Yamaha SLG100N Silent Guitar

I had two of these guitars. The build quality is very goon on these. One had to get the bridge sanded for lower action, but once done, the action was superb, no buzz noises at all, at a very low action rarely found on classical guitars. On thing which bothers me is when carried in its case, the weight on your back or shoulders is not balanced, in a way that makes it very annoying to carry with you.

It appears that the quality level of the electronics integrated into this guitar is its culprit.

On my first guitar, the 3 bass strings sounded about 30% quieter than the treble strings, no matter how I put the bridge (I even replaced it with a bone made one), or the strings I used. On the other hand, the treble strings sounded just awesome, and the reverb was clean a very, very good sounding. I ended up selling it because of the balance problems.

Then I got the second one, on which the balance is great, but the reverb is damn noisy (very loud hiss noises) and the sound is not as loud and bright. The treble section on the first one sounded much much better.

So overall, I can see great built quality with poor electronics, which is quite surprising as Yamaha usually make great electronics.

Both guitars are made in Taiwan (I know these are made in Indonesia as well)

Superb action and finish, only make sure you adjust the bridge so the action is not too high (by sanding it). The neck has no adjustable truss rod, but is set perfectly !

With better electronics this could be a professional, high level instrument. But somehow it seems that Yamaha didn't put much attention to how the electronics and pickup are implemented, leaving the quality of the instrument in a big question. You might find a great sounding one, or have one with hiss noises and poor balance. So basically, make a thorough test for one once you find it.

The guitar is probably about seven years old. The original owner received as a gift while traveling through Japan. I'm not sure if there's any difference between the Japanese-domestic version versus the made for U.S. version. All of the Yamaha Nylon Silent Guitars come with the B-Band under-saddle ribbon transducer pickup system and the active electronics/preamp are B-Band's design probably licensed out to Yamaha. A very nice mahogany neck grafted onto a quasi-body of maple. On first appearances, it reminded me of Les Paul's 1939 "log guitar" concept. The tuners are of decent quality, the tuning knobs with their dark amber pearl plastic actually add a nice touch to the headstock appearance. There's a volume, bass and treble controls. Output jack and headphone stereo output. There's a sliding switch for clean, reverb1 and reverb2. On the back, an input jack for connecting an auxiliary music source, i.e. ipod, computer, cd player and a volume control for that input source. The upper and lower bouts on the either side of the guitar are plastic frame outlines. The lower frame has a cutaway shape that looks vaguely like a Macaferri Gypsy Jazz guitar and gives you access to the upper registers. This guitar is designed for a right handed player.

Another tasteful touch is the total lack of the Yamaha name plastered on the headstock. Instead, just the elegant "Triple Tuning Fork" logo. (For the motorcyclists out there, Yamaha has taken this same styling lick to their YZ-R sportbikes, no name on the gas tank, just the "Triple Tuning Fork" badge).

First the "Bad News".

Bought this guitar used via Craig's List. I was on my way to a business appointment and only had time to meet the seller, pay for the guitar, plug it in for two minutes, and leave. It sounded OK during those two minutes but when I got home, it was a totally different story. With the power converter plugged in, it sounded like a major pile horse S*%t! There was a tremendous amount of 60-cycle hum, static, and very, very, low output. I took the control cover on the back to expose the electronics. It looked like the previous owner had poked around in there probably faced with the same problems. With printed circuit boards, if there's anything bad, the chances of you repairing are probably somewhere between slim and none. Now I realized why this guy was selling it. Terrific... a great playing nylon string guitar, looks wonderful, but sounds un-listenable with the headphones and even worse plugged into an amp. I went back in, re-checked all ground contacts, cleaned connections and this removed most the 60-cycle hum but still very anemic output unless the volume knob was at 9 or 10. With any type of system with a preamp, when the volume is dialed up to maximum, there will be some noise and distortion. I even tried using the Yamaha plugged into my LR Baggs ParaAcoustic DI preamp then going into my amps but still way too much noise in the Yamaha's preamp circuitry.
At this point... very tempted to use it for firewood.


Now the "Good News".

