*Notes/Corrections* 9:55 There actually is an undo/redo function that I missed, my apologies. Long press the record button deletes the last layer, or adds it back. Nice.
Thanks Paul, another great detailed video! It the challenge playing live with the looper just too difficult to stop the live loop over a chorus/bridge? Looks like it could be good in a live situation for specific loop-able songs? Or no?
another better product resonator tech is Hyvibe, it can be put into any of your own guitars.... small french shop.... Yamaha just cloned Hyvibes tech.... check it out...many more options than just loops...which are fun if you play all alone...great way to practice.... hyvibeguitar
True! Also, the core sound is not quantified based on reverb and delay. The recorded track always sounds better than actually playing the instrument itself, iyuyk
@@jonashamre9738 It's all the same Yamaha, from bikes to boat engines to grand pianos to guitar straps and tuners. Yamaha Motor Company is now seperate, but it was spun off from the rest of Yamaha Corp. I too have found everything I ever owned from them was well made and often higher quality than you would expect for the price.
I've played every accoustic going in my local guitar shop martin, yamaha, epiphone, and nothing comes close to Yamaha their guitars are absolutely incredible
I have the Yamaha AC1M and I will put it up against any 2-4K guitar. It’s what I call the Freak. I have the Brass guide pins on bridge and Tone wood on it.
Yamaha always makes consistently good instruments across their whole lineup, I guess that shouldn't be that surprising considering they started up making instruments 140 years ago.
I have trying few Yamaha's acoustics, and that was very average, nothing "wow" in them. In comparison, even cheapest Taylor was much much better in sound end expression.
I had a AC1M sat for over a year, sold it still in tune. Recently bought an AC3M love it. Brain says no they're mainstream but they are so nice. 💯😎🙏👌📼✅
I've used the same Yamaha acoustic for 21 years that's still a joy to play. This is my next guitar. The ability to be able to mess around like this without an amp and pedals is just perfect for me as a casual player. Taking this on trips will be awesome.
I think there is a sensible reason for the cable being the way it is: for one, having a magnetic connection like that makes it so that if the cable gets caught while you're playing, that it'll just come apart without breaking; and for two, the cable being that short is likely so you can plug it into a power brick in your pocket. A lot of people keep a power brick on them these days, and it would be sensible for Yamaha to have considered that with the portable nature of acoustic guitars. Great video as always, cheers
@@twalander9248 ummm ... no ... Power bricks tend to have multiple ports, mine has micro, as well as both usb A and C, the cable he is complaining about is proprietary on one end and USB a on the other.
I think it's less about the cable breaking but more about lowering the risk of the guitar flying through the room because someone tripped over the cable
The reverb effect is really just a natural extension of sympathetic resonance strings. It makes sense. And the chorus makes it sound like a 12-string. Which also makes sense.
You sound fancy, but you are wrong son. Reverb has nothing to do with sympathetic resonance. The latter is like a 12 string guitar. The other string, or simulated string sounds in response to the main string and is usually heard at an octave higher or lower. It adds flavor and a nice doubling effect. By contrast, reverb simple adds a sense of space or depth. It's main hallmark is that it adds a subtle echo and decay. In most cases, the effects simulates or exaggerate natural reverberations. What's next- care to school us on quantum entanglement? Give that a go and I will correct you again. Keep learnings- Namaste.
Hi Paul. It was great to jam with you at Guitar Summit. Thank you for that and thank you for this video. I am dying to try these and I love seeing innovation in the acoustic guitar world!
@@scottbecker3485 I did! I’ll post it today as its own video. I have my eye on a TAG too. Waiting for Sweetwater to get a good one. Let me know how it is!
@@aaronshortmusic Looking forward to that video, and to your own impressions of the TAG3 when it comes. If it sounds and plays at least as good as my FG-TA (which isn‘t even all solid wood, but sounds amazing), it‘s destined to become my main gigging guitar, despite Paul‘s slight reservations about that - but he‘s in a totally different league when it comes to his playing. ;-) I‘m hoping the looper can also be used to tap simple rhythms into the guitar for a bit of foundation, as I‘ve seen a couple of TH-camrs do. That would be a godsend, especially for quick-and-dirty gigs not calling for a VL3X or full-fledged pedalboard. One downside of the TAG3 (for me) is that if I wanted to use its onboard effects AND a VL3X for vocal harmonies, then the guide signal coming out of the guitar (and being input into the VL3X) would have reverb and such on it, thus muddying the waters for vocal harmony generation. It would be great if Yamaha would let us use a Y cable to split the raw output and the effects. But that‘s about the only downside I can see so far. How to best message you on my experience with the TAG3 when it comes? Under one of your videos, or some other way?
@@lawlinyourface Sad story: The shop I ordered from (who assured me they had them „in stock“) sent me an e-mail weeks later confessing the supplier hadn‘t sent them the promised stock in time for the agreed delivery date. Fairly enough, they gave me the chance to cancel the order and get a refund, which I promptly did, because I lost trust in them (Gear4Music). At least the refund did come several days later. So I pre-ordered - in Sunburst - from Thomann here in Germany, and they are listing availability as „in several months“. :-( If you get yours sooner, please let me know what you think.
Robby Calvo, a great guitarist, represents Yamaha and he did a 9 layer loop and really added alot of details not mentioned here. He said it was made for the professional and was gig ready by design using an external amp, with it's own volume knob. The power cable is the same on used on Microsoft Surface to connect the keyboard
@@Joe_Montfort they really are. I live in a town of 20.000 people in northern Iceland so when I saw an FS5 in our small music store (yes we have one) I was very quick to go try and buy. It was in December 2020 so they were extremely hard to find back then. Similar when I found an FG5 in September 2023. Stummed it and bought it! I wasn't gonna miss out on them 🙂
Why can't I ever stop watching your videos Paul? Not only are you an excellent musician...you are a master presenter. Thanks for showing others what excellence looks like, sounds like and how it makes us feel. Big skies!
