Yamaha AES620

Mahogany body and neck, with maple cap. I understand this guitar to be a solidbody and not chambered. But when you look at the large size of the body in pics, you might think it has to be chambered. In the hand, the weight is less than my Les Pauls. Chambered or not? Sometimes, people refer to the body as being made of 'nato'. I take it that nato is in the mahogany family of woods? Sorry, I know I should know this...

The neck is two piece, with the headstock spliced on, a la Ibanez necks. But it in no way detracts from the quality of construction, nor the feel of solidness of the guitar. Basically, the guitar is similar to Les Paul formula. Set neck, single cutaway, two humbuckers, etc. We get Yamaha's tune-o-matic bridge design, which I really like, as well as a custom stoptailpiece design that is supposed to add to resonance..and I think it works.

The neck is interesting. It is a little club-like and is thicker than most modern guitars have. It reminds me of a classical guitar neck just a little. However, it's a really good neck. Very substantial without being unwieldly. The gloss finish feels wonderful, and along with the neck profile, makes for a really organic, stimulating, good experience. Top notch. It took me five minutes to adjust to the neck, and then, everything has been gangbusters!

22 frets. Really nice flamed maple top. These seem to look better in person than in photos. Ya get a real Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, and a Yamaha pickup in the neck.

Together, everything seems really, really solid and inviting. If your used to playing thousand dollar guitars, you'll be suprised when you pick this one up and play it for 5 minutes. Total kudos!

I wish you could coil tap the pick ups, but I'm really not complaining.

Well, I have a lot of mahogany guitars, and mahogany and maple guitars, and this one sits right up there with them all in terms of sound. The maple is the perfect addition to bring a beautiful top end snap to the warm, round mahogany. This is a great formula.

What I really look for in a guitar of this type are three main things. First is how well is roars with open position chords. Next is how vibrant and rich the guitar sounds with single note runs and string bends. Finally, I really like guitars that sing and purr and groan, ones that have all sorts of voices at your fingertips, depending on what technique you use and how you play them. I love the guitars that have this sort of 'life' to them. And I really like a wood-y, organic sound, even when I'm shredding and playing heavy stuff.
So this one sounds just great. Fellow guitar players, the AES620 is the real deal. Don't be fooled by the price. Yamaha is soooo very underrated.

Everything about the construction is really top notch. This guitar just feels so solid and playable. The finish is great, and the flamed maple top looks excellent.

My guitar needs a set-up, as the strings are buzzing a little, but not enough to disguise the tone.

I just wanted to add that the playability of the guitar is another plus. As a player, I am very sensitive to the feel of the strings from my picking hand. For example, do the strings feels taut and tight, or loose and rubbery, or somewhere in between. Loose strings aren't necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on how each indivual guitar plays. With this AES, the strings are taut but responsive. They are just perfect for delicate, or precise playing. But they invite you to play hard and dig in as well. I can still get more life out of my Les Paul, but the AES is a little more welcoming for my picking hand. Part of this may be due to Yamaha's proprietary design for the string anchors?...Well, anyways, time will tell what I can really get outta this guitar...and I am really hopeful,based on the time I've had so far.

Built like a tank. Totally dependable.

I've been playing for 25+ years. I'm a comitted humbucker guy, and usually go to a Les Paul or SG as a first choice. I had heard good things about the AES range, and had a GAS attack, so I bought it new on E-bay. I've gotta say, that I've played Ibanez, ESP LTD, and the PRS SE's, plus more, and that this Yamaha is top of the class in this price range. Does that mean these other companies are no good? No, far from it. I have an Ibanes SZ320MH which I play all the time and like a lot. But this Yamaha AES620 just has a lot more life to it. I'd REALLY recommend anyone shopping for a top-notch guitar to check out the AES920. The AES620 could sell for $800+ easy, and you'd still be getting a good deal.
The neck might not please everyone, especially sensitive players. At this point, I like it when a guitar plays differently than other guitars I own. Variety being the spice of life. But seriously, the neck is not really an issue. It's just not a thin, speed neck. Otherwise, it feels really good, fingerboard included. The knobs, the switches, everything solid.

