Yamaha AES620

Not too much need to repeat based on the other reviews but this guitar was made in Korea and features a mahogany body and maple "flamed" top. A couple of humbuckers (one of which is a Seymour Duncan), Grover machineheads some very very nice knobs and pick up selector combine to make a quality package.

I have only had this guitar a few days so it is hard to judge the sound fully but it's first impression is fabulous! The Seymour Duncan bridge pick up rocks for sure and the Yamaha neck pup produces some very nice rich/smooth tones which are great for soloing in particular. I guess over all it has the chunky rich tone of a Les Paul type guitar.

The finish/build of this guitar is absolutely fabulous (especially for the money). The faded burst finish looks glorious, the sculpted top is both attractive and very comfortable to play and the over all feeling is one of real quality. I have two US made Fenders but this Yamaha probably has a better over all finish than either of them.

Action from the box is also pretty good, no need to adjust at all.

Everything on this guitar has quality stamped all over it and I have no doubt that this one will last. Everything on it feels solid and I have no doubt that it would take the rigours of regular live performance without any problem what so ever.

Never needed to contact them.

Given the relatively low cost of this guitar it is an absolute complete bargain. The sound, playability, features and appearance are all oustanding.

The thing I like most is that you get a Les Paul style and type of guitar without having to buy a copy! I am so glad that I found this before I bought that "wanna be" Epi LS Standard!

I won't get into the features too much. Those have been well covered.

I think though..... yamaha could have added coil taps. Come on.. how much more would the price be with coil taps? 1 coil tap for each pickup. Saves us the trouble of having it done ourselves. But... still. Its not unusual for complanies to not go the extra mile.

I think its great they added a jb pickup. Sadly... I took it off.
(damnit! you cant make everyone happy! eh yamaha?). I prefer paf style pickups. But awesome that they would think to do that instead of installing some cheap pickup from korea (not that korean pickups are bad. I just consider them a "cost cutting copout" ). It won't be wasted. I will sell it.


I'm giving it a 9 for features. Would have been a 10 if it had coil splits and 2 volume/2 tone knobs.
The fact it is set neck... saved it from an 8.
If I were a wammybar fan........ I would score it lower.

I have spent every week of my adult life....trying guitars at guitar shops and pawn shops....And guitars of friends.

And I have to say.... that in this midrange price category of guitars.... this model by yamaha.... is one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of touching. Finally a guitar that has cured my dream for another les paul. THIS IS A SPECTACULAR LEGIT SUBSTITUTE for a les. Rather than getting a les... get several of these (install different pickups). I can think of NO REASON to spend the extra cash on a gibson .... the guitar you will get will NOT be much better than this one. (granted.....gibsons hold their resale value but since I rarely sell guitars I buy..... pffft).
. Great sound. Great sustain. Great fullness of sound. Nice "woody" tone that gives me a woody. A legend in the making.

When I first picked it up..... my first thought was "crap. a chunky neck. I've always been a thin neck guy"....but after an hour of playing my thought changed to "crap. I don't ever want to see a thin neck again".

The playability is spectacular. Guitarists LOVE fast necks... and this IS ONE.


I love the sculpted contours of the guitar (one of a kind)... and the finish. Great job. Only carvins are prettier.

I can't rate the reliability. I've only had it a short while.
Feels solid. I've had flimsier guitars.

rarely have I ever dealt with the manufacturer of any product I have purchased... ever. But yamaha is an exception. I once bought a used Yamaha PSR-320 keyboard but it didnt come with a manual. One call to yamaha... and my manual was on its way. No hassle. No begging.
I don't know if this great service is typical behavior of yamaha...but they sure impressed me for that one interaction. So I will give them the benefit of the doubt and give them a 10.

Of all the guitars I have ever played in my life........

In the cheapo "entry level" guitar range... my old discontinued peavey predator (94ish) still rules the game.

In the middle price range of guitars.... this yamaha is my NEW ALL TIME FAVORITE. I will buy more than one of these for sure. A classic. I wish I had known about the semi hollow version before buying this one. I would have liked to try that first.

In the upper range of mass produced guitars ($1000+) my favorites are the Brian Moore guitars due to their computer connectability right out of the box.

2 Coil taps and 2 tone and 2 volume knobs (4 knobs) would make this a 10. (but.. beggars can't be choosers. Great job on this guitar)
9 you get.

The features on this guitar are all pretty standard, there's nothing unexpected except for how good they are. The tone and volume pots are probably the most beautiful things in the world and the bridge and through stringing is great to. Its a good weight and everything is where it should be.I wont list everything out because the others alredy have, all you need to know is that this guitar has the standard of features that you'd excpect on something much more pricey.

Quality not quantity

When i got the guitar it had 10's on it and it sounded real good, lots of range. However I'm using it with 11's now and tunned down to CGCFAD. After a few tweaks to the brige and truss rod it feels spot on and has a lot more meat. I'm running it through a Peavey 5150ii, Marshall cab, Boss bass eq, and some chorus and delay through the fx loop. It sounds beautiful. full sounds and crystal clarity even with a tonne of distortion, this guitar just sings. the two pic-ups work well together, the JB provides big drive sounds with tight bottoms and razor sharp highs which is contrasted well by the stock neck pic-up's warm round tone. i like everything about this guitar, well except for the fret board inlays, but thats just because im not used to any.

good action, fits like a glove, finish is top notch for the money.

I havnt had it long but working in a music shop i know how reliable yamahas are.

Yamaha are a very helpful company. they started out making instruments a long time ago and i think they should be up there with the gibsons and fenders.

I've been playing for a while now and have a gibson explorer gothic which has been my number one for ages, but compared to the yamaha its a bit limited. i think i found my new number 1.

I saved a bit of cash on this gutar so im gonna get a fernandes sustainer fitted in the neck and coil tap on the bridge. once thats done this will be one very fine guitar.

Go buy one now!! theres not many left!!

This guitar draws mainly on the Les Paul type electric solid body design. It has a flamed maple veneer over a mahogany body, set mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, abalone inlays and 22 medium frets, Grover tuners, twin humbuckers (neck: Yamaha Alnico-5; bridge: Seymour Duncan JB) and a 2-way switch located in the customary place for this style of guitar.

It differs from a Les Paul in that it has a more bulbous, but still very appealing shape. This includes a recessed cutaway to improve upper neck access (like a PRS). The bridge is a combination of a Tune-O-Matic with a Telecaster-like string through body system. One word on the neck: it's chunky like a wide/fat Les Paul neck so again Fender players, it'll take a while to get used to.

The finish is thick, heavy and highly glossy. The neck is also finished like this. This, combined with the tapered neck angle, extra power of humbuckers and shorter neck scale means that Fender players (like me) will need some time to adjust!

You get two volume controls (one for each pickup) and a master tone. The lead cavity is like an Ibanez Jem's - it points upwards so that you can thread your lead through your strap. You get two strap buttons (I suppose to allow quick adjustment???). Apart from that, you get a lead a manual and a toolkit.

Most importantly, the features all work really well together. This is a singing, beautiful guitar. It's probably not as well crafted as a decent Gibson or PRS, but for this price it is excellent. Only improvement I would (and eventually will) make is coil taps.

I bought this guitar to fill the tonal hole that my two Strats cannot: the fat, singing woman tone of Clapton and Slash; the chunky, powerful rhythm and lead playing of Angus and Malcolm Young.

I play the AES620 through a GCB-95 Crybaby wah, Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive, Akai Headrush E-2 then (dry) into a Fender Pro Junior and (wet) into a Fender Deluxe 85.

The guitar is never noisy. Using the bridge pickup (JB), you can go from that ever-so-slightly distorted tone of Jimmy Page to a really stinging Angus Young lead sound, or a chunky Malcolm Young riffing tone. Afetr kicking in the overdrive, you can go further, getting into early Van Halen territory with powerful tone and harmonics. The neck pickup is very much like a Strat neck pickup but just so much more powerful in output. The tone is delicious. I had my doubts, by Yamaha has made a great pickup. It sings with a cranked valve amp ala Slash or Clapton. I played 'Crossroads' and was quite chuffed :D The JB does push a higher output than the neck pickup, so if you play rhythm on the bridge and lead on the neck (well most of the time) like me, you will have to use those two volume controls. The middle setting is great - you can mix in however much of 'mellow' or 'rock' you want simply by adding more or less volume from each pickup.

