Yamaha AEX-500N

Standard features, nice eq and good finish (mine is blonde)All the features that you would want/need in a tasty,light nylon electronic.

Like others, I am into rock and alternative, but it's nice to kick back and play quiet for awhile, and the nylon strings help build technique. I have - for fun - played this thru my RP2000 and my 100 watt Marshall Valvestate - and it sounded great. Some of the EQ sessions can get a little tinny if you don't watch it.....sound is clear, cool and classic. Sounds very nice unplugged as well!

When I examined the piece at the store - I could not find one mark anywhere. The assembly, fretwork, finish and hardware was absolutley flawless. I play PRS - and this is at least as good a job.

I would play it live - but I would be very careful as it seems to be very delicate and light. The finish "seems" thin, but I clean mine regualrly and it looks flawless as when I got it.....

No experience with the company, other than I tried to order a hard shell case and I might as well been from mars. THe lady on the line took my name and the person that emailed me tried to sell me a keyboard case - and then said Yamaha did not make or sell cases for their guitars. I'm still looking - - - -

Been playing 25 years, use my vintage Les Paul or my PRS, and a Takamine ST-212 12 string. This guitar (Yamaha AEX 500N) rounds out my sonic collection. If it were stolen I would try to find another, although I'm not sure I could find one again? I love the clear tone and great finish, the only detratction is that it is so delicate I feel you really need a case to sleep at night. Get one if you want a great little nylon acoustic / electric.

The first time I noticed this model was the beginning of 1999. I'm a hard rocker and I've been played Fender strat since 1972, but I was looking for a acoustic hollow body guitar wanting to start and play acoustic. The reason why I don't play a traditional acoustic guitar is the difficulties that I find due to my fingers not perfecly straight, so I tried to reach a Fender acoustic Tele thinline which is simpler to play to me but impossible to find in Italy, where I live. Trying to forget the Tele, few days ago I considered again the aex 500n and I fell in love whit it when I have seen it among the other guitars. It has been the first time I've catched it in my hands and I've realized it's really very simple to play. In addition it's a very nice model. I think it is a japanese model. It features a gloss finished maple top with alder thinline body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard. The pickup is a piezo under the bridge with a woody volume control and a 3 bands EQ on the upper horn. Two f-holes on the top instead the traditional circular hole in the middle. The neck is very quick: it seems to me to play a solid body electric guitar. Obviously i bought it!

I don't think it is a real semiacustic guitar 'cause it sounds very low when unplugged, but, connect it to the amp and You will really smashed! It plays great. I have used a Marshall valvestate with no effects. I've been playng some Ritchie Blackmore's passage and I felt the right feeling. Wonderful. Changing the position of the EQ cursors you obtain a wide range of very different sounds, from the brightest to the richest.

The guitar is very well finished and it seems to belong to a higher range of price. I've found it perfectly performing without needing adjustments.

My opinion is that is difficult to foretell something real about the durability and reliability because the insufficient time I've had to test the model. Surely, it looks very solid also having a very delicate line.

I'm not able to express an opinion in order of this. I'm afraid the problem is that Yamaha changes models very often and can be difficult to find, eventually, replaces and accessories. I have got nine guitars since a long time and they all still look like new: why not the same for this?

I've been playing guitar since 1962 (I'm only 43!!!). I'm owner of: Fender Stratocaster maple neck (1973 mod.), Yamaha 12 strings, Yamaha classical gs III, acoustic-electric ovation, Vester stage model (very good for heavy metal), a-shape mandolin, Yamaha aex 500n and other string instruments.