I decided to yank out all the circuit boards and replace it with B-Band's aftermarket UST Preamp/Pickup System. When I called B-Band to get some technical info, their customer service person told to me to try their "replacement" under-saddle ribbon transducer, made specifically for the Yamaha Silent Nylon String Guitar first. He told me other people have had the same problem. For $39.00, it was a lot cheaper than than buying a whole new pickup/preamp system. The B-Band site offers detailed instructions on installing their under-saddle ribbon transducer pickup, if you buy one of these, take the time to read it. It arrived in the mail, I installed it in 10 minutes and WOW! This guitar now sounds absolutely amazing! This new version of the ribbon transducer is very impressive. Touch sensitive, very clean dynamics, amazing amount of headroom through the headphones or plugged into an amp, AND it is totally quiet. As in NO 60-cycle hum or interference of any sort regardless if I'm using the AC power converter or a 9volt battery. Now, I barely turn the volume knob past 4, the DSP reverb which was extremely noisy before is now church-mouse quiet. I'm not a big fan of Digital Sound Processing of any sort but the new replacement pickup makes the "room reverb" and "concert hall" reverb settings sound quite impressive. Years ago, I played a wonderful Ramerez purchased in Spain in the 60's, the Yamaha comes very close. It is almost as warm but the balance and articulation of the notes is actually better. I use this guitar for Brazilian jazz and it's perfect. The tone controls give a very wide range. I usually go just a little past the potentiometer's flat detent setting. This tells me that the guitar's natural tone is already quite balanced. There is no sign of that artificial tone you get with piezo pickups, no "quack" or any feedback. Even though this guitar is an alleged earlier version, I really love it. I have a friend who has this same guitar and after trying his, which is a newer version, mine sounds fuller, more articulate, and is much quieter than his. After hearing the two guitars, he may have me install the newer ribbon replacement pickup in his guitar. By the way, the replacement ribbon pickup looks considerably different from my original. The replacement ribbon transducer has a red film coating on the portion that lies under the saddle and the actual metal film looks a little different as well as the plug at the end.

It's very comfortable to play. The action is good for a nylon string guitar. Overall, the fit and finish are pretty impressive. I build and repair guitars as a hobby and almost all the guitars made in Asia that I've had to modify, repair, or set up for people had major design flaws, poor workmanship, inferior parts, or cheap materials used in the body and necks. The overall quality of the build of this guitar is far superior to anything I've seen by Yamaha in recent times. When I first saw this guitar, I was impressed by the solid feel and general lack of the "imported cheap-guitar" factor. In real world terms, this is not a very expensive guitar but congrats to Yamaha for for producing a competent, capable, and reasonably priced guitar.

Since I bought this guitar used, I'm not sure what this guitar was subjected to before I bought it. The previous owner took pretty good care of, a few minor dings but well cared for. As for all the problems I initially had and the resolution brought about with a replacement ribbon pickup, who know? The pickup could have been defective from the factory, the previous owner may have tried to modify something, maybe because the guitar traveled through humid regions of the world with the previous owner, corrosion may have caused the problems. Kind of hard to determine how durable this guitar really is. I've only had it for a two months.

Contacted Yamaha's customer support for help with all the problems I experienced when I got the guitar but it's pretty much a roll of the dice when you buy something on Craig's List or EBay. They tried to be as helpful but phone diagnosis on matters of solid state electronics can only go so far. The main mother board sells for around $350.00. Not cheap. They referred me to an authorized guitar shop locally but that was going to be very expensive.

However, the customer service at B-Band was excellent. The diagnosis was spot-on, the $39.00 replacement ribbon transducer pickup was more than reasonable and the delivery time was very fast. For these factors alone, I would seriously consider B-Band's systems for acoustic guitar's that I'll work on in the future. They're from Finland now based in Austin, Texas. I wasn't familiar with their products before this but very impressed with what they came up with for the Yamaha Silent Guitar. Nylon string guitars are tough to amplify properly.

I've been playing since the late 60's. I have two custom Strat hybrids, a 63 SG Junior, a 74 SG Special, a heavily modded British Baldwin 548, a tweaked Asian Strat, a Larrivee Parlor acoustic, a classical, and now the Yamaha Silent guitar. For amps, a 67 Twin, a Gibson GA-60RV, modified Peavey 112, a very modified class-A Epiphone Galaxie 10. For pedals, Xotic AC & RC Boosters, Keeley modified TS9-DX, Boss DM-2 Analog Delay, and a Thomas CryBaby.

Is there something I wished I had asked before buying this guitar? Yeah, how about: "Hey, guy selling a guitar on Craig's List, does this thing work or is it broken? And since you probably knew the electronics were fried, were you planning on telling me?"

If stolen, I'd definitely replace it. Although the price seems to be going up on the Yamaha Silent series.

Now with the newest version of ribbon transducer pickup, it plays great, sound as good as I can expect, and looks like none other. My favorite thing is the absolutely purity of the sound. I've heard other amplified nylon string guitars and this in my opinion sounds far better. The combination of a smooth playability, solid build, good quality woods, attention to detail, the B-Band System and stunning appearance adds up to one of my favorite guitars.