Thank you for an even handed unbiased review. One of the problems with TH-cam is that too many reviewers have been compromised by their commercial sponsors.
i'm sold literally the first moment i saw the looper in the vid.. made me open a new tab and see how much it is.. then i quickly went back to watching lmao
There is a market slot for this guitar, I think individual performers at restaurants and coffee houses would like this and be able to use most of the effects. Probably not much use for studio musicians IMO. Thanks Paul, great review!
For studio musicians this guitar without all the technology plays like a high end instrument, it is a fantastic guitar itself. And for songwriters, it is one hell of a tool
I feel like it's a pretty cool fireside guitar too. Can get some cool effects without having to pull out a bunch of cables, amps, and pedals. Just start and play. If I had the money I'd definitely buy it.
Genius idea. 🔥 Looping is amazing, but it usually takes too much effort to plug everything in!!! + This can look like magic, a bit like self playing piano, which adds to the cool factor 😎
love the idea! i'm not a experienced fingerpicker but sometimes when playing for myself its exactly what i want. get a quick loop to try things out. instead of plugging the guitar into the PC, use a recording software and handle different stuff it looks so easy to create nice stuff very simple.
My long fingered brother had a 12 string Yamaha he played beautifully. For some odd reason, even i, with regular small hands played it alright enough. I miss both him & his guitar. This one sounds lovely! I'll seek it out next visit to my local music store.
I'd love a video with you doing a few full loops on this guitar. There's something very relaxing about watching / hearing a loop instrumental come together.
Sure, the cable could be longer but they gave you the magnetic connector so that you wouldn't bust the USB-C socket as you yank on the cable. This is actually a thoughtful move on their part. Very nice; very demure; very Japanese.
@@EnglishPalette Never had that problem over the past 50 years I have been playing the guitar. Really it is just an excuse for Yamaha to go down the proprietary route yet again. They have been doing this for decades. If there is a complicated way to do something, Yamaha will always find it.
I literally just yesterday upgraded my Taylor 114e to the Yamaha AC3R. I can't beleive that I've slept on yamaha acoustics for so long, thinking that i needed to look for the main brands (gibson, taylor, martin, etc) The AC3R is exactly the gyitar I've been looking for. Cant wait to break it in more.
I bought a used AC3R (first generation) a few years ago. Awesome guitar. Same preamp as in my CPX-1200II which gives the sound engineers a great sounding signal they’re very happy with. But both my Yamaha guitars improved even more when I replace the stock saddle and nut for ones that are made of unbleached bone.
Welcome to (inexpensive) guitar heaven. I keep giggin with an Ac3R (1st version) and a nylon nt3x, couldn’t ask for any better. The atmosfeel system sounds absolutely great
This would be incredibly useful for me. I often layer guitar parts in my music, so this would save me from having to set up a mic and my DAW to start messing with ideas. I could literally just write from my couch. I think it's very cool!
The sound quality and volume on this Yamaha guitar are impressive! Yamaha consistently delivers top-notch products. I've used a Yamaha acoustic for over two decades and it's still a joy to play. This innovative guitar is perfect for casual players who like to experiment without extra equipment. Excited to take this on my next trip!
Sounds amazing. I still have my first Yamaha guitar, an FG 420E 12-string bought for me as a birthday present by my grandma in around 1982 (cost 140 quid or something around there). It has been coveted by quite a few people over the years for it's tone and volume. You can't really go wrong with a Yamaha.
My FG-TA has held up to some solid abuse over 3 years, reverb up to max and turn the offensive chorus off and it’s really inspiring. This seems the natural progression. The review you did was what swung my purchase 🤘
Good for you for taking this on. Revolutionary! I hope it's a big success for folks like me, afraid for decades to dive into pedals and performance recording.
The only guitar I own is a $300 Yamaha. This is pretty cool but I’m not a performer. This sits firmly in the “maybe one day” category for me as my upgrade guitar. The upgrade purely being the cool built in effects and looper. Probably during a sale though.
I did some research after you reviewed the transacoustic, and eventually went out and bought myself one. I might have to get one of these, too. Not needing any other equipment just to tool around in my basement-or anywhere else-is fantastic.
Yamaha has done it again - I need one of these! I've been a Yamaha fan for years. A Pacifica and two THR amps, and I still use them. I tell people all the time that Yamaha has been in the sound business for years - they know what they're doing.
Amazing video! I never expected this from a guitar. It's not just the looper, but how they integrated it so seamlessly to sound like multiple guitars without overlapping sounds. It feels so natural - truly impressive!
Maybe I missed it, but you never said how long a loop it can create. That is a critical point when it comes to using it for anything to me. Cool stuff 😊
I had the first generation TransAcoustic. I started to feel like I used the effect so much, to the point that regular acoustic sounded bland and boring. As soon as you turn the effects off, the sound felt “boring”. Ended up getting rid of it to re-appreciate the traditional simplicity and lack of electronics of a standard acoustic. I also don’t love knowing that the technology will be dated, break or obsolete at some point That being said, these guitars sound incredible and are a riot to play. Super innovative tech. Would really love to try out this one out.
It's funny that Paul's video, in three days, garnered more views than all other videos (combined) on this guitar on all of TH-cam, including all of Yamaha's official videos. :P
Man.... so good. I hope creators like you always exist in this platform. Have not touched my guitar in a while, just watching this made me wanna pick up and start practicing again.
I was surprised you said it wasn't for live use. In fact, that was the main thing I could see it being useful for. Why would you need it in the studio when you can choose between hundreds of different reverbs and delays in your DAW? Isn't it useful to be able to bring this guitar to a solo acoustic gig and not need any pedals? I personally wouldn't pay hundreds extra for built-in effects if I'm only going to use it at home. I guess I might if I didn't already have a DAW and hundreds of stock and 3rd party plugins. The effects do sound really good. Don't get me wrong. I'd just rather get the same quality guitar without the effects for cheaper.
I think it would be cool to just pick this thing up and play on the couch or just for having effects available for inspiration. It's incredible how differently I play when there are effects involved.😊
Honestly, I don't think $1600 is expensive for this guitar. If it is the quality in person as Paul indicates in this video, I could definitely seeing it selling a lot. If I was a street musician it seems like it would be great. I'm not so I won't haha.
