Yamaha AES500

Lemme add some important spex I have about this sunburst finish AE500 model guitar that I'm reviewing - nut width is 1.6877", .892" thick at the first fret, the average side body depth is 2.875" and it's a semi-hollow body in that there's a bridge block that's only located at the bridge and tail tie down area (the rest of the body interior is totally hollow), total weight is 7lbs 12oz. The frets are mega jumbos - .107" x .053". It's basically a jazz box and has all the features I'd need, as already described elsewhere.

The open coil AlNiCo V mag humbuckers have good tone, both at low and high volumes, and also when the amp is opened up and the guitar volume is rolled off slightly (no volume bleeder caps to keep the treble up, which is a good thing for me). Unplugged it sounds like most any laminated jazz box - thin, and uninspiring ... you want good acoustic jazz box tone, you need to have a real solid wood archtop acoustic guitar.

First off, I really like the *concept* of this guitar - it has the spex and features I've been looking for in jazz box, and have only now found in the AE500. The materials, finish and Indonesian workmanship are quite good and I couldn't spot any glaring flaws. The supplied 9-42 string action was setup quite high and the truss nut was stiff to move and took more leverage than normal but it moved and it did drop down the high neck relief (by knocking down the abnormally high neck relief). I strung up with 11-48 roundwounds (which required recutting the nut, as the slots were cut too narrow on the bass side) and found the action still too high, so I dropped the bridge down and the action was only at its lowest when the bridge just about hit the bottom post stops. Still, even at about the end of its travel, the action was quite low and fast. However, there was buzzing on the first string due to unleveled frets from around the 5th to 12th frets. I don't like the supplied mega jumbo 107x53 frets and will eventually replace them with 92x42 frets, but for now I performed a full level and crown and the action and playability improved 101%. What all of this rap means is that there were issues with the AE500 I bought, and I accepted those issues because I have the ability do correct them and make a much better guitar than even a good AE500 - if you don't, send it back.

When properly setup, this is totally pro guitar that's ready for stage or studio.

Don't know or care.

Been playing fretted instruments since '55 and I'm a fretted instrument guitar tech/luthier. I get to mess with *LOTS* of guitars on a weekly if not daily basis and I'm a champion of cheap guitars. IMHO, the AE500 has the kinda design features I want in a jazzbox and is a great buy IF you get one without any play impeding issues. I will mod it out with new frets, a vintage bone nut, a Gibson Classic '57 neck pickup, CTS pots, Panasonic leaf spring switch, Switchcraft jack.

Strong, easy neck. You can buy a $1200 guitar or you can try this first and probably go with it.

Passive pickups give you a glorious distorted tone as well as clean.

The neck is clear coated, thus a bit sticky, but that can be sanded down if you don't mind losing the protection.

While it doesn't have as many features as some guitars, you don't need them. I prefer less features with more usability anyway.

The sound reminds me of a Gibson SG. It has that melding of strings that give it a nice clear tone and defined key. It is very sonically pleasing.

I'm using it through a Fender Frontman 15G small practice amp with the onboard distortion and it sounds outstanding.

With the 3-way pickup selector and the pickup volume knobs (plus the one tone) you can get lots of sounds, none of them bad. Very rich sounding. Any adjustment I make is immediately noticable.

It also has a coil tap which boosts your signal nicely.

Great action, besides the aforementioned neck, which is clear coated and sticky on the back. But hey, it's protection, so...

Pickups are adjustable, but no need, you probably won't be adjusting them.

The only peculiarity, besides the quirky looks, is how the neck looks like it's misaligned with the body. It's not.

I'm giving a 7 only becuase of the odd 50's diner looks of the thing.

This is solid, it won't break. I've never even had the output jack nut come loose. Thank you Yamaha, for making such an great guitar affordable.

Probably will never have to deal with them.

Awesome guitar with quirky looks. If you prefer sound over looks, find one.

Covered pretty much by everybody.

Sounds ok.. not great. Stuck a Dimarzio DP150 at the bridge and left the stock pickup at the neck. Blend well togeher and gave it more clarity of tone... Tapped or regular.

Yamaha has got necks down. After I changed out the stock bridge to a Tone-Pros AVT adjustable bridge for better intonation...this guitar plays and feels great! Another trick is to take 1000 or 1200 grit wet sanding paper and rub down the back of the neck. Gets rid of that sticky feel of the soft clear they use there.

Hanging in there great.. even the tuners have not started slipping yet. I use it as my main gigging axe and my 2nd is a custom Pacifica..
Leave the high dollar axes at home to record with. This guitar is great to fend off the drunks... wack!... and it still stays in tune!!lol...

No need.. Yamaha stuff is solid.

Under-rated axe. I play semi-pro and love the feel and vibe of this axe. After making the few changes I have it works right down the middle to perform many different styles.. clean or distorted. It will never sound excactly like a strat or paul... but as gigging axe you can throw around without fear..it gets the job done!