SERIOUSLY, these guitars are sleepers! Yamaha are often refered to as great value for the money. This guitar is just good, period, regardless of price. It sings like a good, USA made Gibson. Then again, it's not in the same class quite as the top-notch Gibsons, but for some, the AES620 should become their first choice axe. No joke. I'm suprised myself, but am totally serious about this opinion.

I've gotten to the point where I know what I like, and know how to get what I want out of various guitars. The mid-priced guitars today are just excellent when price and playability are considered. I can take my Ibanez RG570, or SZ320 into a studio and record with them with confidence. But this AES620 could be a first choice for many applications.

Royal blue trans. A real knockout. I am a little skeptical about the bridge. I love the sound I get out of this guitar. The Yamaha neck pickup does the J thing for me.

You know what to expect in a two humbucker, 24.75" scale, maple cap, mahogany body guitar is going to sound like and this guitar does not disappoint. However, the sound has a lot of life to it. I had a Godin XTsa, same basic idea, but it sounded rather dead. I lean towards a jazz sound - from mainstream to fusion.

It looks very good. The only issues will be addressed below. The fretboard could use a little finetuning by a good luthier.

N/A. Seems solid enough.

I bought it used. So, N/A.

A long time. I bought this guitar from a girl who told me she had barely played it. I beat her down in negotiations and figured I could pick up some $ on a quick re-sale. Now I'm beginning to really like it and I think I might keep it. But here's my crticism: the input jack enters the guitar at the centre (where you'd expect to find the strap button). at an upward angle which puts a lot of stress on the cable. The cable prevents you from standing the guitar on end, leaning against the amp, for example. It can be awkward playing sitting down. Also there are two strap buttons on the bottom of the guitar. Who has a guitar strap with two button holes? And wouldn't the strap interfere with the cable and the input jack. Did someone actually play the prototype before Yamaha approved the design?

2005 Model. Maple Top, Mahogany body & neck with Rosewood fingerboard. Set neck construction, 2 humbuckers with independent volume controls and Master tone. Bridge Pickup is a Seymour Duncan and is probably their most popular. Transparent Amber Faded burst. String through body with adjustable saddles (like a Les Paul)

I play alot of rock, metal and alternatvie to say...but also some blues and jazz styles. This guitars pickup combinations really open up the tone palet quite a bit even though its only a 3 way selector. The 2 pickups really compliment eachother quite well. The Duncan JB is an excellent pickup for just about any style of music. Its has the cruch for metal, snap for country and definition of everything. The Yamaha neck pickup is simply wonderfull for those quite jazz passages, or speeding Zakk Wylde style neck solo's. I'm simply impressed with the choice of pickups for this guitars very impressive vet simple tonal capabilities.

Out of the box, the music store had this guitar setup perfectly. Action low enough just on the verge of buzzing if you really hammer it hard. The neck was perfectly straight. All the fretts were even across the board and nicely finished at the ends. Well done Yamaha for fret work!! The finish is wonderful. I love the look as well. There are no finish flaws anywhere on this guitar. The finish is perfect. The pickup height is perfect for the string height. I assume that the music store had done that, but in any case, I've played these guitars before actually buying one, and tried one right out of the box with no setup and it played and sounded amamzing! All the controls work just fine. I read a review were someone said they used cheap pots...well, I have the same post in my 1996 RGX421D and they're original. And I use the volume control alot. Good choice on what ever pots they used then and now. Everything is tight and makes no noise. Pots feel really nice and the selector makes no noise. The jack (I might add has perfect placement) is good and snug. Not too tight but definetly not loose.

This guitar is IMO better built than the Epiphone guitars. Everything about this guitar just feels right and sounds right. It plays flawlessly, has incredible tone no matter what your playing. The grover tuners are awesome, the rounded saddles are excellent (better than ANY les Paul out there). Pickups and electronics were well chosen as mentioned for the music style I play, and for other styles as well. I always carry a backup guitar incase I blow a string, but I would still take this with out a back up if I was doing a one nighter with out question. I know a guy who's been playing one now since they came out. He swears by it. I've used Yamaha guitars since 1996 and they've always been Very dependable. My old RGX looks like its been over the world...and its still going strong.

