Yamaha APX-10

Got it in 1988 in Japan. I lived in Hamamatsu, the home of Yamaha products, so thought I'd get me a Yamaha in honor of that. Ordered it, brought it home, and looked at the label: Made in Taiwan.

Nonetheless, it is a superb guitar. Pre-digital on-board pickup. Nice little eq section. And a control for stereo separation. This makes the thing worth the price of admission just by itself. As other reviewers say below: LIVE LIVE LIVE!

Another strong feature of this guitar is the size. In keeping with the spirit of the "electric-acoustic" guitar, Yamaha made the body width halfway between an acoustic body size and an electric semi-hollow body size. This size makes the guitar very easy to play.

All around the action is great and it stays in tune for ages! Even after 20 years!

For me this guitar lacks very little. If you want pure acoustic sound then get a big bodied acoustic. On-board electronics will only screw that up anyway. This thing's all about the balance between acoustic and electric. I think they hit on an excellent compromise with this model.

Considering the features you could expect from an acoustic guitar, this thing was really over-the-top, I think, especially in 1988.

The sound is just superb. As with the theme of this review, it's all about the balance between electric and acoustic. It really sets well in a mix, and of course, it's a favorite in a live setting. Played through a PA in a live venue, turn on the stereo features on this guitar and there ain't too many finer things in life!

It goes well through any amp. Direct in is fine, too. It goes with effects just wonderfully.

Nice crisp highs and booming lows. When amplified! On its own, it's just a practice guitar.

This thing plays like a dream and stays in tune after 20 years with no maintenance whatsoever.

A funny story about the finish though. My battery wire tore out so I put the guitar in its case and threw it in the trunk of my car with the intention of taking it to the music store to get it repaired (a tough inside the body repair job. It stayed in the trunk through the whole summer! Always outdoors, to the beach... I'm such a lazy ass! Temperatures in the 80's and 90's, probably hit 100 a couple of times...

When I finally took the damn thing out of the trunk after the summer, the finish had all melted, and it had turned from a beautiful burgandy into a kind of purple haze splotch job! I love it! Remember those old 60's psychedelic blotches on the screens? It was a free psychedelic paint job! Can't even screw the finish up!

And the neck wasn't warped or anything. Still plays like it's brand new!

See above do-it-yourself psychedelic paint-job story!

I love this guitar. It is one that I NEED to keep around. And with the melted finish (see above story), I love its appearance as it is a total original! Freaks out people when played live both aurally and visually! Looks like it's been around the block for several bluesmen's lifetimes!

I recently compared my two pre-digital on-boards with my two digital on-boards in my acoustic guitar collection. What I noticed about the pre-digitals was, when playing more than one string at a time, the individual sounds of the strings come through much better that the digitals. The digitals kind of throw everything together in the same blob of sound. The pre-digitals let the strings retain so much more of their character. That made this guitar even more precious for me. And I listen to demos I made 15 years ago with this thing, and I can't imagine replacing that sound with anything else I've heard since then.

And I still love the sound!

Just to clarify: This is the APX 10D model. There were 8 different "10" models! This is the "D" model!!!

Top Solid: Spruce
Back and Side : Sycamore
Neck: African Mahogany
Fingerboard: Indian Rosewood
Bridge: Indian Rosewood
Nut and Saddle: Urea
Tuning Machine: Gold
Scale Length: 25-5/8" (651mm)
Fingerboard Width: 1-11/16" (43mm)
Body Depth: 90 mm (Neck Side), 100mm (Bridge Side)
Round Back Depth: 12mm
P.U. System: Stereo 2 way Piezo Pickups (Bridge + Internal)
Electronics: Customized I.C. Preamp, Battery Check LED
Battery Life: Continuous 50 hours
Control knobs Volume, Treble, Bass, Mix

Killer acoustic. This guitar is a stage guitar or a recording guitar. You can strum chords or fingerpick flawlessly.
No, you will not miss your full size dreadnaught for the huge bass sound when unplugged, but then again, this IS a thinline guitar!(take note all you DONGS who crusified this guitar in your review)
I run this guitar through a Line 6 ELECTRIC amp with a little reverb and some chorus, it's all you need to play any acoustic style

Feedback at loud volumes is eminent with this guitar. You really have to baby the volume knob to prevent the feedback.
Live, this guitar reminds me of Dave Matthews' sound. However, you can really adjust the VERY functional controls and cover just about any acoustic sound.