Having both Martin and Yamaha I can tell you Yamaha is wildly underrated from thier $300 guitars to their $1500 guitars. They blow everyone else way in terms on value
@@christopherhawthorne5395I agree. I spent a weekend A/Bing my 000-28 ($3000), against my Yamaha FG-331 ($2-300 on reverb). The Martin was better, but by maybe 5-10% .....
You are one of the most likable reviewer on TH-cam! It is fantastic when you playing 'a' guitar, it just sound like heaven! But for this guitar... You actually said the parts why I wouldn't like it! Then you said how quick it is to get into looper mode... I'm sold! Anyway I needed to scan the whole of Europe to find it in stock. Bought it from Italy, I'm a swede, but the thing is after looking at this clip... I know this is my guitar! Paul, your clips here on TH-cam are the best, just love them! And your playing... is just... I can't explain it, but it is just wonderful!
As a soloist performer, I know this guitar will give me loads of creative options. Yamaha may not be my first choice in a guitar but I give them credit… They have always built a quality guitar for a reasonable price, and Yamaha consistently brings new and innovative ideas to the guitar world. Great work Yamaha and thank you Paul for this honest Demo.
As a guitar Luthier there's a lot of acoustic i handed including some of the top brands. There are three guitars i played with best sounding even the string ive used is cheap one. And thats the 1981 yamaha FG-365s II, Old samick acoustic And a old takamine elite series
I have a black label FG-160 from the 70s that was bought brand new by my step dad. I absolutely love it and gained so much more respect for Yamaha because of it. Glad they're still keeping up!
I have the previous version of this guitar. The Yamaha Transacoustic guitar experience is amazing and truly inspiring like no other instrument in my opinion. I love mine, now this version is in a new level
Basically giving it away at that price lol. I suspect they will release a LL model like the other transacoustics that are superior instruments without any effects.
My next guitar. The looper sells it for me. The next most immediate option for quickly capturing ideas still involves a guitar, a cable into a looper, a second cable from the looper into an amp, and power for both the looper and amp - and that’s bare-bones with no other effects. This is… just… right there. Unbeatable
Paul theres a guitar by tagima here in Brazil thats made entirely of bamboo wood, like every wood in the guitar is bamboo. I just got one and i think its incredible, specially given the cost (around $80us), you should give it a try it would make for a cool video
I have to tell you all, my mate had a Yamaha, blue in colour, from the 80's and the sound and action, was second to none, great guitars, that won't break the bank, thanks all, thanks for posting and thank you TH-cam ❤😂🎉
Wow this is everything I wanted the lava guitars to be. Somehow I didn't know yamaha had pervious versions of this. BUT THIS. This is different. Lava had cool effects but it's always gimmicky and the inherent guitar sucks. I don't know what composite materials it's made from but it sounds and plays like a sub 100 bucks guitar. This yamaha actually sounds like a competent guitar even without the effects. Plus effects that are actually useful, this is suddenly my next wishlist guitar! Thanks for showcasing this gem!
1 reason: supporting a huge corporation that makes everything from outboard motors to scooters to bikes and motorbikes, amps, speakers etc when there's specialty brands being killed trying to compete with their economies of scale. So yeah if you want a future where there's only 3 brands making guitars and they can set whatever price they want because there's no competition then sure, buy Yamaha...
@@jpvoxdawg Yamaha makes excellent motorbikes and pianos, though. Additionally, there are I don't think any company will own the craft of guitar making. Plenty of shops make guitars, and do so exceptionally well, across the world.
@didiercatz you don't want one corp making everything. This is how planned obsolescence came to be. Today there are guitars from the 60s that sound better than factory made modern guitars. Do you think these components will stand the test of time? They won't. Hence: gimmick. I don't hate Yamaha but we should all be aware of why we don't want monopolistic consumer culture.
I am buying one of those tomorrow. I was going to anyway, but now i am for sure. Thanks for this, bro. Just so you know, I often play along with these just to jam with you a bit. If you ever find yourself in Missouri, please let me know, it would be a blast.
I guess having a magnet is not that bad just in case something snags on the cable and yanks it out or you grab it forgetting it’s still connected. At least it’s less likely to damage a port.
The best of both world situation would have been a USB-C breakaway cable. You keep the security aspect (protecting the port, guitar and charger in case of an impromptu tug) but you could still replace it in a cinch with any USB-C cable laying around should you forget/misplace/loose the original cable, or if you need a longer cable for any reason.
@@HalfpennyTerwilligerExactly. There are connectors for USB-C ports that have magnetic half that splits off when pulled. It allows USB-C charging ports in laptops to have something like the Magsafe connectors on Apple laptops
My TonewoodAmp may be an external unit, but it can be removed in an instant. It only does eight different effects that can be used only one at a time. However... with the acoustic pickup packaged in, it was $350 (I think).
Wow, never knew these kinds of instruments existed! It absolutely blew me away - and for a young me who was learning guitar I would've absolutely loved it for practicing improvisation etc. Or just for the feeling of having "someone" to play with. I would still buy it in a heart beat if I was still playing guitar though, it's an amazing plaything!
I understand the sentiment (and I have an FSx5), but really all of the electronics mounted on the soundboard would kill that "extra" you get on those higher-end guitars. I think Yamaha did wisely to pair it with solid woods but not go over the top.
Don’t you miss sound projection to yourself? I think I’ll go for a resonator for that price range. At half the price I wouldn’t doubt, but 1500€ for a guitar that will be outdated in 2 years is a lot. Things just get started in this domain.
@@paulneedham9885 Not much, budget and making the right choice. I already have a solid wood which I play daily. Looking for a new spark of joy and inspiration. This guitar distracted me from my original idea, being a resonator. I love how the looper is integrated, great UX. Solid sounding guitar. But not worth it for me for the price at this point.
Never disregard Yamaha as a serious guitar brand. I have the FS5 and its sound always makes me smile. You get what you pay for with Yamaha. You get what you want others to see you have with Taylor.
Great intro, it hooked me right in. Even if someone watching only the first 2 minutes, I think they would still get the context right away. Great intro, great guitar!