Clean, this guitar sounds good, but it cannot touch a Stratocaster. Not a chance. It does have a pleasantly natural, 'woody' tone that is definitely usable, however.

My only complaint is that, like an SG, this thing is not well balanced and the neck nosedives a tad. I'm so used to my Strat that my observations are probably overstated and quite normal for a mahogany guitar.

The frets were finished uniformly and with little noise. It was set up with a higher action than I am accustomed to, so I adjusted it - no problems. The rest of the guitar is finished superbly. My only complaint is about the finished neck, but again this is just one of those 'getting used to it' things.

This guitar is well built and flawless in finish. I cannot see any reason why it would not last a very long time with the proper maintenance and care.

I've had this guitar for a month now. You get a 5 year warranty with it. Apart from that, I know nothing of Yamaha's customer support.

In this price range, for a similar type of guitar, you can buy an Epiphone, an LTD and various other 'knock-offs'. Epiphones, in my view, are poor value for money as their fit and finish is not on par with LTDs and Yamahas. Korean guitars come in all shapes and sizes and levels of quality. Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase and would buy one again if I had it stolen.

2005 AES620. One more tone knob and it would have everything a guy too cheap to buy a Les Paul could want :)

Very cool look for my tastes in the translucent royal blue striped top.

Thick & wide neck for people used to shred machines.

I play bluesy rock & metal through a PodXT (for practice) and a Mesa/Boogie Triaxis through a Boogie Studio.22+. I get a beautiful throaty tone from the Yamaha neck pickup with the tone control backed off about 20%. The JB sounds different than the trem-spaced one that came with my Jackson SL-1 - seems a little harsh in its brightness. No noise and the tone is incredibly fat, even unplugged. The JB is great for chugging on the low strings with definition and the neck bucker does a great job on smooth leads. Sustain is excellent.

The electronics on mine seem great, with no crackling and smooth taper when rolling off the vol & tone.

I sent the first one back to Musician's Friend because the paint did not go all the way to the binding on the top just under the fretboard. The second one had a similar problem in the same area (much less though) as well as what looks like glue residue under the clearcoat on a couple of parts of the wood faux binding, preventing the stain from settling evenly. Fortunately you and others can't see it when you're playing. Also the nut doesnt' have a neat slot it sits in but seems to be propped up on a base built up with glue or clearcoat. The pickups were also a little scratched up. The top was otherwise very attractive in the royal blue color and the back was flawless :)

I would have given it a 5 and sent it back to MF again but the playability was flawless with great action, fretwork and setup. The neck heel which looks a little clunky is actually very nicely rounded and provides effortless access to all the frets. It's such a dream to play that I don't want to risk getting a worse replacement. I guess that's what a sub $500 guitar is like but my Jackson has spoiled me forever in terms of build quality.

Feels pretty solid to me. The finish seems pretty thick in most places. The strap buttons are holding onto the strap surprisingly well. The bridge hardware looks like it might corrode easily but who knows, I've only had it a brief time. The jack location is great for playing standing up but when I try to play sitting down with the guitar on my left leg, the cord is pressed hard against my right leg and feels like it might snap off.

Too soon to tell. I don't anticipate talking to them since the guitar works exactly as I expected and I do my own set up and tweaking.

I've been playing 20 years. I've had a Heritage Les Paul, '84 Ibanez Roadstar, Jackson SL-1 (current), G&L S-500 (current). It's cosmetically on a par with the Ibanez (the worst) but plays better than any of them except the Jackson which is the best guitar I've ever played and was twice as expensive.

I was also looking at the ESP Eclipse II. In general, I tend to go for the higher-quality product but in this case, I was buying the guitar mainly for recording so the extra money for cosmetics was hard to justify. At times, I wish I'd bought the Eclipse so I could drool over it but then I'd be whining about the first ding I put in it. Plus the Eclipse really is a Paul clone and I was looking for something just a little off-center.

Anybody who needs a solid guitar built for playing without worrying about it's safety should check this model out. Don't get hung up on cosmetics like I did, count yourself lucky for getting off so cheap and play the crap out of this guitar. You'll get great tone and playability with a classic body shape that's just different enough.

I've pointed out some negatives but hopefully the review was fair. After all, I bought it, I'm not sending it back and I don't plan on replacing it with a higher-end model, despite the cosmetic flaws. You may wonder how after all that bitching I can give it a 9. Its less than $500, people!!! Now that's value.

Everyone's already spelled it out............

This guitar kicks serious ass through my 5150 combo (back off) on top of a 5150 straight 4X12!!!The Duncan JB is clear, loud, articulate and just plain smokes. The Neck bucker is growing on me. I have been playing for 22+ years and can honestly say this is one of the best if not the best playing and sounding guitars I have owned (and I've had too many to bother listing).This guitar is a steal so like said elsewhere on this board, go get one before Yamaha realizes that they are giving them away!

Top notch set up....just needed some custom 10's (10-52) and away it went!

You could beat a horse to the ground with it and it would still play like you just bought it!

No dealings with Yammie.

I can again say this unit rocks....go get one before they are gone!

2004, made in Korea, 22 frets, laminated top, 2 volumes for 2 humbuckers and 1 tone, 2 humbuckers, 3-way selecttor, passive, Yamaha p/u on neck and Seymour Duncan JB on bridge.
Mahogany body, quiltied top, gibson les paul type of body, stop-tail bridge,, non-locking grover tuner, I think it's jumbo frets ...

Yeah I got this product 2 weeks ago and I must say I'm satisfied with this product. It suits for my music mainly alternative grunge, metal type o' music. I'm using Marshall MG100HDF head n cab. And NO its not noisy. Its got that nice full sound, specially on distorted sound using the bridge pickup, mannn it blows my mind. But I tried this with heavy gauge string (10-60), it is not good, it lacks bottom end, but normal string it is superb.

THe guitar was perfect as it is.

Yeah man, this guitar withstand live playing
yeahh the hardware seems last forever
the strap is catchy, its got 2, which enables me to try on different position
Yeah i can depend on it
Yeah, I can use it without back-up, but maybe i will use backup just incase the string breaks

I have never dealt with yamaha before, but the music store that I bought this in was very nice to me. They treat me good and everything.

I have been playing for 12 years. I have Fender squier fat strat, Ibanez SZ520, Yamaha AES620, Marshall MG100HDFX head n cab, Korg AX1500G.
If it is stolen I will probably get the same one or buy another brand i dont know man. I never think about it, the reason I bought this guitar coz I need a second guitar to play standard tuning that this guitar suits me the best.

Yamaha carved top electric with two humbuckers (a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge). Has a flame maple top (amber finish) and Grover tuners.. The guitar itself kind of reminds me of a Gibson Les Paul meets a (albeit lower end) PRS. For the price.. unbeatable. Gave it an 8 instead of a perfect 10 because a Duncan pup in the neck would have been nice (although the stock pickup is definitely useable) and it has one of those real thick, heavily lacquered necks similiar to a Les Paul.. meh. I'd pick a Fender neck any day.

Had a Tele already, so I was looking for something with a thicker, more overdriven natural tone.. I got that and then some. It's actually a step above overdriven; I'd go as far as to call it rockin' (which isn't exactly what I was looking for, but hey..)
The neck pickup is warm/creamy and the bridge pickup is spankin' hot. I'm playing this through a Fender tube amp, and it's a really nice compliment to the Tele's cleaner, brighter sounds. Not too noisy at all.

Action was great, but strings were too light a gauge (9s I think). I'll move up to 11s ASAP. But good setup for 9s anyway. Well-adjusted pickups. I noticed some flaws in the finish where the neck meets the body, but I've seen this on higher-end Gibsons, so...
Also, one of the volume pots was a little scratchy. Neck was perfect, which says something because I live in Nebraska (most dry AND most humid state in the country).

This guitar seems solid. I'm slightly nervous as it's my fist set-neck, and I live in a rapidly changing climate, but that's the sacrifice I make for tone. Thick finish.. a little uncomfortable on the underside of my right arm, but will definitely last. Hardware is solid. I would never gig without a backup, because my momma didn't raise no fool.

lifetime warranty

This guitar is GREAT for the price. Amazing tone that kicks the crap out of any Epiphone (or lower-end Gibson), in my humble opinion. Gorgeous, professional-looking finish. I was only concerned about two things.. that it was made in Korea (which doesn't seem to be a problem at all, quality-control wise), and the set neck which I discussed above. Anyone looking for good, hard-rocking tone without having to pay ridiculous prices for the other guys' products.. this is your answer.

This is a stunning guitar - mahogany body with flamed maple top and set in mahogany 22 fret neck (rosewood finger board). two volumes and one tone control, selecting between a seymour duncan JB bridge pickup and a yamaha alnico pickup via a gibson style toggle switch. Grover machine heads and a lovely string through bridge. Personally not too keen on the electronics. I modified mine to a single master volume and two tones, but thats a matter of personal preference. I also installed push pull pots so i could coil tap the pickups - more about that later ...

the sound is awesome! such a rich, smooth, creamy distortion with a sustain that lasts forever. its everything i ever wanted. the clean sound is really full, and the JB has some serious cut! what surprised me most is the quality of the Yamaha pickup. i was gonna change it for a '59, but theres no way im replacing it now!

Im not sure why yamaha didnt think to include coil taps, cos the sound of both pickups when tapped is SO nice. especially the yamaha neck pickup - really bluesy

if you like big, chunky vintage nexks, then this guitar was made for you. i think its a slightly shorter scale length to, cos string bending on this is slightly easier than my other guitar, which has the same gauge. well done yamaha - spot on!

its a bit of wood - what could go wrong?

never dealt with yamaha as a customer, but i work in a guitar shop and find them to be quite reliable from a dealers point of view. however, i kinda voided the waranty on my guitar by moding it, so its slightly irrelevant to me !

SO good! if you're looking for a great guitar with a stupidly low price tag, then go for it. the only thing that disappoints me was that they didnt go the extra mile and coil tap it. The single coil sounds on this guitar are to die for, so i'd thoroughly recommend it. as a guitar technition, i did it myself, but its something your local dealer can do for you without a problem. My advise - go buy this guitar before yamaha realise how good it is and put the price up!

Just bought it, writing this review after 1 week of playing. I?m going to try my best to write an honest and fair review. This is my first Yamaha guitar. Keep in mind I am rating this guitar in respect to it?s price range. I?m not expecting to compare it to a $1500 guitar, if you had $1500 to blow on a guitar - why you would be considering this guitar in the first place? (Unless you were going to buy 3 of them, also Yamaha makes more expensive models ?AES920 for example) Go to Yamaha website for more detailed list of features, also a good review on guitarplayer.com (type in AES620 in search box). For the price I?m not sure how many more features you could expect, it comes stock with an upgraded pickup and Grover tuners, which I think is a really big plus. I can?t tell you how nice it is to have good quality tuners, makes a world of difference. The body is Mahogany with a Nato neck and a rosewood fingerboard. It comes with 2 strap buttons on the bottom of the guitar, this might have to do with where the placement of the cord jack, which is right in the middle on the bottom (where a button would traditionally go), also the cord jack angles up slightly to help keep the cord from coming unplugged if it were snagged, nice thinking. It has your basic pickup 3-way toggle switch that is probably the only reason I?m not giving it a 10, a coil tap or split feature would have put it over the top. The nut looks kind of cheap, like injected plastic or something. In the box was a cord, manual and some hex keys. All in all a 9 is pretty damn good and for $500 it might be a 10 but there is always room for improvement.
Side note; some people may not be familiar with Yamaha as a guitar company and I don?t blame them, to some it may just sound like a Panasonic or something but I have to put my 2 cents in here. Yamaha has been making musical instruments for sometime now (logo is 3 tuning forks) - drum sets, pianos, classical, steel stringed acoustic and electric guitars. So for what it?s worth I personally feel like they know musical instruments as well as any company and have faith that whatever they produce will be a well thought out product.

The guitar comes with an upgraded pickup in the bridge, a Seymour Duncan JB, this is differently for hard rock, it is tight and loud, and at first I found it to be a little harsh, it also it did not blend well with the neck pickup when both pickups were selected. I lowered the JB (about 1 & 1/2 screw turns) and raised the neck pickup (about 1/2 screw turn). After I made this adjustment things start to sound much better. To my surprise I really like the Yamaha stock pickup in the neck position, it?s good for bluesy rock type sounds (Black face, Roland JC) and is a lot smoother than the JB. With these two pickups you can get a wide variety of blues & hard rock sounds. The sustain of the set neck and string thru body really come though which was a big reason why I was interested in this guitar in the first place. We all know sound is a very subjective thing, I find it hard to describe in words. So I?m going to keep this as simple as I can. Does this guitar sound like what it was designed to do? I would say yes, very much so. How does it sound with respect to the price range? I would say it sounds very good. Overall I dig the sound and I?m sure it will keep me happy for many years to come.
If you are a guy that has been playing 10 years and is looking for ?the sound? realistically speaking you?re a fool to think your going to find it for under a $1000 in the first place, I mean get serious. Side note: Just quite smoking for a year and you can save $1500 and buy a Les Paul or something dumb ass.

As soon as it arrived I inspected it for any flaws in the finish and could not find any, very nicely done. Before I bought this I went to a local music store and they had all 3 finishes (unfortunately their price wasn?t even close to MF), they are all nice, I went with the faded burst, the blue is really pretty too. The gloss looks thick and evenly applied so I?m sure this guitars finish will take a beating, this is especially good since there is no pick guard. I?m not sure what size or brand of strings it came with. I replaced them with a set of .10 D?addarrio regular light strings. The neck needed no adjustments at all; the action was good to go. The abalone dots are nicely done on the fret board. The fret job is very good, smooth and it has no dead spots anywhere, sounds very solid everywhere you go. (That is something I could not say about my MIM Strat) The Rosewood fingerboard is really nice and does not look cheap like some other brands I?ve checked out around town. I like the width and string spacing, the neck radius is deep (if you?re used too an Ibanez wizard or something this will definitely feel different) but it is a very comfortable playing neck. The bridge looks very solid as well; I like the string thru body design very much. One last comment; the ?machining? on the body is very clean and precise, from the vol/tone knobs which are countersunk into the body to the fit of the rear covers to the bevel on the cut out, everything is done well - which is one reason why I think a lot of people are raving about the perceived quality of this axe. Yamaha has taken a lot of effort to do some of the little things which added together really make this guitar stand out from the masses.

As others have pointed out the volume and tone pots are very cheap, they crackle a little bit when rotated and in one case I lost all connection altogether. Not sure what to make of this besides it?s totally unacceptable, somebody somewhere in the corporation knew about this and decided to use the bad parts rather than do the right thing which would be to scrap them or reject them and send them back to their supplier.
Side Note: Because of this issue it peaked my curiosity to see what?s ?under the hood? ? I removed the 2 back covers and found that; the covers are shielded, solder points look solid, the wiring which was visible was of a thick gauge and the compartments were clean and free of debris (all of which I can not say about my MIM Strat)
I was going to give the guitar a 9 but because of the cheap and below average vol/tone pots I?ve gotta drop it a to a 7 - Can?t be very gig worthy if your about to lose connection.

I contacted Yamaha Via. email regarding the defective vol/tone pots. They responded a day later stating that they?ve received my email and that someone would be contacting me soon. In this day and age that?s a pretty good response time. Later the same day I received a message on my cell phone from a Yamaha customer support person saying that they were going to take care or me and set things straight (I won?t bore you with the details) So I?m very pleased with their customer support, the resolution and timeliness were simply outstanding.

Side note rant: I?ve contacted other company?s over the years and never even received a response let along a answer to my question. I know companies have more important things to do besides answer a 1000 questions a day from guys like me but I love guitars, it is my hobby, my passion and I spend a lot of money on gear every year. Its guys like me across the planet that keeps these companies going; all I ask for is an honest attempt to answer a question. If that?s too big a deal then don?t but a ?contact us? link on your website! OK ? got that off my chest, thanks for listening to my rant, I feel much better now.

