Yamaha AEX-500N

I think this was only made in 1999. I'm giving a perfect score here, because if you want the sound of an acoustic guitar amplified, I don't think it gets better than this. The simplicity, and lack of excessive features is actually a big plus on this guitar.

Amazing sound. If you are looking for a nylon-string guitar that needs to be amplified for performance purposes this is pretty much unbeatable.

My guitar was very well finished. No problems at all.

I've had this guitar for 10 years, and have never had any problems with it. I've gigged tons with it, the sound is always good. Everything from the neck, to the frets, to the pickups, to the strap buttons, and level controls have all stood the test of time.

Never needed it.

My only question is where can I get a hardshell guitar case for this. It's a little bit of an unconventional size: slightly larger than an electric guitar like a Les Paul, Tele, or Strat, but smaller than your typical jazz guitar or acoustic guitar. The neck is rather narrow, which is a plus for folks who are used to playing on electrics, but it took some getting used to for me, because I started on a classical guitar. One final observation is that I bought this guitar on a pure whim. It's the only time I've ever bought a guitar on a whim, but I have never regretted it. I went into the store to help my brother find a guitar, and was just fooling around, and when I picked this thing up, I couldn't put it down. Among my guitar collection, I have a Brazilian Rosewood Joao Batista, a 1998 Gibson Double Cutaway Les Paul, and a 12-string Martin. This Yamaha performs through amplification with the best of them.

this is the one with the f-holes and single walnut volume knob,rose wood board and bridge,piezo pickup,thinbody,3 band eq.
it is a hybrid piece,mix of a gibson and a nylon string,and the effect is quite pleasing on the eye,which is primarily why i bought it,
it is currently discontinued,but can still be found at dealers.
it has nice size frets for a nylon string,medium jumbo it seems,but not wide like some jumbo frets.on a nylon string,these sure feel nice ,along with the narrow fingerboard- which could be just a sixteenth wider at the nut because sometimes the nail on my ring finger will buzz the adjacent string.for the price,it will do
as i am still angling toward a taylor ns32ce.
i believe in the "keep it simple stupid" theory,and this is as simple featurewise as it gets.comes with no case,but a battery for the eq and a cable is included.it will fit right in a strat softcase.
you will get your moneys worth on this,its a "sleeper".

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)? jazz,brazil,blues it is fine--not enuf bite for blues if you play out imho.
What amps and effects are you using it with? -carvin x60 and pignose.
Is it noisy? On what settings?- more treble/no bass and mids will pick up string noises.
Rich/Full sound? Bright sound? can be controlled on the amp/eq
yes.
thru the pignose,the sound starts to get dirty,which is kinda cool.

How well was the guitar set-up at the factory? (How was the action?)
action is beautiful,better than the taylor i want in the future,as low as it can get with a nylon string and the frets are nice.
Properly bookmatched top.
Did the guitar contain any flaws? none

Will this guitar withstand live playing?
as long as you are sitting down and not jumping around,it will.
Does the hardware seem like it will last?
plastic tuner keys will be first to go it seems.
Can you depend on it?Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
yes i believe so,because it has very basic electronics and therefore nothing to break.you should always have a backup tho.

playing 20 years,have usa strat-yamaha fg 450-epiphone broadway-allparts telecaster.
i would buy this guitar again if it were cataloged again,but i am certainly going to get that taylor ns32ce eventually.
it is really nice for the money,is a looker,plays better than i do,and has easy manuverability because its thin.it is a unique item.

Bought new May, 2003. Natural (laminated) spruce top, one piece black plastic sides and back. Has the f holes and looks really good to me. Over-all smallish size. Thin back. Etc. Etc.

Sounds okay. Nylon strings lack treble. Reverb/delay effects helps the sound. Basically, sounds kind of muffled. W/o amp loud enough for practicing alone only. W/amp not bad, good enough. Decent three band EQ, either flat or deep "V" (scooped out mids).

Very nicely finished. I like the heavily "laquered" clear top. Action inspires confidence. Bar chords all the way up the neck is easy and solid. The neck is narrow like a steel string (not wide like a traditional nylon stringed guitar). I like that because I'm basically play electric and electric acoustic. That's a

No concerns here. Feels solid but I wouldn't want to throw it around.