I think the magnetic cable is a good idea, it's safer to avoid having the guitar knocked down by accident if the cable is pulled. There's a reason why Apple brought it back to the MBP, it wasn't just to save on a USB port. And you can always extend it on the mains plug side.
Just in case anyone is interested LAG guitars has been making basically the same thing for years putting the HyVibe system in some of their guitars. They are pretty good guitars and are cheaper than this and have a few more features. But Yamaha make really good reliable guitars so I’m sure this one is no different. I have an older trans acoustic guitar from Yamaha and it’s just a great guitar in general even before any other features.
I remember Paul Davids saying he just came up with the chord progression, but it's literally just the song Wolves by Selena Gomez that came out in 2017. Not saying anyone stole it, but it's probably just two people just coming up with the same chord progression independently.
*Notes/Corrections*
9:55 There actually is an undo/redo function that I missed, my apologies. Long press the record button deletes the last layer, or adds it back.
Nice.
But still you cannot use it in a live gig situation ;)
A cool comparison would be with the lag Hyvibe
@@bielarturWhy not?
Thanks Paul, another great detailed video! It the challenge playing live with the looper just too difficult to stop the live loop over a chorus/bridge? Looks like it could be good in a live situation for specific loop-able songs? Or no?
another better product resonator tech is Hyvibe, it can be put into any of your own guitars.... small french shop.... Yamaha just cloned Hyvibes tech.... check it out...many more options than just loops...which are fun if you play all alone...great way to practice.... hyvibeguitar
This is nuts, the sound quality and volume of the actuators really sold it, wow.
True! Also, the core sound is not quantified based on reverb and delay. The recorded track always sounds better than actually playing the instrument itself, iyuyk
@@JohnPRaoyeah I'm interested to hear the difference between this and a video recorded on someone's cell phone in their bedroom
Even the cheaper Yamaha acoustic guitars sound absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure how they do it. They have some amazing people on their design teams.
Have you tried a Fishman Mini amp? If not, I suggest you give one a go.
So how does it work ?
Are there speakers in it?
Everything Yamaha makes is of quality. I got Motorcycles , guitars, stereos, ect and across the board Yamaha is one of the goats.
Me too
Yamaha Tenere was my first bike 💪
Those are two different companies though 😊 But I do agree about the quality!
@@jonashamre9738 It's all the same Yamaha, from bikes to boat engines to grand pianos to guitar straps and tuners.
Yamaha Motor Company is now seperate, but it was spun off from the rest of Yamaha Corp.
I too have found everything I ever owned from them was well made and often higher quality than you would expect for the price.
industrial robots.
I've played every accoustic going in my local guitar shop martin, yamaha, epiphone, and nothing comes close to Yamaha their guitars are absolutely incredible
I have the Yamaha AC1M and I will put it up against any 2-4K guitar. It’s what I call the Freak. I have the Brass guide pins on bridge and Tone wood on it.
Yamaha always makes consistently good instruments across their whole lineup, I guess that shouldn't be that surprising considering they started up making instruments 140 years ago.
i tried the LL & AC line recently and wasnt impressed at all, 80/20 strings were on it
Furch & Martin were impressive
@@Dell-ol6hb Yep, quality and consistency at all price ranges.
I have trying few Yamaha's acoustics, and that was very average, nothing "wow" in them.
In comparison, even cheapest Taylor was much much better in sound end expression.
Yamaha are the GOATS! No other manufacturer has consistently looked out for the everyman working musician like Yamaha
God, my squire is malfunctioning, not complaining since it was a free guitar but I hope I can upgrade to a Yamaha Pacifica this Christmas
@@juancgonzalez2102 I have a pacifica and I love it. Very good guitar for the money
I still think yamaha makes the best beginner guitars as well. The prices on their entry solid topped acoustics are phenomenal.
@@dudeanderson2401the Yamaha F310 is a crazy guitar for the price. They're practically free second hand as well.
I had a AC1M sat for over a year, sold it still in tune.
Recently bought an AC3M love it. Brain says no they're mainstream but they are so nice. 💯😎🙏👌📼✅
I've used the same Yamaha acoustic for 21 years that's still a joy to play. This is my next guitar. The ability to be able to mess around like this without an amp and pedals is just perfect for me as a casual player. Taking this on trips will be awesome.
Busker around the world have been waiting for this guitar.
Yup! I was thinking the same thing. I'll be paying one of these soon on the streets of Dublin!
that was my thought too.
Definitely some issues for busking
9:54 "there's no undo on the looper"
10:48 "charging cable is too short and is proprietary..."
Yeah I guess if you can afford this likely you are not a busker ...
@@frogblues At least the cable can be lengthened with a cheap USB extension cable.
I think there is a sensible reason for the cable being the way it is: for one, having a magnetic connection like that makes it so that if the cable gets caught while you're playing, that it'll just come apart without breaking; and for two, the cable being that short is likely so you can plug it into a power brick in your pocket. A lot of people keep a power brick on them these days, and it would be sensible for Yamaha to have considered that with the portable nature of acoustic guitars.
Great video as always, cheers
I think you got the right answer to this.
Bricks with... USB-C ports? The port this doesn't have?
@@twalander9248 ummm ... no ... Power bricks tend to have multiple ports, mine has micro, as well as both usb A and C, the cable he is complaining about is proprietary on one end and USB a on the other.
nailed it
I think it's less about the cable breaking but more about lowering the risk of the guitar flying through the room because someone tripped over the cable
1:07 that moment you hit the circle it blew me away!! That's an amazing tool for singer/songwriter live music
he hit it on 0:07 not 1;07
@@MikeShPr good catch. Thanks
Yeah would be an amazing song writing guitar
The reverb effect is really just a natural extension of sympathetic resonance strings. It makes sense. And the chorus makes it sound like a 12-string. Which also makes sense.