My gold Yamaha AES500 carries a "made in Taiwan" label but plays like a custom US jobbie. The silver mottled scratchplate blends well with the gold, more-rounded-than-a-Les-Paul style body. I don't care how many frets it's got, the bridge is tuno-matic, and the single cut away allows great access as high as I need to go. The silver- finished tuners are unbranded but have survived several drops and do a great job. The frets are quite meaty and just right for my stumpy fingers.

I changed the original Yamaha pick-ups for an old Bartolini beast on the bridge and a Seymour Duncan JB on the neck. The Yamaha pick-ups were OK, but nothing when compared to these beauties.

I play in a semi-pro melodic rock band and our other guitarist plays the EVH 5150 set-up. I therefore need to blend with his brown sound and this Yamaha does a fine job of doing that. It adds a thick lower end to give the band an overall full sound through almost every PA we've played through, whether clean or with gain. I play it through a Line 6 Flextone II mostly on the California Crunch (Mesa IIB) settings with Marshall cab settings - what a lovely sound.

This guitar sounded good in its original form, but with the custom work I've done, added to the "most comfortable guitar I've ever played" feel, it's an absolute diamond.

The full clean bridge tone with a bit of compression is superb and then it really punches with some drive behind it - a very full sound with no whispy top end at all. The middle position offered a super lead sound with the original pick-ups, but I rarely use that position with the new pick-ups. It gives excellent sustain when soloing around the 12th fret on neck pick-up and a little finger waggling just draws that on-the-edge-almost-feedback sound that I love to pull on the end of long notes.

This is exactly why I stuck with the AES500 and just upgraded the pick-ups. Its so comfortable to play and looks great. The original action is still fine, I've changed the pick-ups, it's survived a couple of drops and will last forever. "Velly tough a old boot"

The dials are all very well wired, no buzzing or unevenness. The coil tap is only linked to the neck pick-up now as my Bartolini doesn't have the circuitry for it. I still have plenty of sound options.

I've gigged all over with this AES500. I've put strap locks on to prevent dropping it again, but apart from that it stays in tune all night with .10 gauge strings, not matter what lighting rig is cooking the player onstage.

The only jaded finish is from the replacement pick-up cover I put on the JB pick-up. All the original parts are in excellent condition. I have used it as my only guitar onstage, but as our songs demand a variety of sounds, I do use my Hartnoll Custom Strat for the different tone on some songs.

Not much contact. I asked for a wriring diagram to upgrade the pick-ups and that arrived by email very quickly. I couln't ask for more.

I bought it second hand so I have no idea of the warranty

I've had this Yamaha AES500 for 3 years, it's my main guitar alongside a Hartnoll Custom.

I love it's balance and neck which is why I customised this guitar and didn't buy a Les Paul or a PRS for stupid money. I've played Gibsons, Fenders and PRS and none are as comfortable as this and now that I've changed the pick ups, it sounds better than the Gibsons that I've tried - and weighs so much less !!!

Why did Yamaha have to replace it with the slippery AES620 ?

Two retro humbuckers (chrome covers) in a thick LP style body, but more rounded. Long-scale neck but bolted not set. Kind of Fender meets Gibson I suppose. The great surf-retro look is set off by the 'artists easel' style scratch plate and trussrod covers, both in very cool grey-black pearl. Also nicely matched by the rear cover hiding the electrics.

Volume for each pick-up, with one tone control that is also a push-switch for coil-tapping the pickups.

I've always loved the blues-rock-jazz sound of a Les Paul's neck pickup, and this thing does it so well. Bags of power to drive your amp, and it just wails at you. Doesn't do the bright jangley thing but the coil tapping and bridge pickup can brighten things up a bit for rhythm and clean. Very good at the blues-rock end of things but probably not for you if you want a Fendery pop guitar.

I own a US strat that isn't nearly as well made as this thing. I also have a couple of other so-called decent guitars, and none of them are up with this Yamaha. It's just very very well built, and I've never needed to have it set up. It played great straight out of it's box. Probably something to do with the bridge being fixed (can't be adjusted other than overall height, but then you can't bugger it up either). Paintwork is absolutely A1. The neck is fantastic - the best I've ever played. The frets are a bit big (high) so you need to be precise with your chords, and this is the only thing preventing a perfect 10 in this section.

Using it as my main live guitar now, and the Strat stays at home. In fact I'm seriously considering selling the USA Strat and buying a high-spec Yamaha Pacifica, based on how good this AES 500 has been. It's just never let me down, and it's used regularly. I also use a Yamaha P80 stage piano, so you could say I'm happy with the brand. They just don't make bad instruments, ever. I wonder what their motorcycles are like.......

Never needed Yamaha UK because their stuff don't break.

Been playing guitar as a second instrument for around 15 years. I'd definitely buy another of these if it was lost, stolen, or terminally damaged. I still need a bright guitar for some projects, but this is my main rock & blues guitar.