Well covered

I wasn't pleased with the sound, G string was too hot, and there was almost no treble. I replaced the pickup with a Baggs LBX and couldn't be happier. Also lowered the action a bit. I run it straight to PA. I have small a Yamaha powered speaker at home.

I also added a finger rest, which comes standard on the steel version, and got a good quality gig bag, and I made a custom leg rest, for playing seated.

We shall see. Haven't had it long

This and a La Patrie classical are my perfect set. The Yamaha needed some work, but I love it now.

This is a well known product that needs no further descriptions. A superbly well designed frame type silent guitar, a true work of art for the third millenium and already a classic.
It has a detachable upper rim and can be slipped into an equally well designed gig bag.
Active piezo pickups deliver a very good PIEZO tone... more on this later.

To sound like or not to sound like, that's the question. You can approach this instrument in two ways:
1 - As a cheap imitation of a spanish classical nylon-stringed guitar that delivers an approximate "classical nylon" tone;
2 - As a state-of-the-art electric guitar equiped with a piezoelectric system that delivers a sound of it's own.
If you choose option one probably you'll use the SLG as a practice instrument, and it's a very good one. But it will never behave like your Conde Hermanos, no way.
For those who choose the second option this guitar will open many musical doors. It has a tone, a fell, and a playability that's completely new to us. Why should I compare a synthesiser to a grand piano? I play this guitar with an exploratory attitude and she gives me back many new possibilities. I don't give a damn to know if it has the "right" nylon tone; it has a NEW nylon tone which I find beautiful and inspiring. Just plug it directly to the PA system with a good reverb, maybe a hint of chorus if you like it, and enjoy your new soundscapes. Yamaha does some pretty research to ceate new, fresh musical instruments. The SLG can "mimmick" a classical guitar, but it can go much further ahead.

This is a high end instrument, I tried several of them and never found a single flaw. It's incredible how Yamaha did this so good at a very honest price.
The mahogany neck has a sweet satin finish and a good rosewood fretboard. Frets are well levelled and dressed. Tuners are quite good, the ones you find at very "costy" classicals.
It has a "slim" (for a classical) 50mm nut, neck has a gentle "D" shape, I found it to be extremely fast in it's kind - I'm able to play as comfy as on my archtop. I must say that the factory action was pretty high for my taste (I'm accostumed to low action, fast-necked jazz archtops). I lowered the saddle by myself using sandpaper. I do not reccomend you to do it if you never did it before... try with a cheaper guitar or with a piece of plastic. Anyway, a luthier would be the ideal and safe solution.
With a setup like this (assuming you play jazz-latin-pop) this guitar is surprisingly fast. Intonation is good, "99%" perfect (i noted that the saddle is slightly compensated) and The neck can be used up to the higher frets. To get a "100%" intonation it would be necessary to have a compensated nut installed. Anyway, I played many high end classical guitars and the intonation is never perfect. That's nylon. There are researches on this topic wich can be easily found on the web.

The SLG was an instant success, there are many pros using it on stage and in the studio (if it's good to Lee Ritenour...).
It has proved to be a professional and reliable instrument.

N/O

I play guitar since 68. Dozens of instruments and amps. This Yammy came to stay... it's so comfortable to play, so light... I can go on for hours, pure magic. It's almost dishonest.
I'm thinking of getting another one just to have a backup... at this price it's a killer bargain and an astonishing "bang for the buck". Thank you, Yamaha!

Not much point discussing the features here as its been well featured already. What i will say is this if you are a classical guitarist and you spend time traveling or go on holidays this could be an ideal solution. Yeah i know its an electric guitar and the aversion we purists have to such things but it is surpsingly nice. Read my next comments for detailed info. Another good feature and perhaps THE feature is that the guitar plays at 1/10th the volume of a standard classical guitar so it does'nt annoy the family or neighbours when you practice. I've heard complaints about the battery, however from my manuel i see the battery lasts for 24 hours, ok about a 1/3 of that time if you use the onboard reverbs but still 24 hours is a good time, for those of us who can just to say find 1 hour a day to practice thats not bad at all. I do rather like the guitar machine heads too. I note the neck is very nice to the touch, what some refer to as a fast neck.

Ok so this is not a grand concert guitar or luthier built instrument but the sound of a classical guitar can be heard, i compared it to my hand built luthier classical guitar and was quite pleased with its sound. You can tweak the guitar with the onboard EQ so you can get a fairly warm rich or brooding tone depending on the settings. Bear in mind if you go on holiday what would you take? Your hand built concert guitar that cost your $4000+ or your relatively inexepensive Yamaha that can be replaced very easily???

