APX guitars (Yamaha Guitars in general)

Member Name: DavidStrood

Product:	Yamaha Guitars in general
Date:	09/10/00 (1166 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: GREAT EQUIPMENT

Disadvantages: NOT CHEAP

Buying a guitar is a task bound by many limitations.
a) Amount of money to spend.
The APX range of guitars is not cheap, but it is possible to find narrow bodied ones for about £400.
The range extends to prices in excess of £1,000 for those who can afford them.
Many cheaper guitars suffer with bad intonation (i.e. they are in tune for open chords but just sound out of tune when cappo'd or when playing bar chords up the fingerboard.)
I can honestly say I've never heard an APX with this problem.

b) Expected use for the guitar!
The APX range are electro-acoustic. Not really suited to heavy metal work!
The narrow bodied guitars do tend to sound (like other narrow bodied guitars) rather like a cardboard box when played any distance up the fretboard.
But when they are plugged into an amplifier they produce some of the sweetest 'round' sounds I've ever heard.

For amplified work the narrow bodied guitars are a good choice but for unplugged work the deeper bodied (& more expensive) guitars are needed. These sound good unplugged& plugged!

Some of the guitars are fitted with two pick-ups. The output can be mixed between the two pickups, which when added to the bas and treble lift /cut controls gives a very useful sound range.

c) Level of expertise of the buyer.
As a bigginer I found it hard to judge the differences between guitars. Also due to my limited knowledge I used to feel over-awed by the actual buying experience. You really must try several guitars before you find the one you want.
Sending the extra money on a quality instrument is I'm sure the best way forward. I had played the guitar for over 10 years before buying my first APX. My playing improved noticably mainly due to the fact I enjoyed the sound the guitar made.

The only APX guitar I personally do not like is the 'travelling' one. So if you are looking for a great guitar try any YAMAHA APX excep
t that one!

Summary: