Yamaha AES800

All well-covered in other reviews. Mine came w/ padded gig bag, strap-locks & strap, extra strings. This guitar has great features, all around.

I play everything from crunchy modern rock to clean, country-tinged stuff, and this guitar can do it all. I don't know if it would be a great guitar for metal.. but I see that Yamaha has issued a new version, developed by/for the guys in "Orgy", with the same basic setup.. so i assume it can hold it's own.
I use it through both a Peavey Delta Blues 2x10 combo, and a '67 Fender Blackface Pro-reverb. For lead tone on the Pro I use a cheap, but very effective, Ibaneze "tone-loc" tube screamer. (and I run the extension out to 2 closed-back 1x12 cabinets) It is VERY quiet while playing through the humbuckers ..or while *not* playing... even more important... and is acceptably quiet in the #2 "split" position. The pickups are very warm. I especially like the #4 postion, which brings the coils in the bridge pickup out of phase. The variety of tones that I can produce with this guitar are really great. In fact, if you set it up for whatever your most-often-used tone is, and then flip through all 5 positions (seasoning to taste w/ the volume & tone controls), I think you'll find it difficult to come up with something that you don't like.

Action, pickups good from previous owner. The finish is very simple, but I think beautiful. Yamaha does a fantastic job of making low-cost instruments that you're still compelled to rub down when you're done playing. Frets, finish, wood, bridge, tuners, nut, saddle.. good good good good good good good... you get the idea. I play 10s on it, and I'd say that's the ideal guage for this guitar.
Only electronic defect is that the "phase" pot, when rolled to 10, seems to turn off the bridge pickup completely. Where it should have a range from 1 to 10, mind kind of only has a range of 1 to 9... previous owner said it came that way from the store. Neither he or I have found it necessary to have this repaired. This isn't a "custom shop" instrument, but for what it is, it's exceptional.

It takes a beating. The hardware is not expensive, but solid. I think it will last. The tuners are excellent. I HATE guitars that go out of tune. This one does not. The finish is good, and the pickguard effective & well-placed.
NEVER gig withoug a backup! :] That being said..I can completely depend on it, and would gig w/out a backup if necessary. (even if you popped a string, you could replace it quickly)

Haven't dealt with them, but hear they are very good (about new instruments).

I've been playing for 15 years, some on-stage but mostly not. I have (have had) a '79 Ibanez concert series electric, a yamaha pacifica, a yamaha AEX502, a '65 epi archtop, a washburn pig-sticker, and have played many others (strats, teles, etc) Amps covered above. I am mostly a "straight to the amp" guy.. no frills or effects if possible.
I would buy another one in a heartbeat. For price and features, I honestly don't think you can beat this guitar. Maybe if you got a good used Yamaha Weddington... Strat scale & selector, P-90s that humbuck, and LP pick-up configuration... tough to beat.

Cherry Sunburst finish with mahogany-veneered Alder body. Maple bolt on neck with Rosewood fretboard and 22 medium jumbo sized frets. Chrome hardware and string through body design with six individual tailpieces mounted in the body. The tuners are nice and smooth. Tune-O-Matic Bridge. The very best feature on the AES800 is the massive-sounding pick-ups: 2 DiMarzio Q-100 hum cancelling soap bar style humbuckers.

The control knobs are: 5way pickup selector, master volume, master tone and a realtime phase control knob. In position #2 only, the inside coils are hot and the phase knob brings the outer bridge coil in and out of phase. The ?in and out of phase? feature will add color to your sound on both the clean and dirty channels of your amp. I discovered that I preferred setting the phase knob at 1 on the clean channel while my daughter prefers position 10 always. With distortion, we both prefer position 10. Setting the knob somewhere in between does not appear to be a very practical option, perhaps an on/off switch would have been a better design solution for this "in and out of phase" feature? Also, others may prefer setting the knob somewhere in between as a matter of personal preference in sound and tone. Whatever one prefers...

The Q100's are very quiet. They are very much like P90's. The switch/knob design allows you to probe a wide variety of captivating sounds. You will find some excellent tones no matter what style of music you play. This is a great ?can do it all? type of guitar with very useful sounds through every amp I experimented on - Fenders, Marshals, Tech 21.

My music style includes just about everything...and this guitar delivers the goods, period.

The factory set-up was bang on. I had to replace the strings (old and used) this guitar must have been on display for years. I?m sure the people who tried it appreciated the sounds (even if the strings were all played out) but probably preferred the look of a Gibson Les Paul or a Fender Strat. I was originally tempted to get the Epiphone Les Paul Custom and probably never would have found this gem had I not been patient and still somewhat undecided. When I compared both models side by side and through several different amps, I ended up saving $450 and got the better axe. Both guitars were listed below the $900 dollar range! The Yamaha won hands down, it plays and feels awesome although the fret ends could have been slightly smoother.

Has already been used once in a live gig, without a back up. Absolutely no problems encountered.

Too early to rate at this time...

One year warranty. I own another Yamaha guitar (12 years) and have never had any problems.

The best way I could describe this guitar is to mix the best features of a Strat and a Les Paul together, and ?voila? the inception of an AES800.

I love the "retro" look and the neck feels awesome, very comfortable to me. Before buying this guitar I tried many Strats, Les Pauls, Teles and others. I did find several guitars in the $1200 range that really impressed me but they did not sufficiently sway me to pay the extra cash when the AES800 had that captivating sound I was looking for at less than half the price.

I am most happy with this guitar. It was an incredible deal! I can?t say anything bad about the overall quality of this guitar. It really does have it's own captivating sound.

My aes800 has a body made of three hunks of alder topped off with a 1/16" mahoghany top. Looks like the top is one piece. It's a pretty sliver of wood. Body like a flat LP with a more rounded lower horn. 2 Q100 pickups, Dimarzio's humbucking take on a P90. Quiet, no hum. The usual neck, with decent sized medium jumbo 6150 sized frets. Tuners work fine. String thru body design. Hollywood pool shaped pickguard. Pickguard, neck adjustment cap, and rear access plate all made of tortise shell like material.

Strummed accoustically it sounds pretty full with decent sustain. Plugged in the Q100's have a snotty P90 tude, widdout the noise. Makes a tube amp growl and do the nasty. The switch/knob design is clever, adding some new combinations to the regular menu. There are alot of variation of sounds to explore. Musical sounds I might add.

Couldn't find any obvious finish flaws. Well made. Did the usual new guitar adjustment to my liking. Plays great.

Here is my only regret. It's a bolt on neck design. Fine. But instead of the standard metal base plate reinforcing the four bolts that hold the neck on, there is only a rather dinky 1" indented washer reinforcing each screw. No base plate. Looks weak, and a potential down the road problem. Engineering wise, I don't see how it can be as strong or secure. Never liked the Fender three bolt design fiasco either.

Dunno

Playin 29 years. Been thru plenty guits. My music style is just about everything. Got this boy on the net. Fine guitar fer 2bills.

I'm not going into the features too much, it's been covered well by others. I would have liked to had individual tone and volume controls for each pickup though. I have had the guitar for about 6 weeks.

Overall sound is very good. I am using it with a Rogue 30 watt amp. I have not had chance to play it through anything top notch yet. I normally play it on the clean channel of my amp, and play Classic Rock material. The sound could be a little more bright for my preference, I find myself cranking the tone up very often. The feature with the "phasing in and out" has not impressed me much. I would not put a lot of stock into that feature.
I know I mentioned some dislikes but I still must say overall I am happy with the sounds it can create.

The stringing that was done on the guitar was very sloppy, the strings were not wound neatly, and I had the B string break on day two. I did not care for the string gauge they provided either. It was kind of slinky for me and tended not to sound good on open chords like C and D. I changed to a medium string guage with a wound G string and that took care of that problem. I did not find any finish flaws on the guitar at all. It is a nice looking instrument with some personality. One thing that did happen almost right away was the knob on the switch came off. I just glued it back on and it has not been a problem since. I have had some problems with the G string breaking on me at the bridge. I'm not sure if there is a problem at the bridge where the string contacts it or not but it seems that it starts separating the winding if the string within a week or so.

Guitar seems very solid and would withstand some abuse. Neck is bolted on and appears to be a solid connection. Strap buttons are solid. I think this guitar is going to be very dependable and would use it on a gig without a backup. My buddies say I am a risk taker though.

