 2k-2.5k for a good mid-range guitar (solid woods, orchestra size, good tone and playability). I played several Taylors and Martin's that were 2.5k or even 3k+ guitars and, in my honest opinion, the Yamaha beat anything I could find under 3.5k or 4k. The neck finish is fantastic, very comfortable and smooth-feeling; the sound rich and clear; the fit and finish are great, excellent attention to detail in terms of craftsmanship and set up out of the box. Even the piezo sounds quite nice to my ear. I also tried out an LL16, and was equally impressed.
I ended up paying much less than I had planned to, and frankly, I cannot believe I got such a great guitar for that price. Very happy camper here!
I have to say, it hurt my soul to see that LL16D get dropped and cut in half. I appreciate the in-depth analysis, though. Not for the faint of heart XD
Martins and Gibsons are easily priced double what they're worth if it wasn't for the name on the headstock. They've spent a lot of money cultivating the hype because they know that a fool and his money are easily parted .
For a little perspective, I have the LL-16 and the LS-16. The LL-16 sounds so much better, there is no contest. They are totally different instruments.
This is a very timely review as I bought this guitar at the beginning of July in the black finish. I bought it because I’m mainly an electric player but looking to move over to more fingestyle as I get older and wanted to test the water.
I have several good performer friends who have very good quality acoustics (Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, Martin, etc) and know what the top end sounds and feels like but didn’t want to go that level at the moment.
After trying some of the mid range offerings fromTaylor, Martin, Gibson, Epiphone etc, one friend suggested trying a Yamaha because, amongst others, Bert Jansch played one.
Off I went to the Yamaha flagship store in London, I’m in the UK, and tried all of their ranges and the one thing that stood out for me was how and consistent in quality and sound their guitars are irrespective of the price (also tried the Revstar range and nearly came out with one of those too).
However, the LL16 sounded great and the salesman suggested I try the LL16D as an upgrade. The D is essentially the same guitar but has more upmarket appointments like the ableone and Ebony but is also, apparently, voiced individually for a more higher end sound.
Everything you say is what I found, it lacks some midrange but has great bass and treble and is a very easy guitar to play, the neck is very good and the width is just right. It looks fabulous and the recording I’ve done with it shows it to sit very well in the mix and you can always some midrange if you want to.
Mine also came with a very good quality and sturdy soft-shell case that is more than capable of handling transportation. My guitar was made in March this year so maybe they’ve changed the case since you got yours. It’s also made in China whereas the next models up, the LL26D, LL36D, LL56D, are all hand-made in Japan by one Yamaha’s master luthiers and are by all accounts the equal, if not better, than the more common high-end guitars (also much more expensive, the LL56D is around $6000).
I plan on doing some open-mics and jam sessions with it so feel more comfortable taking it to pubs and clubs rather than a very expensive guitar.
One thing this guitar is not is that it’s a ‘beater’; this is very good quality, great sounding, great playing, and great looking guitar and could quite easily be your one acoustic guitar, certainly at least until you get to a standard where you need to have a much better acoustic guitar.
I’m very happy with this guitar and agree with your final thoughts!
Best guitar review that I have ever seen.
I love that you are willing to cut the guitar open and allow us to see everything inside the guitar.
Thank you for doing these videos.
It’s interesting that the Yamahas have been around so long that you don’t hear all the hype that’s around newer brands.
They’ve always been good value well made instruments even 50 years ago.
Thanks for the review.
Yeah❤❤❤ lets support this channel. This really show the craftmanship and quality of guitars.
Love these reviews, never seen such in depth reviews anywhere. The only thing I missed from this one was the score card that you usually do at the end, can you please carry on with the scores? Kinda gives a final conclusion and good to compare scores with other guitars 🙂 Keep up this great work!
Great content as always. Please do an Eastman Dreadnaught. Cheers from Canada!