For the money this is a great buy and I would not hesitate to buy another one. (Even with the bad vol/tone pot issue) It gives you a great playing axe with some nice looks at a realistic price. Hopefully Yamaha will address the bad vol/tone pot issue in the future but I have to admit, they took care of me in the end and I?m a satisfied customer (no buyers remorse). This guitar has so much going for it I think it could a classic in the making. Hope this review was helpful. P.S. ? you can get one of those MF deluxe gig bags for around $20, the guitar fits nicely inside it. (The MF logo patch is sewn on & easily comes off)

MY AES620 was made May 2004...it was made in Korea to Japanese specifications...for a discerning American buyer...me...it has 22 frets...and is the translucent red color...I think we all know the specs of this instrument...so I'll move on

The AES620 sounds as good as you want a guitar to sound...I've played it unplugged for hrs...this instrument is first rate...without even considering the pickups...the more I play this guitar...the more I'm thinking it has telecaster pluck w/ Les Paul balls...it sounds great...and I really love the neck pickup...Yamaha can tell u nothing about this Alnico II but let me tell u it sounds great...and u won't need to replace it...needless to say the Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge is awesome...it can hold its own with anything

I bought my AES620 off ebay and the guy I bought it from had it set up so I can't speak for the factory setup...I do know that its set up great right now...the action is low throughout...I put thick 10s on it...I love the baseball bat neck...its thick...but not wide...very easy to bend strings on...bend a string a step and a half...no problem at all...and u'll enjoy the sound all the way up and all the way down...the sustain on this instrument is first rate!!! Its lighter than a les paul...but just as ballsy but not as dark...and it plucks like a fender...this is a first rate instrument...don't listen to anyone...plug one in somewhere and see for yourself...the craftsmanship is solid...we're not talking Tom Anderson here...I have one and dropped 2grand on it...obviously there was more time invested in building such an instrument...the AES620 is a beautiful guitar put together by people who know what they're doing...it sounds and plays like a first-rate instrument...NOONE would be unhappy if you gave them an AES620...they're incredibly fun to play and they sound great!!!

this is a solid guitar...the neck is thick...not wide...so the weather...temperatures...don't make it go out of tune as quick as other guitars...the hardware is solid and functional...nice finish...that'll age well...strap buttons r thick...which is nice...I haven't had this instrument fall off its strap yet...this is definitely a dependable instrument...and changing strings is a quick straightforward affair...ur not dealing w/ the nightmare that is floyd rose...nor with the quick dream that is steinberger...but the strings change quickly and can be tuned quickly as well...I like the grover heads as well

I've only emailed them...they're responsive...give em a few days...maybe a week and they get back to u...I have to say I'm disapointed they don't have a manual or book for the AES line...the design is a keeper...it'll be a classic before long...and here...they have no literature to go along with the guitar...one thing that is annoying is all the misinformation out there about this guitar...it DOES NOT have active pickups...and there is NOT a way to turn the humbuckers into single coils

I have a Tom Anderson which cost me 2grand...a Steinberger which cost me 2grand...an Ibanez Artist made in 1977...a Yamaha SBG1300TS...a guild Jumbo acoustic with cutwaway...and this Yamaha AES 620...I play all my guitars...most of my practice sessions...and the AES620 is always a joy to pick up...it can be used for ANY type of music...Jazz...Country...Rockabilly...hard rock...heavy metal...even Bach...still...I think of it...as something of a barn stormer...the pickups can really bring down the house...and the guitar itself feels like a tele and a les paul all at once...it is its own instrument to be sure...but it is reminiscent of other instruments I've played...like this 50s era tele with a baseball bat neck that my buddy could play like a mother fucker...the neck on this baby was thick but not wide...strings bent with easy...and you could run scales till the cows came home...I've never forgotten that old tele...and the AES620 neck feels exactly the same way...except there's hotter pickups to back u up...I played this instrument once...at Rustic Music in Philadelphia...I had to have it...I asked them to set it aside for me for 10% down...but they wanted 50% down and the rest with a few weeks...I came back a couple days later and they'd sold it...'why didn't u put something down' the owner said...I wanted to choke the life out of him on the spot...anyhow...I peddled home...and found the exact model on ebay for the same price and bot it immediately...this guitar sound great the moment u play it...plugged or unplugged...and when u put this thing into an amp...there's nothing but smiles...she sings up a storm...one reviewer said she either 'whispers in ur ear or screams like a banshee'...I like that comment...its true...and u can also get everything in between...and all kinds of mixtures of the two...this guitar is the best value out there...that I've ever seen!!! We're talking a first rate instrument...that's brand new...for under $500!!! Holds its own with anything u care to name...Trust me...I put it up against the best every day I practice

picked up one in royal blue, and the fit and finish is great, not to light and not to heavy in the making. Hardware is first rate...I had heard rumors about the pots, but they are unfounded on this one. The response is clean and quick, no crackles, no blank spots either. The control knobs really offset the color, and look as great as they work. The tuners are tight and stay put thru alot of streching and playing...the sound is as fine as any other high dollar guitar I have played...and better than more then half of them!! It sounds "seasoned" and can sustain a note for as lone as you want. I have found it to be the best buy I have ever gotten on a musical instrument...and I have been playing for almost 33 years.

MY AES620 is a transparent red model. These guitars are Korean made. 22 frets. Two volume and one tone control, three way selector, dual humbucker, Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, and a Yamaha Alnico in the neck. It's a Les Paul styled guitar, Maple on Mahogany body, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard. Grover tuners. Three strap pins.

It's hard for me to give and accurate picture of the sounds, as this is my first and only guitar, I have only been playing it for a couple of weeks now. Muscial style? HA! I don't have one, yet. I will leave it to those with more experience to describe the sound.

The guitar was set up perfectly when I got it. I have no idea if the factory did that, or if the store did it. I don't know much about action, but it must be good because I barely have to apply any pressure the strings, and haven't had any problems with buzzing, even unplugged. I had the strings changed from the stock 9s at the store, to some 10s, as per the recomendations of many, and no adjustements were needed afterwards. The top is superb, very nice flame pattern, well matched. The frets are all perfect, even though I am a beginner with minimal experience, I spent months researching guitars bvefore buying, so I knew what to look for, and belive me and went over them with a fine tooth comb. I had heard of some with bad pots, but mine seem fine, nothing scratchyt here. Thre is only one flaw on the entire guitar, a tiny little bit of what I think is glue is visible right next to the fretboard, where it meet the body on the cutaway side. Barely visible. ALso there are some basically invisble scratches near the strings, probably made by a pick by some loser in the store. I can only see it if i shine light in it in just the right away, but it does bother me. I'm just very picky though.

I will mention that the guy in the music store, a Les Paul player, had never seen one of these guitar before, but he plated mine, and I don't think he wanted to give it back. Told me it played like a $1500 dollar guitar. I can veryfy that, since I've never played a $1500 dollar guitar, and if I did I doubt I would be able to tell the difference at this stage, but I am inclined to believe him. It certainly LOOKS like a 1500 dollar guitar.

Everything about this guitar looks like it is built to last, and I have no reasons to suspect it won't. However I will leave it to those with more experience to answer this question concretely.

Well, Yamahas home audio division sucks. Downright terrible service from them. However I have heard very good things about the guitar divisions service. Hopefully I'll never have to find out for sure.

I have had me eye on this for a long time, almost since I first decided I wanted to learn to play. In the begining I had planned to buy an all in one kits, like a Squire Strat Pack, but the more research I did, the more I realized it would be worthwhile to buy something nice from the get go. I found I was most attracted to Les Paul type guitars, but a Gibson was way out of my price range. I thougt about an Epiphone for a while, and was ready to buy one when someone recomended the Yamaha Pacifica line. Well being start styled guitars I wasn't too interested, but I did come across the AES620 on Yamahas website, and I knew right away it's what I wanted. After a bit of digging I found dozens of glowing reviews both from magazine and users, and I knew I was on the right strack. Now that I have it I wouldn't trade it for the world. In my opinion it has the best of the Les Paul, and the Best of a PRS, rolled into one without really copying either. I like that it's unique, but still classic in it's design. I love the dark transparent red, and the scuptures body, i would describe it as jazzy mized with sexy. I compared it to Epiphones, PRS, Ibanes, and many others, and for the same amount of money, or in some cases twice the money, there is nothing that can compare. There is only one things I would chnaged about it if I could; I would have had the headstock red to match the body, it would have been just a teeny bit nicer than way....

If it were lost or stolen there is not a doubt in my mind I would re-buy this guitar, or if I could afford to at the time, I'd get the AES920, which is just like this one, exceopt handmade and featuring premium woods.... (though I have my doubts that they would really be noticably better than what I've already got.)

Most features are described above.