Playing since 1970. Also, have Ibanez strat, G&L F-100, vintage Yamaha dreadnought, Takamine slimline acoustic-electric, Yamaha bass. Play through Yamaha/Soldano all tube amp, various PA equipment, Carvin, JBL, Bose, Soundcraft, Event Monitors. Various effects. Record through Roland VS-1680. I bought this guitar on first sight when I went to pick up my Yamaha amp from servicing and re-tubing. I first noticed this guitar in a Musicians Friend catalog and wanted one to round out my guitar collection. This item looks like it is intended for electric/acoustic players like me instead of "classical" players. This ain't no Haride $1,200 plus classical (which my brother has and plays like a dream and sounds incredible). In contrast this thing sounds "muted". I like the solid maple neck and confidence inspiring action all the way up the neck. For what this guitar is intended to be, I give in a perfect score...10. I really like looking at it. Playing it and knowing that this is a "limited" run item. In fact, Yamaha discountinued it and the replacement product, AEX500NS doesn't have the f holes (so it doesn't look as good to me) and doesn't have any sound when palying unplugged (vs this one that has useable unplugged sound for solo practicing. I glad I picked up this model while still in the stores. Note: The ten I'm giving this thing is because I really like it and it is a niche item...NOT because its a fantastic value. However, it is a good value, attractively priced.

as above

unplugged- non-existant. Plugged into a PA godawful. into a decent am p (AER comp60) a bit more like it! Starts to develop personality. Not bad

Stupid skinny little neck, laughable stringspacing at the bridge, uninspiring custard yellow spruce veneer top. Cover-all-sins "non-more-black" finish on back and sides

Don't see why anyone would be that worried. As far as nylon strings goes this thing's built like a bradley tank! Will take much dinging to splat this one I can tell you! Good for playing while on the crapper/in the bath

not needed them so far for this guitar, ok on the whole in other respects but a bit impersonal

Playing 19 years since the age of 7. Own Lowden, Martin, Fender and Parker guitars. pro teacher / workshopper / sessions etc. If this got pinched I'm not sure I'd really care. I love the f-holes, I hate the poxy, dry, rosewood neck like an Ibanez widdle-o-caster. Yuk! I compared it to several guitars that I couldn't afford at the time! I wish it had a bigsby tremelo. I wish that there was a law about playing a nylon-string with distortion and then com[plaining that the tapping section sounds weird. Strewth!

I don't know when this guitar born,and the features....well,is not a my job to tell...
1 pick-up piezo (active) with 3 way eq
It's light,very light....and nice.

AEX-500N is unbelieveble: unplugged is to burn,plugged is wonderful!
It's a bit noisy on low freq.,but is a fault of active electronics.
Sound is very wide:from rich to crystal.
Simply wonderful!
I play renaissance music with it,my amp is a Marshall AS100D.
Finger-picking is very easy with it 'cause the action is low and soft.
Simply Wonderful

As i've told,the action is low and soft,strings are a bit....electric.
Try D'Addario Pro Arte'...
Volume knob is horrible,i have changed with a skirt knob.
Finish is beautyfull and solid but, try a good case!

"Rock solid" is too....but is a very solid instrument...

I only tell...buy it!!!

Almost no sound when unplugged. WHen plugged though, it sounds wonderful.

the neck is almost like an electric. very thin and narrow. It is a little hard to adjust he fingerpicking if you want to bring your classical music to the stage, but it is worthy. Very well done. The finish is beautiful.

It looks strong. But the finish is so well done that you will want to protect it with an good hardshell case.

?

Nice instrument. Very unusual. Its a hybrid of a jazz guitar, a classical and with an almost electric style neck. Will make you very happy on stage and it looks great.

I only wanted to talk about one thing with this guitar....
the low E tuned to concert pitch, is half the volume of the other strings.
We even ordered another one from Toronto, and it was the same story.
I would like to know what the problem is, and how it can be fixed...