Yamaha Is an amazing company. I have dealt with them before to resolve minor issues and they've always been the best. Always wanting the customer to be happy. They'll go the extra mile even if your guitar is slightly out of warranty, where other companys will just say NOPE...its out of warranty.
Yamaha's support is excellent IMO

I've been playing guitar now for 13 years or so. I still a Yamaha along with this one. I also play a Peavey Wolfgang. For the money, this guitar cannot be beat. Its features and tone will surprise you. Most people don't give Yamaha a chance. I did 10 years ago and I've never been happier with them. Out of all the mid / mid high guitars I've tried, this series is by far the best bang for the buck. I'd like to try out a 920. I've played the 520 and 720 and both were excellent guitars as well.
If you've been affraid of Yamaha for what ever reason, GET OVER IT. You'll do yourself a favor.

There are dozens of reviews of the guitar already listing features etc. Basically it has everything it should have. Neck pickup could have been better but that would have increased the price

Using Vox valvetronics AD15 amplifier the sound is very good. The Seymour Duncan pickup gives a great sound for rock. Fantasic sustain as well.

Setup was ok but intonation was quite some way out. I had to adjust the intonation on every string and on teh G string I had to remove the spring from the tunomatic bridge and cut it in half to get enough adjustment to fix the intonation. Action was ok from the box but was adjustable even lower without any buzz. Nicely balanced guitar and feels like a quality instrument.

Been using it for 6 months. Nothing has gone wrong and so it has to get a good mark

Not required.

I played for about a year ten years ago then 6 months ago bought this to start again. It is a fantastic guitar for the price and it is only after realising that I am enjoying playing so much that I can justify a much better instrument that I have decided to replace it with a Gibson Les Paul Standard. This is clearly better but 4 times the price (it is clearly not 4 times the guitar!)

The main features of this guitar have been posted already, so I'll skip this part. Read up from other users/yamaha site if you dont know.

I picked up one with a Charcoal Maple finish and IMO its pure eye candy.

The only extra that I bought for the guitar was the Yamaha hardcase. Its well built, has a nice leather handle, has a plush interior, comes with a locking latch and key, and fits the guitar perfectly. It seems more sturdy then the generic hardcases shops give away with every new guitar. It adds a bit of class and I wish it came standard.

I'm a pure guitar hack who plays mostly bad rock, metal, punk, alt style stuff and some easy licks. Generally, I like the way this guitar sounds. The duncan has some bite. It sounds really crisp and bright, great for heavy riffing duty IMO. The yammy neck pickup isnt that bad either. It's way more warm and has some nice tones. I think yamaha should have put in another duncan, not another JB, but something away from yamaha's own parts bin. I duno...

I'm playing throught a 100w fender princeton and 75w Line6 SpiderII. This guitar can be quite versatile. It seems to get the job done for now.

Right out of the box I liked the factory settings. It must just be dumb luck that the bridge is set right where it feels fine for me.

No buzzing or $%^&!@ crackling sounds.

Its built well. It seems like the caftsmanship is there.

I opened up the coverplates on the back of the guitar and didnt find any spare screws like I did with my Mexican Strat ... It musta been tequila time when mine was assembled back when in '96.

I dont gig now, but I would use this puppy live.

All of the hardware is in place and seems like it can take a bit of a kicking. Firm, solid, and durable are the first 3 words that came to my mind.

It's a new guitar so I can't talk about dependability yet, but it seems like a rock.

N/A

I've been playing on and off for 6 years. More off then on though. I'm not a great guitarist by any means, but I can play. I've had some with with my Mexican Strat, Jackson Flying-V, a few old time Peaveys and others. I'm not a fine guitar critic, but i know what I like, and I like this guitar. It looks, feels, and sounds great IMO.