I will mention a couple that I like and don't. I like the idea of 2 strap buttons on the bottom of the guitar. I like the way that the lead chord plugs in and where it plugs in. I had a strat copy that had the plug in the bottom and when I was sitting with the guitar I was basically sitting with the guitar resting on the chord. Hard on the knee, chords and jack. I like the way this guitar sits on my lap, it's very comfortable and easy to play. I don't often play standing up but on occassions that I do I find it comfortable in that position also.

I personally like the placement of the volume and tone pots. The toggle is a little high but remember I'm coming from a strat copy so it's not where I'm expecting it to be.

I'm not sure what I should rate this one as. There is no air conditioning and it doesn't have leather seats or a sunroof but it has 6 strings that you can tune, 2 pickups with a 3-way switch and you can adjust the volume and tone on them. The music store threw in a half decent gig bag (I already had a hardshell case that it fits in) a strap and a dozen picks. What else does it need (a PEZ dispenser in the head?)?

Here is where this instrument shines. This is where an instrument should shine. I don't know about you but I don't have $900 to pay for something because I like the name or I like the color.

Let's face it, with all the computerized technology out there I could probably make a stick sound like just about any instrument on the planet. However, a stick just doesn't have the clean pure sound when being played without an amp or through a "clean" setting. I like the way this guitar sounds on the clean settings. It has a rich voice that I don't find muddy at any time. The SD in the bridge is a much better pickup than the neck pickup and I find it will overpower the neck pickup on occassions. You can adjust the volume though so that problem is curable. The neck pickup has it's uses though. "Dust in the wind" sounds awesome on it and I find it helps to mellow out the SD on higher amp settings. I thought that I may replace the neck pickup at some time but I'm not one to go out and pay money for something and then tear it all apart and replace it with something else. My feelings are that if you have to start replacing things right away then you bought the wrong one. I find the neck pickup is growing on me as I learn what it's good at and when to use it.

If I crank up the volume the guitar still holds its own. If I have the distortion or other settings on then the guitar loses nothing in the way of tones all the way up. Basically this guitar will scream like a Banshee warrior or whisper softly to you.

I play all kinds of music badly. However, I listen to lots of music so I have a good indication about what I should sound like and what type of tones I should be getting out of an instument (if my fingers would only co-operate!). I'd give this a ten out of ten because I think it is a beautiful sounding instrument.

I play through one or all or bits and pieces of a Session Man tube head, a 4X12 box (2 Randall and 2 Celestian speakers), 2 Peaveys and a Marshal practice amp and an RP-50 pedal (get one of those they are amazing). Bottom line is I can get just about any sound I want if I'm patient and read the instruction manuals.

Here's a major problem I had. I had saved up money for a new guitar. For me, even though it is still considered a "mid-range" guitar it was a lot of money. I have mouths to feed so I have other priorities. Anyway, I thought I'd go with a Fender or a Gibson because of...what? The name? I don't know? I'm sure I'm going to get all sorts of responses to that one! I tried out some strats, tele's, SG's (too pricey anyway), etc. I found with the strats the pots got in the way when I strummed and I couldn't find one that didn't rattle and buzz like my first car. I looked at a Tele that stopped dead when I bent more than a 1/2 tone on the 12th fret - couldn't believe it. I thought they would just need a set up job and I can adjust my playing to strum around the pots. Then my wife said (she doesn't see the need for a new guitar so don't yell at me too loud 'cause she may hear) "Why are you thinking of spending money on something that needs to be "set up" right out of the box? If you went out to buy a new car and looked at one that needed a tune up and some other work right away what would you do?" Good point - I married a smart lady.

Ok my rant is over. The action fit and finish on this guitar is beautiful. I went over it with a fine toothed comb before I bought it. Actually I went over 3 of them because I couldn't decide on the color and I was looking for one that may have a flaw or one that looked like it was made on a "good day". All of them were flawless.
I decided on one that was called a faded burst. It's kind of a gunmetal grey if you look at it one way, a blue if you look at it another way and a green if you look at it another way. That kind of solved the color problem.

There is not a rattle or a buzz anywhere. The frets are all tight and the neck joint looks solid. There is very little noise from the switch and none from the volume or tone controls (unless you have the amp fully saturated then you hear the click on the switch - but geez I can hear myself talking through the pickups on that setting!). The pickups were adjusted well but that is a personal preference - two turns with a screwdriver if you don't like it(lol).

This guitar was ready to go right out of the box (I only had to change the strings after about a month of playing but I really did play it a lot and just plain wore them out). Nothing was needed. It stays in tune even with aggressive bending (I suppose a lot of that could be string issues if it didn't). Nothing loose and no unwanted noise.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Haven't got a clue. I've never played live. I suppose it wouldn't if I was playing it because we'd both be thrown out into the rain on our backsides. I don't imagine it would survive that but I wouldn't expect it to.

Strap buttons are secure, hardware looks to be of good quality, finish is beautiful but only time will tell what will happen. I really haven't had the guitar long enough to be able to say what will happen in the distant future. I have done some work on various guitars though (i.e. new pickups, installing tremolo systems, etc) and I'm pretty sure I recognize quality when I see it and I see it.

Haven't dealt with the company so I don't know. Bottom line is that if anything goes wrong in the near future they (or the store) will fix it, period.

I think the warranty is for a year on the electonics, tuners, etc and lifetime on the other stuff. Could be wrong about this but, as I said above, I'm assertive enough to get it fixed if something goes wrong and I won't cost me much if anything. For $900 you're not going to blow me off!

Overall I'm really impressed with this guitar. It wasn't even on my list when I researched what I wanted. When I went into the music store it caught my eye though because it has a unique shape to it. I don't imagine that everyone will like the looks of it but that is a personal thing. As I mentioned above my first impulse was to go and buy a Fender or a Gibson. I think because of the name? Because they are American made (by Korean's)? Sorry - that's a bit of a racist comment but keep reading. However none of them appealed to me. Again, it is most likely a personal preference. I'm not in the position where I have to worry about what the name on my instrument says if I'm on stage. I can't imagine why I would anyway. I go to a concert to listen to music not read brand names and I can make a Fender sound just as crappy as a Sears special. Bottom line is that this guitar just "fit" me. The quality was there - even though buying a Japanese guitar seems to be, for some reason taboo (look at your monitor and CPU and tell me where that came from, look at your TV and stereo and tell me where they came from, look at your car and tell me where that came from then tell me that you don't like Japanese products) - ok more screaming at me.

If it was lost my wife would kill me so I wouldn't need to worry about replacing it. If it was stolen I couldn't affort to replace it so all I could do is cry. If, however, I had the chance and one of the above did happen then yes I would buy another. I looked at a lot of guitars before I bought this one. I played a lot of guitars before I bought this one (over 18 hours in the music store - I think they were glad to see me finally make up my mind) and this was the best choice in the price range for what I wanted.

If you're looking to buy a guitar in this price range then I'd take a look at this model - can't hurt to look. If you're buying a guitar based on the name on the headstock I can paint a name on a stick and sell it to you for half the price you'd pay in the music store.

Has the features that I wanted as others have listed below.

Well, here it goes. I play alot of classic rock, hard rock, & blues - Hendrix,& SRV to Iron Maiden, Van Halen,80's hair metal & some eric johnsonish stuff. This guitar is pretty good at this & is certainly alot better than some of the other guitars out there but, it's still not great. It's missing something mainly that punchy tone like a les paul. I know it's not a les paul & I shouldn't compare it to that but, I've got to compare it to something. If you were a new guitar player who haven't been playing very long & didn't compare it to something else then it would probably be great. It is alot better than the Fernandez sustainer guitar that I bought for $600 about 12 yrs. ago & now can't give away & in my opinion it is warmer than a gibson faded flying v which I thought was too bright. So, it does have some good useable tones but, I still wish that it sounded better. To me, even on the bridge pickup it seems to be slightly mushy when playing hard rock-single note lines sound pretty good but, play a chord especially a complex one & it sounds garbly. What did I compare it to - a gibson explorer '76 reissue, a gibson explorer pro(which I bought), & a gibson les paul classic - & they all killed the Yammie. These gibsons had alot more punch, were clearer, brighter but not harsh, & just seemed to ring out prettier with less mush. In all fairness at first I thought it might be the JB since I had never owned a guitar with a JB but, let me say I tested a les paul studio with a duncan in the bridge(not sure what, the salesmen said he thought it was a fullshred) & got the same result. I'm thinking Yamaha just does not know how to build guitars like fender, prs, gibson, etc. so no matter what you do to it or what kind of pickups you put in it it just isn't going to sound as goood. So I'm really disappointed after all the hype that the guitar magazines put out about this guitar. I've had it for about a year & still play it some but, a lot less since I got the explorer pro. I think if you had $500 you should save a little more and try to find a good used explorer '76 which absolutely kills it. I only wish I would've bought it from musicians friend so I could've returned it but, then again I loved it when I first bought. However, the guitar is quiet and sounds pretty good when playing clean which is more than I could say for a gibson sg. In summary I would probably give a PRS, an explorer '76, explorer pro & a les paul classic a 10 since they are as perfect as I think you can get. the Yammie - it's close but no cigar.

the setup from the factory was mile high & I've had it setup twice by the yamaha dealer & though the action is low now I'm getting buzzing mainly around the 12th fret. But, maybe the guy was a stupid ass but, probably not I think it has some uneven frets. I also, had bad volume/tone pots that had to be replaced. the finish is absolutely beautiful & perfect - I really have not been able to find a flaw in the looks of this guitar anywhere & imho it seems to be easier to play than the les pauls I've tried. I just upsets me that I can't get it to sound better. By the way I got the one with the amber finish which to me is the finest. 10 for finish but minus 3 for bad pots & buzzing.

Solid!

I've been playing for about 15 yrs. - mostly strats but, have tried to get a fairly cheap dual humbucker job a couple of times now. Next time I'm going for the big daddy - a les paul classic but, I will be keeping the explorer pro. This guitar is awesome for a beginner but, if you've been playing for more than a few years don't waste your money.

Its a korean guitar with a classic Les Paul look with a modern flat arch top look.I got the faded sunburst model. This Guitar is a beauty!

22 jumbo frets, Rosewood fingerboard with Nato neck. Mahagony body. String thtu body w/Individual tailpiece. Grover tuners. 1 alnico humbucker at Neck and Seymour Duncan JB humbucker at the bridge. 2 volumes control, 1 master tone and 3 way toggle switch

I play mostly Brit Rock and punk. This guitar has the sweetest tones I ever heard. Be it playing it in a clean channel or distorted channel. Its just pure sweet heaven. I couldnt believe my ears when I play it at the distorted channel and found that it produces a sweet, bright and clear tone! It suits the style I play very well as I play open chords w/distortion most of the time, and this guitar stiil can maintain clarity w/o sounding muudy. As for tones, this guitar can produce a variety of tones, from the smooth warm tone of the neck humbucker to the searing sounds of the bridge humbucker, or the ambient and full sound of both humbuckers, this good looker definitely has it all!

The setup was pretty perfect. The strings are factory strings, but they are suprisingly smooth. This guitar dose not need much adjustments. But the only flaw was the tuning of the G and B string was pretty unstable when I first bought it, but after much playing, the tuning becomes stable and doesn't give me much of a problem.

The ncek is pretty smooth which pretty much suits lead playing pretty well. The toggle switch is pretty solid and easy to flick. The finish of the guitar is pretty flawless!

Except for the initial tunning unstability of the G and B string. This guitar certainly can withstand live playing. I think I can pretty much depend on it without a back up.

Haven't dealt with them yet so no comments.

For a Under SGD $1,000 guitar, this is one good looker with great tones. I dont think u can buy any guitar of this quality at this price level. And this guitar has this "come play me" attraction that jus makes u want to spend every minute of ur life with it! The tone this good looker is comparable to those expensive branded guitars. Frankly speaking, at this price range, u couldn't ask for more!

2004 model made in Korea.
2 volume and one tone control (all passive)
2 humbuckers
nato with a rosewood fretboard and maple top.

This is a great sounding guitar and good value for the money.I play a variety of different styles of music and it seems to do the job very well.
I play through a MK11b Mesa Boogie amp sometimes two, usually through a old Korg A3 proccesor with a super crybaby and a MXR dist+ and so far I have been very happy with all the tones.Upper fret playing is a little bit limited but not impossible. I find the neck comfortable and personally find it hard to put down it, seems to want to be played.Compared to my Sg2000 Yamaha, it measures up quite well.

Set up from the factory was quite good, the only thing was it came with light strings, 9-36 this guage can hide a lot of fret flaws, and upon closer examination, some of the frets were uneven and needed to be leveled, especially as I was fitting 10-52 guage. however a lot of new guitars have this probem, but it is something you should allow in your budget as this can cost an extra $150cdn depending on the repair persons charges. The differnce with the biiger strings was great and the guitar sounded better than ever.

The input jack was faulty, but was replaced with no fuss. No trouble with pots, other than that, the fit and finish is great a very good standard.

This guitar has not been on many gigs so far but it will , and I'm sure that it will stand up to the rigors of giging, all the Yamaha gear I have has done well, (I own two other Yamaha guitars a snare drum and 3 power amps) Strap buttons are good , but i don't see the point of having two at the back. I always take two guitars to a gig sometimes three, more for the change of sound, rather than being afraid of something breakink.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing about 33 years now, and own a few guitars including a G@L strat, Fender Strat, Hammer Tele, Yamaha SG700S Yamaha SG2000 and the AES620. If it were lost or stolen i would buy another, I bought it because it fitted my hand good and it sounded good, there is nothing i really hate about it, its a good solid guitar and its different from the run of the mill Gibsons and Fenders .

This is just an update on my purchase of the AES620.

I too was plagued by bad pots on this guitar. I have to believe Yamaha got a bad bunch because there's too much attention to detail on this guitar to just throw in crappy pots. Anyways, brought it back to the store where I bought it and they put in some CTS pots, problem solved. This is one kick ass guitar, it screams through my Trace Eliott Bonneville. For the money, this guitar is a tremendous value. If you have the bad pots problem, bring it back and ask them to fix it under Yamaha's warranty. The store I bought it from just fixed them after they could see that they were crap.

2 humbucker configuration, two volume controls, 1 tone control. Some places list this as a Nato body, but according to Yamaha's web site, the body is mahogany with a Nato neck. Also, Musician's friend lists these as a combination of active and passive electronics, however, this is strictly passive, there is no active electronics in this guitar. Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck in the bridge position, Yamaha designed alnico in the neck position, grover tuners. Tunematic bridge and strings mount through the body. Nicely beveled for comfort, and two strap mount points allow you to tailor the balance point. There is no binding at all on this guitar. The boundary between the mahogany and maple top is nicely finished in a lighter color than the mahoghany, so it provides the illusion of a wooden binding ala PRS. Very nicely done.

I play this through a Trace Elliott Bonneville combo, and the Jeff Beck in the bridge smokes! I plan to use this primarily to cover heavier rock tunes in my band, and it fits that need perfectly. Also sounds great with slide playing, the flatter radius on the neck makes it ideal for slide. The neck pickup sounds pretty decent, but I think I will ultimately end up replacing it with a SD 59. Quite a versatile guitar for the money. I've owned two PRS Custom 24's, and a Gibson LP DC Standard, and this guitar sounds as good and plays as good as any of those guitars at 1/4 of the price.

This guitar played great right out of the store. I wish I could have said the same thing for the Gibson DC standard I had, what an incredibly bad setup that guitar had. I'm still amazed at the quality of this guitar for under $500. I've been playing for 40 years, and I've owned a lot of high end instruments, but this axe definitely gives you a lot of bang for the buck. I like chunkier necks, and this one fits my hand like a glove. It's a solid feeling guitar and the chunkier neck just begs for some aggressive playing it seems. I lowered the pickups a slight bit since they were affecting the string vibration a bit from being too close. The top on mine is really pretty - it's a Royal Blue with a nice flame, perfectly matched. As pretty as the blue PRS Custom 24 I used to have. I can't find any flaws in the workmanship, outstanding for a guitar in this price range. The only suspect items are two frets that appear to be high, and these will be addressed by a pro setup. I always have my guitars professionally setup and have a fret level done as well. I've had fret issues on just about every new guitar I've ever bought, so it's not a unique issue to Yamaha. But that's really the only issue, and it doesn't get in the way of my playing it. The action is great, although as someone else mentioned, the bridge doesn't go quite low enough to accomodate really low action if that's what you like. But I would guess this could easily be addressed with a good luthier.

Feels solid, and the hardware feels like it's well mounted. The fatter strap buttons feel solid and provide a reasonably sure mounting without straploks. I think it will stand up to playing without any problem. It will be sharing the task with my Howard Roberts Fusion.

I have other Yamaha products, and I've always found Yamaha support to be excellent. My rating is based on my prior experiences with them.

I've been playing steadily for 40 years. I've owned a lot of guitars, but this axe has changed my view of lower priced guitars. The value just can't be beat, this guitar blows away the Gibson LP DC Standard that I used to own, and it cost a 1/3 of the price. Yamaha has a winner with this axe, and the decision to use a Seymour Duncan in the bridge was a smart one. I originally went back to the store to try an Ibanez Artist that I was interested in, but when I compared them back to back, the Yamaha was the clear winner.

It's all stock with a red dyed top.

The bridge pickup suits my style of playing perfectly. I had a hardtail American strat with a Duncan JB and it always gave me just what I was looking for. I can play anything from "soft" rock, to punk, to metal with this baby. The neck pickup is quite disappointing. Recently I've had many guitars with a single coil neck pickup, so that may play a part in my dislike for this particular humbucker. It just seemed to be muddy in comparison to the JB and it didn't cut through at all...no definition or character. I'll probably replace it with a humbucker sized P90 eventually.

Excellent factory setup! I recently purchased a Gibson ES-333 that had one of the worst factory setups I've ever played on. Do not buy that guitar! In comparison, this guitar plays like a dream. The quality on this axe rivals some of the newer, non-"handmade" PRS guitars I've seen...and for $1,500 or so less! The top is beautiful, even if it is a veneer, and the finish is fantastically smooth. The choice of hardware and the string through style is a dream come true. Finally, a decent tune-o-matic style guitar that's strung through the body! Another thing I love about the bridge is how the saddles are rounded so they are smoother on your palm. Absolutely wonderful! The only thing I dislike is the positions of the dual strap buttons on the bottom. I can't seem to find the "perfect" position using either of them.

This guitar appears that it will last a long time and withstand the rigors of daily playing. I'm sure it will be dependable, but I always bring a backup. I may even buy another one, or the newer AES920 model. As noted in many other posts, the pots SUCK! I need to replace them ASAP. Why did Yamaha skimp on such an inexpensive item?! Shame!

I've only had it for a week, but I think I may have finally found THE guitar for me! If it were stolen I would definitely consider purchasing a new one, or I'd look into one of the other AES models.

Don't get caught up in the numbers. I know a 9 isn't all that great for an award winning guitar.But "the devil is in the details," or,"it's a dual edged sword," or "I'm a jackass."
The yamaha original bridge is a beauty, and the volume/tone knobs are nice as well. All chrome and shiny-like... The only thing is, dem purty knobs keep on' a slippin' in my hand. Consarnit' all! Right, anyway, this is a dual humbucker, passive-electonic model, single cutaway, contoured heel electric guitar. Doesn't sound like much goin' on in aes-620 land... But like I said earlier, "I'm a dual edged jacksword..."
So the devil's in the details. We have not two but three (!!!) strap knobs here peeps. I haven't exactly said "thank our japanese counterparts and their heathan guitar god for this extra strappamabobber" just yet... But I just may. The idea is, the two back strap knobs are located several inches apart (ideeeeeal for quicky adjustments), meaning you can play yer "starin'-at-the-fret-board-must-not-fuck-this-up" songs, and yer "you really got me now" songs with equal comfort levels.
The mahogany body sounds like a mahogany body. No quack or smack unless yer fingers attack! Now that RHYMED! And you know it rhymed (marge)...as for the top, I don't care if its a "veneer"(it should be noted that I don't know if it is either.) All the Gibson $nobs can thank their record labels or the black market baby-trade for the money they have wasted... Oh, I said it. And I aint' a gonna' take it back! Gibsons sure are purty. And they sound better. And I'm jealo.. er, broke...
The neck is chunky as all hell (more on this later), the tuners are grovers (a plus), and all in all it is a very "balanced" feeling piece of work.

Now we finally reach the important stuff. This thing sounds wonderful. I "learned" on a Clapton stratocaster (my girlfriend's #mumble,mumble#), and this guitar sounds just as "good" (we should make it clear at this point that I am a "strat-guy"). I dig the ash/alder/bolt-on/maple-neck brightness! This instrument can do the spank of a strat, but only with 11's (you just have to be extra-careful with yer intonation... trust me.)It's never gonna' approach that kinda' brightness, but, for what it is, I'm happy with this guitar accoustically (can I spell?)
When I plugged it in I fell in love. Let me tell you... this instrument responds VERY well to subtle tone/volume changes. The seymour duncan jb pickup is wonderful with attack and let me tell you... this thing can hold a frickin' note. That means sustain folks. Out de' bum. One other thing... I like to do alot of wierd shiznits with my geeeetars. This pickup selector (or the volume knobs, can't tell) cuts out the bridge pick up when you do crazy-rapid volume changes. As in, if you're in the mid position with low-neck-pickup-high- bridge-pickup and you switch to accent off beats rapidly... THE BRIDGE LITTERALLY JUST QUITS! Damn... now see, that's a problem.

HEEERE'S the problem. The factory setup expected me to be all "whoa, a guiTAR," as in it had some spoiled 9's and an action that would make a nu-metal dude puke cause of string buzz (and that's sayin' alot.) The thing is... I still haven't been able to keep it from buzzing.
I know it's not the truss rod, the bridge-action, or my string gauge... It just... does. It's not a crazy neck warp buzz. Just subtle enough to piss me off when I play all pissed off.
The "chunky" neck has gotten me over more playing plateaus than any guitar I've ever played though. I literally thank this guitar for my style... So... That's an equal tradeoff.. Ya' know?

You will not break this. Well maybe the electrics... but that's yer own damn experimentalist fault! No I kid... And I give it a 7.

Look... I named my aes 620 (though it may be from a need to call it ANYTHING other than "my yamaha," or "my insert serial number here".) What I mean is that it taught me to play, and that it got me over many plateaus.
As a uniquely personal experience, it is a 20. As an established guitarist's guitar, it's a 9 (though that last score also reflects the monetary value.)
Cool... if that made sense...

Thought it was gonna be difficult to use when I started looking at the 620. I was confused 'bout the active/passiveness...I'm saying I just wasn't straight on the details. However I have now discovered that it's not that tough to use. This guitar does all I need it to and looks and sounds great on the way. (I know this is an aside and not that important, but the case is one of the nicest looking cases I've ever seen! I don't know if it comes in any other colours, but mine is a real nice brown leather with brass accents)

I play straight rock and a little bit of pop. Maybe some bluesy sounds, but I'm not a pro.
I am using it with: in order, a Vox Passive Volume, Korg Dt-10 Tuner, MXR Phase 90, Line 6-DM4 (Distortion Stompbox), Vox Wah, into a Special Edition, Tweed Fender Blues Jr. Heck, I don't even know much about how my effects should be ordered, but I know what I like, and what I like is my guitar and this set-up. Sounds thick and vintage and I have the highest opinion of this guitar

The action is great. I changed the strings right away. Didn't have much time to use the factory strings (only in the store). I think it plays really well...and for the price?!
The quality of this quitar is fantastic. I am an almost Obsessive/Compulsive, anal retentive, former wood-worker and I know quality when I see it. I had looked at many other guitars and for the price I paid, I was blown away by the quality of the craftsmanship, attention to detail and a great finish.

The first thing I noticed when I picked up this guitar, was the volume and tone pots. They were so smooth, it was hard to resist the urge to keep turning them...then I plugged it in. When I plugged it in, I realized that these pots looked and felt great, but weren't. That is still my only disappointment. The pots cut out when they aren't on all the way and make this awful staticky noise when turned. That's why I have a volume pedal! I may replace the pots some day, but when they're on, no one's the wiser!
It's an 8 because of the pots...annoying that everything else is top-notch except for the pots...grrr...

Haven't had to deal with them except to order a case. They need special cases as they are noticeably wider than a Les Paul which was the case I thought it would fit it. I went around the store and couldn't find a case anywhere that it fit comfortably into. Long story short, Yamaha sent it right away and I think it had arrived in 3 0r 4 days. Good people, Yamaha.