Almost certainly made in Tiawan
Bolt on neck
648mm Scale length
22 Frets
Fingerboard made of rosewood
The body is made of Alder
Wrapover bar type bridge
3 position selector switch
2 Yamaha humbuckers
Front and rear volume
Master tone which has a Yamaha push-push coil tap.
Mine is a silver one but they are available also in Gold, Black and Cream white.

A great variety of sounds are available but if you think you can get both Strat sounds and Les Paul sounds out of the same guitar then this wont cut it even when the coils are tapped. Think of it as a very versatile Les Paul and you wont go far wrong.
Its got a big sound through a Marshall amp and is fairly twangy through a Fender amp.

Like Mary poppins practicaly perfect in every way which makes them a fantastic "used" purchase.

Its a Yamaha so durability goes without saying, as a dealer in used Yamahas they are just so good they dont go wrong. They are tough as old boots.

Yamaha UK are just excellent.

I have many Yamaha guitars and these are a fantastic buy as they look a bit retro and quirky , but as a guitar to play they are just fantastic. I think on value for money only the AES 620 pips it.

You can visit my web site for photos of this and all my Yamahas and more information on Yamaha guitars at

www.stallionmusic.com

Made in 1999 in taiwan (great guitar for such country)
22frets
3way selector strat style
h/h gibson style
yahama puck ups ( much much much better than epiphone according me)
ahorn neck or maybe maple (not sure)
A les paul copie or maybe not Its les paul style but it has is one caracter
Tuners are in profossional vieuw a bit poor but thats only for the people that allready play more then 10 years

This is allmost perfect
I play in a rock band ( whith heavy distorsion ) not the ac/dc kind but more like tool , no full metal offcourse
it sounds perfect , you can play lou reed and you can play megadeth
Maybe it hasn't the metal looks but who cares
i'm using a fender stage 100 without any efects , straight inro the amp
not noisy

I'm not a expert in this kind of things but it all look ok

I played it live for 15 times now , not even a string snapped
I dropped it while playing live , I was doing tottaly insane moves end i dropped it , I just pickt him up and restarted playing, It wasn't out of tone , just a little scratch but thats my fault
As strong as a rock ( the guitar rocks :-D)

Never dealt with them but the site is nicely worked out

Playing 9 years now
I wasn't sure of buying the guitar becouse of the looks but wath the hell my ex girlfrend was ugly to
if it were stolen i couldn't buy it anymore cause there not making them no more
perfect guitar

i'd also like to tell you that i don't easely give good rates , but the guitar is worth a 10

-excuse me for my crappy english

mine is an off-white color, rosewood fingerboard, 2 humbuckers, i like the push boost thing... it adds a nice warm sound to it.no need for me to ellaborate on my review due to the previous ones.for 180$ i guess it was pretty good.

My music style has a wide range of sounds. i play blues, rock, funk, some jazz, and alot of folk guitar, and alot of classic rock. I play alot of jimi hendrix, eric clapton, and classic rock. My sound seems to be influenced by jimi hendrix, zepplin, and because of my frequent use of wide vibrato bends, e.c. this guitar has been with me for the better part of the year and i will not let it go. the sound quality when i recieved it was perfect. i run it through a marshall 50 watt amp.there was no buzzing from the strings and it played like a dream. the neck action, however, seemed really bad. i have to constantly clean it and put string cleaner on it and it still does not meet my needs. but for the price i paid it is a good buy.

well i felt like the guitar was set up nicely and so it was.The tuning pegs tend to really let loose and the strings will go out of tune alot... but not as much as say any remake of a fender or a les paul. This is an individual guitar. and that i give credit.

my guitar has a few bumps and scratches and chipped paint. but it has been good to have it and so far it has done well with me. built like a rock. i dont smash my guitar but i dont keep it high maintenence either.the finsh is not good and i have used it on gigs without any backup mainly because i dont have a backup or another guitar for that matter. i replaced the regular strap buttons with strap locks and now i dont have much fear of it being dropped.

its not my bag, baby

well, for the price i paid, it was a good guitar. i am going to buy one of the fender astist signiture series though. perhaps jeff beck or eric clapton. i wont sell this guitar and i feel i discovered alot of things out and weve been through alot together. but im in need for a real guitar.

1999 model, made in Taiwan. Nato body, pau ferro fretboard (I think), bolt-on maple neck, 2 humbuckers, wrap-around bridge, 2 vol, 1 tone w/coil splitting capabilities, 22 frets, silver finish, non-locking tuners, 25 1/2" scale.

This was purchased as a back up for my Carvin DC-127T (Maple body & neck, ebony fingerboar, yes very bright). I play jazz, blues, funk, and rock. After modifications (more on this later), it fits my style very well. I'm using it with a Boss GT5, a Tubeworks mosvalve 8080 power amp, and an old Vox 2x12 cabinet w/ the original Bulldog speakers.

