Yamaha SLG100N Silent Guitar

This nice guitar's been well described in other reviws, so here are some other notes:It would be nice if the reverbs worked better through a PA, and it goes through batteries vey fast. The tuners are very nice looking, and work well.

I play classical and needed an instrument I could use for outdoor gigs, rather than my 2 high-end guitars. The yamaha is great, because it does not have the parts that crack (I live in a vere dry place. I run it through a Samson e30 PA, using the reverbs from the speaker. In a pinch, I've used the built in reverbs runing it through a fender can amp, and it still was decent. I'm shoping around for a processor to enhance the sound. Any sugestions? The onbord reverb is noisy through the PA, but very nice through some GOOD earphones. I've tried some more radical multiprocessors, just for fun, and got some nice sounds. Nothing I'd personaly use, but worth checking out. Surprisingly responsive to nuance, different touches, and dynamic range. I prefer the sound of a nice classical with a good mike, but considering it's less than 10% of the price, and I use it in situations where the difference is not as noticeble... Any dislikes I have about the sound, are the same I have about the sound of ANY acoustic/eletric I've ever tried.

The set-up was really good, right out of the box. I lowered the saddle A LITTLE, and compensated the 3rd srting A LITTLE. But I'm VERY picky. It was fine, really. I'd rather the action come set-up too high, so you can file it down, than too low, so you need a new saddle. High-end fretwork, very surprising for the price. The nut does not catch the strings, so tunning is a breeze. Smallish neck, for my taste, but I got used to it quickly (performed on it the day it arived.)

I've used it live a lot. It seems it should last, if I take care of it as I do my other guitars. I'm looking for a small keybord hard shell case for it. The plastic back seems fragile, and the battery compatment if wierd. I'd use it without a backup, but make sure to bring a fresh battery and/or use the adapter.

Never contacted them. I always do my own saddle adjustments, and that's all it needed

I've been playing 25 years. My other guitars are (both classicals):
a Sergio Abreu (1988) and a Gioachino Giussani (1996), wich I used unpluged or through condenser mics. So I'm pretty spoiled. I compared the Yamaha to a lot of full body A/Es and to a few other "silent" guitars. It held it's own among the full bodies and blew the othe ones out of the water. I did not compare it to the Frame guitar (made in Germany), that looks similar and it 3 times the price. Bang for the buck, this is great.

Great features. I especially like the EQ. The reverb could be better, however. I really wish there was an analog knob instead of a switch with only 2 levels. I'm not impressed with the battery life so far.

The sound is great. I originally bought it as a portable alternative to a classical, but lately I've been using it for Jazz gigs. Through my Fender Ultimate Chorus this thing sounds great comping. Of coarse, I can't go off on wailing solos like I could with a steel string, but I don't need to.

The action is a little higher than I prefer, but its not that big of deal. Everything else seems to be in order.

Well, I've had it for about 6 months now, and its worked flawlessly. I have had absolutely no problems with it.

Never had to call them.

Great guitar. I've been playing for about 10 years now, all different styles. If I lost it I probably wouldn't buy it again because I'm POOR! But its a good guitar.

2003
All the features are in the other reviews! Great features....a very complete guitar for live, home and travel utilisation. I love the tuners.. My guitar is all black! I love it!

I love the sound..With it I play latin and some pop covers. I plug it in a Behringer Ultra-G1000 D.I. direct to P.A.. Sounds Awesome.
I don't use the built-in Reverbs live but I love them, especially the second reverb. Not the perfect classical guitar...but very good!

Nice factory set-up...not perfect...could be a little bit lower.
Nice finish! It's Yamaha! I love the tuners.

Very reliable guitar...I'm shure!

Musical Fh5 in Tomar, Portugal has been very cool and helped me when I needed!

2 Words...Great Guitar!
Buy it!

Other reviewers have mentioned the features of this guitar so I won't go into details. Compared to similar guitars like the Soloette, the Yamaha is much more versatile. The auxiliary input is great for playing along with a CD player or (as I do), audio off my laptop computer while travelling. The cutaway is nice for playing way up high. I suffer from back pain during prolonged seated practice sessions so I appreciate the strap buttons- I can stand up and play now and then.

I rarely use the on-board reverb, and wish that Yamaha would have provided some sort of tuner instead. The reverb is quite noisy, especially when played through high-quality headphones instead of the cheezeball stock earbuds. Since there is no soundhole I wish Yamaha would have provided a 20th fret. Also I don't like the side dot position markers on a 'classical' guitar, but I realize most players want them (so I just black them out with a Sharpie marker!) And why Yamaha made only the upper body 'wing' detachable escapes me. (Actually you can remove the lower wing but it's a hassle and you need a screwdriver.)

But for a travel/practice guitar, the SLG100N is the best I've found.

Sound is not why you buy this guitar, at least if you expect it to sound anything like a classical acoustic. Electrically it has that typical piezo pickup "squank" which, when coupled with the long sustain from the solid body, makes amplified sound quite unnatural. This is bad if you're using the guitar to practice subtle expressions in traditional classical guitar tunes. But for other types of music, it sounds about the same as other piezo-pickup guitars. For routine practicing with headphones, the sound is perfectly adequate. In a quiet environment I often play it 'unplugged' without headphones, where it works surprisingly well.

The action was a little low for my tastes- I wanted to be able to 'dig in' more and not bottom out. I put some extra hard tension strings on the guitar and now the action is just right for me. No additional neck bow became apparent. The intonation was not spot-on but better than most acoustics in its price class. A little tweaking on the bridge saddle should correct the intonation, but I haven't done so yet. The finish on the neck was rather rough and inconsistent and could have used some more buffing. Otherwise the quality was fine.

Despite billing as a travel guitar, this thing is rather fragile. The case is marginally adequate for protection- ok for an airline carry-on, but don't even think of checking it as baggage! The case definitely could use more padding around the fragile headstock/tuner area. My guitar now has a good-sized whang on the headstock after a number of airline trips, even though I can't recall banging it into anything in particular. I've been travelling with it for about a year now, and structurally it has held up well.

Never dealt with Yamaha on this product, so I can't say. Not sure what the warranty terms are.

I've been playing for 30+ years; serious classical for about 10. I have several other classicals ranging from my $6000 concert-grade pride-and-joy to a $150 plywood 'campfire' cheapo. I bought this thing to take on trips as a practice axe. It is more versatile and cheaper than the high-end Soloette models, and far superior ergonomically to the low-end Soloette (I tried them all). Before I got my SLG100N I would take a cheapo acoustic on trips, which was a real hassle for air travel. Plus the acoustic was still loud enough that I'd annoy neighbors in adjacent hotel rooms sometimes. That's not a problem with the SLG100N. I've even played it during a few airplane flights when I have room! I would definitely buy another if it got lost, stolen, or destroyed.

The SLG100N is the way to go for a 'classical' travel guitar.

Quite impressive on the features consider it's price range. You've read the basics already in other reviews, so I won't re-hash. The only dissapoinment (and not a huge one) was the absence of a truss adjustment.

I was very pleased with the sound. When using headphones (ditch the earbuds), and the second reverb, I get a surprisingly good classical guitar tone. It's almost scary considering there's no body. Have I heard better? absolutely... have I heard worse? no question. Tone wise, it certainly compares very favorably with others in the same price range. I will admit though, that I don't care for using the on-board reverb when playing amplified.

The intonation on the particular one I purchased was perfect. The action was "ok". Some people have commented on the action being great, but in my opinion, it isn't. I have two full body classicals with much lower action. So, the first thing I did was take it to my favorite luthier, and had him lower it. This was not an easy task for him due to the unique construction of this guitar... but he pulled it off and now I'm a happy camper. If you want the same thing done, and your luthier says it can't be done, take it to someone more experienced.

I take care of my equipment, so I think it'll hold up just fine. I've been playing it live and I'm not worried about it. It really depends on how you take care for your instruments. The finish should last longer than me. My only advice... don't pick it up by the top frame unless you're sure it's secure or you may be sorry.

Haven't dealt with 'em as of yet.

This guitar solved a major problem for me. That being feedback. I don't play many standard classical pieces but instead use a lot of effects processing for different textures. This was always a problem with my full bodies. For stand-alone classical tone, it's not as good as my Takamine or Washburn, but with the effects I regularly use, it sounds better than them. So I'm very pleased and would quickly replace it if it were stolen or lost.