You sound fancy, but you are wrong son. Reverb has nothing to do with sympathetic resonance. The latter is like a 12 string guitar. The other string, or simulated string sounds in response to the main string and is usually heard at an octave higher or lower. It adds flavor and a nice doubling effect. By contrast, reverb simple adds a sense of space or depth. It's main hallmark is that it adds a subtle echo and decay. In most cases, the effects simulates or exaggerate natural reverberations. What's next- care to school us on quantum entanglement? Give that a go and I will correct you again.
Keep learnings- Namaste.
Crikey - your dad is a harsh critic
Namaste indeed! You could use a little zen Moab Utah…
Hi Paul. It was great to jam with you at Guitar Summit. Thank you for that and thank you for this video. I am dying to try these and I love seeing innovation in the acoustic guitar world!
So you met and played with this amazing player and human!?! So cool. My TAG3 is on order and due to arrive on Oct. 27/28.
@@scottbecker3485 I did! I’ll post it today as its own video. I have my eye on a TAG too. Waiting for Sweetwater to get a good one. Let me know how it is!
@@aaronshortmusic Looking forward to that video, and to your own impressions of the TAG3 when it comes. If it sounds and plays at least as good as my FG-TA (which isn‘t even all solid wood, but sounds amazing), it‘s destined to become my main gigging guitar, despite Paul‘s slight reservations about that - but he‘s in a totally different league when it comes to his playing. ;-) I‘m hoping the looper can also be used to tap simple rhythms into the guitar for a bit of foundation, as I‘ve seen a couple of TH-camrs do. That would be a godsend, especially for quick-and-dirty gigs not calling for a VL3X or full-fledged pedalboard. One downside of the TAG3 (for me) is that if I wanted to use its onboard effects AND a VL3X for vocal harmonies, then the guide signal coming out of the guitar (and being input into the VL3X) would have reverb and such on it, thus muddying the waters for vocal harmony generation. It would be great if Yamaha would let us use a Y cable to split the raw output and the effects. But that‘s about the only downside I can see so far. How to best message you on my experience with the TAG3 when it comes? Under one of your videos, or some other way?
@@scottbecker3485 do you like it?? What color did you get? I have to wait 2 months!
@@lawlinyourface Sad story: The shop I ordered from (who assured me they had them „in stock“) sent me an e-mail weeks later confessing the supplier hadn‘t sent them the promised stock in time for the agreed delivery date. Fairly enough, they gave me the chance to cancel the order and get a refund, which I promptly did, because I lost trust in them (Gear4Music). At least the refund did come several days later. So I pre-ordered - in Sunburst - from Thomann here in Germany, and they are listing availability as „in several months“. :-( If you get yours sooner, please let me know what you think.
Robby Calvo, a great guitarist, represents Yamaha and he did a 9 layer loop and really added alot of details not mentioned here. He said it was made for the professional and was gig ready by design using an external amp, with it's own volume knob. The power cable is the same on used on Microsoft Surface to connect the keyboard
Man, Paul you are such a nice guy amongst lots of asshats on youtube and I really appreciate you for that. Keep on doing what you do bro ❤
Lmao absolutely!
My Yamaha Trans-Acoustic is my favorite. It fills the room with sound when it's turned on. Even off it sounds and plays great
The first trans acoustic got me on my new guitar search. Went through a dozen brands and ended up with the Yamaha Ac5R. Absolutely love it.
Don't tell J K Rowling.
Totally agree,,,,,,I have the same Yamaha Ac5R
i got a AC3R, not a single regret in buying it, great guitar.
@@Varocka nice. I likely will get one of those one day too. Was considering the mahogany but I really like the rosewood
Thanks!
Can't go wrong with Yamaha. I have both the FS5 and FG5 red labels and they are sooo good. Lovely guitars.
I’m envious. The Red Label 5 models are amazing.
@@Joe_Montfort they really are. I live in a town of 20.000 people in northern Iceland so when I saw an FS5 in our small music store (yes we have one) I was very quick to go try and buy. It was in December 2020 so they were extremely hard to find back then. Similar when I found an FG5 in September 2023. Stummed it and bought it! I wasn't gonna miss out on them 🙂
I have a FG-TA. I never use the chorus, but i LOVE the reverb. Adding a looper sound just perfect
The chorus is great! Loved chorus since the early 70’s.
Hi, the TAG3C does have an undo function for the looper! Hold the record/play button for an undo/redo
Will holding the record/play button remove only the newest layer or all layers? Thanks in advance :)
@@place2charge_official undo will remove just the newest recording pass layer. Hold again and it will redo that layer
@@place2charge_official
@@place2charge_officialthe newest layer.
@@place2charge_officialdid you ever find an answer to this?
Why can't I ever stop watching your videos Paul? Not only are you an excellent musician...you are a master presenter. Thanks for showing others what excellence looks like, sounds like and how it makes us feel. Big skies!
Thank you for an even handed unbiased review. One of the problems with TH-cam is that too many reviewers have been compromised by their commercial sponsors.
But he is also sponsored xD
😂😂😂😂@@MrCadrigar
I don't see any links for the yamaha guitar in the description @@MrCadrigar
No such thing as unbiased. Every guitar is 8/10 or higher. Otherwise they don't get next guitar sent by company.
Thanks
i'm sold literally the first moment i saw the looper in the vid.. made me open a new tab and see how much it is.. then i quickly went back to watching lmao
Right? The price is a major buzzkill. Come on, Yamaha
That's literally what I just did 😂😂😂😂
But I'm still on the look out
@@Lgpforgetthischannel it’s crazy expensive but I just decided what the hell and went for it lol
I'm still rocking a 1973 Yamaha acoustic guitar. No other acoustic guitar plays like it. It's warm, scooped mids, and bright on the high end.
There is a market slot for this guitar, I think individual performers at restaurants and coffee houses would like this and be able to use most of the effects. Probably not much use for studio musicians IMO. Thanks Paul, great review!
For studio musicians this guitar without all the technology plays like a high end instrument, it is a fantastic guitar itself. And for songwriters, it is one hell of a tool
I feel like it's a pretty cool fireside guitar too. Can get some cool effects without having to pull out a bunch of cables, amps, and pedals. Just start and play.
If I had the money I'd definitely buy it.