Had it for almost a year. I would certainly buy this guitar again if it got stolen. Love the thick, beefy neck. Love the finish, hardware and craftsmanship. Same kind of quality in a guitar $1000 - $1500 more. It's a real steal for the quality you get.

this has been covered by the other reviews. i will address the confusion over the electronics. this is a passive system (non active). there is confusion, and it come from yamaha's catalouge. only the aes 820 has the 3 way tone pot with. depending where you read in the catalouge you will get different info. the wood is Nato, which is a relative of mahogany.
i got mine with a real nice case for 799.00 canadian. great deal on a quality Les paul styled guitar.

it suits my styles well,i play anything from ac/dc to blues and country as well as heavy metalish stuff. my amp is a yamaha dg100 which gives me many tones. noisy? no way! very rich full sound, the yamaha neck bucker is sweet and i can spend a lot of time on that pickup alone. the JB in the bridge is clear and full. i would not say it is lacking any bottom at all like the last reviewer stated. he could be having some problems with his pots. mine are bad and being replaced. with the selector in the middle position i can get very sweet cleans. there is so much you can do with a guitar to fine tune it so if you want more meat get rid of the 9's that come on it and throw on some 10 or 11's. i can nail angus youngs tone and this guitar has a bit more resonance and clarity than a les paul. a big plus to me. i do like the wooliness of a "paul" but thats only one sound. that gets tiring quickly for me. i think its more of an sg/prs tone. which is a good thing. the bridge design is clever and a big improvement to other designs. it is more resonant and alive. any time you feed strings up through the body it adds sustain and resonance. i would suggest if one wanted a more regular les paul tone all you would need is a set of seymour duncan 59's. or rather one in the bridge, for the neck pickup is fairly vintage sounding. i was not usually a fan of hot pickups like the JB but after using it in this axe i am happy. ths guitar is a fine quality instrument. i have no complaints except for the pots being bad in mine. a freind of mine has one as well and has had no problems with his. its all under warranty so no big deal to me. in fact i will probably end up with better quality pots anyway.

incredible workmanship. the only things i have noticed are a slighty tight nut slot on the g string and the pots (probably a bad batch from the supplier). as far as the overall quality, i would rate it up there with the big money guys! really. i have seen gibsons with flaws that should not be on a 2000 dollar guitar. my buddy has a prs mccarty and there is no way you can tell i spent $2500 less than he did, even plugged in you can't tell. i judge guitars on the merits of the hardware and construction not the name on the headstock. the vintage burst on my flamed top is beautiful. it is a thin maple veneer but thats not an issue. like i said earlier it is more PRS in its design. the neck is big and beefy, it is way chunkier than my Godin lg sp90. but it isn't at all hard to play. i love it. awesome fretwork.

should hold up well, it is solidly built. the finish is durable yet they have kept it thin enough to not kill the tone. the strap buttons are real big and i will probaly keep them on as opposed to adding straplocks on this. nothing is loose or rattling. like i said , solid. when i looked inside the control cavity i was greeted by the neatest wiring and sheilding. its all clean and orderly.

yamaha is great, the store had worked out a deal with yamaha so they had free cases included. when i first got mine i noticed the case had a missing foot on the side and a small crack in the covering on the bottom edge. i now have a new case that is even nicer than the last one and my pots are going to be replaced. i have had lots of help from the yamaha guys on various occasions and am very happy with the support the reps deliver. the tech at yamaha emailed the pages of the shop manual for a yamaha pacifica 721 i bought on ebay and needed wiring schematics and part lists. this was a 14 year old used guitar. i also had an offer to help me with the software upgrade on my DG100 from the yamaha rep. both my pacifica and DG amp are used items and under no resposibilty of yamaha.

my gear.
Yamaha DG100 amp
Yamaha pacifica 721
Godin LG sp90
Yamaha AES620
i have been playing over 25 years. and have owned a pile of guitars. there have been a few that got away. but what i have now is staying.
i practically try everything out i see in my local store and i have access to guitars that cost much more if i need to compare. i will let my friends buy the expensive ones. i will use my ears and eyes and end up with more for less.
it has great tone, construction, hardware, design and awesome looks for one quarter the price of a les paul in my neck of the woods.
i don't wish for anything except maybe a bit darker colour on the outside of the sunburst. it looks very vintage as it is.

As advertised, it's a 2 HB solid body guitar w/maple top and what looks like a mahogany neck. Pretty much a standard good quality electric guitar with quality components such as grover tuners.

I was led to believe that this guitar had active electronics of some sort. But I can't find them. Anybody know where they are? I opened the covers on the back and saw just the usual volume controls and a single tone control. There was no battery compartment to run active electronics. Not a big deal because I'm not crazy about active electronics anyway. Just curious why people are saying this is an active electronics guitar.

Well, I like the looks and playable of this guitar but I really am not blown away by the tone. It sounds to me like this guitar was made for heavy metal which I'm not a fan of. It seems to be lacking lows compared to my other guitars with humbuckers. This is true when I A/B it against my LP and my PRS. So I'm going to give this guitar a low rating on tone. It's not bad mind you. It's just average sounding to my ears. What it seems to lack is woodiness. It just seems to my ears that I can't hear the mahogany wood through it like I can with my Les Paul. I can't get that women tone out of this thing like I can with my Gibson. Instead I get a searing tone perhaps good for metal oriented stuff.

Plays well. Workmanship is top notch. Built very well, no doubt about it.

I'm not expecting problems. It's built like a tank. It's heavier than my PRS as a matter of fact.

Not expecting to have this thing break on me. Best support is to have it built well at the factory. This guitar stands up well by that criteria.

Great Player. Great looker. I just wished it sounded as good as it looks. I read the other reviews and see everybody rates this guitar nearly a ten when it comes to tone. I'm glad they all like it and I wish I did too. But I only find the tone to be average. Admittedly, I usually play guitars that cost much more so maybe I'm spoiled. But I'm still baffled why I can't get it to sound better. I think I'm going to replace the pickups and see how I like it. Perhaps putting in P-90s will make me like it better.

For metal this guitar would work as it is because it's aggresive sounding but that's not my bag.

And to be fair, tone is a very subjective thing. Different strokes for different folks.

New, I assume made in 2003. Mine is the purty blue model. I would've prefered the sunburst, but this is a very nice looking axe. I won't go over all the details, it's a set-neck short-scale guitar with two buckers. Grover tuners, volute at the headstock too. I love the fact it has a separate vol for each pickup--this is a NECESSITY for me. Neck's pretty substantial which is cool. Frets are closer to vintage than fat (sort of surprised me). Hope they don't wear too quickly. Mahogany (or Nato, depending on where you get your info?) body. I will say this, if it truly has a maple cap, I'm pretty sure the flame you see is a veneer over it. Also, the "wood binding" matches the grain of my body, which leads me to believe it's "faux" binding, ie, just colored different than the rest of the mahogany body--which is fine, just wanted to point it out. Whatever the case, it's a well made guitar.

The sound from the bridge pickup--a Seymour Duncan JB--is to DIE for. Awesome for rock 'n roll, especially at high-gain settings. The neck pickup is okay; I'll likely one day replace it. I assume the reason this guitar sounds so good is a combination of the woods with the pickup, but I'm a big believer that the pickup is a HUGE factor, and one thing's for certain, I'm sold on the JB! It is one smokin' pickup. I play mostly rock: classic rock, alternative, 80s/90s "dance" rock, some pop, and some punk. This guitar is well suited to my style of music.

The shop where I bought mine offered to replace the pots and put a pull-push tap on mine, and I'm glad they did, because the bridge vol pot is very static-y and goes in and out as you turn it. Disappointed in this. The shop is going to put in the more robust "CTS" pots, and I think this is a worthwhile investment if you plan to gig with your AES. Have to knock points off for going the cheap route on electronics. Otherwise, fit and finish is great: good fretwork, no apparent flaws in the finish, abalone inlay work is very clean. Very nice.

I think this guitar will hold up well, but I wonder why they put this rating here? Who knows? Only time will tell. The strap buttons are the wide ones, which I like almost as much as strap lock pins.

Dunno

What a great value! For $500, you can own a pro-level guitar. Musicians Friend will no doubt eventually blow these out for 2 or 3 bills I'm sure, keep an eye out for them. I do recommend replacing the electronics, but I've seen this from a lot of Korean made guitars, that are otherwise well made (the SE series from PRS for instance). The JB already in the bridge really takes this axe up a notch for me in the overall rating.