Yamaha AES1500-B

2004 japana made guitar. See other reviews to find out more.
With the push push tone pots, it's amazing the different kind of sounds you get!!! And with the bigsby it looks like a dream guitar!

This is what I prefer. It suits my musical style (songwriting pop music) but it also the music I do in my other band (indie pop rock). I used the pther day to play nu-metal and it sounded fantastic and didn't get feedback at all.
I play it through a soldano atomic 16, finger picking or with a pick, kind of a slightly crunchy/crispy sound. It's fantastic. I even miced it without pluggin it to record some very thick sound and it was great. The sound is so rich, harmonics are everywhere. everything you play on it sounds like a dream, clean or overdriven sounds are great with it. It's got a very rich and full sound, less bright than a es-335 but more powerfull and rich. Once again with the push-push it can do about every sound you want. And the q-100 are very powerfull so even for overdriven rock leads it's fine.
The sound is the best part of this guitar. It has everything I was looking for.

The fit is nice, but I'm gonnas change some stuff. I use to play with 12-54 strings with no wounded g string and now it's 12-52 with wounded g string. And I'm gonna fit teh action a bit higher because I like the way it plays. the neck is good. Maybe not the best neck I know but it feels very natural. Playing lead or ythm feels fine and easy. I recieved mine with the 2 push-push broken, but it's because of UPS so nevermind.
The finish is great. simply great. It's a beauty (mine is black). The bigsby feels also very comfortable and esay to use (I never had a guitar with bigsby before...).
So it's not perfect fitted FOR ME but nothing on earth is so I give it a 9. It plays as god as any gretsch or gibson high grade guitar!

I've got it only for one month so I don' know how much it'll last, but the construction looks sturdy and the finish is so well made that I think it'll last for long.

never ahd to deal with them

I play not for very long, maybe 10 years or so. I've also got a martin j-1 acoustic, a gibson lespaul special electric and a fernandes Deuce deluxe as a back up. As I love big guitars and as I play a lot of acoustic, I was looking for a semi-hollow or hollow body. After testing a lot of stuff (gibson es 335, heritage h535, a lot fo chinese low costs guitars, 60's gretsch), I decided to buy this one without testing it!!! I saw t first in the hands of Troy Van Leeuwen (from QOTSA) and the sounds he got from it sounded great. then I saw a lot of professionnal guitar players with this guitar and I also found that a lot of studio rentals and studios had one of these. After checking the price (very cheap for that kind of instrument, I still cannot believe it!), I decide to make it a try. And I wasn't disapointed. It has become my main guitar in only one month (and let me tell you i DO LOVe my lespaul!!!). I ordered it at Thomann.de so that I could send it back within 30 days if it didnt' fit my needs.
And I didn't send it back!!! One of the 4 or 5 best guitars I've ever played.

Got this from Musician's Friend Blem store in KC (nice to have this in town) for $1000 with a case. It is black, and beautiful! Love the DiMarzio pups,neck is great. Originally bought it when I was experimenting with some Jazz stuff, but it is a great rock and roll guitar! Not for metal, but if you are into blues or roots rock it fits my bill perfectly. the only issue I have has already been mentioned, that is the low angle of the strings over the saddles. I have adjusted my playing style, and it really is not too much of a problem. Neck is very comfortable, the whole guitar is just very comfortable even though it is a big bodied guitar. You know the specs if you are reading this review.

Have used this guitar through a variety of amps, currently through a Peavey Delta Blues 210, but it makes any amp sound good. It is a very loud guitar, but it is easy to get different sound dynamics just by adjusting your attack and volume control. rhythm pup is warm and growly, bridge pup is brighter. Love the bigsby. I play blues, roots rock, and a little jazz, works great for all the above. It can get as nasty as you want it too, although I doubt you are looking at this review if you are a metal head. I typically dont' split the coil, but never say never.

Factory set up, rather the set up when I got it, I think it was a return item, was horrible, but my luthier fixed it. Finish is gorgeous black with gold hardware and a kind of bone colored binding. It is a stunning guitar. Everyone who sees it loves the look. If you can find a black one, get it as I think it looks much cooler that the orange or white ones. The attention to detail from Yamaha is outstanding. Anyone with a black guitar or car knows that you have to keep it clean, especially after sweating all over it because it does show easily.