I bougtht the guitar used, and I believe it is a 2002 model, but it is an exceptionally well built instrument. Top notch all the way folks. I grabbed it off a stand at Guitar Center cus it looked great. But whoa was I blown away when I played it. Nice easy action, gorgeous looks, and amazing versatility.

I just got the guitar a couple weeks ago so It's hard to give an opinion here. However, this guitar is 5 years old already and it is in near new condition. Built like a tank.

Cool website, haven't had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 20 years. I'm really a shredder by nature but this guitar makes me want to play unplugged! I'm used to easy action on my Kramers so I know what easy action is all about.. Anyway this thing practically plays itself..
I love this guitar.. I'm not a big acoustic guy but I think I may start pickin a little more.
I would highly recommend this guitar for a giggin musician.
She's a beauty, plays amazing and it's extremly versatile.

I have had an APX10 now for 10 years I got mine off the Yamaha stand at a trade show. It has been gigged a lot but is still almost immaculate. I truly beleive that as guitars are wooden they vary a lot and you need to try a few of the same model to get a good one.

That said this guitar has one big usp, it is great live. That is the only reason I bought it. It always sounds good. I say this with a little experience as I have used it to play in many of London's big venues. Its live sound has been praised by the Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Hammond and Bo Diddley. I am actually looking for a second one.

The only down side is that the Yamaha name is a little workman like, I'd much rather get up on stage with my old j45, but it is just too problematic. I guess like most guitarists I am just a gear snob.

I don't record with the apx, (I use the old 62 J45) though I have noticed that it's acoustic sound is improving and yesterday it sounded great miked up in the studio.
So anyone want to sell a good one!?
mark@markbuck.co.uk

On stage the APX is a superb 10. I play fingerpicking, blues, slide, jazz and soul. It stays in tune and strings don't snap, and I get re booked!

It goes straight into the venue desk via di. Just a bit of reverb and usually sounds great straight away.

Acoustically it cannot compete with a dreadnought. This is no good at all for acoustic un amped performances. Much too quiet.

Can't fault it, though mine was a flagship model, set up by Yamaha.
It is a slim neck so flipping from telecaster to electric is easy.

All good here. Very tough, I am a bit of a guitar beater, and it doen't flinch. Not like my Taylor nylon which has already cracked!

Never had occasion

I have been playing for the last hour and a half and own 2 guitars if my girlfriend asks, 22 if anyone else asks.
I wish I'd ordered 2.
If I lost it I would cry.
I compared this guitar to Martins, Taylors and at the time they sounded awful when amplified.
I wish it had autopilot so I could stroll off and get another beer mid set.

Won't repeat the features descriptions of other reviewers, but as features go: wow! What a guitar.

I'm playing bass, flute, percussion, I'm recording stuff, and I've been playing guitar for a loooong time. Waaay back I started with a Takeharu western guitar, but somehow the neck was always too tight and the strings too sharp. Around 2000 I switched to spanish guitar after running into Flamenco which turned my entire world upside down. So, now I'm heavily into Flamenco en Latin music but as a picky person I still thought the spanish necks were a bit too broad, until I ran into the Yamaha APX10N. Suddenly everything fell into place: sound, features, size, weight, size, light action, plus the fact that it's just a very beautiful guitar.

The sound is not loud, but being a thin body cutaway with amps & stuff inside I think this is normal. As such, the unampflified sound is beautiful, balanced, rich, pleasant with an excellent sustain. But, again, not loud. This is a guitar your neighbours will appreciate.

Amplified the guitar really comes to live. When heard through a head-set the sound is not particularly accoustic (it's a good amplified nylon sound though), but over a good set of stereo speakers or PA the sound is amazingly natural, maybe even more so than by miking a spanish guitar. Maybe it's the stereo features - by EQ'ing and balancing the it right the sound is just beautifully spacious (while the signal itself is absolutely silent - you'll need to ground your equipment though, otherwise a 60hz hum is possible)

So yeah, what can I say, it's a beauty.

No flaws detected so far (I've only had the guitar for a few days).
Despite it's age it just looks new. Very precise cord tuners, nice low action, beautiful high gloss finish, great model with the oval sound-hole, and the push-in EQ buttons are so much more elegant than the later black rectangle EQ boxes with slider controls.

Looks like a very sturdy built instrument (it's quite heavy), durable, high quality. The finish is amazing - how do they make it shine like that?
It's made for live playing, so that is what I'll plan to use it for - and I know that is dependable. As a matter of fact it would be a bit of an insult to this guitar to bring a backup.

Don't think I'll ever need them...

This is just the best guitar I've ever had...

I own a yamaha apx 10, I think it's a good middleclass guitar,no more no less. this guitar was build for stage and up there it does its job well. you got to know how to use it though. I submit this review on behalf of the apx 10 after reading reading the reviews submitted by others. I dislike the 10's and the 9's so generously thrown around for almost any guitar described in harmony central guitar reviews. I despise even more the way way 'mister anonymous' at 06/24/2002 16:09 burns down the apx 10, by giving it a '1' in the overall rating. this is far below the belt, I mean you got to show a lot more of yourself, come with with a lot more arguments to substantiate such a killing verdict. tommy hayes at 08/17/1999 15:13
is much more convincing in his critics,but here again-he is looking for the acoustic tone,the apx is all about the acoustic tone ON STAGE. the way tommy hayes expresses himself is okay,you can read between the lines. 'mister anonymous' though is a disgrace.

Age?

Cedar-looking top, aged finish. Beautiful. Nato ply back and sides.

Overly tricky electronics. Jiveass attempt to cover up for overly heavy construction.

Very nice action. Great neck feel (typical of Yamaha).

Wonderful body feel.

Weak, mushy, fake acoustic sound when amped and no acoustic sound when not amped.

Perfect Yamaha construction. Might as well be cast out of concrete, however, cause it's got that heavy, heavy, heavy Yamaha plastic finish that kills potential.

Ruggggged. It's a Yamaha, which means it'll last until somebody gets fed up with it.

?

Been playing since 1960. My main guitars are a Dunn/Selmer, a Dell Arte/Maccaferri, an Alvarez MD80, an Ibanez GB10, and a 1977 solid top Yamaha jumbo that took years but did get to sounding wonderful with sufficient age.

The APX10 was wasted money, pure and simple. The heavy plywood Ibanez GB10 (maybe something like a 335) sounds a lot better, either amped or acoustic and it's much smaller and not designed to be played acoustic.

I don't think the APX10 qualifies as a musical instrument. Sure is pretty though.

I'm not really sure what year it is, but pretty sure it a newer model because the battery isnt the older ones(where you loosen the strings) and also the equalizer is different. I bought it used on ebay about 4 years ago. Ive been playing the guitar for about six years. It has 22 frets and rosette inlays. I love how it has a piezo and a stereo effect for the pickups. The equalizer has low, mid and high as well as a eq pass, volume, mix, and amf nob. THAT MEANS ITS VERY VERSATILE..I like it best because it is lite and small. the hardware is gold and the neck is MAHOgony. fretboard and bridge are INDIAN ROSEWOOD. the top is spruce and the back and sides are SYCAMOre

I play all different styles of music. You can play jazz as well as music like Dave matthews. Its perfect for live gigs, can make it sound very crisp, mellow or even rich and full. The equalizer can make the guitar very versatile. I think it compares like a chet atkins when picked up. Sounds very clean. When picked up, you can get a big beefy tone if you want! sounds range from a (martin d-28, gibson humming bird or even taylors) The only downside is that when it is just played by itself, you cant make the guitar sound VERSATILE. plugged in i give it a 10 especially in gigs, live with no pickup i give it a 7

i love the action. i think i can compare it to a takamine (where all the guitars actions are nice and sweet(low)) The wood is very delicate because it is sycamore. this isn't a guitar you can be bumping and throwing around...the wood is great! african mahogony, indian rosewood, spruce, and sycamore..what else do you want?

my finish is natural satin so it always looks great. The color doesnt fade and doesnt leave the sickening finger prints on guitars with gloss, the back looks very neat, looks almost like maple(wavy wood but its sycamore). All the hardware is solid, never had 1 problem with it!

never dealt with problems..so i dont know

I own a American fender tele as well as a yamaha classical.. this is good enough for gigging but when i start touring im going to buy a taylor 510 and a gibson standard. I'm in two bands right now and i use both of my guitars on a daily basis. If it were stolen i would buy a taylor.. haha..IF YOU ARE TOURING A TAYLOR WOULD BE BETTER BUT IF YOUR JUST UP FOR GIGS AND YOUR IN A GARAGE BAND THIS IS A IDEAL GUITAR. i love the price, versatility, how it looks and it is very lite. before i bought this i compared to to a taylor 314 ce, taylor 410, takamine santa fe, takamine gb7, martin dm, THIS IS WELL WORTH IT FOR THE PRICE! the only thing i wish it had was a more full and rich tone when played acoustically with no amp or PA

My guitar was made in Taiwan. I especially like the dual pickup system (piezo & microphone). The battery compartment is fool proof. I had to purchase the case separately as this was a "close out."

