I tried one of these at a local music store yesterday and was very impressed with how good the guitar sounds even when using only the under saddle pickup. It is the best under saddle pickup I have heard. When blending with the mic it sounds even better.
Yes it’s a great system and all-round guitar. Yamaha did a great job with this. I prefer the Cole Clark and Maton under saddles but they have a lot more mass.
I have an FSX5 which is the smaller body version of yours. I play it mostly in a loud band setting. I find that I cut the mic out completely, and cut most of the bass effect (have it about 9 o'clock) which brightens the sound to cut through the mix and also negates a lot of the body noise. I've not had any issues with body noise while strumming. When not in the band I turn the mic and bass up for a more natural sound. I've genuinely not come across an easier pickup to dial in across different situations. That said, I've not spent much time with Matons or Cole Clarks, but lots of time with K&K, Baggs, Fishman etc
I own a nylon strings version, the Ntx3, mounting the atmosfeel system and that’s exactly how you said: phenomenal guitar for looping people, you can add mic to loop percussive grooves played on the body
Another fabulous review Aaron thank you! Regarding your comment about Yamaha doing the SRT and also the atmosphere pickups and making them both available, that's great except they are on quite different guitars I think. For one thing the nut widths are different. I would like to see the wider nut width of the red series available with the SRT2 pick up. And I'm sure some people would like the atmosfeel to be available with the a-series with the narrower necks.
After your review I think I’m leaning toward the fs3. Can always add my own pickup if I choose later ,, the 3 and 5 have very few differences that make a difference to me,,
I bought an fs5 a couple of years ago. I really wish I bought the fsx5. I just had an lr baggs hifi installed but wish I went this rout from the get go.
If Yamaha Would Put The Atmosfeel Pickup System In A Thin Bodied Steel String Acoustic With A Cutaway - APX 700II as an example - I Would Try To Purchase One As Soon As They Were Released
That Would Be Great !! I Would Imagine They've Gotten Feedback and Interest In That Area From Others So Hopefully Next Year It Will Happem !! When I Have a Chance I'm Going to Write/Call Them and See What May Be In The Works - Thanks for Posting and The Shout Back !!@@aaronshortmusic
@@aaronshortmusichi Aaron it’s got some thick arse glue under there. But it cleaned up easily enough with some orange solvent. Orange power goo remover was the brand.
Hey Aaron, great review! I´m curious about one thing: in a YT review of a NCX5 (Yamaha classical guitar with Atmosfeel too, made in Japan), the guy reports a noise issue in the battery compartment. He describes it as some kind of "something´s loose under the saddle area" stuff, making some noise when postitioning the guitar in a certain way and playing an F chord, for instance. He returned the guitar because of that. Did you find any noise issue around the battery compartment?
I did.. Aaron’s right: there’s some serious wiring inside the body connecting the three sources. I had it fixed by a luthier with some padding foam glued under the wiring
So far, I guess you've tried it all. Stock pickups, boutique ones (have you tried barbera?). So which is the one (in your opinion) that can be fine tuned to get microphone sound on stage, nevermind the preamps and the technology is used (ir loaders, eq's etc). Regards, Sasha
I haven’t tried the Barbera but from what I have heard it still sounds artificial when strummed hard. Microphone sound on stage? Probably the LR Baggs Lyric. There’s no pickup that sounds exactly like an external microphone. An internal microphone gets the closest but there are pickups that sound better than others.
@@aaronshortmusic I'm, so far ok with knk and tonedexter but hey....world goes on right. Thanks 4 reply and thank you for all the videos. Very valuable stuff for all of us soundhole sniffers!
@@sasapavsic5686 I’m currently trying the K&K again. For me it’s ok as a pickup and I like how non invasive it is. The IR stuff seems ‘off’ to me though I do believe it’s the future. I am going to install the trinity mic today to see how that sounds as it sounds great in videos but again it’s because there’s an actual mic in the guitar I’m sure.
@@aaronshortmusic I had it in my guitar (until i bursted it by accident) It is fine but for live, I had to use the soundhole cover and I got "trapped in a box" sound which I just could not get rid of.
great review very thorough i wish it had a cut out i'd get it for sure. that being said i know yamaha has the a series guitars. would love to hear what you think of them and their sound. but they have skinnier fretboards .. if only i could get this neck on that body... right? ...
@@aaronshortmusic - so what is the secret that gets the Anthem as a dual source to produce tone that you prefer over, say, this triple source Yamaha system? (I ask because I know you also like the PG3)
Love this series. Any thoughts on the Seymour Duncan SA-6 Mag Mic? I'm think about getting it. I got the Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend but it went faulty after a month and the warranty replacement was faulty on arrival. Was good when it worked though!
Hey Bill, I just recently installed the Mag Mic on my Japanese built Takamine because the preamp in it died after about 8 years of use. I loved the preamp but wanted to try the SD. It is easy to install and sounds good but I think I will need to purchase a separate acoustic preamp to use with it because it definitely isn’t a warm sounding pickup. I don’t dial in too much of the mic because it sounds a bit boxy and can cause feedback issues. Have you bought one yet?
Why are you playing Shop Mobility Scooter by the Lancashire Hotpots? Anyway live on a big gig mic will be useless. Is the piezo balanced or tuned to work with the other elements?
Thanks Don, you are 100% correct but I swear I never heard that song before. I assume that the LH's and myself are both Oasis fans lol. The mic is just to show how the guitar sounds in the room. The piezo, mic and SBT are all working together at different frequencies.
Great review when you said if you just wanted to strum and get that “studio” sound you might be better off with the older pickup . What pickup system would that be?
@@aaronshortmusic would the srt zero impact pickup (passive) on the Yamaha LL16D be good also for strumming live performance? In your opinion? I play live and wanted that less (harsh tinny) sound . Thanks so much (also I have platinum EQ preamp aurora that I can use to tweak anything)
Great video demo! How does this pickup system stack up in 2023? Would you say it’s in your top 3? I’m in love with the Yamaha FSX5 as I played one in store the other day. Very tempted to put my name down for a pre-order
A pickup like this will never compete with two condenser microphones but you could early use two condenser microphones on a loud stage. It’s a different application IMO.
I tried one of these at a local music store yesterday and was very impressed with how good the guitar sounds even when using only the under saddle pickup. It is the best under saddle pickup I have heard. When blending with the mic it sounds even better.
Yes it’s a great system and all-round guitar. Yamaha did a great job with this. I prefer the Cole Clark and Maton under saddles but they have a lot more mass.
I guess that’s because when in the “no mic setting”, the pick up is a 50/50 blend of piezo and sensor
You know your guitars AND your headphones. Nice to see someone actually using reference headphones to judge sound
It’s important to use the correct monitoring. I use IEM, studio headphones and studio monitors.
I have an FSX5 which is the smaller body version of yours. I play it mostly in a loud band setting. I find that I cut the mic out completely, and cut most of the bass effect (have it about 9 o'clock) which brightens the sound to cut through the mix and also negates a lot of the body noise. I've not had any issues with body noise while strumming. When not in the band I turn the mic and bass up for a more natural sound. I've genuinely not come across an easier pickup to dial in across different situations. That said, I've not spent much time with Matons or Cole Clarks, but lots of time with K&K, Baggs, Fishman etc
I own a nylon strings version, the Ntx3, mounting the atmosfeel system and that’s exactly how you said: phenomenal guitar for looping people, you can add mic to loop percussive grooves played on the body
Awesome!
Another fabulous review Aaron thank you! Regarding your comment about Yamaha doing the SRT and also the atmosphere pickups and making them both available, that's great except they are on quite different guitars I think. For one thing the nut widths are different. I would like to see the wider nut width of the red series available with the SRT2 pick up. And I'm sure some people would like the atmosfeel to be available with the a-series with the narrower necks.
After your review I think I’m leaning toward the fs3. Can always add my own pickup if I choose later ,, the 3 and 5 have very few differences that make a difference to me,,
Thanks for the demo, maybe looking at one in the near future?
I am not but I would recommended one of these guitars to anyone. They are some of the best all-round guitars on the market.
I bought an fs5 a couple of years ago.
I really wish I bought the fsx5.
I just had an lr baggs hifi installed but wish I went this rout from the get go.
Yeah the Atmosfeel is a really solid system.
If Yamaha Would Put The Atmosfeel Pickup System In A Thin Bodied Steel String Acoustic With A Cutaway - APX 700II as an example - I Would Try To Purchase One As Soon As They Were Released
I don’t know why they aren’t using it more. Maybe next year.
That Would Be Great !! I Would Imagine They've Gotten Feedback and Interest In That Area From Others So Hopefully Next Year It Will Happem !! When I Have a Chance I'm Going to Write/Call Them and See What May Be In The Works - Thanks for Posting and The Shout Back !!@@aaronshortmusic
WOULD LOVE TO SEE A COMPARISON BETWEEN YAMAHA ATMOSFEEL AND LR BAGGS ANTHEM.
Watch the two videos back to back.
The "wood" on the pickguard is just a sticker. It's a smooth black guard underneith
Do you know if it can easily be peeled off? Will it leave residue etc?
@@aaronshortmusichi Aaron it’s got some thick arse glue under there. But it cleaned up easily enough with some orange solvent. Orange power goo remover was the brand.
@@JasonMckellMusic So it really is the regular shiny black pick guard with a sticker on top???
@@aaronshortmusic yep.. 100% normal black pickguard underneath. The sticker is probably thick enough to affect the tone.. like a piece of Lino.
@@JasonMckellMusic That’s wild. I usually suggest the 3 for the pick guard but that changes everything!
Hey Aaron, great review!
I´m curious about one thing: in a YT review of a NCX5 (Yamaha classical guitar with Atmosfeel too, made in Japan), the guy reports a noise issue in the battery compartment. He describes it as some kind of "something´s loose under the saddle area" stuff, making some noise when postitioning the guitar in a certain way and playing an F chord, for instance. He returned the guitar because of that.
Did you find any noise issue around the battery compartment?
Hi there. I had no issues like that at all. I suspect he had a loose wire or something…
I did.. Aaron’s right: there’s some serious wiring inside the body connecting the three sources. I had it fixed by a luthier with some padding foam glued under the wiring
So far, I guess you've tried it all.
Stock pickups, boutique ones (have you tried barbera?). So which is the one (in your opinion) that can be fine tuned to get microphone sound on stage, nevermind the preamps and the technology is used (ir loaders, eq's etc). Regards, Sasha
I haven’t tried the Barbera but from what I have heard it still sounds artificial when strummed hard. Microphone sound on stage? Probably the LR Baggs Lyric. There’s no pickup that sounds exactly like an external microphone. An internal microphone gets the closest but there are pickups that sound better than others.
@@aaronshortmusic I'm, so far ok with knk and tonedexter but hey....world goes on right. Thanks 4 reply and thank you for all the videos. Very valuable stuff for all of us soundhole sniffers!
@@sasapavsic5686 I’m currently trying the K&K again. For me it’s ok as a pickup and I like how non invasive it is. The IR stuff seems ‘off’ to me though I do believe it’s the future. I am going to install the trinity mic today to see how that sounds as it sounds great in videos but again it’s because there’s an actual mic in the guitar I’m sure.
@@aaronshortmusic I had it in my guitar (until i bursted it by accident) It is fine but for live, I had to use the soundhole cover and I got "trapped in a box" sound which I just could not get rid of.
@@sasapavsic5686 I always use the cover these days. I don’t feel like it affects the sound. I’ll try it and do some tests.
great review
very thorough
i wish it had a cut out i'd get it for sure. that being said i know yamaha has the a series guitars. would love to hear what you think of them and their sound. but they have skinnier fretboards
.. if only i could get this neck on that body... right?
...
Hi Jack, they are great too. I am sure there will be a cutaway version with the new system eventually...
UST + SBT + mic = seems like the magic formula... why do you favor the Anthem (UST + mic with no SBT) over this?
I just the like directness of the Anthem.
@@aaronshortmusic - by "directness" you mean ease of use?
@@rombsix No I mean the tone.
@@aaronshortmusic - so what is the secret that gets the Anthem as a dual source to produce tone that you prefer over, say, this triple source Yamaha system? (I ask because I know you also like the PG3)
Love this series. Any thoughts on the Seymour Duncan SA-6 Mag Mic? I'm think about getting it. I got the Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend but it went faulty after a month and the warranty replacement was faulty on arrival. Was good when it worked though!
I haven’t tried the mag mic. Reach out to Fishman again. I like the rare earth blend a lot. They will make it right. Thanks for watching.
Hey Bill, I just recently installed the Mag Mic on my Japanese built Takamine because the preamp in it died after about 8 years of use. I loved the preamp but wanted to try the SD. It is easy to install and sounds good but I think I will need to purchase a separate acoustic preamp to use with it because it definitely isn’t a warm sounding pickup. I don’t dial in too much of the mic because it sounds a bit boxy and can cause feedback issues. Have you bought one yet?
Great content mate keep it up!!
Also what does "noon" mean btw?
Thanks you! It means 12 o’clock or half way.
Can you demonstrate raising the high end with the 3rd knob? Isn't that what it's for?
It cuts the bass which will give the impression of more high end. You will need a mixer or EQ pedal to make drastic changes to the EQ.
Why are you playing Shop Mobility Scooter by the Lancashire Hotpots?
Anyway live on a big gig mic will be useless. Is the piezo balanced or tuned to work with the other elements?
Thanks Don, you are 100% correct but I swear I never heard that song before. I assume that the LH's and myself are both Oasis fans lol. The mic is just to show how the guitar sounds in the room. The piezo, mic and SBT are all working together at different frequencies.
Great review when you said if you just wanted to strum and get that “studio” sound you might be better off with the older pickup . What pickup system would that be?
I think I was referring to the Yamaha SRT 2 system. They are both excellent but take different approaches.
@@aaronshortmusic would the srt zero impact pickup (passive) on the Yamaha LL16D be good also for strumming live performance? In your opinion? I play live and wanted that less (harsh tinny) sound . Thanks so much (also I have platinum EQ preamp aurora that I can use to tweak anything)
How does the bass EQ affect the tone? Does it take out some of the muffled sound when you have the mic all the way up?
No. You would turn up the bass cut for that.
Can you get this installed on a fg3 without one.
No it’s a factory install and only available on the Red Label steel string and Nylon NX models right now.
Great video demo! How does this pickup system stack up in 2023? Would you say it’s in your top 3? I’m in love with the Yamaha FSX5 as I played one in store the other day. Very tempted to put my name down for a pre-order
Definitely in my top 5. It’s a very solid system and the guitars are great and also very good value overall.
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks for your quick response!
I have the fsx3 its outstanding
Wondering do you think the fs5 then add your own K&k pickup
I would get the 3 with the built in electronics.
Did you try using the tone control on the guitar instead of external eq?
Yes I didn’t find it to be flexible enough for what I wanted.
Do you like this or the maton pickup more?
That’s tough. I’d say Maton but both great.
hello Aaron, do you really think this sounds better than maton for solo acoustic situations?
That’s tough. They are both excellent but Maton is easier to adjust on stage. I will be covering the Maton system soon.
They sound alright I guess, but I just don't see that pickup system competing with a X/Y condenser setup.
A pickup like this will never compete with two condenser microphones but you could early use two condenser microphones on a loud stage. It’s a different application IMO.
@@aaronshortmusic Forsure Aaron. A live performer is going to love this.