Home on leave from Germany and needed to pick up an acoustic for performing(hopefully), and for recording, since I didn't want to take my "good" acoustic back to be around a bunch of drunk Infantry guys and get ruined. I had absolutely no plans to buy a nylon string acoustic electric and basically tried this one out as a goof but fell in love with it. I believe that it is a '99 model, made in Taiwan, with a natural finish maple top. I assume the body is maple but it is painted over black, so who knows? It has twenty fairly thin rounded frets that are nicely dressed, which is rare,in my experience. The maple top is flat, no arch, but has two f-holes, which looks pretty cool. There is one volume control on the front; the knob is wood, which is a nice touch. There is three band EQ on the top horn which operates by sliders, and a battery indicator light. The pickup is piezo and I assume it is made by Yamaha. The compartment for the 9V battery is easy to access on the back with a little plastic cover that pops off. I am sure that this feature is old hat now for younger players but I have not bought an acoustic guitar for almost 13 years and remember the struggling with loosening the strings and nearly dislocating your hand trying to reach inside to change the battery. I have always wondered who the sadist is who thought that up? The body is about two inches thick with a single, rounded cutaway. The bridge is a standard nylon string type bridge, no surprises there. The tuners and strap buttons are gold and again I assume standard Yamaha issue. One feature I really like is that the guitar has two strap buttons, like an electric. I ended up having to screw a strap button onto my "good" acoustic at the base of the neck, since tying the strap around the neck by the nut is irritating to me and makes the guitar sit funny. In retrospect I suppose I am lucky I did not damage the guitar by doing that. The neck is bolted on with four countersunk bolts and fits nicely into the socket with no discernible gaps. It's maple with a thicker than usual (to me)rosewood fretboard with no binding and plain white dots on the sides and front. The neck is flatsawn from the third fret down. From the third fret to the headpiece is a separate piece of quartersawn wood, glued on at a 45o angle, which truthfully I did not notice for about a week. I do not know if this is standard practice for classical style guitars, but the seam is barely discernible and is nicely finished so I don't forsee any problems. The only bummer of the purchase was that the guitar did not come with a case and no standard electric case fits it, so I had to get a gig bag for it. In the Musician's Friend catalog their is a case specifically made for it so I may have to pick that up.

I like the sound of this guitar a lot. I usually perform solo and have a pretty eclectic song list, and you can get a variety of sounds out of it, between the guitars EQ and the amps EQ.
Also I have noticed that it has made me play more precisely, since it doesn't cover up mistakes and has made me want to learn to fingerpick better (and more) which will open up a lot of new territory for me songwise. I have used the guitar with a 10 watt Samick bass amp, a high end acoustic amp, a Fender Princeton 65, and a 15 watt Crate bass amp, and it sounds good through all of them, with no effects. So far I have not run into any noisiness and the sound goes from full to bright quite easily. The only possible downside to this guitar is that unplugged it is not loud enough to play and be heard, which is not a problem for me because I either need to play loud, or practice at a volume which won't drive my roomate or neighbors nuts, which this guitar unplugged is perfect for.

When I bought the guitar it was tuned a half step low, and the action was perfect. When tuned up to concert pitch the action came up a bit, but not enough to be a nuisance. If it had beened tuned regularly when I bought it, I probably would not have even noticed. As far as the bridge goes, I had the choice between two guitars and picked mine because the low E string popped off the notch in the bridge in the other one as I was picking it with my thumb, so that might be something to watch out for if you buy one. I would reccommend always trying every guitar in the store of the model you are planning on buying because the difference between two instruments, even with consecutive serial numbers, can be ridiculous. As far as I know, piezo pickups are located within the bridge, so I don't know if you even can adjust it, but like I said previously, the guitar sounds great so who cares? Other than that, this guitar is finished far beyond it's price range, as far as I am concerned. I have seen guitars costing half again as much with annoying flawed details, so I was very impressed by this guitar. I give it an 9 only because of that two piece neck which kind of concerns me. That could just be my own ignorance though because like I said that may be standard practice for manufacturing classical style guitars.

This guitar seems very sturdy, although only time will tell. Since it is so well made attention to detail wise, I am assuming it will last. The tuners look flimsy, but again, I have no prior classical experience to go by, and quite frankly all classical guitar tuners look flimsy to me. The strap buttons are solid, and I would definitely take it out without backup. Performing as a street musician, I pretty much have to anyway, but I am confident that it won't let me down.

So far, I have had no dealings with Yamaha customer support, and knock on wood, I hope I never do.

I have been playing and performing, mainly solo, for thirteen years. Primarily I am a singer, and play guitar only to back myself up, but this guitar has inspired me to become a more well rounded guitar player. I have already learned a complicated fingerpicked part to a song that I used to just bash my way through, and I hope that this guitar will continue to inspire me. Currently I own an Epiphone Sheraton, a Fender standard P bass, a Fernandes Native X, and a Fender Princeton 65 (how I wish I had never pawned my Sidekick 65)plus my "good" acoustic, a thirteen year old Yamaha which has aged into a fantastic sounding guitar, even though it was the second cheapest in their line when I bought it. I would definitely buy this guitar again, and would recommend it to other players looking for something a little different from the norm. I compared this guitar with at least five other acoustic electrics, Ovations, other Yamahas, Ibanez, Washburn, and Takamine, and this is the one I chose because of its wide variety of sounds and playability, and its uniqueness. The only thing I wish it had was a case that fit it, but that can be taken care of. Apparently it is common practice now not to include a case, which I think sucks, but there it is. The excuse for that I heard for this is something about how it is cheaper to ship guitars without cases, but then you have to ship the cases anyway so what difference does it make. Sounds like BS to me. Anyway, I think that this guitar must have been a labour of love for someone at Yamaha, because it just seems so unique, and is crafted so well for the price, and doesn't seem to fill any current niche in the guitar market. Maybe they are trying to create one... This guitar probably isn't for everyone, but I would recommend you check it out.

Nylon strings, Piezo pickup system with EQ, spruce top, alder back and sides, bolt-on 20 fret maple neck w\rosewood fingerboard, f-holes. I'm giving it a ten in this category due to the unique mix of features.

I want to bring to the attention to those who are looking for a nylon string sound a guitar I bought yesterday. I have always had a problem really getting my classical guitar to sound good miked to a PA or when trying to record it. Seemed like a classical with a Piezo or some other system would do the trick. Problem is, most nylon string guitars are meant to be a two-trick pony where they're meant for unplugged and amp'ed playing. That necessitates the better woods and the price goes up. Also, I've been playing electric guitars so much the last few years that the neck on a classical style guitar now feels too wide and I have problems with it. Yamaha has introduced a model, the AEX500N that is perfect for going to an amp or a PA or direct to a recording device. It makes no pretense to be an acoustical instrument (saving cost on traditional construction) and does not look like a normal classic (it has f-holes). What it does have is simply the most incredible easy-to-play neck\action I have ever felt. It's truly effortless. It comes with a Piezo pickup system (with EQ), alder back and sides and a bolt on 20 fret maple neck w\rosewood fingerboard. The sound is, in a word, INCREDIBLE!! These days you hear a lot of light jazz, salsa, and other styles of music where a nylon string sound is preferable and this guitar is just perfect. It has an alder back and sides with a spruce top and seems really solid. I understand Martin Taylor had a hand in designing it. Best yet is the price: Guitar Center advertises them for $449!! If you haggle you may do better. For anyone wishing to add the nylon string sound to their arsenal I say to you - CHECK THIS PUPPY OUT! Go down and play one, you'll just be blown away.

Bought mine off the wall at the local Guitar Center and it doesn't need to seem any adjustments, intonation is fine. The quality is marvelous, even with the low price tag!

Everything is tight, well-fitted, and looks like it will last. Of course I don't plan on smashing it over an amp!

Don't know yet, hope not to have to find out.

This guitar fills a real need for a guitarist in that it supplies a certain sound not available through electronic devices and that is the nylon string sound. Its easy to play, sounds great and is remarkable inexpensive. Too good to pass up!

This guitar was made in 1998 - I believe in the US. The 500N is a 20 fret nylon string, hollow body - 3 inch thick jazz guitar with a Spruce top.
There is a single volume contol for the piezo pickup that is mounted under the bridge. There is also a 3-band graphic EQ to control the overall tone of the guitar.
As I stated before, the top is laminated spruce, the body is Alder and the neck is a bolt-on maple with a rosewood fretboard and gold hardware.
There are two different finishes offered - a very nice natural and a gloss black. The body type is a thin hollow body with 2 f holes.
There is a rosewood bridge of the classical guitar variety.
I like the neck. It is rather narrow that makes it easy to play.
There are no accessories included - and the case is taylor made for the unique shape for this guitar. I looked for 3 weeks before I ordered the factory hard case from the factory.

I was trained to play classical, but I also like to play rock, grunge and jazz. This guitar meets all of those needs. I regularly play through the Boss ME-30. It sounds well with distortion, ring modulation - it provides a tremendous range of sound from light to dark.
I play through my home recording studio setup at home (a 10 channel mixer and 2 powered mixers) at church I play through the house speaker system. I usually have the volume cranked all the way in either setting and only have a problem with noise depending on what the gain setting is on the effect that I am plating through.
With a good set of nylon strings and the mixer you can really tailor the sound to what you really like.
My only griping is with the enharmonic tones that you hear when you are trying to do some two hand tapping. So when I want to do this I have to alter the voicing. you can gorget using the G-B-E in this manner above the 12th fret.
If you are playing and shredding up there - then the tone is fine.

This guitar was set up well from the factory - being made like a classical acoustic there is not an extreme amount of adjusting that can be done.
The pickup is adjusted will and the finish was set to perfection.

The guitar stays tuned well and all the pieces are sturdy. The hardware will be aroung for years to come - and the finish is exceptional. The only place that there may be some sign is on the headstock. The natural headstock was stained deep brown - and I could see it getting nicked or worn with time.
I gig with it regularly with onle an extra set of strings in the wings.

I have been playing for 12 years. My other primary guitar is a 3/4 classical guitar that I had hand-made in Italy. I have also been known to use an Epiphone C-40 and a recently traded Takamine.