Product: Yamaha AES500
Price Paid: US $499
Submitted
09/20/1999
at
08:52pm
by
Anonymous
Features
:
10
1998-99 solid body guitar made in Japan. Extremely solid guitar with a magnificent maple bolt-on 22 fret 25 1/2 scale neck and rosewood fingerboard. Medium to smallish frets very similar to early 90's Japanese strats. Dual PAF style chrome humbuckers has a push-pull pot on the tone control that splits the pickups into single coils. Mine has a "Les Paul" gold-top type color with a black-tortoise shell pickguard. The shape is very reminiscent of a Les Paul, bit the pickguard is more like a Fender Jaguar or Mustang. Very retro-cool 50's meets-rock look. Wrap around tune-o-matic bridge for incredible sustain. Large, smooth tuners set 3/side. Extremely fine quality construction, with a creamy smoothe finish.
Sound
:
10
This guitar is a metal screamer. The Bridge pickup is a scooped-mid biter with great sustain. The neck pickup is very phattt and silky with a deep growl. When plit and the volume dialed back to about 3/4, the bridge sounds like a thinline Telecaster, and the neck split sounds like Eric Clapton playing Layla. Very versatile. I play a mix of Metallica, Godsmack, Brooks and Dunne and Alan Jackson, and alot of heavy blues. This guitar is perfect. Imagine having both a Jimmy Page Les PAul and a Custom Telecaster. This guitar does both.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Initial setup was a little high, but it suited the acoustic tone of the guitar. Very rich ringing tone unplugged. Pickups are adjusted perfectly for the sting height, and poles can be individually adjusted to suit different tastes. The construction is flawless, with no gaps at the neck and hardware fitting perfectly. Frets are buttery smooth and nicely edges. Very silky play, alot like a high-end Martin acoustic.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
This guitar is built like a rock. I haven't dropped it yet, but I'll bet it would take much punishment. It seems extremely reliable, but I NEVER play without a backup (or two)
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Don't know yet. No need.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing seriously for about six years now. I have a Jackson HX, an Guild Detonator, an Ibanez GAX70 and now this AES500. It is one of the best guitars I've ever played. I will NEVER let it go.