In stock form, this is a very DARK guitar. The only usable sounds are in single coil mode. After playing it like this for a few days, I opened the control cavity and found that instead of using 500k pots (standard for Humbuckers) they are using 250k pots! Changed them to 500k Dimarzio pots. This seemed to brighten things up a bit, but the low end was still not the way I like it. Don't get me wrong, it's big, just not very muscular, kind of flabby. I next replaced the cheesy stok capacitor with a .0222mf orange drop cap. Whoa! completely different guitar. This thing now sounds more like a cross between a Tele and a Les Paul than ever. Really fat in humbucker mode, but still having plenty of bite(think Billy Gibbons on "La Grange"). On single coil mode, its great for dirty slide work and clean jazz runs. This is a much more versatile guitar now. The neck pickup is now kind of microphonic, but I like that, it makes it sound like an old Gibson PAF. These mods are highly recomended. They only added $27 to the price (If you do them yourself)! This rating is after all modifications.

This guitar originaly came set up for 9's, which I promptly changed to 11's from D'addario. Action is low and fast with no buzzing. The pickups need to have their polepieces raised though, they don't have as much output as I'de like without doing this, but this is only my opinion. There are no flaws that I can speak of, it's just that I like my guitars set up a little differently than most people. Overall, an excellent job for the price I paid ($180, new).

I've gigged with this for about 6 months for 2 days out of the weeks. Nothing has happened to it. Not even a broken string. I originally bought this as a backup, but am now using it more and more as my main guitar. The strap buttons seemed solid, but, as a rule, I always install straplocks in all my guitars. Aside from carrying extra strings, I would definitely gig this thing without a backup.

Haven't had to deal with them, but since I've already changed out some of the electronics, I do beleive that the warranty is voided. Won't bother with it.

I've been playing for over 5 years and own a custom Carvin DC127T, an Epiphone AJ-18SCE acoustic electric, and a Limited edition Ovation Celebrity Deluxe (Quilted Maple top and headstock). This is by far, the guitar with the biggest bang for the buck factor I've ever owned. I would definitly buy another if los or stolen. I love the fact that it sounds completely different than my Carvin, shich is definitely more modern sounding. The Yamaha sounds and feels more like a vintage guitar.
The only thing I hate about it is that Yamaha is planning on discontinuing this model. After modifying this guitar, it sounds kind of like my friend's Les Paul Special w/ P-90's. I modified this guitar to be much brighter than it usually is. This is my preference. The only thing I wish it had are individual coil cut switches instead of the universal one ot has. It would be cool to run a neck single coil and a bridge humbucker (like on my Carvin), but hey, for $180, I got a hell of a lot more than I expected.

Made 2000, the other reviews can give you all the specifics!

I play blues, folk, country, Rock'n' Roll, and use a Fender Automatic, a Poker Combo, or a Fender Reverb. Some distortion when required (Boss). This guitar sounds great thru any amp, and, thanks to the coil tap, can give you a nice warm gison noise, or a bit of Fenderish jangle, plus a lot more in between. Good for rhythm, good for lead. I can't think of anything I dislike about it.

I bought this from a reputable online dealer, and it came with a full set up. No probs.

I have used this live and rehearse at least once a week. It's been dropped a few times, and seems hard-wearing!! Strap buttons are good, finish excellent. The only reason for back-up is for the old broken string routine.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for 15 plus years, and have had lots of guitars -this is the best one I ever owned in terms of variety of sound and price Vs quality. Fretboard wizards would probably tell you the neck is not fast enough, but compared to the competition at this price(Epiphone, Aria, Squier etc) you won't find anything of equivalent overall quality. I was prepared to spend much more than this on a new guitar, but frankly, I'm glad I didn't!!

I don't know what year it was build or where, my guess 1999 in Japan?
It has a a nice silver finish and a silver gray pickguard. Retro 1950's look. Pickups, frets and control all same as the rest of the reviews. This was my first electric guitar and I bought it at a closeout price. Since I have bought AEX520,PAC311 and PAC604W all great guitars. I love yamahas, great bang for the buck!!!!

The sound is great very versatile. Kinda heavy like as gibson les paul. It sound good without a amp. If you hook it to a amp it can give great distortion or a nice warm sound. Like the one review said everything from funk to surf.

I've had it for over a year and haven't found any flaws,was set-up great. The fret are a little high and this could bother some poeple?

I live in the graet white north and my yamaha's have made it thur the dry winters with absolutely no warping. This guitar construction is solid. Since I only play a home I always have back-ups. I guess if I did gig I would bring a backup, but just for broke string and such.

Never dealed with them????????

I been playing for a few years, and have had Dearmond,Kramer and Ibanez guitars. This guitar is very reliable,durable and can produce.If you like a retro look at a inexpensive price,this the guitar for you. If not yamaha makes alot of great guitars!!!!

Betalade 2795kr p? musikborsen (300US$)
2 Humbuckers,splitbara till singlecoil med en push/pull p? gitarren.
Tung solid gitarr med mycket fin finish.Halsen ar smal och gitarren mycket lattspelad.Finns i fargerna Svart,Cream white,Silver och guld.
Originell form mycket vacker,Gibsonstuk!

