Yamaha APX 700 - 12 string

Glossy top ( solid spruce ) glossy back ( laminated stcamore??). This is the thinline, small bodied electro-acoustic that Yamaha have produced for years, with recent upgrades. Made in Taiwan. It's got a contact microphone preamp system instead of the piezo type they were using before. Built-in tunerwhich is more of a gimmick, or a little help if you were away from a proper tuner.

I play acoustic pop / rock for a living. I use aYamaha FGX-413 SC 12 string for that and I wanted a nice back-up.

I was disappointed with the sound of this instrument after the (cheaper FGX).

The nain reason is Yamaha's new pick-up system. There's nothing ( yet) which has replicated the sound of an acoustic guitar, except studio mic-ing. The piezo systems, while less realistic at first than this system, provide an immediacy, an attck that this lacks badly. There is also a "boxy" tone that I cannot EQ out, no matter what I do It's a muddiness in the middle frequencies.

I think it might be down to this:

The contact mic can only reproduce what the guitar is providing acoustically. The APX is a small, thin body, and therefore lacks certain frequencies. If they ain't there, the mic can't put 'em there.
Nor can any amount of EQ.

The full bodied guitars have more resonance to begin with, and that can't be replicated any other way.

Fingerstyle ( plugged in ) was a total loss, compared to the responce of the piezo. Strumming was slightly more realistic, but muddy and harsh.

The action out of the box was very good. There was a slight blemnish on the back of the neck, like a dent, which my thumb kept finding in the first position.

The EQ has a problem too - the bass slider has a dirty track, or a dry joint, as it's intermittent as you work the control.

This is the main reason it's getting sent back tomorrow. Preamps are dear, and this will be a problem in the future.


These faults are very un-Yamaha. I have two other Ymas, and counteless other sover the years, and I've never had even the slightest niggle with any of them.

The finish is good on the guitar's top, with a thick layer of laquer. It'll last. The pre-amp won't though.

I wouldn't use it without a backup, as the sound is so wishy-washy.

I won't be dealing with Yamaha, but the store.

There's no 12 string, full bodied electro in te Yamaha line-up right now. Pity.