As for the set up and finish, Yamaha have'nt let me down yet. I also have a yamaha saxophone, trombone and piano all great and typical of the quality i expect from Yamaha.

If well cared for i see no reason why this should'nt last a life time.

I've played classical guitar since i was about 16, so approx 20 years, i owned a stack of guitars in that time and i have to say the yamaha SLG100N is a nice guitar with a fairly realistic classical guitar sound and feel. What would i change about this guitar? Well i see Yamaha have already since i purchased my guitar brought out an upgrade the SLG120NW, the new guitar has a frame that can be removed on both sides, great idea, a solid ebony neck,which is an upgrade from the rosewood neck on the SLG100N, oh i also believe the frame is made of natural wood, hmmmm? I still kinda like the plastic frame on the SLG100N however as others have said it can get a little uncomfortable. HEY YAMAHA you still have not added an onboard chromatic tuner even to the new 120 model????

One other point some reviewers have refered to this instrument as travel guitar, ok yeah i'd take mine on holidays but did you know your not allowed to take it on a aeroplane as hand luggage, its to long!(UK planes) Which means it has to go in the hold, well lets hope its safe in the hold and i'm sure glad i have musical instrument insurance.

SLG-100N(W)- made 2005. wide neck, 19 Frets, classical frame guitar. Built-in reverb, headset amp, auxiliary line input. Comes with AC adapter, battery, gig bag.

Through my Sony MDR-G56 headphones the sound is great. The level is a little low so efficient headphones are best. The reverb makes little practice sessions feel like concerts!

No complaints about the setup.

Construction seems good. However, I have noted that with repeated insertion of the top frame, the wood around the insertion point has become chipped. Since this is a travel guitar where you have to remove the top frame to put the guitar in the gig bag, I suppose wear and tear in this area is inevitable. The electronic back cover and parts are plasticky.

Life time warranty, according to the salesman in the store. I haven't had to deal with Yamaha, however, so I do not know what they are like.

I love the sound of this guitar. I also love the feel. It is terrific for holding up high. I can play for hours and hours without any discomfort. I have another classical guitar, a LaPatrie electro cutaway, but I can only play for a limited time before getting sore. This Yamaha is truly liberating. One disadvantage: If you play songs that require rhythmic taps on the guitar body you are SOL. Knocks on the little bit of wood at the bridge do not project the same at all! :-)

Quick update on my prior feedback regarding string selection. As they age, the LaBella 900B polished basses continue to suit the guitar well, but the black trebles start to sound thin. I've changed the trebles to medium tension clear nylons (D'Addario Pro Arte or Galli Genius nylon) and the mix works nicely together.

I bought a pair of M-Audio DX4 active nearfield monitors (18 watts EQ'd to the drivers, $150) and tried them with the Yamaha SLG. Highly recommended -- what a surprisingly natural sound from such a small portable setup. A small external preamp can provide even more gain if needed (e.g. Presonus TubePre).

Unlike other reviewers, I'm comfortable playing it even for hours at a time, standing or sitting. The frame edges never dig into my chest or forearm. Without reverb, it is surprisingly noise free through either output jack -- no hiss and no hum. The reverb effects are too noisy for my taste.

It sounds much better through good headphones or a good acoustic amp than I expected from some reviews. What a pleasure to play through an amp with no feedback problems! Like all good classical guitars, strings definitely change the sound and feel. I've tried lots of different strings and found that the sound with the stock strings can easily be improved upon. My top pick for this guitar is LaBella Elite Classical 900B with polished gold basses and black nylon trebles. On this guitar the polished basses have a rich and clear tonal balance, and are much quieter than other polished basses I've tried including D'Addario polished composites. The black trebles are a bit bright for this guitar, but that's actually a plus because when you roll off the treble tone control by -30 degrees or so, you get a very convincing tone and the roll-off cuts down what little string noise remains. I buy these strings from stringsbymail.com.

This one came through with excellent action. Couldn't be better.

Don't know.

Don't know

I use it for performing classical and Latin jazz through an amp, for late night practicing with headphones, and for trips. I couldn't be more pleased with it at any price. I've been playing for decades. My other guitars are a Paulino Bernabe classical and a Gibson ES-175 electric archtop.

She?s got the look... That?s for sure. The ?head turning? factor is very high, especially for the price, but if you own an SLG for a while, it?s a different story. I bought it two years ago as a travel guitar after searching the Web for quite a while. Seemed like a reasonable mid-price option (regretfully the Frameworks Guitars cost much more).