Gitarren ar en riktig allround gitarr for b?de nyborjare och proffs.
Tack vare splitbara humbuckers passar den till all sorts musik,fr?n Janne Schaffer till Black Sabbath.Du behover sallan stamma gitarren,den "h?ller ton" mycket bra.Gitarren har ett mycket klart och rent ljud och bastryck som gor den till en riktig h?rdrocksgura.
Jag anvander den tillsammans med en Peavey Rage 158 och det var en mycket lyckad kombination.Gillar du dist s? ar Peavey forstarkaren verkligen att rekommendera.

Gitarren var blank och fin inte en skr?ma,val emballerad med en utforlig bruksanvisning.Allt var perfekt forutom att gitarren inte var stamd,kanske man inte kan begara hehe

Den har gitarren har kvalitet i toppklass,vill jag lova.
Den kan jamforas med Gibson,Fender helt klart men till ett mycket battre pris.Allting kanns bra,fininshen,den tunga solida kroppen och den fina mekaniken.En gitarr du kan lita p?.

Har inte behovt anvanda support.

Jag har spelat gitarr fr?n och till under n?gra ?r.Med denna suverana gitarr har intresset vaknat till liv igen.Jag kan inte namna n?gon brist eller n?got som inte motiverar ett kop.Om min gitarr blev stulen skulle jag tveklost kopa en ny med detsamma.Jag klassar den har gitarren lika hogt som en Gibson eller Fender eller annu hogre..Den ar soooot!
Mitt sista ord: KOP DEN! finns ingen battre gitarr for det priset!

The Yamaha AES500 that I have was manafactured in 1999, and the country was Taiwan. Its got the 22 frets as mentioned in the other reviews. Its a solid body guitar made from Nato, dont know much about the wood, I heard its an acoustic wood, but not sure. 2 Humbuckers n the Les Paul fashion. Its got 2 volume, one tone and shift button to shift from humbucker to single coil mode. And a groovy pick guard in fact one of the grooviest going.

This guitar is fairly versatile in that I play a range of styles from candy pop, to metal, and is able to cater to most styles. I personally am into Chilli Peppers, and it does a pretty good job to cater to that rock/funk sorta style that I like, it certainly looks the part. At the moment Ive only got it thru a Peavey Practise amp, but Ive run it thru a Fender 2x12, and found a beautiful clean tone coming out. Its pretty good with distorion as well. Id have to say its got a pretty nice tone, especially considering the price.

The set up was pretty good I thought, and I prefer the low action and was consequently made that way. The major qualm i have with this guitar is the fret buzz I get. I like having the action low, and this means i tend to get an awful amount of buzz. I wouldnt say it affects when Im playing thru a gig amplifier, but if im home and practising it gets apparent. The frets are fairly high like earlier mentioned. The neck however is pretty nice quality tho. Yamaha are renouned for their exceptional quality, and I think the quality of my guitar is brilliant. The finish is great, and finish wise guitars like Gibson and Fender get a run for their money. I do have a problem with the fretboard drying out, it could be my problem as in me not oiling it properly. But other than that fit and Finish is great,.

I think this guitar would cope with a lot of stress and strain. Ive dropped it a few times while it was resting on and itd drop on to its face or side, after a bang, id still be able to play it in perfect tune. I dont recomeend dropping guitars tho. Quality and finsh is great so id deend on a yammy any day.

never dealt with them

Ive been playing for about 18 months at a Gigging level. At the moment Im in the process of aqcuiring professional amp and gear as Im gettin more serious about ym musical career. Id never get rid of my guitar and Its my first electric which I learnt a lot on. I love the look fo the guitar, I love the quality and the sound. I sometimes think the tone canbe a bit iffy sometimes, comparing to my mates $2000 Gibson. And the fret is too high causing the buzz. I wouldnt mind getting new pick-ups installed. If youre a beginner, or semi-proffesional you cant go wrong, my guiatr tutor wants one badly hes pro and he reckons he loves it, and them might even acquire a cult status for the low numbers around and the great sound.Get one.

This is either a 1999 or 2000 model Yamaha AES500 guitar. It has a Nato body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. It has two vintage-style humbuckers, each with their own volume knob, plus a single tone knob which also functions as a button to switch the sound from a humbucker to a single coil sound. It also has a wraparound style one-piece bridge. This one has a nice silver finish, with a cool grayish pearloid pickguard. The body style is similar to that of a Les Paul Junior, but more funky-retro looking. 22 frets.

This guitar sounds good! The bridge humbucker gets a nice bright sound. I run it through a Boss DS-1 distortion pedal into a Crate 30 watt practice amp. The pickups let a lot of distortion through, but you still get nice definition with chords. The neck pickup has a smoother, warmer sound. The tone knob switch does give it a different sound, but I prefer to keep it on the humbucker setting. Clean tones are excellent also. I play everything from funk to surf on it and there is very little noise.