Genius idea. 🔥 Looping is amazing, but it usually takes too much effort to plug everything in!!! + This can look like magic, a bit like self playing piano, which adds to the cool factor 😎
love the idea! i'm not a experienced fingerpicker but sometimes when playing for myself its exactly what i want. get a quick loop to try things out. instead of plugging the guitar into the PC, use a recording software and handle different stuff it looks so easy to create nice stuff very simple.
My long fingered brother had a 12 string Yamaha he played beautifully. For some odd reason, even i, with regular small hands played it alright enough. I miss both him & his guitar.
This one sounds lovely! I'll seek it out next visit to my local music store.
The way of childish fun in his laughter 6:45 is hilarious and for me the best conclusion to this guitar! I Love your creativity Paul!
Was just about to post that! You can tell he truly enjoys it.
🎅It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas 🎶🎄
Your Santa is looking like about all I will get…a beer.
I just passed your comment to my wife…much appreciated.
I'd love a video with you doing a few full loops on this guitar. There's something very relaxing about watching / hearing a loop instrumental come together.
LOVE MY YAMAHA LS TA Played almost 100 live video's with it ❤️
Best guitar for live video and street performances! *WINNER*
Sure, the cable could be longer but they gave you the magnetic connector so that you wouldn't bust the USB-C socket as you yank on the cable. This is actually a thoughtful move on their part. Very nice; very demure; very Japanese.
Make the cable longer and people won't be yanking on it.
So make a magnetic connector with a USB-C socket so you can use any length cable you desire.
@@yamahamusicians It's not that easy. Too long and you end up stepping on it and yanking it anyway. I know this from experience.
@@jfreedner This is a great idea!
@@EnglishPalette Never had that problem over the past 50 years I have been playing the guitar. Really it is just an excuse for Yamaha to go down the proprietary route yet again. They have been doing this for decades. If there is a complicated way to do something, Yamaha will always find it.
Wow. Thanks, Yamaha and Paul, for the demo
I literally just yesterday upgraded my Taylor 114e to the Yamaha AC3R. I can't beleive that I've slept on yamaha acoustics for so long, thinking that i needed to look for the main brands (gibson, taylor, martin, etc)
The AC3R is exactly the gyitar I've been looking for. Cant wait to break it in more.
Totally agree Yamaha is killer.
Yamaha's premium acoustics are some of the best there are! Their FG9 guitars are absolutely amazing.
I bought a used AC3R (first generation) a few years ago. Awesome guitar. Same preamp as in my CPX-1200II which gives the sound engineers a great sounding signal they’re very happy with.
But both my Yamaha guitars improved even more when I replace the stock saddle and nut for ones that are made of unbleached bone.
Welcome to (inexpensive) guitar heaven. I keep giggin with an Ac3R (1st version) and a nylon nt3x, couldn’t ask for any better. The atmosfeel system sounds absolutely great
@@bartvschuylenburg yeah that's the only upgrades I would like to do to it as time goes on.
If this comes out in Concert size, I'm going to be very tempted!
This would be incredibly useful for me. I often layer guitar parts in my music, so this would save me from having to set up a mic and my DAW to start messing with ideas. I could literally just write from my couch. I think it's very cool!
This is much easier to manipulate than a floor full of pedals.
This is a good setup.
I bought the older version of the transacoustic the day before this one started appearing on sweetwater. I'm crying
Return it 😊
You can have both. 😊
rip
Absolutely. You can return it if you just bought it. You get a return time.
I have the LLTA and the LSTA and love them both. Don’t regret buying them at all. I’ll eventually add one of these.
The sound quality and volume on this Yamaha guitar are impressive! Yamaha consistently delivers top-notch products. I've used a Yamaha acoustic for over two decades and it's still a joy to play. This innovative guitar is perfect for casual players who like to experiment without extra equipment. Excited to take this on my next trip!
I think your playing has more to do with the how awesome that guitar seams than it actually is. I loved your looping demo.
Sounds amazing.
I still have my first Yamaha guitar, an FG 420E 12-string bought for me as a birthday present by my grandma in around 1982 (cost 140 quid or something around there). It has been coveted by quite a few people over the years for it's tone and volume. You can't really go wrong with a Yamaha.
My FG-TA has held up to some solid abuse over 3 years, reverb up to max and turn the offensive chorus off and it’s really inspiring.
This seems the natural progression.
The review you did was what swung my purchase 🤘
What he’ll is wrong with the chorus sounds great to me. Use it fir cover songs that require it.
@@spada60 chorus died for me in the early 90’s 😂 Rock on mate 🤘☺️
@@jono_youngthere’s a difference between an effect being bad and you personally disliking that effect. This chorus sounds good to me
@@pensivepenguin3000 bad to me, subjective for eternity dude ☺️
Good for you for taking this on. Revolutionary! I hope it's a big success for folks like me, afraid for decades to dive into pedals and performance recording.
The chorus effect sounds really nice
I agree.
That was going to be my first comment.
Surprisingly so
Great playing Dude! That Thing totaly boost your creativ posabilitys! Love it❤
The only guitar I own is a $300 Yamaha. This is pretty cool but I’m not a performer. This sits firmly in the “maybe one day” category for me as my upgrade guitar. The upgrade purely being the cool built in effects and looper. Probably during a sale though.
I did some research after you reviewed the transacoustic, and eventually went out and bought myself one. I might have to get one of these, too. Not needing any other equipment just to tool around in my basement-or anywhere else-is fantastic.
Yamaha has done it again - I need one of these! I've been a Yamaha fan for years. A Pacifica and two THR amps, and I still use them. I tell people all the time that Yamaha has been in the sound business for years - they know what they're doing.
Amazing video! I never expected this from a guitar. It's not just the looper, but how they integrated it so seamlessly to sound like multiple guitars without overlapping sounds. It feels so natural - truly impressive!
