Review : Yamaha TransAcoustic Acoustic Guitar

This time, I review the surprising Yamaha TransAcoustic guitar. When I first read about the idea, I wondered about the value proposition. With the support of Aaron at The Arts Music Store, I was able to obtain one for the purposes of a review. This review could not have happened without their support.

Black and Beautiful in Sound and Looks

It is my position that for your dollar you will not find a better acoustic guitar under $2000 than those from Yamaha. In fact, their higher end models challenge and surpass many of the better known names. I don’t understand why more shops and more people are not aware of how amazing these instruments are. The model that I received is called the FG-TA and arrived in a stunning gloss black. Yamaha understands the importance of a top line finish, and this instrument in black is deep and gorgeous, a proper piano black with none of the ugly and cheap looking matte finishes. You can swim in the depth of the paint.

Specifications

The FG-TA is a dreadnought sized and shaped body. This is a 1st Generation TransAcoustic which means lighter and less expensive than the more electronically complex 2nd Generation. It has a solid spruce top over laminated mahogany sides and back. The top vibrates wonderfully and the stiffer sides and back push the sound out the front, not losing energy in trying to vibrate the sides or back.

The new scalloped bracing makes for a nicely loud guitar. It does include Yamaha’s own TransAcoustic SYSTEM 70 pickup, but that’s not what is the real value add here. The scale length is 25 9/16 inches and the neck is made from Nato with a real Rosewood fingerboard. It comes from the factory with Elixir 80/20 Nanoweb strings and my quick check says that they are 12 - 52s. I’m not a fan of Elixirs or strings that heavy, but that is a moot point. Strings are inexpensive, put on what you like.

The real differentiator here is the built in TransAcoustic system that provides built in reverb and chorus, each individually controllable. I confess that I initially wondered what the point was. Then I played the guitar in a variety of different locations and that’s where the advantages show up.

The Sound of Reality

We’ve all tried out acoustic guitars in acoustic guitar rooms, with proper walls, floors and managed reflections. Guitars always sound best in these places, and there are shops that build rooms for this purpose. But we then play them in acoustically dead places, or outside, or in very live locations and the sound is not the same.

The TransAcoustic system is designed to provide the sound of that perfect studio room, regardless of where you are when you play the guitar and in my opinion, it does a really stellar job.

If you are seeking a sproingy reverb or swooshy chorus, you will not find that in this guitar. SUBTLE is how it works. So wonderfully subtle you don’t realize it is there until you turn it off and then things are not quite as open and resonant.

The system runs on a pair of AA batteries that powers a circuit board installed inside the guitar. On the upper side near the neck is a gain control and an individual control for the depth of each of the reverb and the chorus. Many superb acoustic preamps such as the Tech21NYC Acoustic Rig include robust reverbs and choruses that can be quite obvious as effects. The TransAcoustic is not that in any way. So long as the buyer understands this, success probability is high, but expectations should be set properly.

Playing the Guitar

No matter which Yamaha acoustic I have ever picked up, I have yet to find one that was not immediately playable. The same is true for this FG-TA Transacoustic. The guitar is comfortable and comes equipped with well positioned strap lugs. It fits the body well and while a dreadnought, i would still say it is playable by those of smaller stature. The factory neck set and action were just fine. I would go for lighter strings, but that is my personal preference. The sound is rich and well balanced without being boomy. The neck is smooth on the back and the fretwork is superb. Barre chords in the first position don’t require a vice grip and both chords and single lines ring out very well.

One thing that I would like to see changed is an external LED to indicate when the TransAcoustic system is active. There is a green LED but it is deep inside the soundhole. I would rather it be built into the on/off volume switch/knob. Depending on the play location you can then use the TA functions if you wish and control the level of the chorus and reverb independently. Thus you can have one or the other or both, your choice. There are no presets or other dumbing down, the choice is entirely in the player’s hands.

I did plug the guitar into an AER Compact 60 amp and I would say that Yamaha’s preamp is quite decent, better than basic piezo pickups, but would benefit from an external preamp such as my favoured K&K Pure Preamp as I find in most all cases.

Audio Examples

To make the two recordings I ran the guitar directly into a Line In port on the Clarett+ 8 Pre. Both tracks use exactly the same setup using the Abbey Road EMI12345 channels and then the final output is mastered using the Abbey Road TG Mastering unit. The differences in the recorded parts are very subtle with no effects on the first track and both reverb and chorus enabled in the guitar on the second track. However, when listening acoustically, the subtle effects are much more present and the greater the distance, the more warmth and space you hear. it’s really quite brilliant, albeit to repeat myself, subtle.

Wrapping Up

At $899.99 MAP, I don’t think that there is a better acoustic guitar at the price point. I would of course always recommend a gig bag, a tuner and an in case humidifier as none of these come with the guitar. Other than those items, it’s ready to go and a complete joy to play. It sounds great, and you would be well served, playing on your own, at your cottage or camp, or at a coffee house gig.

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