I am very picky with my guitars, and I looked it over very closely. The only flaws I could find were two tiny rough spots on the back of the neck. It could easily be sanded, but they're not noticeable enough to really worry about. Most people probably wouldn't even notice. I've heard that Yamaha's manufacturing is great, and I find that to be true in this case, everthing was great! You will not find a better put-together guitar in this price range.

This guitar seems very reliable. The finish looks pretty tough, the hardware seems durable, and the strap buttons are nice and tight. A backup is always a good idea, but I'm sure this guitar is dependable.

I haven't had to deal with them, so I can't say!

I've been playing for about 7 years, and this guitar is the best value I've seen. I got it from American Musical Supply on a special for $179. At one time this guitar's list price was over $500. I think this guitar would be a good buy at $500, but at $179 it's a tremendous value!

See other reviews for specifications. Off-white in color.

This guitar can produce most any sound you are looking for. Very versatile and very well wired. Not jazzy though. Very good for most every other sound.

Finish is outstanding. Fit neck socket is the best I've seen. Everything is great but the neck. Some guitarist like very high frets and very narrow necks. I am one that prefers a low action with a little room for my fingers. In fact, the frets are so high, you can make any note sound out of tune by applying varying presure. This became quite annouying. After lamenting for 3 weeks, regardless of the price, I took it back. 9 for fit & finish, 2 for action.

Very well constructed and may be used as a primary instrument.

Had some initial buzzing. Called retailer, who was quite unresponsive and arogant on the phone. So I decided to contact Yamaha for a recommendation. Yamaha's customer service reps were great - giving a work order requisition over the phone. The problem is, each dealer or repair center they recommended did not deal in guitars ... pianos, electronics, brass and woodwinds - yes... not guitars.

This was obviously a great price for a very sturdy, well made guitar. This thing was retailing for $599. However, I did not like playing it. Although they are much less quality guitars, cheap Squire, De Armond, or Ibenez guitars are much more enjoyable to play. No wonder this model was discontinued.

this guitar is Tiwan made, in about '99, i think. bog standard 22 frets, solid top, two volume's and one tone which changes between humbucker and sinmgle coil. DiMazio humbuckers, bridge and neck. a nice satin silver paint, and a soft indie type shape. nice neck and brige.

it is perhaps to soft a guitar as i play heavy stuff. i go through a line 6 and morley wah, buzzes on high E 12th harmonic, bright sound, good variety of sound with the humbucker/single coil.

well set up but adjusments needed. the Humbucker/sincle coil selector is a bitch as it breaks, alot!

used in gigs, perhaps not a long lasting guitar, chips easily, i do back up with a shitty strat.

they took a long time to sort problems, but did the job well, the warranty was for a year

i have been playing for 8 years and rate it highly, i would prefer a PRS or Parker, but i havent won the lottery, yet. i would have preferred to have the H/SC selector to have stronger and more durable, but its OK, i love the coluor and how well it plays, i compared tgo the AES800 and its not far off the Quality. CHECK OUT YIELDS WEB SITE WWW.YIELDONLINE.CO.UK

Made in 1999, in Japan (I think). It has 2 volume controls (one for each pickup) and a tone dial. The tone dial can be pushed to toggle 2 humbuckers/singe coil pickups at the bridge and neck positions. Selection of 3 pickup positions. It looks like a bit of a mixture between a standard strat and a les-paul, with single cutaway. The tuners are locked, which is a bit of pain but no big deal. Comes in many finishes (visit yamaha website to see), mine is black, and the pickguard looks SO cool. Its like a slivery granite kind of colour? This thing is HEAVY and can really start to hurt you shoulders after a while. Still, it's a beautiful guitar. For someone who wants a more original look and good sound variation this guitar is great. Its got a bit of everything in it.

Im using this with a vox-wah into a Fender Frontman 15(Reverb) amp. THe amp is alright but gives a good sound for its size. Because you can switch between humbuckers and single coil pickups this guitar gives you a lot of versatility when playing. Distortion sounds great with the humbuckers on and you can get same really twangy sound out of it if you but it on bridge/single coil. I think for that strat sound its isn't the best, but it makes up for it with the many other sounds you can get out of it. Its great to fiddle around with and I can get some pretty varied tunes out of it. I like to play Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Led Zeppelin. It can get a good sound for all these bands. Sometimes I'll be playing a song on single coil, look down and turn the humbuckers on and WOW. Its such a difference. Its worth getting this guitar for the variation. As I said, if you want specifics get the specifics, but if you want variety, and good variety, this is the guitar for you.

Action was pretty high, but its not a big deal. Other than that it was all good, Im thinking about putting other pickups in, but i have no idea which ones, still checking arond. The tuning knobs on the head are pretty sensitive, which is just something I noticed. Other than that its great, except as I said REALLY heavy.