Have gigged with it, always have a backup/second guitar which for me is my 74 Tele custom. I've only owned it for a little over a year, but the longer I own it the more I love it. Of course replaced the strap buttons with donlop straplocks.

unknown, never had to call them

I've only been playing for about 5 years, but am in a band that does gig. I play rhythm guitar. In my humble opinion, this guitar is an excellent value. I don't think I would have bought it for list price, but for what I paid for it I am extremely pleased. I haven't even thought about buying another guitar since I bought this one. I do have several Teles and was looking at Gibsons when I found this. Our lead guitar player has a 335, and I think this sounds just as good. other than the low saddle angle, I have nothing else bad to say about this guitar. I would probably try to find another if it got ripped.

Beautiful, predictable pickups. I say predictable as a compliment. This guitar is very easy to just pick up and start playing. You don't need to fuss with the tone knobs to find a "sweet spot." I've played plenty of Gibsons that didn't play well from the factory. This guitar has always played well and sounds better every year. Any sound you want, this guitar can give you. The only guitar i've played that compared to this was a Gibson Country Gentleman. So there's a reference point for you.

I've played this amp with my Ampeg Reverberocket (all-tube w/ 2-12'), my Roland Jazz Chorus, a Rivera Knucklehead and even an old Traynor. I can always get a good sound out of this guitar. I've loaned this guitar to friend who play rock, jazz, blues, hard rock, alternative... it always sounds great. Clean, distorted, dry or swimming, i've consistently been able to get good sound from this instrument. If you think Fenders are too wimpy and Gibsons aren't clear enough, try this.

I don't know if all of the 1500's came like this, but i was told this guitar has a sycamore top. the finish (orange) is gorgeous. An eye-catcher for sure. I bought the guitar used about 5 years ago and had it set up for the first time 3 months back. Let me also add that I am...not a small man. I looked like a giant when i played my Gibson Blueshawk. Initially i was drawn to this instrument simply for its' size.

As i said, i got this guitar 5 years ago. I heard a local jazz instructor bought it in or around '97. The finish is still great. There are a few holes from where he removed (!) the Bigsby. All the electronics (pots, switch) still act like new. The machine heads were replaced with Grover Imperials. Overall, this guitar has held up well and i plan on playing it for many, many years to come. Looking at the guitar, there are no bubbles, cracks, fades or other signs of poor craftsmanship. The neck strap button is a little loose, has been since i bought it.

I have not had to deal with customer support.

I've been playing for 14 years. My overall rating of this guitar is as follows: If you enjoy spending your Saturdays at the local guitar store, don't buy this guitar. Honestly. I'm critical as hell when it comes to my tone and the way my guitar plays. I've been looking for a replacement for this thing for 4 years and haven't found anything better under $2500.

New (I'd think 2003) AES 1500B - orange. Features have been discussed below. Two humbuckers, soapbar style, by DiMarzio. Original Bigsby tremolo. Bound body (front and back), bound fretboard, bound f-holes. Maple (or rather Sycamore) body, with a very nice flame to it. A three-stripe neck, looks like two pieces maple with a center piece of mahogany. Great push-push potis to split the humbuckers. Much easier than the usual push-pull affair. Since every humbucker can be split separately, this yields a total of 8 different pickup combinations. It has a sustain block beneath the bridge. It may be hollow, but it's a rather large guitar, so it's not terribly lightweight. It didn't come with a case, which is a drawback... thus only a "9". It won't exactly fit a standard case, you know....

I bought this guitar because I wanted a hollowbody, if possible with a Bigsby tremolo. I have not been disappointed. This is a great sounding instrument, very balanced. The pickups have a healthy output yet still sound smooth, warm, and midrangey. Not sharp, no "ice pick" in single coil mode, yet a very balanced treble response. The tone pots are too drastic for my likes, they are only usable at the beginning of their range, otherwise they'll cut much too much treble, but this is really totally minor. And nothing shimmers, warbles, and bubbles like a bigsby - I've every other popular sort of tremolo on one guitar ("Vintage", Wilkinson, PRS, Floyd Rose), and the bigsby has its own style and sound. Sustain is very good too even though there is only that slight angle of the strings over the bridge due to the Bigsby. This is not a guitar for high gain metal (would sure look funny in a nu-metal outfit, wouldn't it? :-) ), but it excels for clean tones, has gorgeous clean humbucking tones, and does crunch and overdrive extremely well too. Beautiful - it's become my favourite axe for clean leads, because the neck humbucker simply sings...

The guitar came with 012 strings. I immediately changed to 10s and had to readjust the bigsby accordingly. But I didn't need to touch the trussrod. Which may be because the neck is a nice chunky piece of wood - no shredder thing, but very comfortable. The fretboard radius is rather large - about 13.5" or so, and I like that, it's made for clean, articulate fretting. I raised the action a little for the 10s strings - with thicker strings, you can have it lower. Actually, there's one slight problem - due to the very low angle of the strings over the bridge, with wide bendings I tend to pop the high E string out of it's groove. I'll have to rework that groove a little, but that is about the only flaw I could find, and it's a matter of construction...
This guitar was built in Japan, and the build quality and the materials are amazing. Very nice woods, and no visible flaws. The binding is very excellent - it's not just plain white plastic, no, the body binding is 3-ply, and it's white but slightly structured, like bleached wood. Incredible eye for detail. The fret job is absolutely perfect. The fretboard binding is perfect too, no edges or ridges, something that Gibson is seemingly not able to do anymore (haven't had ONE new Gibson in my hands in the last years that wasn't terribly bad in this regard). Even the F-holes are bound, and I found no finish flaws. Now, for a 3000 EUR guitar, I wouldn't be raving about this , but for the 1250 EUR I paid, it's simply amazing. It's easily as well made as my PRS, and better than my Framus, G&L, Ibanez and Gibson stuff. Amazing, considering that PRS sells the solid body "Custom" model at rougly 3500 EUR in germany, and the hollowbodies well above that.

The guitar comes with a "traditional" nut (feels like bone...), which fits the more "traditional" outlook of the guitar. I might be replacing this with a graphite thing in the future, although the tuning stability is surprisingly good even with the Bigsby. Changing strings with an original Bigsby is also a bit of a chore, with that little pins to hold the ballends... but that's a Bigsby problem, not a Yamaha problem.

Well made, seems really durable. Quality hardware throughout. Wouldn't gig without a backup (would never do that anyway). I won't rate this category though, since I only had the guitar for 4 months.

Asked them a question via email, got a prompt response. Pretty good.

I've been playing for 20 years now. Other guitars include PRS, G&L, Framus, Ibanez, Gibson. This Yamaha rivals the best build quality I've seen before. And it's just beautiful to look at and play too. Amps - Mesa Boogie, Hughes&Kettner. Plus ADA direct recording devices. Overall, the Yamaha was a pleasant surprise. I ordered this guitar blindly and didn't expect such extraordinary quality. I'm extremely pleased with it, and for this price, it is a steal. Excellent value for the money.

1990'S MODEL--ORANGE--WITH BIGSBY--FAT WIDE NECK--2 PICKUPS--WITH PUSH PULL COIL TAPS ON EACH ONE--TUNE O MATIC BRIDGE WITH ROLLERS--mostly all covered by other reviews--

SOUNDS REALLY GREAT--very gretsch like--SINGLE COIL MODE IS BEST FOR QUIET or SMOOTH JAZZ PLAYING or fingerstyle stuff---pickups are very quiet--and very responsive---good sound--rich when needed--sharp and keen when needed---CAN REALLY ROCK on humbucker mode----WITHOUT FEEDBACK--pull pots out for humbucking mode---lead pickup then really cuts--only wish is that it had a master volume--probably sounds as good or beTTERr than the new gretsch models---switches and pots seem to be high quality--I PLAY IT THRU A LOT OF DIFFERENT AMPS--SOUNDS REALLY GOOD THRU A SOLID STATE VOX PATHFINDER---FOR HOME USE---hook up a big old fender and you got the brian setzer--or neil young or even freddie king sound going on---this is a great guitar for rock-blues--rockabilly--jazz--just anything--this guitar will do it--

i bought it used--finish is real nice--not thick---lots of flame--if that is important to you--feels really solid--made in japan--not korea--

i think its very reliable---yamaha doesnt build junk---as a rule

look--ive been playing a LONG time--i know guitars---personally..i wouldnt pay the 1800 dollars they ask for this guitar new--for that price you can get a good old gretsch--which is basically what this is a copy of---however--this guitar is very very good---it has better electronics than a gretsch--although it doesnt have the quite sound of a pair of old filtertrons---the pickups do--however--sound great, in a modern way--i can dig it and i'm a snob---the notes are all articulated very well--across the neck---no dead spots--or mush--very clean sounding---and with a pedal it will really rock--you can flat get down on it----i got mine used for less than half of retail--for that money--i dont think any other guitar can come close to the quality--the neck is a 2 piece---with the grafted on heel--not a solid piece like old guitars--but its a great neck--its fat and wide---if you have tiny hands --i would not buy it--the frets are nice---smooth jumbo style--great for bending--it holds tune very well--will play great with ernie ball 10's---if you want to enter the true "tone zone"--get a set of thomastik 10 gauge nickel flat wounds---then this guitar will really show you some tone--guitar looks and feels great--not too heavy--at any price less than a grand--i would say---jump on this guitar---get the bigbsy model--it works and sounds great--