This is a new, 2003 SLG100N. I've got to say I found this a pretty intriguing package. Looks like an ultra-modern nylon guitar - like some of the new basses you see. But then...it has built in electronics, B-Band Piezo pickup,two reverbs, bass and treble EQ controls, and provisions for earphones as well as a standard 1/4" connection to an external amp. The guitar breaks down to fit a pretty compact case. It included an AC power adapter (nice surprise!) and a set of pretty crappy earbud headphones. I chucked these and use a good Sony Headset - a pro quality headset makes a huge difference (no surprise.) The gitar even has an input so you can play with a CD or other input device, although I never tried it though. WHAT MORE COULD YOU EXPECT form a guitar! Yamaha advertises this a a silent "practice guitar", but its fully performance capable and is a high-quality instrument. The case that comes with the guitar is high quality and well designed with nice padded compartments - seems like it does a good job protecting the guitar. No..you can't stand on it or throw it and I would never trust baggage handlers with anything more delicate than a brick. All-in-all, I give the guitar a 10 on features - even with the cheapo earbuds.

To my ear, it sounds great for an essentially solid body, electric, nylon string, guitar. I had a Godin Multiac ACS Slim and actually think that this Yamaha compares very favorably to it, although the large solid body, ebony fingerboard, and full EQ on the ACS obviously give it an edge. The tone controls on the Yamaha give it a very good range. The sound is well-balanced. The reverb works with an external amp, although I generally use the amp's effects when 'plugged in'. I play this guitar through an Ultrasound amp. The guitar is quiet through the amp, clean and articulate, and sounds great. Through a pro quality headset - not the cheapo supplied earbuds - the sound is rich and full.

The guitar was set up well. There's actually not much to adjust as far as the body and neck are concerned. The action is good for a nylon strung guitar and the neck is somewhat narrower at the nut that a full classical, making it easy to manage for players unaccustomed to classical guitars and 'crossover' players. Steel string players need to keep in mind that nylon strung guitars have somewhat higher acton - however, Yamaha just came out with a steel-string version of this guitar...but I liked the feel and sound of the nylon. I find the SGL100N very comfortable to play. The intonation on my guitar checked out perfectly. There was nothing that required adjustment. I found no flaws on the guitar. I tried a few out at the store and for some, mostly intangible, reason settled on the one I bought. The woods are very pretty, the head and neck have a nice mahogany finish and the body has a nice natural finish. The tuners are impresive - gold with very pretty brownish perloid buttons. The tuners are first rate and hold tune well. The body frams is a light, durable, composite. It came with decent strings, although I will replace them with Galli Genius at some point, just asa matter of personal preference. For what this is deigned to be, I don't know how it could be made any better.

The guitar itself looks pretty solid and is made of high quality materials - I expect it to be structurally sound and durable, I'm always a little hestitant about anything plastic, but this looks like a good polycarbonate and should be durable. I'm gentle with my guitars and don't subject them to bad things, Therefore, I expect it to last. Yamaha has a reuptation for good electronics -so I expect that to be ok - haven't seen any criticism of the electronics in my research prior to buying.

No experience here. This is my first Yamaha Guitar.

I've been playing 25 years of so and have had a variety of guitars - change them fairly often - like to experment - a bit of the old GAS, I suppose! I think that this guitar, quite apart from its very good sound, is just plain fun and is really a quality instrument. Aside from its portability, its a great modern design that also appeals to my artistic and technological sides. Also, I love the idea of being to take it anywhere. I'm very partial to nylon strung guitars and always have one. Currently I own this guitar and an Ibanez semi-hollowbody -- checking out a Yamaha hollow body..(oh, oh..another GAS attack in the works.) I use an ultrasound amp and a Boss RC-20 Loop Station. I mainly play instrumental jazz.

Now that I've been playing it for a few months, I can add some comments.

There are 2 outputs. One is a 1/4" standard guitar jack and the other is the smaller jack for the headphones. The big one has more hum. I tried another guitar in the store and found the same thing.