I rate the APX-10 a "10" because of the dual pickup system. I have been able to get a great sound in every environment I've played thus far.

Acoustically due to its size this guitar is bright and lacks bottom end. Amplified this guitar shines. I play a lot of solo and small ensemble (no drums) so feedback has never been a problem.

I give it an "8" because unamplified it is focused but somewhat weak. However, amplified I would give it an "8-10" rating.

As soon as I got the guitar I put on a set of Elixir strings (this improved the tone and playability). I wish the nut were cut a bit deeper as fretting the 1st fret is noticably more work than further up the neck. The guitar's set-up was acceptable from the company. Buying mail order has it's disadvantages.

I've only had the guitar for about 8 months and have had no problems with it.

I've been playing for 36 years and have played electics because of the difficulty of amplifying an acoustic. This guitar has solved the problem. I play mostly gospel and small organization entertainment. The APX-10 sounds great and play very well. The quality of the instrument is very good. I don't know why they discontinued this model and apparently replaced it with a less expensive line. If you want to avoid the tacky sound of most piezo only guitars give this one a try.

This is a 2001 model. I had to buy the hard shell case seperately. Made in japan, solid spruce top, sycamore sides and back, mahogany neck, indian rosewood bridge and fingerboard, 3 band equalizer, stereo, black cherry gloss color.

I do a lot of fingerpicking and this guitar has a nice tone for that. I normally play it uplugged, but with the two pickups they used, it sounds awsome when it is plugged in. Nice, warm tone.

Factory setup was right on. Pickups both worked as expected. I saw no defects or blemishes upon purchase.

This is a solid guitar that is put together well. I wouldn't hesitate to go without a backup with this guitar.

Never had to deal with them yet.

Been playing for ~5 years, other gear includes fender am. tele, marshall TSL 602 amp, peavey tube fex. If it were stolen, I would definately buy another. Overall, an awsome sounding guitar with some nice features and slick look.

Made in 1997 in Japan, my model is the stereo one. Contrarily to what a reviewer said, ( but this is probably because of the year the guitar was built) my model has sycamore sides. Color is something between bottle green and black, very nice and original.(I think they actually missed the painting because this should normally be black, but the result is interesting) All other details are as already explained in other reviews except the stereo feature that allows to play the 3 lower strings on side left for example in the stereo field, and the high 3 others on the right, or to mix one string one the left, and the next on the right, etc to create on stage very nice and natural ambiant effects. However not all APX 10 were made like this, so check your model before.
Nice hard case not included which I had to purchase at the store for an extra $120. (or maybe they told me it was not included, I am not really confident with salepersons in the music industry here in Paris, too many very disapointing experience with too many unprofessional people here).

I find this guitar extremely versatile, and also used in pure acoustic a well toned recording guitar ( No boomy frequencies for instance when recorded with microphone). My style goes from folk strumming to bossa nova and some jazz. I think however it is a bit too precise sounding for blues, but this is only my own opinion.When played with a hard pick you can also get this Gipsy Jazz sound, "a la Django", that we've loved here in France. No surprise that one of our top players here in the style, Birelli Lagrene, used it on many records, and especially on his record "Acoustic moments". ( You can see a white APX 10 on the cover, his model has a deeper body). If this professional player plays this model, it should mean something in terms of quality. But again, if you look for the kind of Gibson sound maybe you should try something else. This is actaually a very "modern" sounding guitar, built for speed.

Unfortunately, the action was set much too high for me when delivered (I had to order it because I am lefty, so could not try it in the store). I had it pass in the hands of the French wizard of the actions of guitars, Mr" Team Laser" (yes, it is how he is called), and he gave it back to me transformed and incredibly easy to play. A good setup even on a new instrument is something unvaluable.

No others complaints about anyting else.

Yes , very well build and reliable, but like any musical instrument should be respected and handled with care.

Have been playing it for 4 years now, and would certainly be very very disappointed if stolen. I love its touch, neck, sound, color. The very good thing as already explained is that it is a stereo guitar.