No dealings with Yamaha

I have been playing an Alvarez acoustic guitar for the last ten years and have hardly touched an electric during that time. If stolen or lost I would definitley consider buying another one but I would also look at the De Armond M-72 or S-73 in the same price range.
I love the way the guitar looks and feels, the neck construction just feels awsome to me. I play a Fender Standard Strat occasionaly and I enjoy playing this more. I originally wanted the De-Armond S-73 but my order just kept getting pushed farther
I mainly chose this guitar because of the price.

This is a recent model solid body guitar, made in the Far East somewhere. Two DiMarzio Q100 soap bar humbuckers. Five way switch, tune-o-matic bridge, through body design, volume, tone & phase knobs (only works in switch position "2"). Nice smooth tuners, bolt on neck. Sort of a retro-Les Paul looking design. Comes with Gig-Bag.

I was pllaying with a band that discribes their music as "Swampadelic-Funkabilly." I was playing through a Tube Screamer a volume pedal and delay into a '66 Deluxe Reverb. I was looking for a guitar to play slide on. I borrowed it from a friend's music store. I restrung it, gave it a fluff and buff and took it to practice. The action was too low for slide and I didn't have time to set it up. So I used it as a "regular" guitar. It's got some great tones. The pick ups are quiet. It fit my hands pretty well.

It was set up well. I liked how easy it was to bend strings, even with a .010 set. I was surprised by that. Finish was good. The fret ends could have been smoothed off more, but for a guitar in this price range it's hard to complain.
What I didn't like were the pots. They were very loose feeling and didn't stay put. All the range was between "7" & "10." I ended up turning them up and using a volume pedal.

It's a well built solid guitar. I think it would hold up nicely to anything you could dish out. The guitar I had was equiped with Strap Lock buttons. I don't know if they were standard or not. I could easily gig with it without a back up. It's a cool guitar.

I'm looking for a guitar to play slide on. I was going to build a guitar like it with Warmoth parts, but the Yamaha had most of the features I wanted to include. So, I thought I'd try it out. I'd like to raise the action and put .011's or .012's on it and play it that way. But I think I'll look for an old Supro or National electric.

Mine is a 1998 model made in Taiwan (I can't still believe that was made there!!, ja)Sunburst finish, solid top, controls are: volume, tone, phase knob & five way switch selector the coolest thing on a H/H configuration by the way the Dimarzio Hambuckers are excelent (Really). The finish is simple beautifull, as I ever wanted. This guitar came whit a cable. The only thing That I dislike is the way that the switch loocks, but that is not so important.

I must tell this.......a friend fo mine has a Fender Toronado and a Fender standard Telecaster but the AES800 kills them!!!. I'm using a MG80RCD Marshall amp 12" speaker and a DOD pedal effects, this pedal its not so great I'm going to buy another and sell this one, I'm conecting this pedal trough the effects loop and using the distortion from the amp (planig to buy a Creamy Dreamer Distortion) but the thing is that this guitar make them sound like the real thing!!! no other guitar sounded like this whit this poore setup. It's not noisy at all it has a really clean and smooth sound. I recomend this guitar for any kind of music or you can create your own sound. It has the greatest Humbuckers for this price.

So simple.......almost perfect. This guitar really move me to write this review. I was esceptic at the beginig because is was a YAMAHA and I wanted a Les Paul or a Telecaster, but whit this guitar I think that I have bot guitars in one. Really great choice!!!!.

This guitar is Loud enough to play on Stage!!!. Very well made....I don't now what to say. This guitar will make you cry. Very original design. Wen you play it unpluged you will feel the vibration on your stomich cause of the wood, really great sensation.

Hoppe not.

I've been playing for almost 5 years listening from the beatles trough Radiohead,Samashing pumpkins, Jazz and blues. I'm from Mexico! and theres some cool bands too like Jaguares. If this guitar were stolen I will defenetly buy another, considering that my next guitar is going to be a Les Paul I will wait to buy the Les Paul just to replace the Yamaha whit a new one. Like I said before this guitar is even bether than the Fender Telecaster and the Fender Toronado whit only tese YAMAHA you can make the sound of these 2 guitars, Trust me.
The best guitar!!!!!!!. I always wanthed a guitar that sounds and loock and feel like this.