This guitar is solid, and can only get better with age. Id definitley rely on this guitar, and also Yamaha is a reliable brand so Im not worried.

never dealt with them

Id definitley check around before buying it again if it was stolen, and in any case I got it half price (its normally AU$900). I love the way it looks and sounds, and also the variety that comes with being able to switch between humbuckers and single coils. It could be lighter, and the action could be lower. It sounds really good on distortion with the humbuckers on. I recommend humbuckers and bridge for dirty, and single coil and neck for clean, or whatever you like. The good thing is you can fiddle lots to get the sound you want. For the price I got for it im really happy, the only other option was a squire strat or tele, but Im happy i didn't get any of those. STRAT is the good name, not SQUIRE. Dont be confused because its 'by the same company'.

What year was it made? 1999 model, more than likely made in Yamaha's Taiwan plant. 22 frets on this solid Nato bodied guitar. The neck is rosewood on maple. Two volume pot's and one tone...nice old LP style knobs with a three way selector switch. The tone control acts as a coil split for the two Yamaha humbuckers. The guitar I believe is going out of production (sad trait of Yamaha Corp.) but mine is a perfect classic gold metallic and others were available in white and black. Yamaha is exceptional when it comes to detail even on a $599 guitar like this one. The body is a twist of LP styling meets Tele with a single cutaway. Go to www.yamahaguitars.com to see pic's. The bridge is a stop tailpiece arrangement with non-adjustable saddles, but the intonation is on the money!!! Tuners are Yamaha's own which work fine, but I plan on putting Sperzel's locking tuners on ASAP for my own convenience in changing strings fast! I can't think of any neck to compare it with. Seems to be of average width and depth. The strings feel close together compared to my USA-2 Pacifica, and the frets are taller than I prefer - but it's my back-up guitar.

My main purpose in buying it was to have a guitar that wasn't too cheesy yet inexpensive to mount my Roland GK-2A synth controller to. The finish is so nice on this guitar I'll hate to use the sticky tape on it. I was going to buy a used Pacifica 712 or 912, but this guitar popped up at such a bargain price I thought it would be fun to have for the humbucker tones and I'm not disappointed. I play a little of everything. Although I'm not going to get classic Strat tones from splitting these hum's, it does delver some sweet depth and some great twang. This is a rocker's guitar for sure!!! So far I've just horsed around with it straight into my son's cheap Crate amdp and then in my Fender Blues DeVille. Man, you can work the tones out of this guitar. It can howl like a good blues machine, or be a pretty sweet jazz guitar. You can bring out some country spankin' too. No noise with the humbucker's and the single action is above average in quietness. GP said it was too bright for them, but I have to disagree. This guitar has some depth and fatness to it. It will be a fund guitar and the "bowling ball" 60'ish pickguard fits its personality. Although I'll mainly use it to drive my GR-30, it will be a fun rock machine and good for slide action.

The action seems to be a tad high for me, but how can you compare a $599 guitar to your main guitar that retials for $1900. Fellow players - let's be reasonable. It's workable for me and I know my favorite guitar tech can get it down if it becomes unbearable. I changed the strings from 9's to 10's and like the tone and touch better. The pickup's are hot enough the way they are in a pretty much flat position. The bridge pu appears to be a little loose, so let me find my tools and turn a screw or two. No, NO, Noooooooooooooooooooo cosmetic flaws - ZIP and NADA! Neck is tight and solid and that's why I've bought Yamaha stuff for the past 17 years! They deliver quality and that's why I can buy one of their guitars sight unseen. They've never failed me.

The guitar has a rock solid feel to it. I have no knowledge of nato wood (the body) but it is heavier than my maple topped USA-2 Pacifica. Seems sturdy and the neck is a "working class" beefy kind of neck. Not fancy in any degree, but snug and strong. The hardware is above average and will be more than enough to last considering I paid $175 for this $599 guitar. Why people are blowing them out at low prices is beyond me. Yamaha needs a new USA sales department. They don't advertise or promote enough and they keep killing off great models like the Pacifica 904, the Weddington and SBG series. As I stated before, I'll replace the tuners for locking ones and perhaps look for a bridge with adjustable saddle options. The finish is gorgeous and better than many American made guitars. THUMBS UP YAMAHA - you never let your standards down! It seems to be a good solid paint job that could withsatnd a teenager wailing on metal and since I'm a middle aged fellow I'll get some miles out of it. The 3 way switch seems average and may need replacement in a few years, but the pot's are super and all other details looks great. The pickguard is first class.

Yamaha has the absolute best people in customer service. I needed parts for a second hand guitar I bought and got first class treatment and help. Once they sent me a pack of replacement neck screws FREE. Now don't expect this all the time, but I'm loyal to Yamaha because they have been loyal to me.