SLG is a classical-electric guitar with nineteen frets, but without a body ? just a neck and a frame to rest your right arm and chest. Fits into a gig bag, which is (at least it?s true in my case so far) allowed on board of a plane. That?s why I bought it.

The first impression? The frame cuts your chest and arm. The instrument could be better balanced ? if you tie the belt to both knobs, the neck has the tendency to go down. If you tie the belt to the head, the balance is better, but then the belt can obstruct the playing.

Important ? SLG is designed to play in the standing position; otherwise get ready for pain in the back. Regretfully you cannot attach the standard ergonomic plastic devices ? perhaps a home-made one.

Comes with CHEAP earphones (had them replaced day one) and a standard power adapter with a short cable, so no running on stage.

Built-in volume switch, EQ (just Bass and Treble), standard ?? connection to external amp/PA, and LED power indicator, visible when you play.

AUX IN with adjusted volume ? you can play along your favourite CDs without disturbing the people around too much.

Short battery life. Carry a spare battery ? you never know when it?s gonna die.

The neck is 49 mm wide, which gives a feel of a classical guitar. Well, it IS a classical guitar...

The ?natural? sound and the second reverb are OK., but I didn?t expect anything fancy. It?s an electric guitar, so you?re in the hands of your sound engineer anyway (I plug it in line directly, no amps). SLG can sound like a decent classical guitar. Takes some time to get used to the acoustic sound, especially when playing at low volumes.

Don?t expect to get out of the SLG all the subtleties of a classical guitar sound.

The name ?silent? is only true when you play classical ? rasqueados and chords played with a pick make a bit of a noise. Anyway, I?m not going to complain here, as I have never heard any remarks from my neighbors.

Tunes OK.

No feedback problems.

Each of the three copies in a shop had a different feel and action. If you play a classical guitar, SLG is easier to play than most (low action). Switching between an SLG and a classical after a long time can be tricky.

The neck vibrates in a completely different manner than in a classical guitar. Took me time to get used.

Playing barre chords higher than 12th position demands acrobatic features (the neck gets thicker). You would expect this to be possible with such a loooong neck.

Simple minimalistic design, carefully finished.

So far the guitar survived about 50 flights. The unsymetrical gig bag is equally difficult to carry on the arm strap as it is to put in an upright position. The bag doesn?t really protect the instrument, so I?m always careful.

The frame screws get loose, so I have to tight them approx. once a week.

Never need any ? a friend helped to solder the broken battery cable (the battery compartment looks like one in a cheap transistor radio).

SLG is a reasonable mid-price option for a traveling musician. It?s not a great guitar, but it does a job ? I play classical, bossa and acoustic rock and the guitar performs OK. On stage it?s a choice between a short power supply cable and short battery life.

Built-in tuners would be helpful. Or better machine heads (they look nice, though). Or both.

I would appreciate a new improved model instead of black and red versions of the same thing, introduced by Yamaha.

After a number of changes the SLG can be a very serious instrument. Looking forward...

Anyone heard if Line 6 intends to launch an acoustic model with nylon strings?

I thing the neatest thing about this guitar is the overall look of the intrument, has that museum of modern art look. My wife liked it so much she has me hang in the wall like a picture when I'm not using it. I got it pretty cheap, $250 at a pawnshop. Since I'm just a beginner, well actually ive been tring to play for 30 years off and on, im kind of one of those guys who loves the equipment but cant figure out how to make it work. I thought it would be nice that I could practice with out disturbing the family and the wide finger board seems to make it a bit easer to find cords than the electrics.
I did see a picture of the steel string version, I couldnt quite figure out why have pick guard, what are going to scratch up, the air? I know when I play Air Guitar I always have a pick guard,hehe But it does look neat.

I am a beginner and have been learning on an electric guitar but I was pretty pleased with the sound with my amp

Well the look of this thing is very cool and the build looks good, the headstock and neck seem very well made. I do worry about the plastic back and I was worried replacing the battery that I would break the bat holder. I did find the top frame would cut into my arm, so I put a pillow or just take off the top frame while im practicing

The electronics kind of scare me but Yamaha has been know for quality electronics for a long time.

Havent used

I like this thing alot, I think it will help me learn to be a guitar player, plus my wife wont fuss for me having it around and complain that im playing, or "trying" to play too loud.