So, I bought a wire with a pin on one end and a female pin connector on the other. I plug the headphones into that. Then I bought an adaptor to convert from pin to 1/4" female and I plug into that when I use an amp. This arrangement works fine. No noticeable noise. I don't use the 1/4" output, but I'm thinking of attaching a tuner someplace and running it off of that at all times, if it doesn't interfere with the sound.

I emailed Yamaha about this, but they seemed surprised.

The pin output has the usual scratchiness. I'm going to eventually get a right angle jack and tape it down hard, then run it through a few inches of cable to a female connector and use that. Permanent strain relief.

Yamaha emailed me back a few times but deferred everything to the store.

The store was Guitar Center in Concord and they were great.

I love the instrument. It did require some workarounds as noted above.

Others have listed the features. I gave it a 5. Arbitrary. You like it or you don't. I think it should have a sturdier battery connector and a midrange control.

Brazilian jazz in combo settings. I use it with a small crate amp, sometimes thru an external cabinet. The guitar is quiet enough, although there's a bit of hum. Much worse with built in reverb on.

One thing I like is the dynamic range. I don't know if this is typical of other guitars or not, but you can just tickle it or you can hit the strings full force, and you get just the sound you want.

Intonation was off. Fretted notes are sharp at the 12th. Nothing else was wrong. Action is great. Guitar Center has ordered me another one, or will have their tech adjust it if the new one isn't better.

The battery attaches with one of those little press on cap gizmos. And, there isn't much wire showing. It's going to break and it's going to be a pain to solder on a new one. I like the Fishman arrangement better.

The battery compartment cover comes off completely. It's a candidate for the ozone.

I don't know how durable the plastic electronics cover will be.

Otherwise it looks good.

Haven't had any contact. The store is doing the right thing.

Been playing since a few weeks after the Kennedy Assassination. I mostly play Gibson electrics. This is my first nylon string guitar.

If I had to do it over, I'd have brought my tuner with me when I went shopping and checked the intonation right there.

I'd buy another if I lost this one.

I like the sound. I can get the sound I want out of it. And, it's a mass produced, not particularly expensive instrument, requiring no customizing for my taste -- so if it's stolen I can easily replace it. Also, I love the way it looks. Finally, I'm in love with reverb and the practice headphone sound is like you're in the Grand Canyon.

I compared it to a few Takamines, a Taylor and a Chet Atkins CE. Not really a careful search. The Taylor, for 3x the money, didn't really sound any better. The Taylor had more variety, but I didn't like the other sounds anyway. I didn't compare it head to head with the CE, but I found the CE neck a little narrow (it's 1 13/16) and I was worried about the CEC being too wide (2 inches at the nut). This one is right in between and it felt good.

2002 made in Taiwan. Mahogany neck, body and frame maple, rosewood bridge and fingerboard, nylon strings, 2 digital reverbs (room and hall), B-Band sensors, aux-in connector and volume, main volume, treble and bass controls, ear bud plug in, line out connector. The guitar included an AC adaptor, ear buds and custom soft carryng case. Weight: about 2Kgms (3lbs more or less) 650mm Standard classical scale. 19 frets.

Features

I found a lot of features on this guitar that are quite unique in the eleactroacoustic arena: The aux-in connector is useful for practicing with drum machines, metronomes, loops or to my iPod mp3 player for playing with a back up track; other nice feature are the digital reverb, although not studio-quality effects they add spice to your practice sessions. I liked the ?hall? kind of reverb, but not the ?room? reverb that I almost never use. The bass and treble knobs provide reasonable tone control (although a parametric or graphic 3 band EQ would be ?of course- much better). The dual power (batteries or with the AC adaptor included) is a good idea. The battery life is actually somewhat poor (about 7 hours with the reverb effect on). Most electroacoustic guitars include a 9V battery, instead Yamaha provides an AC adaptor, so I think that battery life is not really an issue.

I dislike that if you use earphones, connect an mp3 player and use the AC adapter you get a lot of cables around.