This is not my first guitar but it is my favorite!
The DiMarzio Q-100 pickups combined w/5 way switching and vol/tone/phase knobs give me every tone I want.
Cherry Sunburst finish is very well done for a guitar under $500.
Everybody agrees it's one of the best looking guitars around.
22 jumbo frets give amazing sustain (w/Fender stainless bullets).
I wanted a Les Paul, but the only "Paul" I could find that felt, looked and sounded this good was over $2000! Easy Decision.

I alternate between "Telecaster'esque" twang on country gospel music to "Gibson 335'ish" jazz/blues tone for solo work. Once in a while I get the urge to overdrive a little and do some power chords as rhythm. This guitar satisfies me in all three zones. I use a Crate GFX15 for practice and a Fender Twin Reverb for performance. The only negative is the "pop" that comes from the 5 way switch when the volume is cranked up.

I was impressed with the factory set up. It was among the best in the store. I did have to adjust the tune-o-matic bridge to make the upper notes on the middle 2 strings stay in tune based on MY finger pressure.

I haul this thing in a "Musician's Friend" gig bag, 54 miles back and forth twice a week. This is the only instrument I have that I can take out of a gig bag, put it on the tuner and NOT have to re-tune after that 50 mile drive. (sometimes I do, but sometimes it's that stable).
And it still looks NEW.

I downloaded the PDF file of the owners manual to find out and adjust the proper string heights. The adjustment procedure was in the manual and worked great.

I've been playing music for about 20 years, but I'm fairly new to guitars. I have a Yamaha PSRGX76 keyboard, a Fender BG-29 bass, an Oscar Schmidt OG11CE acoustic guitar, and a Fender FM52E Mandolin.
When I wanted an electric guitar I tried Strats, Teles, Pauls, Peaveys, Carvins, Washburns. I found nothing under $1000 that I liked the look, feel, and sound of any better at all.
Once again... easy choice!

Brand new, Japanese made, 22 frets, 25 1/2 inch scale length, alderbody with mahogany cap(laminate?. Strat-style five way switch, Master volume and tone. Phase switch for neck single coil position. Dimarzio Q-100 soapbar style humbuckers. Retro styled pickguard, body is sort of like a single cutaway Gibson Melody Maker. Tune-a-matic bridge. Nice medium width and radius maple neck with natural finish, rosewood fretboard, fairly high and wide frets. Unusual string through body design, with six individual tailpieces mounted in the body.

I play roots based music, and run this right into a Silverface Vibrolux Reverb. This guitar sounds FAT in the neck position, full in the middle and blasts in the bridge. The five way switch is a litlle noisy, but I've heard this is common with Japanese lower end stuff. The coil tapping feature is awesome. You can get humbucker fatness or single coil shine in both the bridge and neck. The phase knob is wierd but cool. It only works in the neck single coil position, and rolls the coil out of phase. It gives you the Strat in between quack, but you control how much.

The factory set-up is decent. The action was alittle low for my taste, and there is some slight buzzing which I have'nt been able to isolate yet. The pickups are really well placed and balanced, but they are only pole piece adjustable, i.e. you can't raise or lower the whole thing, which kind of sucks. Everything is very well made and clean, only the very plastic nut seems cheap, though decently cut. This is a striking guitar visually. There is a Bigsby model, the AES800B which is even cooler looking (but 300-400 more $)

This thing is plenty solid. I'm sure it will hold up. I always like to have another guitar handy at shows just in case I break a string, but otherwise, this will be my main axe.

I think it is under warranty. I don't know, but I don't imagine I will have to deal with the company. (Knock on wood)

I've been playing for about fifteen years. I also own a Japanese strat, which feels good but sounds thin, even with new pickups. I was looking for fatness and power, and this guitar delivered. I was mainly looking at Les Pauls- studios and specials. I liked the feel and sound of this guitar a lot better than any of the Pauls I tried. Guitar center was practically giving this guitar away. I guess it is sort of unusual, and people want mainstream. What a buy. My complaints are that the master volume is not well placed. It is too far down, so you can't get at it easily while playing. Also, it seems to me, from looking at archtops with harp tailpieces, that the lower strings are supposed to be longer, and the treble shorter. This guitar is backwards, but I don't really know what effect that has. Overall I am really happy with this guitar. It was an incredible deal, and it sounds and looks great. It really does have it's own sound, while borrowing great features from Strats and Les Pauls. Very intelligently designed, by someone who understands what players want.