Made in Japan, 22 Frets, Semi-hollow body guitar. Beautiful flame maple top with orange finish and gold hardware. Electronics feature 3-way pickup selector, 2 DiMarzio vintage humbuckers, individual volume and tone controls for each pickup, and each tone control is also a push-button for coil splitting. This makes it the most versatile guitar in its class. Everything is bound (neck, body, headstock), including the f-holes, and the finish is great. (Mine had a slight flaw near one of the strap buttons, but looks like it didn't come from the factory that way. Bigsby tremolo with a tune-o-matic bridge.

I challenge anyone looking for this style of guitar to find something with all of these features anywhere near the $1300-$1700 new price! I don't think ES335's come with bound f-holes until well into the $3000 range!

I love many different styles, but my original stuff is indy-rock/pop. This is a great guitar for that style. You can get wonderful humbucker tones (ES335, etc.) and it sound great plugged into a Marshall. I mostly use it with a Fender Concert or Vox AC15TBX. It can also get amazing blues and jazz sounds and comes somewhat close to a Gretsch sound, but can't get there totally. (I think you really need those DeArmond pickups on the Gretsch for that sound.) The single coil settings are great, too, so Fender-esque tones can be achieved easily, and you could even do some funky rhythms. This is a good guitar for a single-channel amp (like the Vox AC15), since you can adjust so many things on the guitar. I also LOVE the awesome blues sound I get from the Concert with a TS808 and the neck p/u in humbucker mode and bridge as a single coil. Sweet! You can also do some great hard-rock sounds with this guitar, especially because it feeds back well, but is not completely out of control. I love to play some AC/DC through a Marshall. (Also, Troy Vanderluuven from A Perfect Circle plays one of these.)

I bought this at MARS last year after someone had ordered it and refused to take delivery. (I cannot understand why?!?!?) They set it up for free, and I put a set of 10s on it because I couldn't handle the wound G-String that came from the factory with 12s. The Bigsby was set up well and it is difficult to put out of tune. (I play the tremolo parts on Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" with few problems, but don't do any VanHalen dives.) The only flaw I ever found was a chipped finish near the strap button, but I suspect it was due to handling in MARS, not the manufacturer. Action is great, and so was the pickup adjustment.

I get a bit of buzzing from time to time and occasionally need to adjust the height of the tune-o-matic bridge. It slips a little over time, but no big deal. Not sure if this is a general tune-o-matic problem or not. My three-way switch is a little dirty and doesn't always like to turn on the neck pickup, but I haven't bothered to clean it in the year I've had it as it doesn't happen often. Finish has held up great and all of the hardware is top-of-the-line, so I expect it to last forever.

N/A. Never contacted them. However, I did contact Yamaha on a long-discontinued model I found in an antique mall, and they sent me a copy of the original catalog description for free, so I like them so far.....

Okay, I wasn't going to rate this a "10" (was going to say "9") until I saw that Harmony Central had the "Fantastic Value" next to it. As with everything, this guitar is not perfect for everyone. (If you have to have 100% Gretsch, buy one, but ES335 tones are easily achieved with this guitar.) However, this guitar IS a "Fantastic Value" because it is cheaper than similar Gretsch and Gibson models, has more features (more bindings, flame top, etc.), and is much more versatile (coil taps, etc.). I recommend this guitar highly.

This is very much styled after a 50's era Gretsch Nashville. Single cutaway thinline hollowbody, 2 Dimarzio humbucking pickups with push/push coil taps in the volume controls (great idea that's so much easier to deal with than the push/push switch. Why doesn't anyone else do that instead of push/pull?), Bigsby vibrato (that was a MUST), Tune-O-Matic style bridge, beautiful flamed sycamore top with a rich orange finish, 3-piece maple neck, rosewood fretboard with dot inlays, gold hardware. This guitar is a real looker!
The tuners are accurate and stable but I would've preferred locking tuners had been supplied on the Bigsby model. The case is hardshell and the guitar fits in there perfectly, snug and secure.