This piece seem very fragile to me, although it fits many criteria
for what I need to address the market before me, namely electric nylon string playing-Jesse Cook, Robert Michaels, et al.

very fast delivery for the second unit, which I never bothered to take, so yes, good service on this anyway.

I've been playing 32 years.
All my gear is on my website, which is here....
www.multiboard.com/~gmcgill

This is a strange guitar. A semiacoustic Les Paul with solid spruce top and a Piezo and bolt-on neck and nylonstrings. Bought it because of my Bossa Nova-stuff. The neck are fairly thin, not like a "real" classic gutar.

For beginner-chords, it sound great (open D chords and so on). When you play that bossa-stuff (G7b13, Edim and so) my Gibson Les Paul sound a lot better. Actually, the Yamaha sound better just acoustic than electric. You can't get crunch out of the piezo.
There's a fault in the 3-band EQ, that means, that the bass are noisy. Yamaha are aware of this problem.

The strings should be replaced immidately to hard-tension strings. Else, the guitar will get out of tune.

I can depend on it, but I depend more on my Les Paul.

Not good enough. Waiting for replacement parts for the EQ for months (still haven't got them).

A little disappointed. You can't hear, that this guitar are a nylonstring one, when it is amplified. What can I say? I wish, that I have purchased an other guitar to my bossa nova-stuff.

Please refer to the other reviews for details on the features. In short, Yamaha AEX-500N is a very well made nylon-string acoustic/electric guitar. Its blown-up Les Paul shaped body has a flat back and a flat top with two f holes. Gold hardware with one wood volume knob and 3-band eq's. A 9 Volt battery compartment is located at the back of body. What makes AEX-500N shine is a saddle piezo pickup that thinks it is an over-wound magnetic one.

When unplugged, AEX-500N is only a low volume regular Joe in the nylon string neighborhood. But, the plug-in sound is excellent with proper volume/eq's adjustment! I tried AEX-500N with an all-tube guitar combo amp(Carvin X60A), a full-range keyboard amp(Peavey KB300), and Digitech GSP-2101 tube preamp processor through a Yamaha studio power amp. They all sound great once I set the volum and eq's right. I could tune to various convincing electric and nylon acoustic guitar tones with proper eq's combinations on both AEX-500N and pre-amp/amps. With X60A, I even got a less crunchy Marshall-like sound for Hard Rock. With KB300, AEX-500N gave me a very clean and sweet nylon string tone for Classical and Jazz music. I am really impressed by AEX-500N's versatile plug-in sounds! If Parker guitar's piezo pickup for acoustic sound simulation is rated as 10, I'd give AEX-500N's electric sound simulation a 9. Minu 1 from perfect due to the less biting nylon strings. Overall, I'd give it a 9 in the sound department because it fits into most music styles I play. If you don't mistakenly expect AEX-500N to emulate a >$1000 Gibson Les Paul, PRS, or Fender Strat/Tele, you too will be satisfied with its sound quality.

Finish is great. Flawless! The straight maple neck is bolted seamlessly onto the alder body. Action is low for an acoustic guitar. Thanks to the low tension on nylon strings and smooth neck/fingerboard/medium frets combination, I felt my fingers were flying with 16th note rolls on the AEX-500N. Since it doesn't seems to have a truss rod, I'd better treat it in a climate-controlled environment.

The hardware and strap buttons look and feel sturdily built to last for long. AEX-500N's classical-guitar-shaped headstock and tuning pegs look somewhat fragile like most other nylon string guitars. I would play AEX-500N live without a backup since I usually render my acoustic instrument with great respect on stage.

No, I've never dealt with Yamaha support before.

On and off, I have been playing guitar music for the last 18 years. My favorite music styles over the years have been: Classic, Hard Rock, Metal, Blues, and Jazz. In addition to AEX-500N, I currently own 3 electric guitars (Fender American Standard Telecaster, Cavin DC200 ST, Custom Strat), and 2 acoustic guitars (Guild F-20 NT, Fender Montclair). If my AEX-500N were stolen, I'd be very upset and would probably buy it again or check out the steel-string model, AEX-500, instead. AEX-500N's overall quality well worths the dollars spent, so I give it a 10 in the overall rating owing to no other similar guitars in the same category.

Refer to the previous reviews for details. In short, Yamaha AEX-500N is a very well made nylon-string acoustic/electric guitar. Its blown-up Les Paul shaped body has a flat back and a flat top with two f holes. Gold hardware with one wood volume knob and 3-band eq's. A 9 Volt battery compartment is located at the back of body. What makes AEX-500N shine is a saddle piezo pickup that thinks it is an over-wound magnetic one.

When unplugged, AEX-500 is only a low volume regular Joe in the nylon string neighborhood. But, the plug-in sound is excellent with proper volume/eq's adjustment! I tried AEX-500N with an all-tube guitar combo amp(Carvin X60A_, a full-range keyboard amp(Peavey KB300), and Digitech GSP-2101 tube preamp processor through a Yamaha studio power amp. They all sound great once I set the volum and eq's right. I could tune to various convincing electric and nylon acoustic guitar tones with proper eq's combinations on both AEX-500N and pre-amp/amps. With X60A, I even got a less crunchy Marshall-like sound for Hard Rock. With KB300, AEX-500N gave me a very clean and sweet nylon string tone for Classical and Jazz music. I am really impressed by AEX-500N's versatile plug-in sounds! If Parker guitar's piezo pickup for acoustic sound simulation is rated as 10, I'd give AEX-500N's electric sound simulation a 9. Minu 1 from perfect due to the less biting nylon strings. Overall, I'd give it a 9 in the sound department because it fits into most music styles I play. If you don't mistakenly expect AEX-500N to emulate a >$1000 Gibson Les Paul, PRS, or Fender Strat/Tele, you too will be satisfied with its sound quality.

Finish is great. Flawless! The straight maple neck is bolted seamlessly onto the alder body. Action is low for an acoustic guitar. Thanks to the low tension on nylon strings and smooth neck/fingerboard/medium frets combination, I felt my fingers were flying with 16th note rolls on the AEX-500N. Since it doesn't seems to have a truss rod, I'd better treat it in climate control environment.

The hardware and strap buttons look and feel sturdily built to last for long. AEX-500N's classical-guitar-shaped headstock and tuning pegs look somewhat fragile like most other nylon string guitars. I would play AEX-500N live without a backup since I usually render my acoustic instrument with great respect on stage.

No, I've never dealt with Yamaha support before.

On and off, I have been playing guitar music for last 18 years. My favorite music styles over the years have been:Classic, Hard Rock, Metal, Blues, and Jazz. In addition to AEX-500N, I currently own 3 electric guitars: Fender American Standard Telecaster, Cavin DC200 ST, Custom Strat, and 2 acoustic guitars: Guild F-20 NT, Fender Montclair. If my AEX-500N were stolen, I'd be very upset and would probably buy it again or check out AEX-500 instead. AEX-500N's overall quality well worths the dollars spent, so I give it a 10 in overall rating owing to no other similar guitars in the same category.

Nylon string, semi-hollow, piezo pickup. That's about it. Not alot of features--doesn't need them. Wish it came with a case though.

Unplugged it's nothing to write about. Plugged in and it sounds great. As warm or cold as you want. I still haven't had it feedback. Have played through acoustic amps and electric guitar amps and it sounds great through either type.

I bought mine as a blem from Musicians Friend. I emailed them before hand to find out what kind of blem but they were did not have access to the condition. I thought this was kind of odd but decided to get one anyway. I had played one in a store to know that it was a great guitar. When it arrived, I looked it over and the blem appears to be some raised grain on the front near the bridge. Big deal. I can live with that. The volume knob was loose and the strings were shot but all was easily put right. Action is fantastic. Nice height and no fret buzz anywhere.

Seems very solid. I have other guitars.

Haven't dealt with Yamaha. Will probably never need to except to buy another model someday.

Been playing around 25 years. Started with classical then moved to hard rock and blues. Currently play in a church/worship band. Overall, this guitar is agreat addition to a player's tool box. Its sounds and feel send you in new directions. I would buy another and I would buy other Yamaha products as well. They seem to be really well made and priced competitively.

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.