You did a great job on this review! It's truly a lovely guitar and it highlighted your lovely playing quite nicely! Quick request, do you think you could add the Phil McKnight sock test to help us see how the fret ends "feel?" It's a smart way of revealing what kind of adjustments, if any, are needed. Might I suggest focusing just a bit on the fret work... just a little. Any high spots, the "scratch" test when bending notes, fret sprout, sharp ends, that kind of thing. Thanks again for the great review, Chris!!♥
@DriftwoodGuitars You mentioned that you prefer soft cases. I was wondering your thoughts on how well a soft case holds stable humidity? Particularly if you were using Diadarrio humidipacks or other humidification system to stabilize your guitars humidity in its case?
This is my favorite series by far. I would LOVE to see a Taylor GS Mini reviewed. They are worshiped by a TON of players worldwide and Taylor now has GS Mini models that are over $1,000. I would love to see the internals of one of these guitars to see if the craftsmanship really stands up to the hype.
nothing about the gs mini is worth the hype to me. it's just a fine travel guitar.
@@wiiverI own one and agree with you
I tried two GS Mini versions and ended up with Yamaha CSF3M. Not only cheaper, but all solid wood, better built and sounds better as well.
I got a GS mini as part of their summer deal. I will say that as a travel guitar, I really love it and I’m glad that I got it at the price that I did ($200 along with the purchase of another guitar). However, that being said, I absolutely would never pay over $1000 for it
@@codyscott8687 I have played a ton of GS Minis myself while I was searching for a great travel guitar. I will admit that for their size the build quality and sound is far superior to other “travel size” guitars. But I think the way they are advertised and the way some people review them as being a “do it all guitar” is complete rubbish. There’s no way that you could play a GS Mini in an ensemble setting and cut through enough to be heard. They are great guitars for travel, I just want to know why people literally worship them. I have not discovered anything overly compelling with the ones that I have played.
Excellent video! Big fan of the Driftwood Channel.
I played one of these earlier today at a local music shop. It was used and in perfect condition and it almost came home with me. I didn't buy it because my wife thinks I already have too many. Anyway, it sounded absolutely amazing and was so well set up it played like butter and sounded as good as this video makes it sound. Who knows, I may go back after NY.
Oh awesome video. Please please do a guitar breakdown on an Eastman E6 or E8 Dread or OM and or Seagul s6! Similar price ranges to the Yamaha and really great budget friendly guitars!
New subscriber after seeing this wonderful review!!! I'm an ASCAP songwriter and not a good musician, but I enjoy a great-sounding guitar that's reasonably priced.
Hello, very nice review. In 4:51 I could notice the saddle has A compansated. Is that saddle correctly installed? I tought this guitar is B compensated.
One of the most informative, comprehensive and detailed reviews that I have seen.
nice videos. one note about playing blackbird, and sorry if this has already been mentioned. on the ascending/descending runs, it's much easier to play the high notes on both the b ad e strings.
there are videos of McCartney himself playing it where you can see what i'm saying. the pinky stretch trying to play all the higher noted on the b string is more difficult.
but keep playing; keep making, and keep reviewing.
*I had an LA-8 Yamaha way back. I never found a guitar that sounded as good no matter how much I spent or how far I traveled to find guitars.*
*Then I found the LL16 A.R.E. It was nearly the same sound. Definitely the exact same feel. So I was over the moon.*
Great review! Would love to see your thoughts on the similarly priced Recording King RD-342.
Although the bridge and nut are plastic (actually synthetic polymer), they are a special type of plastic and are specifically blended to sonically match the guitar. On forums people have tried to swap these out for bone/tusq/etc with diminished results.
Tusq nut/saddle are technically a 'plastic' also.
My favorite videos from you guys! Love that you're keeping the guitar companies honest and making sure we all know what our money is buying us.
Just curious, what happened to the rating score though?
Yamaha got rating so high they had to hide it.
they probs just didn't remember
@@LegsON9
For that price range this one must be a 10 . Unbeatable tone comes with a beautiful look like a 3k guitar
Awesome video, very informative. I would have loved to see a review/cutting of a Red Label Yamaha to see how it compares !!