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

A pretty interesting guitar. It's the solidbody equivalent of a nylon string guitar. While they were at it, Yamaha added a couple of neat features. A headphone amp with reverb, a CD player in (with volume control) and a removeable section for easy travel. A very cool idea. Everything seems to be put together well, with high quality components. Two features missing, however: a tuner and a truss rod. A decent tuner would go a long way towards making this an ultimate travel guitar. As it is, I'll have to drag my TU2 with me, which really is too big to fit in the gig bag. The truss rod, I mention only because tuning shifts if you drop the D string, which is kind of a pain. Also included with the gig bag is a pair of ear buds , which you will immediately replace with headphones, and an AC adapter, which is an excellent idea, because of the drain from the digital reverb. The gig bag includes a space for the adapter, a nice touch.

Sound is very nice. Does it sound like a $5K+ Ramierez? No. The sound is at least equivalent to any electrified full-bodied classical of a comparable price. What's really nice is Yamaha figured out on how to cut the sustain somewhat to make it feel more natural. Reverb sounds are very good, especially for the price. Bass and trble controls are effective. The headphone output, though, is weak. The sound amplified is quite nice. Fingerpicked parts and solo lines sound excellent, though full chords are weak, when amplified, less so through headphones. There's not a lot of noise. I planned on purchasing this so I would have a nylon string for live use, and have an excuse for a travel guitar, and it fits the bill quite nicely.

Excellent work. The action was a touch high compared to a steel string, but I think that's so you can be a bit more percussive with the lower tension strings. Anyway, it plays fine with the factory setup. The neck is wide, like a classical (duh). I wish the neck was shaped a bit more up by the nut.

I would feel comfortable playing this guitar live. I'm pretty aggressive on the strings, but I'm actually gentle on the instruments. The back section with the electronics seem like polycarbonate, relatively rugged for a plastic, but if you step on cords, I'd run it between your strap as a strain relief. Yamaha doesn't seem to be targeting the instrument for the performance market, though. It's plenty rugged for silent practice, the intended market.

Haven't had to deal with Yamaha on this instrument, but they've been very easy to deal with in the past.

An excellent new concept for an instrument, very well done for version 1.0. I've been playing electric and acoustic for a couple of decades, and am now performing in an acoustic duo.

Probably the only negative thing which I will say about this instrument is that it is quite thin on electronics. It has only a two channel eq and the only effects are reverb. It seems to me that it would have been fairly simple to include some more audio processing options. In terms of the guitar oriented features, there are a few florishes such as some beautiful tunning keys. The top of the frame is removable pretty easily and the strap pegs double as screws to hold it in place. The fretboard is accessable all the way up (there are 19 frets). There is a bag which comes with the guitar which is fairly large for me (I was initialy interested because I do a lot of air travel & wanted something which would work as a second carry on.) Oh, one other thing, Yamaha gives you some very crapy earbuds to use (& no battery, there is a wall adapter though) - c'mon guys.

Here is the best aspect of this unique instrument. The guitar produces a surprisingly nice (natural, well toned, clean and even) sound even when played straight into a mixer. With some acoustic processing it is even better (well, I was disapointed with the two reverb setting, so I'm talking about external effects). I would say that it sounds better than any other nylon string a/e guitar (in e mode) which I have played. (I have a Takamine 132 which is great and I'd place this one ahead.) You will be amazed at how legitimate the rendition of classical pieces are. Now here is the bonus which put this over the top for me: because there is no feadback (and the piezo is very clean) you can get some amazing and unique sounds playing with distortion and effects. (Basically you get a very wide dynamic range.) Best in my opionion are heavily distorted grungy rhythm sounds and moderatly overdriven jazz/blues settings. Be sure not to use the built in reverb with effects, all they do is add noise. Sorry if I'm getting misty here, but this is a very stimulating instrument. Thank you Yamaha.

I am not a setup guru. The action is on the low side for classical which makes it easy to play, and in my opinion produced great sound. The fretboard is rosewood and looked virtualy perfect.

It seems pretty solid to me. I was surprised how natural it feels to hold and play. In any case, it is pretty new and I have not had a chance to abuse it yet.

I have had no experiances.

I am a midlife crisis guitar player, with limited abilities (at least so far) and lots of gear (the good thing about doing this as an adult). I play in a lot of styles; classical, folk, blues & rock. I have two other classical guitars (a Takamine a/e and a Yamaha), two acoustics (Takoma & a baby Taylor) and five electrics, including a Steinberger travel guitar. I travel quite a lot and am always on the lookout for travel gear. This is actualy not the ideal travel guitar because it realy only gets narrower, not shorter when you break it down. However, the other aspects of this remarkable instrument more than make up for it. If you want something unique and trouble free to play on stage, or you want a different rock sound, you should consider this. (For the ultimate travel electric, I strongly vote for Steinberger. Also, the Baby Taylor is a beautiful choice and is smaller to transport than this product.) Of course, I always love my most recent guitar the most, but this one is very special. Really.