I wanted to buy a Les Paul, but that was out of the question. Then an ESP 1000 came next because they look so $%^&ing cool. In the end I became more realistic and checkout out something I could easily afford that actually had some value.

I was set on a single cutaway double humbucker style from the start so I just kept narrowing down my choices. In the end I'm gald I bought this guitar.

If it was stolen, I would seriously think about filling my Les Paul dream, because it would be a perfect time to step up. Whats the chance of it being stolen anyway? I would probably buy another one though.

The one problem with this site is this user review section. Some jerkstore, (myself included) can come along and praise or bash something saying they have 20 years of experience and just be some kid living a crappy basement. So take my review and all others with a grain of salt, talk to the d00ds at your local music store and play everything these interweb reviewers have bashed and see for yourself...

Bless.

just adding info on tuning

if anyone has issues with tuning stability, just get a good luthier to file the nut.
the nut slots are too tight, with proper setup you will have zero tuning issues. i know i did it to mine.
a set off locking tuners would even improve it more.

Well the features on this guitar had already been dissected on other reviews, ill just state that mine was made in korea.
Charcoal grey finish
I do miss a coil tap function on this guitar.Otherwise it has the features you would expect on guitar in this price range and tipe.

The sound, well it has a SD JB on the bridge, i think its quite good and does its job with rock a metal sounds, The clean sound from the bridge is rather harsh.Can be used to rythim with OD, or for bluesy solos.
The neck pick up is a yamaha custom, and sincerily, i dont like it a bit, the sound is very dark with little definition, this will be my first mod to the guitar.
Overall its a great sounding guitar for od and distortion, but clean sound are very poor

When i first ordered it at a local store, i was needing it prety bad, since my back up guitar had a problem.I picked it up, and it had .09 gauge strings, wich i hate, i tried it for a while but had problems with it constantly going out of tune, and the action was pretty low, wich caused fret buzz to occur, but overall i saw it was a nicely built guitar with potential to be improved, so i asked the guy to set it up and i would try once more.
I went there, but the guy said he had no time and bla bla, so i said ok ill take it home as it is and ill set it up my way, but if i cant tune it properly ill return it, ok i took it home and raised the action a bit, and putted som .010\.50 strings on it, and thought wow this could be a very nice guitar, indeed it was, for 3 minutes, after that it was constantly going out of tune all the strings, and i have been wondering what could cause this, i noticed the tuners had some loose screws and i tighted them up and it seems its fine now, so i took it to the man to tune the intonation correctly, because i was already sick of dealing with the guitar, and barely returned it the day before.

well i had this guitar for a week, i had a reharsal with it and had to tune it between every song.So ill need more time in order to evaluate the behavior after its finally set up to play

i havent dealed with them directly yet and i hope i dont have to.

overall its a well built guitar i a good value for the money payed.
I just hope mine comes back in perfect shape and does go out of tune often, if it does ill just return it.

Brand new, 2005, left handed model in faded burst finish. A nice take on the 2 HB, single cutaway story we all know. Yamaha has had the good taste though to design their own hardware for this model. This at least makes you feel like there was some thought to this re-design and it was just not another duplication of an already classic. Nice chunky neck that feels like my PRS McCarty, Nato (some species of Mahogany, I believe) neck and body, sweet bookmatched Maple veneer top, Grover tuners, individual tailpieces for each string that supposedly add tension to the bass strings for a tighter low end ( I just know it sounds good...), a Yamaha alnico neck HB, and a Duncan, not Duncan Designed, JB HB in the bridge position. Coil taps would have been nice

The first test of any guitar should be how it sounds unplugged. This guitar resonates just beautifully when unplugged. It sounds terriffic through my Blues Junior, my Dr. Z Z-28, and my Bassman R.I. It also took to pedals extremely well. I used a variety of overdrives and fuzzes through the various amps I own and could not get a bad sound. Pickups are dead quiet. I read some reviews complaining about the earliest models having bad pots. They must have corrected this problem because mine are smooth and really nicely tapered. It also feels REALLY good when around your neck. The contours are well thought out, and the hollow chambers make the guitar just light enough to balance perfectly on your shoulder.