Maybe I missed it, but you never said how long a loop it can create. That is a critical point when it comes to using it for anything to me. Cool stuff 😊
🎉🎉🎉Dit is nou echt een gitaar die ik ga kopen na het zien van deze sponsor filmpje wat cool 🎉Echt kan niet wachten en helemaal top uitgelegd maat ❤❤❤
I had the first generation TransAcoustic. I started to feel like I used the effect so much, to the point that regular acoustic sounded bland and boring. As soon as you turn the effects off, the sound felt “boring”. Ended up getting rid of it to re-appreciate the traditional simplicity and lack of electronics of a standard acoustic. I also don’t love knowing that the technology will be dated, break or obsolete at some point That being said, these guitars sound incredible and are a riot to play. Super innovative tech. Would really love to try out this one out.
Wow...like the Loop feature ❤
It's funny that Paul's video, in three days, garnered more views than all other videos (combined) on this guitar on all of TH-cam, including all of Yamaha's official videos. :P
Man.... so good. I hope creators like you always exist in this platform.
Have not touched my guitar in a while, just watching this made me wanna pick up and start practicing again.
I was surprised you said it wasn't for live use. In fact, that was the main thing I could see it being useful for. Why would you need it in the studio when you can choose between hundreds of different reverbs and delays in your DAW? Isn't it useful to be able to bring this guitar to a solo acoustic gig and not need any pedals?
I personally wouldn't pay hundreds extra for built-in effects if I'm only going to use it at home. I guess I might if I didn't already have a DAW and hundreds of stock and 3rd party plugins. The effects do sound really good. Don't get me wrong. I'd just rather get the same quality guitar without the effects for cheaper.
I think it would be cool to just pick this thing up and play on the couch or just for having effects available for inspiration.
It's incredible how differently I play when there are effects involved.😊
@@questionmark5463 That! Just to be able to pick the guitar up without and instantly start playing.
Perfect for solo jamming and exploring. Effects offer immediate inspiration - they aren’t strictly just for post processing
Wow, you are such a great musician! I wish I started playing the guitar when a was a kid...
Honestly, I don't think $1600 is expensive for this guitar. If it is the quality in person as Paul indicates in this video, I could definitely seeing it selling a lot. If I was a street musician it seems like it would be great. I'm not so I won't haha.
Having both Martin and Yamaha I can tell you Yamaha is wildly underrated from thier $300 guitars to their $1500 guitars. They blow everyone else way in terms on value
@@christopherhawthorne5395I agree. I spent a weekend A/Bing my 000-28 ($3000), against my Yamaha FG-331 ($2-300 on reverb). The Martin was better, but by maybe 5-10% .....
I have one of these and yeah, the quality is top notch. As is just the sound of the guitar without effects.
You are one of the most likable reviewer on TH-cam!
It is fantastic when you playing 'a' guitar, it just sound like heaven!
But for this guitar...
You actually said the parts why I wouldn't like it!
Then you said how quick it is to get into looper mode...
I'm sold!
Anyway I needed to scan the whole of Europe to find it in stock.
Bought it from Italy, I'm a swede, but the thing is after looking at this clip...
I know this is my guitar!
Paul, your clips here on TH-cam are the best, just love them!
And your playing... is just... I can't explain it, but it is just wonderful!
As a soloist performer, I know this guitar will give me loads of creative options. Yamaha may not be my first choice in a guitar but I give them credit… They have always built a quality guitar for a reasonable price, and Yamaha consistently brings new and innovative ideas to the guitar world. Great work Yamaha and thank you Paul for this honest Demo.
As a guitar Luthier there's a lot of acoustic i handed including some of the top brands. There are three guitars i played with best sounding even the string ive used is cheap one. And thats the 1981 yamaha FG-365s II,
Old samick acoustic
And a old takamine elite series
I love watching your playing progress over all these years. Lovely playing, indeed, sir!!
I have a black label FG-160 from the 70s that was bought brand new by my step dad. I absolutely love it and gained so much more respect for Yamaha because of it. Glad they're still keeping up!
I have the previous version of this guitar. The Yamaha Transacoustic guitar experience is amazing and truly inspiring like no other instrument in my opinion. I love mine, now this version is in a new level
Sounds like a winner! Cheers Paul!!
A great honest review. I had a Yamaha LL-TA but it didn't seem loud enough. This one definitely sounds louder and more refined.
The sound comes from the guitar? Thats too friggen cool. That will have to be my next guitar. Oh, its $1600? Then its not my next guitar
Basically giving it away at that price lol.
I suspect they will release a LL model like the other transacoustics that are superior instruments without any effects.
I mean add a decent acoustic , loop pedal speakers etc your almost there anyways
My next guitar. The looper sells it for me. The next most immediate option for quickly capturing ideas still involves a guitar, a cable into a looper, a second cable from the looper into an amp, and power for both the looper and amp - and that’s bare-bones with no other effects. This is… just… right there. Unbeatable
It's sttill a lot cheaper than most (if not all) Martins and gibsons with a solid sitka top.
Exactly
You always make the amazing sounds with guitars. Love watching the loops you make.
His playing just gets hypnotic when he layers those sounds
Oh you better redo that open D tuning song in full on this with the effects!
I've been requesting him to do this since the last Yahmaha TAG review where he played a longer version of that.
I want to thanks you. Felt every piece of sound with my soul
Paul theres a guitar by tagima here in Brazil thats made entirely of bamboo wood, like every wood in the guitar is bamboo. I just got one and i think its incredible, specially given the cost (around $80us), you should give it a try it would make for a cool video
I have to tell you all, my mate had a Yamaha, blue in colour, from the 80's and the sound and action, was second to none, great guitars, that won't break the bank, thanks all, thanks for posting and thank you TH-cam ❤😂🎉
Wow this is everything I wanted the lava guitars to be. Somehow I didn't know yamaha had pervious versions of this. BUT THIS. This is different. Lava had cool effects but it's always gimmicky and the inherent guitar sucks. I don't know what composite materials it's made from but it sounds and plays like a sub 100 bucks guitar. This yamaha actually sounds like a competent guitar even without the effects. Plus effects that are actually useful, this is suddenly my next wishlist guitar! Thanks for showcasing this gem!
❤❤❤ it's sounding amazing with cool effects. I enjoyed you make love acoustic guitar better and this awesome ❤
I have 0 reasons to not want this guitar.