I've been shopping for a mid-priced guitar that I can gig and practice/learn some basic setup skills on and been really impressed with some of the Alvarez Masterworks stuff - even more so than Yamahas in the same price range. If you're looking for a candidate for the next lovely assistant to be sawed in half, I'd love to see a Masterworks MF60 OM, or any of the series. Thanks for all the great videos!
Top end Eastman would be my suggestion for the chop.
Re: Torrefied woods: I agree that treated woods do make a difference on a new instrument. However in my experience non-treated spruce tops need a few months (I have heard 6 months, mostly) to mature to the same point. I use Western Red Cedar for the tops in my guitars and find about 4 months is needed for maturing provided the guitar is played regularly.
I agree that Yamaha is a very under rated company for a lot of things. I think it sounds best for a singer song writer task. The ducking of the mids will help the vocals fit better, were as something like a Martin would be better for a solo acoustic act.
I owned a D-41 and sold it to pocket the difference after I'd played the LL16D. It is a stellar guitar and easily holds its own with ANY Martin, including my friend's D-45. It may not 'surpass' the great Taylor/L'Arrrivee/Martin/SantaCruz/Collings but it sure does feel and sound fine for several times less money. And it's NOT just about the money. It flat out sounds great, has a fine neck superior build, and I'll be upgrading further up the LL line to the handmade. I like all your videos and truly appreciate the efforts. Can't currently order one of yours, but working on it. Thanks for this cool dissection! I really push mine when strumming, and find that the bass capacity is enhanced by bringing up the action a bit. I typically play classical as well, so no problem. The scooped mid thing levels out a bit too--and I agree with the shimmer. This guitar does that. The staunch bass of say, an Alvarez Artist Jumbo (even in maple) is bigger than this guitar can offer though. When I really pounded barre chords I find the LL16D keeps up with any Martin, as I mentioned. For balance my L'Arrivee 10 Koa / Mahogany is unsurpassed, but I just use it for mellow shows and studio. Anyway. Thanks again for your thoughtful expertise, and evoking a response. Fun!
Great review. I’d love to see one on the Easton e1d or e2d guitars.
best guitar review i’ve seen on RUclips. Bon travaille!
if I can find one of these, I’m picking it up.
cheers,
Gene
Great review. And fair. It certainly makes Yamaha look like a strong choice
Don’t laugh but I have a Yamaha APX A4, I picked it up played an Open E chord on it, it rang for about 6 hours and I bought it and I still have it.
But in the shop they had 3 or 4 of the same model but I knew that only this one was very special indeed.
Have you looked at an Eastman guitar yet?
Always had a soft spot for yamaha acoustics.
My very 1st guitar was a 700 series ,I believe.i got it for Christmas as a teen in the early/mid nineties.i drug that thing around and played it to death.until the black painted binding had worn completely off around it.i didn't even own an electric for the 1st 4-5 years of playing guitar.my calluses were epic.It played easy,had good projection etc..when I look back I still wish I owned the beat up old beast.i have a really nice acoustic.but I'm definitely considering picking up a new yamaha.i don't know if my budget will allow for this.but I think I'd be happy with a $500-$600 model honestly.
The most thorough guitar review on the net , thank you
I own this guitar and grateful for the info. 😃
this is such a good review. so much detail, articulated so precisely. really appreciate it, gonna be watching more.
Big Yamaha fan here. Had many brands including Martin and Taylor but I'm down to 3 Yamahas now. My 50 year old FG-160 being my favorite. Great company, great guitars.👍🏻
Would love to see one of Cort's Masterpiece guitars done. I have the Abstract Delta and it's really nice for the price point.
Please do a Japanese made Yamaha like the FG5 or FGX5. Would love to see that.
Just got an fsx 5 and it’s spectacular
I spent hours demoing smaller acoustics, picked up an FGX 5 and once that neck hit my hand the choice was made. Not fancy looking but feels and sounds amazing.
Sounds much better than any Taylor I have ever played or heard! Mahalo! Yamaha, unfortunately for them, is often overlooked by the “normal” guitar buyer. Best value in playability, sound and durability.
I’ve been considering one of Yamaha’s Japanese Red Labels for a while and would love to see one of them scrutinized on this channel.