2002-Paid $449.00 US
Rosewood neck
Graphite composite body
Piezo pickup in bridge

I really like the sound of this guitar. Well balanced and not too loud or trebely (like some of those other guitars with piezo's.) Great for live gigs and little hassle toting it around. Also, makes recording a snap! (no mics!!.)

Guitar was set up quite well. I noticed everybody agreed, the neck plays like a dream. The body frame will take getting used too and will require some adjusting in your lap. However, the advantage to a thinner frame is that you can reach over easy with the right hand. The machine heads are great quality. The neck is very flat and fast. The electronics box is constructed of a light gauge plastic which may cause some concern, but nowadays, everything is thin and light. With care, it'll hold up.

It will hold up fine in a gig. I think this is the future of instruments. Guitar players are always the last ones to get with the program. We are just way too traditional. Standup bassists have been playing with similar instruments for a while now with wonderful success. Why do you think Ned Steinberger created the headless bass before the guitar?? Many are saying this guitar is for practice and nothing else, but I think Yamaha will beg to differ. Take it on the road! The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do!!

Never delt with them.

I've been playing guitar for 18 years and teach guitar as well. Heck yes I'd replace it if it were stolen and tracked the guy down who took it, too!!! The coolest thing about it is that there's nothing else out there like it. Makes you feel like an innovator! Coolest thing about it was the price. I really think they'll go up. Quality is great and the idea will catch on soon.

I feel this guitar is a professional instrument. First; it has a great natural tone when played unplugged. When appropriately amplified it has a natural tone that dosent need EQ or notch filters. it sounds right. PS I am not a extremely experienced, 21 vintage guitar owning motherf***er. I am the walrus...

You can use the CD inputs as a monitor input from your PA and with a pair of those little earphones you can create a little complex monitoring system.

I.E. dude your getting a dell, kind of thing.

plays like your best friends girlfriend. Sweet and spicy...

Play your ass off and then take it apart and push it into a gigbag and your on the plane to the next town. Good night Cleveland we love you...

I have a set of powered monitors from 1987 that i bought used. They never even had a glitch and their used 5x/week. Did I tell you that they sat in a inch and a half of water and after drying off for one week went back to work like nothing happened.
Yamaha... tough and buff...

Top horn pushed in my chest just a bit and I do like a tuner in the product BUT I looked at my self in the mirror with this guitar and I was just the coolest thing on earth. cant say that with a martin dreadnought D 28.

Keep in mind, this is not a performance level instrument. It has good ,albeit, basic electronics and appears to be reasonably well assembled. It's main feature is the portability and ease of disassembly. For the standard classical player the body is the correct shape however a bit thin requiring some adjustment in the seated position to play realistically.

Through headphones it is a fine sound. Not as good as a concert level instrument but serviceable.

The factory setup was quite good and required only minor changes to achieve reasonable action and intonation. The fit and finish are reasonable for a $500.00 instrument. Nothing extra...

This is not a performance instrument but seems durable enough for a practice guitar. It may even fit in an overhead compartment on an airliner. Don't try to check it as luggage or you'll end up with matchwood...The simple and solid construction will standup to normal playing demands easily.

Haven't used.

Serious classical player for many years. Other instruments include Ramirez R3 and 1A Especial. Fun guitars are a rebuilt Guild T50 and old Alvarez Yairi DY46

just bought it recently...feel a bit guilty about not getting real classical..used to play...one thing that stands out about it, is the feel and action of it...if you play classical or any fingerstyle you'll like this aspect of it

the sounds are simple...personally i kinda like the sound...it's very simple..but with classicals it's usually somuch about the character of it..it's innovative though

like i said earlier the feel of this thing is great...the neck and string action...the neck's not quite as wide as a standard nylon..it plays awfully easy

people don't normally put classicals through much abuse anyways...because it has no body it's more or less useless for the percussive style of flamenco...and not haaving the body there ..well y'know...as far as gigs, well it will get a few looks..because it's an odd-looking instrument..can't see the damn thing...the people that've seen it in my house usually remark "what is it?"