This guitar is very versatile. With the humbuckers on you can get a real fat Gibson-esque jazz or blues tone; with the coils tapped you get the great Gretsch twang or the P90 feel from an old archtop. I don't know how they did it but you can play this one VERY loudly before it will feedback -- the least susceptible hollowbody I've ever played. One who is accustomed to solid-body guitars will love the feel of this. It feel's alive in your hands. It doesn't sound as good as the best Gretsch or the best ES-175 or ES335 but it's awfully close and will do far more than those guitars will.

The finish is flawless. I suspect it's urethane rather than nitrocellulose (they would've boasted of a nitro finish) but it's not too thick as urethane finishes often are. The binding around the body and in the f-holes are perfectly crafted and smooth.
The action was very good as delivered but I still took it to a tech to have it fixed up. Because it is marketed as a jazz guitar it came with a set of 12s with a wound G string which isn't real suitable for rock and roll, blues, rockabilly, etc. Also, the Bigsby was set up from the factory with very little tension and I found it wouldn't stay in tune that well. After my tech got through with it plays beautifully and I can wail pretty hard on the Bigsby (don't believe the naysayers who say a Bigsby won't stay in tune!). It's unfortunate that few guitars these days come set up properly from the factory. And the tradeoff to the attractive price you get from patronizing the large retailers is that they typically won't set up the instrument and and you'll have to take it elsewhere get it set up.
The most disappointing thing is that there is not enough tension on the strings where they cross the bridge. The neck could've been set at more of an angle or the top could've been arched more. I've found that I often pop the high E and B strings out of the saddle during agressive chicken picking. I'm told old Gretsch's had the same problem. I've learned to adapt my technique and it hasn't been a problem.

I only play at home but I have every confidence this instrument would hold up for gigs in the seediest roadhouses. There is a natural delicacy to the guitar as it is a hollowbody so you can't smash someone in the head with it during a barfight like you could with a Telecaster.

Never dealt with them. The pickup selector switch had to be repaired but I had my tech do it rather than drive the 60 miles back to the dealer though it should've been under warranty. I was able to get it in only a week's time.

I really love this guitar. I would recommend it to anyone. It's wonderfully made, sounds real nice, and when you consider that it comes in at several hundred dollars less than a Gretsch or Gibson, it's quite a bargain. There's a few bummers but nothing to significant. I'd buy it again in a second.

The guitar was made in Japan and according to the serial number, it was the third guitar made in March 1993. According to Yamaha, they started making this guitar in March, 1993 It is a hollow body, single cut away, approx. 21/2 inches thick. The entire body is flame maple, with a beautiful orange finish. The neck size and thickness fits my hand the best of any guitar I have ever had. And in 45 years, I've had a lot of guitars.

I don't know if it was the amp that I initially played it through, but, my first impression was that the pickups had to much mid-range. I play thumb and fingerstyle and I wanted that low bottom but also the clean highs. I eventually replaced the stock pickups with Gibson Country Gent pickups and pots. That gave me that classic "Chet" sound that I was looking for.

The fret height from the factory was .045. I had a custom shop take them down to .035 and polish them to a mirror finish. This made the action extremely fast. I've had professional musicians tell me that it was one of the easiest playing guitars they ever had in their hands. A few tried to by it from me. The fit and finish was excellent. However I removed the pickguard. The plain black plastic detracted from the beautiful wood and workmanship.

I have played this guitar practically every day since I bought it. It has held up extremely well. No wear showing on the finish, except a few surface scratches where the pickguard would be.The gold plating is showing minimal wear. It is a very dependable guitar that I have to shows without a backup.

I contacted the company about the serial number. The rep couldn't help me, but, I recieved a return call in less than an hour with all the information that I requested. I have not had any contact with them concerning repairs.

A friend of mine recently bought a new AES 1500-B. I played his, with the stock pickups through my current amp, a Carvin tub amp, and it sounded great. He ask if I would recomend changing the pickups, and I said, "No". They sounded great. So, if I were to some how lose mine, (God forbid) I would buy another one and perhaps leave in the stock pickups. I do wish that it had a master volume. I get my tone basically from changing the volume of the front and back pickups. I could get a volume pedal, but, it's just something else to carry around.