Nice review, I'd like to see you make a guitar sound as good as possible before cutting it in half, would have been nice to hear the difference a bone nut and saddle, slotted bridge! Etc would have made. How good can it sound if you took it to a luthier?
What did you do with the guitar after you cut it in two?
I own LS-Ta which is transacoustic version of that in Jumbo size. Very stable and enjoyable. Had to do some adjustments and changed to solid pins as you advised before. Great guitar for 700$ used plus adds
Yep, have the LL-TA and it's great
Great series, Chris and Matt! Good to see Yamaha lives up to their reputation as an outstanding instrument builder. It would be great to see a breakdown of the Seagull Artist Tuxedo Black. North American build with solid mahogany back and sides, a maple neck(!), and a Richlite fretboard and bridge(!). Priced around $1500
Ah, finally another breakdown :)
I suggest next breakdown should be one of those Harley Benton guitars, who are dead cheap but actually not bad at all (for the money). I'd love to see which corners they cut to build such nice but cheap guitars.
Hi Buddy are your dawn guitars just put in the dumpster love your videos, Best Regards.
Yeah, cool idea! I recently bought a HB for 200 EUR , a b stock one (Harley Benton CLF-200 WN) and looks amazing. Sounds decent too. My only issue is the neck profile is kind of like a C/D or D profile. Funny they don't mention it in the description for this model, for other similar models it says C shape but I wish it was a real C shape indeed.
Always had Yamahas! Had the FG30 beginner model, sadly the soundboard lifted up because I left it unplayed in the open for years. 2nd is the LJ6 which I sold when I moved countries, & now I have the FS Trans Acoustic. Fantastic guitars. Good quality instruments.
Speaking of Yamaha, I'd enjoy seeing your review of the FG5, or the FGX5. Keep up the great work!
Surely light gauge strings on a dreadnought will struggle to get the top moving as it needs to?
Sounds pretty dang good! And just so people know, martin had non scalloped braces for decades and still does on some models. A bone nut and saddle, good SOLID PINS. That thing would sound amazing
And pull out the godawful undersaddle element, plus open short shaft tuning machines.
Well done, as usual. Sure looks like an excellent guitar for someone searching in that price range. Thanks for the review!
Great review.
Just one thought though, some of the guitars sold in high volumes are guitars around the $200 price. Guitars like Fender cd60 v3, Yamaha F-310, Epiphone DR-100, etc.
Even then it's rather hard to find review of these. With the quality I've seen here, it will be amazing if you could look into that side of things as well.
Maybe if not go for individual ones, you could grab 3-4, and compare/contrast them together in one video.
YESssss! Guitar Breakdown episodes are back. So killer, thank you guys for doing this again.
At 4:50 one can see that the compensated saddle is the wrong way around, that is to say, the part of the saddle that touches the A string should touch the B string and vice versa. The way it is it will be impossible to tune. Did the guitar come like this from the factory o.O?
I've got a recommendation for the next one: could You please do one of the Seagull Guitars (S6 cedar preferably) next?
I've played one 10 Years ago in a music store in Poland and it was absolutely fantastic (Seagull Coastline S6 Cedar). To this day I remember the sound of it- bassy, full and beautiful, but at the time I was dead broke, and couldn't afford it. I would like to know if after 10 years they're still worth it.
Thanks 🙏!
Great video as always 😊! I have some more red spruce tops for you ! I’ll never forget I sold you a red spruce top a few years ago on eBay. To driftwood guitars in good old Florida. I am a luthier myself from Baltimore Maryland. I love all your videos. !! Keep up the great work !! Thanks 🙏
Really informative, guys, and much appreciated. I'd love to see a review of a Yairi Masterworks DYM95 or similar model. I have a DYM96 and love it.
I would love to see you do the Eastman e10 or e20
I really enjoy hearing your thoughts and descriptions of the sound and playability. really great series!
I've played many guitars over the years and always impressed when I pick up and play a a Yamaha acoustic guitar .