There are three features on this instrument that make it really different from the average electroacoustic guitar: the removable upper frame (great for storing the guitar in a very small space), the 1.8kgms weight that make it a remarkably light instrument and the quietness of the uplugged sound. The guitar is actually audible so the ?silent? thing is somewhat subjective. Yamaha claims the guitar to be 10th the volume of a full size body. Actually I don?t understand why the Yamaha guys insist on calling it ?Silent guitar?, actually I would call it ?Feedback less guitar? . Anyway, even without being absolutely silent I can practice this guitar without disturbing too much. The dimensions, lower volume and really light weight make it a very portable guitar and suitable for traveling. Have you ever tried to practice with a classical guitar in a hotel? Your neighbors will call the help desk at light speed and the manager will contact you faster than Spider-man.

On the other hand, the compact soft bag is a nice touch, because being a non-standard size this custom carring device is a good plus. Actually when I bought my Yamaha APX5NA it didn?t include a soft bag, and since it is a non-standard size guitar I haven?t found the propper case for it yet. The SLG100N, once the upper frame is unasembled, fits perfectly in my car trunk ; a normal sized guitar always steals packing room in my somewhat small VW Golf trunk, specially an oversized guitar like the mentioned APX5NA.

I have traveled with a full sized classical guitar with a hard case flying from Europe to the States, and I may tell you what a nightmare it is if you don?t want to document your instrument. This guitar may be easly acomodated in a plane as hand luggage, also remember that you may be waiting for hours in an airport or moving from one terminal to another and this guitar will make your travel much more comfortable. Try carring a classical guitar with a hard-case for 7 hours waiting for a delayed flight in the Fiumicino Airport in Italy and you?ll get the point.

I think that a regular classical guitar or electroacoustic (even a thin-body) doesn?t have any of the mentioned features. I believe that the 10 rate is very well deserved.

Considering the hard body, I think the tone is very similar to other full bodied piezo equipped electroacoustic guitars. I think that the compensation of the B-Band system rather a piezo system helps the guitar a lot. The sound is good for live playing or recording. I compared this guitar and my APX5NA and with a little adjudments in tone (in flat EQ the APX5NA sound is brighter) they sound almost the same.

Although the dry sound is like most electroacustic guitars, it accepts digital effects like no other conventional electroacoustic guitar and I found this really interesating. I have tried with the SLG100N a lot of effects: from conventional digital reverbs, flangers and phasers to heavy distortions. With digital effects this guitar is remarkably good, even if you try some brutal distortions. The absence of resonance in the body prevents the usual feedback you obtain when trying to overdrive the signal of a regular acoustic. This is really awsome for an electroacoustic guitar ?cause this give you a truly versatile instrument. Of course you can?t expect that this guitar would substitute an electric, but you can obtain some truly original sounds with digital processing.

Probably the thing I value most is the total absence of feedback when amplified due to the solid body. I don?t know why Yamaha doesn?t emphisize more this point since the feedback is the number one concern in stage for any acoustic guitar player. With the SLG100N you don?t have to make any adjustments in your playing style, EQ nor amplified volume. There is just no feedback, not at all, and that?s truly remarkable.

Regarding the digital reverbs, I found them useful to spice up your sound when practicing, but unsuitable for live playing or recording. I?ve read that these reverbs are noisy and it?s true. At over 50% of the volume you may notice an anoying hiss. There are a room-type and a hall-type reverbs. Again, they help you to have a nicer sound using earphones, but unsuitable for any other use.

The pre-amp has a little hum even without the reverb effects off.

In overall, It has good sound with a lot of versatility..

Although it has not visible flaws, I noticed that the finish where the frame and the fingerboard are assembled is not exactly perfect. The neck finish is strange because it?s somewhat rugged instead of the perfect satin finish of other Yamaha guitars (probably they?ve tried this for a better grip). I disliked the non-traditional point-marks in the arm since the tend to confuse you while playing. The overall finish of the guitar is good but not excellent. The tunning pegs are particulary nice and smooth.

Regarding the action, fit and intonation I was amazed: It was perfect right out of the box. I was surprised with the perfect intonation. Poor intonation is a common and difficult problem wih most classical guitars, but this one needs no adjustmente at all.

My only true complain regarding construction and finish is the electronics-covering plastic behind that looks cheap and fragile.

I don?t think this guitar is a tank. The plastic cover behind, as I mentioned, looks and feels fragile. The frame is rigid, but not rock solid. For practice this will be fairly reliable/durable. I don?t know if it would stand the hard treatment in the road. If durability is a concern for you, be sure to check and play this guitar and try to avoid buying it in the internet so you can see it for yourself and decide if it is durable enough for you.