Guitar has unusual wiring for dual Dimarzio humbuckers, so it gives some additional tonal flexibility (5 way switch, knob that affects phasing of pickups in certain switch positions). Pretty cool and useful. Beyond that, very straightforward. Alder body with mahogany cap, nice finish (brown sunburst), cool looking string-through body design.

I'm actually ampless at the moment, having sold all my previous gear and starting out again (had a Hamer Studio Archtop w/ a Rivera amp before). Tried it extensively before buying, and was very impressed. Very versatile, particularly impressed with cleaner sounds. More flexible than my last two guitars (Studio Archtop and FM Special), which were pretty flexible in their own right. I especially enjoyed the benefits of the 5 way switch/phase knob. More flexibility for funkin'. I've never had Dimarzios in any guitar (always a Seymour Duncan guy), and these are tremendous.

Set up is decent (bought it at Guitar Center, which isn't known for its fine set-ups). Action is pretty low, a bit of buzz on the low E. It hasn't been set up yet for me. Overall, though, a good player. Very crisp, snappy feel to the fretboard, has a sort of high-fi feel to me when played acoustically. Very clear sounding. Finish is good, but not quite at the range of my Hamers (which cost substantially more). Tuners feel excellent, frets are well seated but edges aren't smooth, which I'm not used to. They feel a fit sharp in at the fingerboard edges. Inlay is good, neck fit is tight.

I've only had it for less than a week, but is seems very well-constructed. Everything (pots, tuners, etc.) feels smooth and of good quality.

Hope I never need it.

I've been playing off and on for 13 years, and this guitar is probably the best I've ever bought considering the bang for the buck. I got it at a "Inventory reduction" sale. The guitar I bought was $299, and the others of the same model but different color were still $499. I enjoy all kinds of music, especially funk, blues and jazz, and feel that this guitar can cover all the bases. Wanted a guitar that was well constructed and versatile, with decent enough quality to tide me over until I can save for a really high end guitar (can you say PRS Hollowbody? I knew you could.) I'm used to my Hamers, which I loved, and for me to feel that I would want to keep this guitar around and be happy with it says a lot,especially for the price I paid. A kick-ass value, and it looks cool. I'm always a sucker for equipment that's excellent, but a little off the beaten path. (as if my Hamer guitar and Rivera amp didn't already say that.) Highly recommended.

22 fret, solid body, alder w/mahogany cap....looks great w/cherry sunburst finish. 5 way pickup selector w/master vol., tone contol and manual pickup phase control. tune-o-matic bridge. 2 Dimarzio Q100 soapbar humbuckers w/pickup splitting (hence the 5 way selector).

extremely versatile for the price u pay..... it can handle a huge range of styles. from celtic fingerpicking pieces, to rockabilly to fat as overdriven metal.

factory presets always suck so i didnt expect much. was ok though. after set up for hybrid 10/11 gauge strings, sounds hot. construction is very decent. feels very solid and durable, however time is the only test. feels great to play, has a mega smooth neck. w/good action, this guitar is VERY comfortable to play....everything sits where it should it plays like a treat!!

great for live playing. tune-o-matic bridge is very sturdy, stays in tune for a long time [unless u thrash the absolute shite out of it]. used it for solo performance examinations. variations between regular and non-regular tunings was no prob. have no prob using it w/out backup.

n/a

playing for bout 3yrs with pretty mainstream peavey amp. compared this guitar with Godin LG, chose this cos godin wasnt in stock at time of sale + a little more expensive anyway. Godin = good, but im glad i got this one..... if it were stolen or lost i would seriously consider buying another one, as opposed to spending a lot more money (not possible at time of purchase).
love the cool 6 pce. tailpiece, the unique shape, the pickup splitting and the versatility.
hate the fact that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a standard flight case for it. have to have one custom cut = expensive.