The guitar arrived form an online retailer in a cardboard shipping box. I was expecting a less than stellar setup but to my surprise, it was really close to what I normally do myself. I had to restring it with a higher gauge set of strings and then lower the treble side of the bridge. It played wonderfully after that minor adjustment. The truss rod also required no adjustment. I must have gotten lucky! As far as the finish goes- flawless. The faded burst is a little "orangey" to me, though. Faux wood "binding" is perfect, no wiggly paint lines along the fretboard, no finish drips or orange peeling. I've had Gibson products not finished as nicely.

I can't wait to get out and use this guitar live. It feels solid and ready to go. I always use a backup anyway but this guitar seems extremely roadworthy and if I had to, I'd use it alone on a gig.

I have owned, and still own, many fine quality guitars. Fender Custom Shop, Gibson Historic, PRS, etc. Dare I say it- this $549 guitar has given me more bang for the buck than any guitar I've ever owned. I had absolutely no remorse or doubt after purchasing this guitar. I bought an Epiphone Casino a few years back which was also Korean made and it was about the same money. Absolutely no comparison quality-wise This is a pro quality guitar at an unbelievable price. The pickups sound great, the action is fine, and it feels REALLY good when strapped on. Yamaha has a winner in this AES Series of guitars. I just wish they made more lefties!

2004 Taiwanese Yamaha 620. Features are the same as mentioned in other reviews...flamed maple on mahogany top, set neck and two humbuckers of which one is a Seymour Duncan at the bridge. I was very lucky to have purchased mine at $699 new all because the colour was dark blue (at the time it was retailing at over $1000). Apparently Yamaha found the colur wasnt selling so gave vendors discounted price to clear stock. Quite interesting as in Australia, Yamaha gives very little discount to retailers no more than 10-12% usually.

This is a very versatile guitar and would suit most styles but probably fit in best in the rock/punk genres. At the moment Im playing only through a Peavey practise amp which is a shame as Im sure this guitar would sound so muich better through something better. I have owned in the past a Yamaha AES500 which was pretty crappy in my estimations and I was so surprised at the great improvements made. The AES500 was a Nato bodied guitar, not the best wood for electric guitars and had very brittle sounding or thin sounding tone. The neck was also very disappointing. With the AES620, the tone is unbelievable and regardless of price is a very good quality tone and sound. It has great sustain, partly due to the fact it has through body bridge. The humbucker at the bridge is a rocking pickup and really compliments this guitar well.

Excellent fit and finish straight out of the box, I didnt need to adjust anything. Its buzzing a little bit so might have to take it back and get the store to have a fiddle around. The guitar is high quality, and looks to be very high quality control. Once again unbelievable fit and finish and quality at the low price.

This is a Yamaha. Ive had a cheapo acoustic and the AES500 and they last forever. The construction is solid.

5 year warranty never dealth with them.

Been playing 5 years and sine then owned a Yamaha AES500, Maton MS500 and Yamaha F310 Acoustic and looking to purchase a new Yamaha acoustic (hopefully L series). Ive owned Laney VC50 amp, I wish I had it still would have liked to play the 620 through this amp. I would definitely buy another one if it got stolen. I absolutely love the look of the guitar and the fit and finish. The neck is so good and so easy to play obviously not as fast as Ibanez but then again this isnt an Ibanez. I dont usually give things 9/10 but I cant really find fault in this guitar. I believe for 699 i got something that would have cost me $4000 in Australia. Wake up Gibson and PRS and to some extent Fender. Stop ripping people of, you make good guitars but I cannot justify paying 4000 for something that sounds not much better than my 620.

Made in Korea. Details on the construction have been given in previous reviews. There is no need to repeat them here. For this price point its hard to beat the features on this guitar. These include the Seymour Duncan bridge pickup, a pretty decent Yamaha neck pickup, string-thru body design, Grover tuners, and overall nice fit and finish. The guitar is well built except for one glaring issue with the pots that I will elaborate on later in this review. Other observations on the features include a kind of cheap looking nut, a very nice ?clubby? neck and smooth rosewood fingerboard.

