Hands-On Product Review: Yamaha APX Acoustic-Electrics
New models—all made to be played onstage
By Kent Chamberlain
Yamaha APX Acoustic Guitars
Yamaha’s APX Series of thinline acoustic-electrics have proven popular since their introduction more than a decade ago. They’re neat guitars—intended for performance and designed to be comfortable for electric players who want an easy transition into playing acoustic. Now Yamaha has upgraded and extended the series with five new models. I just had the chance to play three of them—the APX500, APX700, and APX900—and here’s what I found.
Performance oriented
The APX guitars are designed for performance. They are thinlines, but not the skinny kind of thinline that tries to emulate an electric. Such guitars only sound decent when plugged-in and often not even then. The APX models are only thinned a little—enough to be comfortable, but not so much that it wipes out any tone. They sound surprisingly good unplugged—a bright, crisp sound that amplifies well.
The APX body shape is compact in width and height and has a cutaway for free upper fret access. It’s a very comfortable design, and the neck is especially fast—very much like the neck on an electric. If you mainly play electric guitar, you’ll feel quite at home on an APX when you switch.
For stage use you need electronics, and the APX guitars are well equipped in this regard. All models feature active preamps with 3-band EQ, midsweep, an easy-to-use tuner, and a battery status LED. The pickup in the APX500 is an under-saddle piezo. The APX700 and APX900 use a new design contact pickup that sounds really smooth. Yamaha calls it Acoustic Resonance Transducer technology or A.R.T. for short. The controls are mounted on the upper side where you can see them and make adjustments easily. Even the battery can be changed without unstrapping the guitar.
Showtime looks
The smaller body size, the electric-style neck, and sophisticated electronics are all practical features that make APX guitars stage-friendly, but part of the show is the show. You want to look good, and a guitar with a little style and flash helps. The APX guitars are lookers, especially the 700 and 900. Abalone and mother-of-pearl inlays, generous multi-ply bindings, and great finishes give all the APX models eye appeal, while gorgeous flamed maple and gold tuners on the APX900 make it a knockout. One notable detail on all three models is an oval sound hole—a distinctive touch.
Yamaha APX Acoustic Guitars
Yamaha APX Acoustic Guitars
The APX500
The APX500 is low man on the APX totem pole, but for its modest price it’s pretty sweet. It replaces the popular APX5A; and the story here is better guitar, lower price.
The improvements are extensive. A digital tuner has been added to the preamp. Mother-of-pearl inlays, neck binding, and a gloss finish on the neck are new. A compensated saddle, thinner heel, combo strap button and end pin jack, and upgraded machine heads make it more playable and the modern design mother-of-pearl rosette inlay gives it visual distinction.
For a guitar of its price, the APX500 is well done up. It’s bound on the top and bottom, and the fingerboard has enough shell inlay to catch the stage lights. On top of that, the APX500 has a nice headstock florette and logo in real pearl. The dot markers are pearl and also the rosette inlay. The finish looks great too.
One of the best features of the APX500 is the quality of its neck and fretboard. The frets are beautifully dressed. The fretboard is smooth, high-quality rosewood. I was especially impressed by the action. Affordable acoustics usually need some adjustment of the action and intonation when you get them, but the APX500 was perfect right out of the box.
The APX700
As you would expect, everything is nicer on this model: more binding plies, abalone as well as mother-of-pearl inlays, a step-up preamp, etc.
The biggest step-up features are a solid Sitka spruce top for more resonance and better tone, and improved electronics. Instead of a piezo pickup it uses the new one-way A.R.T. contact pickup system—much mellower than a piezo—and it reduces feedback significantly. Combined with the solid top, it gives the APX700 seriously good sound.
The APX900
The APX900 amps up everything again. It has the same preamp as the 700 and the same contact pickup, but in a three-way system rather than a one-way. This three-way system includes a main pickup plus two additional pickups, one on the bass side and another on the treble. With separate control of each pickup’s level, you can tweak them for perfect balance and natural sound, even when playing high on the neck. The fretboard and bridge are ebony. It has gold tuners, more elaborate inlay, and headstock binding. The most significant upgrade is, again, in the woods. It has a solid spruce top and flamed maple back and sides with the flames visible through a gorgeous transparent finish.
Yamaha has done a great job with the new APX models. The three give you a great selection of prices and features, and there is a left-handed version of the APX700 plus an APX700 12-String. For what they are and what they do, they are fantastic guitars: great necks, small bodies, high-quality electronics, and showtime visuals. For a performance-worthy acoustic-electric that’s modestly priced, you’ll have a hard time doing better than a Yamaha APX.
APX500 features:
* Spruce top
* Nato neck (on all models), back, and sides
* Rosewood fretboard and bridge
* Mother-of-pearl inlay on rosette, fretboard, & headstock
* Piezo pickup
* Active preamp with 3-band EQ and tuner
* Body and neck binding
* Dark red burst, black, natural or oriental blue burst finish
APX700 features:
* Solid spruce top
* Mahogany back and sides
* Rosewood fretboard and bridge
* Abalone inlay on rosette
* Mother-of-pearl inlay on fretboard and headstock
* New design A.R.T. contact pickup system (one-way)
* Active preamp with 3-band EQ and tuner
* Body, neck, and headstock binding
* Sand burst, natural, dusk sun red, cobalt or black finish
APX900 features:
* Solid spruce top
* Flamed maple back and sides
* Ebony fretboard and bridge
* Abalone inlay on rosette
* Mother-of-pearl fretboard and headstock inlay
* New design A.R.T. contact pickup system (3-way)
* Active preamp with 3-band EQ and tuner
* Body, neck, and headstock binding
* Gold tuners
* Ultramarine, black, natural or crimson burst finish