1 reason: supporting a huge corporation that makes everything from outboard motors to scooters to bikes and motorbikes, amps, speakers etc when there's specialty brands being killed trying to compete with their economies of scale. So yeah if you want a future where there's only 3 brands making guitars and they can set whatever price they want because there's no competition then sure, buy Yamaha...
@@jpvoxdawg Like I said, I have 0 reasons to not want this guitar.
Mine will be here on Monday 😁
@@jpvoxdawg Yamaha makes excellent motorbikes and pianos, though. Additionally, there are I don't think any company will own the craft of guitar making. Plenty of shops make guitars, and do so exceptionally well, across the world.
@didiercatz you don't want one corp making everything. This is how planned obsolescence came to be. Today there are guitars from the 60s that sound better than factory made modern guitars. Do you think these components will stand the test of time? They won't. Hence: gimmick.
I don't hate Yamaha but we should all be aware of why we don't want monopolistic consumer culture.
I really like the touch of blue in the rosette.
4:43 oh I need it…
The way the whole video plays and intersects the actual content. So watchable. Not to mention delicious audios
Hey paul please never stop making such quality guitar content...❤❤❤
I am buying one of those tomorrow. I was going to anyway, but now i am for sure. Thanks for this, bro. Just so you know, I often play along with these just to jam with you a bit. If you ever find yourself in Missouri, please let me know, it would be a blast.
I guess having a magnet is not that bad just in case something snags on the cable and yanks it out or you grab it forgetting it’s still connected. At least it’s less likely to damage a port.
The best of both world situation would have been a USB-C breakaway cable.
You keep the security aspect (protecting the port, guitar and charger in case of an impromptu tug) but you could still replace it in a cinch with any USB-C cable laying around should you forget/misplace/loose the original cable, or if you need a longer cable for any reason.
@@HalfpennyTerwilligerExactly. There are connectors for USB-C ports that have magnetic half that splits off when pulled. It allows USB-C charging ports in laptops to have something like the Magsafe connectors on Apple laptops
This makes me want to play guitar again. I can't imagine a better fit, I wasn't even dreaming for such combination and quality to be possible.
My TonewoodAmp may be an external unit, but it can be removed in an instant. It only does eight different effects that can be used only one at a time. However... with the acoustic pickup packaged in, it was $350 (I think).
I bought that Tonewood magnetic nightmare…you need a PhD in electrical engineering to use it. Sits in a drawer now where it belongs.
I have them all, Yamaha, LAG, Lava Me and TonewoodAmp. Yamaha is above them all and Tonewood is the worst IMO
@@bestself2438 You sir are absolutely correct! I put it on an X series Martin and it works out pretty great!
My 30 year old APX-20 guitars have been in my hands more than any other in my collection. I can’t wait to play this one.
Yep, I'm not liking that hideous charging connector on the guitar. Otherwise, it's pretty cool.
You're thinking of the headstock. Yuck… It’s asking to be evened out like Collings headstocks.
It is a lot less likely to damage the connector or the guitar when you accidentally yank it off the guitar by the cord.
Wow, never knew these kinds of instruments existed! It absolutely blew me away - and for a young me who was learning guitar I would've absolutely loved it for practicing improvisation etc. Or just for the feeling of having "someone" to play with.
I would still buy it in a heart beat if I was still playing guitar though, it's an amazing plaything!
I want this on a yamaha FG9 and FG5
I understand the sentiment (and I have an FSx5), but really all of the electronics mounted on the soundboard would kill that "extra" you get on those higher-end guitars. I think Yamaha did wisely to pair it with solid woods but not go over the top.
Dude, I love listening to guitar. I think I like listening to you and this guitar more than any other !
Don’t you miss sound projection to yourself?
I think I’ll go for a resonator for that price range. At half the price I wouldn’t doubt, but 1500€ for a guitar that will be outdated in 2 years is a lot. Things just get started in this domain.
It’s an all solid wood quality guitar without the effects. Yep get a resonator but what’s that got to do with this??
@@paulneedham9885 Not much, budget and making the right choice. I already have a solid wood which I play daily. Looking for a new spark of joy and inspiration. This guitar distracted me from my original idea, being a resonator. I love how the looper is integrated, great UX. Solid sounding guitar. But not worth it for me for the price at this point.
That last lick at the end of the video, right before he tells about his online classes... I need tabs for that 😍
Never disregard Yamaha as a serious guitar brand. I have the FS5 and its sound always makes me smile. You get what you pay for with Yamaha. You get what you want others to see you have with Taylor.
I've got an FSx5 and not only is the guitar incredible, but the pickup system is the most natural sound I've ever heard through a PA.
Great intro, it hooked me right in. Even if someone watching only the first 2 minutes, I think they would still get the context right away. Great intro, great guitar!
¿Whats the name of the first song?
It's a tune from my Looping course called Loop School :)
It's also very similar to a song by Selena Gomez called Wolves. Same chord progression and melody.
Sound very similar to tash sultana
I think the magnetic cable is a good idea, it's safer to avoid having the guitar knocked down by accident if the cable is pulled. There's a reason why Apple brought it back to the MBP, it wasn't just to save on a USB port. And you can always extend it on the mains plug side.
Just in case anyone is interested LAG guitars has been making basically the same thing for years putting the HyVibe system in some of their guitars. They are pretty good guitars and are cheaper than this and have a few more features. But Yamaha make really good reliable guitars so I’m sure this one is no different. I have an older trans acoustic guitar from Yamaha and it’s just a great guitar in general even before any other features.
I've had dreams of making a portable looper when I play by myself away from home... this is amazing!!!
Phone notifications through your acoustic guitar is the best!! LOL
2:37 what song is that? I've played it before but I don't remember the name?
same question, sounds amazing, would love to learn it
2:33 same
Its his song, i know theres a video of him teaching it somewhere on his channel
I remember Paul Davids saying he just came up with the chord progression, but it's literally just the song Wolves by Selena Gomez that came out in 2017.
Not saying anyone stole it, but it's probably just two people just coming up with the same chord progression independently.