I play mostly rhythm guitar in a classic rock band. The guitar comes with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge which is really a special touch, it?s the real deal. It is tight and loud, if maybe a little harsh. The neck pickup is a Yamaha that has a kind of unique bluesy kind of sound that is growing on me. It?s not cheap in any way. The option is always there to replace it later but that would be out of personal sound preference. When you crank up the gain and dig in, especially with the SD selected, it really responds with a full, gutsy sound. But it can also give you a quality quieter sound as well toned down and run clean. There are some adjustments described by previous reviews that seem to help improve overall sound so I?m sure you could dial this guitar in to give a sound that would satisfy most anybody. Both pickups are quiet. The pots crapped out on me, which certainly impacts the sound.

The finish is high quality. Detail flaws are few and barely noticeable. The guitar came with 9?s. I replaced them with tens and had some minor tuning issues with the ?G? string, a common malady with Les Pauls. This can be corrected. The neck needed no adjustments at all and the action is good. There was no buzzing. The rosewood fingerboard is really nice in appearance. The chunky neck is very comfortable, and the through body string design is definitely nice. The chrome pots are really sharp but a little slippery and hard to turn with sweaty hands. The pots look pretty but they were defective on my guitar- more to come on this. It?s unfortunate that Yamaha put a lot of care into the details on this axe but left a fly in the ointment, the defective pots. Don?t they test stuff they get from a supplier? For this price point however, the overall action, fit and finish is rather impressive.

I purchased this guitar to play for fun but also to play at gigs. Therefore, I have to depend on it. At my second gig with it, it started to cut out on me. The pots were bad. I then had to resort to my backup guitar and park the pretty new Yamaha on the stand. As a previous reviewer pointed out, cheap pots are totally unacceptable. If the guitar lets me down at a paying gig, then I have to give a poor grade for Reliability/ Durability. I will not use this guitar without a backup in the future. Positives are solid strap buttons and a strong overall construction.

Here is where I have a real issue with Yamaha. My Yamaha was under warranty, of course, and I did the right thing and brought it to my authorized Yamaha dealer, Sam Ash, who happens to have a Yamaha authorized tech on the premises. The problem is that the current Yamaha position on the bad pot repair issue is that the guitar must be sent back to Yamaha (4-5 weeks wait) for repair. A call to the Yamaha service rep revealed the Yamaha position that for the Yamaha dealer tech to repair the guitar at the store is more costly than having Yamaha do it at the Yamaha repair center. He offered to send me ?improved? pots but would not cover installation costs (about $70). Yamaha screwed up in the first place by procuring defective pots. They should own up to it and incur the costs for the dealer to make the guitar right, plain and simple. Now I have to play my backup guitar at upcoming gigs. Sorry, Yamaha, you get a 3 on this. Its not a ?1? only because I was able to discuss my issue over the phone with the Yamaha rep. He was understanding but said his hands were tied. The decisions were made higher up in the inaccessible Yamaha bureaucracy. Bottom line is that many folks have to depend on their guitars, and in these cases Yamaha is not supporting its players. I have to put in a positive word about Sam Ash music in King of Prussia, PA. They went as far as they could to help me out.

This is a great playing guitar with great sound, playability, workmanship, and value. The issue with the pots and the way Yamaha has handled it leaves me with a negative experience with this guitar purchase. Yamaha should have stepped up to the plate. They screwed up by installing defective pots, and they have passed on the burden to the customer to save on Yamaha?s cost of fixing the problem. Bottom line is that they should suck up the cost and work with the dealer to fix it and get a properly functioning guitar back in the hands of the customer as quickly as possible. I would have given the guitar a 10 for an overall rating, but have to subtract 5 points for this issue. I?m being generous. I?m not a happy customer playing my backup axe while my new axe is off at some service center for 4-5 weeks.