haven't dealt with em

been playing for awhile...i'm still not sure i shouldn't have just gotten a regular nylon, but I've got an acoustic i can string with silk and steel strings that works well...not sure if i would buy it again or not...i love the way it plays. The neck is real stiff..i mean it plays like a breeze, this part of it is worth emphasizing..i hate that it's not a real classical (not to be too sentimental or anything but sometimes it seems to me more of a device, a little musical oddity than a real guitar)...i've played a few classicals and not to overstate anything but it plays real well...i wish it had the same action and feel and a body to it...if you're not anal about it it's really an enjoyable guitar to play...probably lose a lot of character of sound and rasguedos just don't work well with this guitar because of the way it is i guess...hell if you got a few extra bucks it's a pretty interesting little instrument

The previous review listed most of the features. Considering the price of the Silent Guitar, its a relatively feature ladden for a nylong string acoustic-electroc. Its nice that it comes with a gigbag, AC adapter and earphones. The neck on this guitar is very fast and comfortable.

Considering the SLG100N consists of only a neck and thin body which is the width of the neck, the unamplified tone is pretty nice (the guitar is NOT really "silent," just quiet in comparison to a regular acoustic).

Amplified through a 15 watt solid state practice amp, the SLG100N sounds really good. Its not the same tonal quality as a good classical guitar of course, but its definitely a useable nylon string acoustic sound nonetheless. The on-board reverb is a nice feature too. You could definitely use this guitar in a live setting and I HOPE that it will work well for direct recording.

The tone through headphones was not as good as through an amp in my opinion.

The guitar was set-up perfectly for me. Unlike most classical-electric guitars, the neck on the SLG100N is very comfortable and the action is low. Great for burning up the fretboard for solos and nice access to the upper frets.

Since there's no real body to speak of, its seems silly to address the issue of finish. However, the guitar seems to be well constructed and sturdy overall

I have no idea, as I just purchased the guitar. It seems like it will be pretty durable if taken care of.

I've been playing guitar for at least 30 years, part of this time professionally. I primarily play electric solid body guitars. My goal is to use the Silent Guitar for practice, as a travel guitar, and for home recording for nylon string acoustic sounds. However, I think the guitar also sounds good enough to use for live use. This is a very innovative musical instrument that Yamaha has created.

NOTE: I almost didn't try one of these guitars out because of the futuristic look. However, I immediately loved the neck on this thing. It was an easy decision to buy the SLG100N after playing it for about 20 minutes or so.

Made by Yamaha for quiet practicing with headphones this is a nice little instrument. Maple body, Mahogany neck, Rosewood fingerboard. All solid. Also has a sort of guitar shaped frame, the bottom one non-removable, the top one is removable.
The electronics are in a plastic box on the back and have a digital reverb with off-room-hall sound. There are Volume, Treb and Bass (passive) knobs, a headphone out with it's own volume as well as an aux out with it's own vol. The pick up is a B-Band and has a nice natural sound through the head phones and even sounds quite good through an amp. There are no string to string trim pots (like on the Gibson Chet) and the Bass seems slightly quieter than the treble strings, but livable.

Quiet operation. Sound is good (as I said above) the reverb, though not adjustable sounds good

The finish is the kind that has some dips in the grain on the back of the neck. The front looks great. I think it was an error by Yamaha to not make both frame pieces removable. I also forsee the maple horn on the lower frame (which seems to by attached with two screws) coming lose at some point. I think the frame also tends to bite into your arm where you rest it. The frame could have been shaped to be quite comfy, but it it rather sharp in that spot. The black plastic box that holds the electronics is totally cheese-log and is the weakest link. I suspect that it would be easy to shatter the area around the jack and there would be no way to fix it other than to get a new plastic box. Perhaps Yamaha will make a deluxe performance model. Also the carving where the neck transitions to the peghead is a bit rough. All that said it is a clever design, weighs nothing and I am sure Yamaha can correct these flaws on future models (I hope so anyway). Also, it could be said..what do you want for $450.00

I think of Yamaha as usually bulletproof products but I have my doubts about how bulletproof this is. It is, of course just made to practice with, but because it looks cool I will have to take it on the gig. So, we'll see.

No Idea. But, Hey Yamaha I'd love to consult with you on developing a performance version of this.

I have played for 33 years...give or take. My other guitars include: Gibson Chet Atkins Classic, Classic by John H Dick, Mapson Jazz Standard, Klein Electric, 53 Tele, Gibson 335, Gibson 330, 3 by Tom Holmes. Amps:Fender - "66 Vibrolux Reverb, Vibro King, Benson, Dredgetone, AER Compact 60.
I love the look of the Yamaha and the weight. It sounds quite good too. I just wish it were better built. But there isn't anything that comes close in this price range so overall...it's great.