There are some other things I haven?t mentioned: regarding ergonomics, the neck and fingerboard are really very comfortable and they allow you to play anything, from chords to solos. You can freely access the upper frets very comfortably (try that in any cutaway electroacoustic!). Many people have complained regarding that ?upper frame bite? in your chest, and I think they are right: After a while you can get tired and with some pain in your chest. I found that modifying your playing position helps, but I think that the Yamaha guys should pay attention to this in a future and improved version. I think they?ve could made the frames with a softer material (like the plastic used on car steering wheels or something like that) instead of the hard plastic.

I?ve been playing for 16 years. I also have a Yamaha APX5NA nylon electroacoustic, a Yamaha APX6NA nylon electroacoustic, a Ovation Celebrity C253 nylon electroacoustic, a couple Alhambra classical guitars, a brazilian Giannini classical gtr and an Italian hand made Carugno classical and a bunch of electric guitars. I play jazz and bossa nova and I?m a Flamenco aficionado.

I bought this Yamaha for one purpose: I needed a silent guitar for practicing, easy to carry on and comfortably for practicing for long periods of time. The guitar was pefect for me and I use it a lot. I was surprised with all the features and the nice touches from Yamaha (soft bag, AC adapter and ear buds).

There is one last point. I didn?t mentioned before because it may be too obvious or because it may distract you and forget the really important stuff (sound, playability, features, durability, etc.): This is one of the most original instruments ever made in the history of guitar. It is just so minimalist and so exotic that everybody turns to look at you. People makes me a lot of questions about it. Many non-guitar-players fall in love with it at first sight, other friends have said ?What an strange guitar you have, how does it work??. Everyone is surprised when I put them my earbuds and play with the digital reverbs, many have said ?is incredible, it sound like if it has a body?. The reverbs are not great for studio, but they are great to surprise your non-guitar-trained friends!

On the other hand, I?ve found that the audience tend to put, at least in the first couple of songs, more atention to this strange-unique-beautiful guitar than actually hearing what you are actually playing. If looks is a concern for your professional image as a guitar player, then this axe is for you. Actually I have seen a mexican pop singer (Aleks Syntek) in Latin American MTV using this guitar in a video, and I can bet he used the SLG100N just because it looks incredibly cool . Even I look cool with it!

I think this is a true innovating guitar, and unlike some other ?innovations? I believe this one will be here to stay and surely it will be improved in the future (at least I hope that the Yamaha guys pay attention and hear us, the players and consumers). Unlike other ?innovative? guitars, I found the SLG100N truly usable for the everyday playing, from practicing, live playing and studio recording. I use it every single day. The other day I took my chronometer and took the time to assemble and disassemble the SLG100N, and I can do it in an average of 20 seconds without rushing. I truly believe this is not just a toy, but a serious instrument that may evolve and become a truly dangerous weapon for the professional player.

I payed $650USD in Mexico City for it, so I think it is not what you may call cheap, but I think you can find it in the USA for about $450USD. The bang for the buck ratio is good. The APX5NA is also a truly magnificent instrument with a comparable plugged-in tone and better unplugged sound for the same price tag, but you must consider that the APX5NA is not as lightweight, small, highly transportable, silent nor has the features nor the look and appeal of the Silent Guitar.

I don?t really know how

The features are top notch, clean sound from the piezo pick-up, the reverbs add a nice touch although there is some background noise.

I am primarily a jazz guitarist with lots of classical training, so this instrument is ideally suited for me. I play through a Fender solid-state amp on gigs and can actually get a very nice sound. Many horn players have commented that it sounds almost like an archtop-electric.

THe action is light and easy to play. At first I wanted to get a heavier, more stiff action to resemble that of the top-flight classicals. Now my opinion has changed and have actually gotten used to the action.

If there are any flaws, it is this: my arm would get sore within minutes of playing. The problem was solved when a student's mother made a velvet sleeve that was held on by a strip of velcro. HEY YAMAHA I think you should think about including this as an accessory call me: (336)230-1670 and we'll set this up