Thank you! Enjoyed! Very good shake down. Had a friend who owned one of these? Not sure ll16D but looked similar. It cracked on the back. Rosewood cracks really easily. No doubt its a beautiful guitar though. Excellant test! Most greatful. Would Brazillian have better bottom end? I think you said indian rosewood. Thank you again. Do they make that model in a 12 string configuratikn? Could you test a all maple guild blond auditorium in 12 course? Thanks very much.
I bought the twelve-string version of the LL16 three years ago and it is the best guitar I’ve ever played! And it’s my favorite guitar to pick up and play. It was the best $900 I’ve ever spent on myself!
You are a true professional. Thank you for this great video. This was a perfect learning session 👍
Very nice review. I could see myself owning one of these one day. I'd have to change out that pickguard though!
Awesome video as always guys !!! really beautiful guitar !! Any thoughts on the Takamine GN93 CE?
I’ve the LL6 and I love it.
I don’t think I play well enough to drop a grand on a guitar but out of the 4 guitars lined up next to my living room chair, all of them are Yamaha.
Me too... my LL6 is awesome and I have 4 other Yamaha acoustic guitars that I love....
I've only bought one guitar new, a Yamaha LL11-e bought in 2001. It plays nicely and I like the sound of it bouth acoustically and through the external pre-amp. Despite being the model that Bert Jansch played it was discontinued several years ago and there's not a lot about it on the internet, but I've never felt the need to replace it.
At 7:46, is the bridge backwards? Looks like the A string is on the B lift (which is reversed)
This is one of my favorite guitars regardless of price. People think I'm crazy when I say I prefer it to most gibsons and Martin's, but it's true. The entire L series is fantastic, but the LL16D and the Ls16 are so so good. I wish they had a deluxe version for the LS16. Super cool video. Thanks.
Yeah this deluxe version both look and sounds so beautiful. Perfect for a keeper guitar for our grandkids for a very reasonable amount of money
I wonder why they don't have a ls16d? Maybe cos fingerstyle guitarists are less blingy/country yeehaw
Very interesting. I've owned Yamaha guitars and they are indeed well made. Perhaps I will come visit some day and consider a guitar. I am not far from you. I live in Santa Rosa County. Glad I found your channel.
I would be interested in the Yamaha FG9.
Please do the fgx5, thank you
I'd be interested to see a Seagull breakdown, probably the S6. Like the Yamaha, they always seem to do well on the "bang for buck" criterion, and I'd be interested in seeing how well made they are. Thanks for your videos!
I've just made a comment about it 😂 It would be so awesome!
seagulls are 400$ laminate guitars, not worth it. We need them to do an American made solid wood instrument and step it up! Martin 15 series or Taylor 3 series should be next! time to see how the big boys stack up!
@@angelg8445S6 has solid top. The Maritime is all solid. I couldn't give a s... about American or not as long is well made and it plays well.
@@sacardevos I dont care ab america either but the best(aside from Bourgeois) and Japanese Yamaha, Furch, and a few others are MOSTLY made in America, it is what it is.
@@angelg8445 The laminate that Seagull uses isn't the typical guitar laminate. It is 3 solid pieces of cherry glued together, which makes for a great sounding laminate. Most laminates have a thick poplar core, which is a terrible tonewood, surrounded by a thin veneer of a good looking tonewood.
Thats a great review very compressive --would have loved to hear what that Piezo pick up sounded like through a quality amp not sure if i should get one without the pick up and get a passive KK system installed --any advice please ?
Hi, your tests are really great! I'd like to see you take apart a Gibson Acoustic SJ-200 Standard Maple Acoustic, and a Cordoba C12CD classical guitar.
Amazing review😃Can you review Larveee and shereen lowden please 😊 🙏
I had a Yamaha LS16R. Very similar but not exact. A guitar I kick myself for selling. These are made so well, no not perfect, but amazing for the money. Great video but painful to see a nice guitar cut up.
Thank you again
Always enjoy your reviews,, came across this one because I have been checking out the Yamaha fs3 was wondering if you ever played them? Thanks
Thanks
Was the bridge saddle flipped 180 degrees? It looks like the cut back for the unwound strings is on the bass side