I've now entered my 35th year of playing. I own a Yamaha Pacifica USA-2, a Godin ACS, aTakamine ENC-10 and this fun little AES-500. I sold a Wedington Classic before getting this guitar simply out of economic needs. Hope to get one back soon, but this guitar will be fun. No regrets on my investment so far. If it were stolen I may buy another one or perhaps pick up a used Pacifica. I love the looks, the interesting soulful tones and the road-worthy feel. The Yamaha quality is a big plus. Ibanez doesn't even give this kind of qulaity for the money and it far outshines a Fender import. If I hate anything it's the height of the frets - a little too tall for me and I think more of a finsih on the neck would make me feel more comfortable (at home) with it since all my other guitars do not have "natural" finish necks. Silly isn't it, but my favorite feature is the design and retro looks. I never compared it to other guitars, just trusted in Yamaha's consistancy and it worked! Reminds me some of some Ibanez Talman models as far as the pickups. I wish it had a five way switch, and who knows - I may add one or save up to get the 800 model version. Friends, everyone is selling these at low close-out prices and if you only have $200 to spend - this is an excellent value that will astound your musician buddies.

This is a recently-made Japanese guitar. It's a beautiful single cutaway body with a flawless gold finish with a blue-ish perloid pickguard, with a maple neck, rosewood fretboard with either 22 or 24 easliy-accessible, frets (I'm at college and wouldn't risk bring it!). It comes with a fixed bridge with stationary saddles (hence the 9). To top it all off, it's equipped with 2 humbuckers and a push-pull coil tap when you press the volume dial. One look at it, and I had to own it.

For such a beautiful, contemporary- looking guitar, it was wired to kill! Playing it through my Peavy 100-watt head, the cleans were absolutely beautiful, with so much dimension and clarity with either pick up. With the tap set on single coils, you get the bright, strat-sound without the single coil noise. When it's set on humbucker, the signal gets a little fatter and a little darker, but pleasant nonetheless. Perfect for clean blues or even jazz. But when I set it to the overdrive channel- oh, man... I almost dropped dead. It came from the factory with .009's (which I plan on slapping on some .013's) and the sound was thick and unrepentently heavy!!! Not a sign of muddiness on either coil tap settings- in fact, the singles howled like a demon and crunched like a bucker. On the humbucker side, it was gloriously heavy, and I could practically taste the scooped mids on my amp when I laid my palm on the bridge. The lead tone was so inviting that I, one a little shy with soloing, I got lost in some dirty blues and lost track of time. I never thought I would ever afford to own an axe that sounded so good.

The finish on the guitar- perfect. No flaws I could see and I'm afraid to hold it in risk of marking it up. The neck fast and incredibly comfortable. The only problem was the fixed bridge saddles. They're non-adjustable, so intonation is a little iffy if you want to put some heavy wires on it and keep it in standard tuning. I'm going to string it with .013-.058's and tune it down a little to accomodate.

My only inhibition is wrecking the beautiful finish! Otherwise, this guitar will last forever and I would depend on it. As for bringing a backup? Strings break, you know, regardless of what guitar you play. Not having a backup would not be wise. For the sake of the question, I would be able to depend on it enough.

Haven't had to take advantage of it. I bought it on clearance, and I don't think it had a warranty.

I've been playing for around five years, and this is the best guitar I've ever owned or even played. I have a Peavy 100-watt amp run direct without effects. I also own a Jay Turser SG copy (the other reviews for it really cut it down, but I guess I got the pick of the litter) and have gone through a few crappy guitars in my past. Overall, great guitar, great tone, great everything- except for those damned fixed saddles!!! If it got lost/stolen, I would despair greatly, because I paid $99 on sale for it new, while it runs for $699 new. I'd probably buy a cheaper one to replace it, then save my money for another AES500 in black finish. What a damn good guitar!

Mine is a 1999 Silver made in Japan I believe. It has 22 medium frets, the upper frets are very easy to reach. Its a solid body guitar with a super fast bolt-neck. It has two Yamaha chrome humbuckers wired with a push-pot that lets you spplit the neck and bridge humbuckers into single coils. Very quiet pickups with medium output and a deep, thoaty low-midrange growl into a tube amp. Clean, this guitar sounds like a crystal stream in spring. I mean cleeeean! I ran it through a Bosss acoustic pedal and it sounds better than my Taylor 414CE!!! Looks like a Gibson Les Paul to boot!

I play country-rock, blues, and 70 Rock. This guitar is PERFECT. I just tried it through a Tube Screamer! It wails! Very deep, rick sound. Sounds just like a Gibson Les Paul. WIth the pickups split, it has a very Clapton-type Strat sound, but on the neck split, think Deep Purple.

Amazingly high construction quality for the price. It beats many Fender Strat USA's I've seen.

Last week it fell from the top of a marshall stack onto a wood floor. It hit the headstock, bounced, then fell face down. The only damage was a 1/8 inch chip in the headstock finish and the A string dropped half a step. I had it thoroughly tested-no problems. Amazing guitar!

Emailed a question to Yamaha, received a prompt response!

In the 20 years since I started playing, I can't remember being so excited about a guitar. I just found one on eBay, and I'm gonna win it!!!

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.

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.

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.

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)

Don't know yet. No need.

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.