I spotted one on your wall just over a year ago (during your 700K give-away) and was hoping you'd do review but couldn't wait ... bought my crimson beauty during Black Friday sales 2021🤘
@@sleemajd It is an amzing sounding simulation, they used a high-end Yamaha acoustic for the modeling but the exact model escapes atm. I'll keep mine forever. From Yamaha: SRT Powered is a new system designed to recreate the body resonance of an acoustic guitar in a bodiless guitar. Yamaha developed SRT Powered, collaborating with recording artists to create a system tailored to the unique properties of the new SLG body and modelled after the tones of a high-end Yamaha acoustic guitar captured using a carefully selected microphone in a professional recording studio environment. By actually reproducing the sound of an acoustic guitar-right down to its natural sustain and decay-Yamaha lets guitarists experience the genuine body resonance, body tone and ambience of an acoustic guitar. SRT Powered sound can even be mixed with the sound from the instrument's piezo pickups, allowing guitarists to be even more flexible in their creative endeavors. Because the SLG can virtually reproduce the sound of a guitar recorded with a microphone, players are free from complicated procedures involved in mic-ing up a guitar when recording at home or in other settings.
Best music purchase I’ve ever made. This thing is stunning. It’s not totally silent, of course, but it’s only slightly louder than playing my electric unplugged.
One thing I have learned in over four decades of playing is to never underestimate Yamaha's ability to deliver great playing, feeling and sounding instruments across a very wide range of prices. Even when they go for something as unconventional as a "silent acoustic guitar," they'll still deliver a surprisingly great guitar. Keep up the great work!😁
and not only. yamaha makes pianos, violins, flutes, drums, mixing boards, motorbikes, speed boats, synths, you name it. and they're top notch and among the leading names in every single department. that's something.
@@Tryggvasson Exceptional company. Other companies worldwide could learn a lot about serving their customers and running a highly successful business by studying Yamaha.
@@Tryggvasson Indeed, Yamaha makes all kinds of great stuff, but this is a guitar video on a guitar channel, which is why I addressed the quality of Yamaha guitars in my comment.😉
So glad you are covering this. I have been using a Yamaha silent guitar fir gigs for years now. I have the nylon string version. Perfect classical sound, no feedback. And people are always amazed by it.
I tried the nylon version in a shop and wasn't super impressed by it unfortunately... the neck felt cluncky and the sound wasn't exceptional. Construction was passable - I can see the sprues and support structure on the injection molded pickguard and the side rings made of wood didn't feel that solid.
I've had the steel string model for several years and it's awesome. Not only acoustic but can sound electric and easy to play. I did change out the saddle for bone. It records very well. My daughter now uses it at college so she can play without bothering any dorm mates. Is a real sleeper, I recommend.
I recently bought one, and it is indeed an excellent piece of kit (like everything Yamaha), BUT I find the string tension quite high. What string guage are you running?
@@feddomeijerwiersma6955 I have mine setup with electric strings for less tension and it still sounds awesome and bends for blues playing. I pipe backing tracks into it from my ipad and listen through over the ear headphones and it’s a bit addicting.
I've had the same model as in this video for just over a year and the body is quite resonant and you can feel the vibration travel through the frame. It is slightly louder than a solid body electric unplugged, but quieter than a thin semi-hollow body electric. Silent no, relatively quiet yes.
The sound of that guitar is amazing. That is why I bought that guitar a few years back. When I play with headphones and close my eyes and I enjoy it so much!!! Every time I play it, it feels so good inside!!! Best acoustic guitar for me!!!
This was my first guitar paired with a THR5A and I can say with 100% confidence that THERE IS NO INTERNAL MICROPHONE! Quoted from Yamaha: SRT Powered is a new system designed to recreate the body resonance of an acoustic guitar in a bodiless guitar. Yamaha developed SRT Powered, collaborating with recording artists to create a system tailored to the unique properties of the new SLG body and modelled after the tones of a high-end Yamaha acoustic guitar captured using a carefully selected microphone in a professional recording studio environment. By actually reproducing the sound of an acoustic guitar-right down to its natural sustain and decay-Yamaha lets guitarists experience the genuine body resonance, body tone and ambience of an acoustic guitar. SRT Powered sound can even be mixed with the sound from the instrument's piezo pickups, allowing guitarists to be even more flexible in their creative endeavors. Because the SLG can virtually reproduce the sound of a guitar recorded with a microphone, players are free from complicated procedures involved in mic-ing up a guitar when recording at home or in other settings.
When Darrell shows the close up shot of the controls, the blend pot is marked with "Mic". Does the SRT system not have an actual microphone inside the body to get the mic tones? Do you know how it works if there is no microphone inside? Does it use a transducer in place of a microphone? Mine sounds very much like a mic'd acoustic when it is dialed to full "Mic".
it makes sense, since there's no cavity to place the microphone in, and it sounds a little overcompressed and slightly artificial in the microphone setting. it's probably an emulation. but very useable.
@@k9er233 It's a simulation. Yamaha used one of their high-end acoustics and some mystery microphone to create a model of that guitar, that modelled guitar is what you can blend into the sound of the peizo pickup in the SLG200.
I have the 100 S and it's my main performing guitar. I'm the rhythm guitarist in an alternative rock quartet and I actually use this with electric-style effects to create a much fuller and more responsive sound than your average electric. I turn on Reverb 2 BEFORE it goes through the rest of my effects chain and the results are just glorious. I think you just convinced me that the 200 S has just enough quality of life improvements to merit an upgrade. Thanks and keep up the great work!
I have the nylon strings version and absolutely love it! They are really well made and the electronics are awesome, basic but just enough. Definitely the best - and affordable! - travel guitar out there!
Great. I saw Joyce, the Brazilian vocalist and guitarist who played one of these at the Blue Note awhile back. She has it for years, it sounded great. As did yours. 🎸.
I have owned one of these for 5 plus years as I work on others. You can lookup variations but I took mine apart, routed a cavity for a single telecaster pickup and put in the body. Isolating the circuit from the original, you can make your own circuit for an unfiltered electric pickup, put in treble and volume knobs on the "aux in" side of body and replace the back plate with a dual output jack (make it out of plastic or use isolating spacers to insure circuit is separate from original). With some work and ingenuity you can have a clean jazz sound or the built in sound with effects. The guitar action is low. Its a great substitute as a training tool when you are worried about putting wear on an expensive guitar. I added a graphtech nut and saddle and can't be happier. Most times I use this for practicing over any of the 6 or more guitars I own simply due to versatility, weight, and ability not to worry about temp/humidity so much.....
Great success in Brazil! I had the 1st version of the Yamaha Silent, great sound, very comfortable for performances that can last a long time. The 1st version only had volume, bass and treble controls. Only problem was the drain on the 9v battery which basically didn't last at all compared to other preamp systems.
Bought one of these a few years ago from Chicago Music Exchange when I was travelling a lot... this fits in the overhead and even under the seats on most airlines and it's travelled with me every flight since. ☮❤🎶
yamaha makes electric guitars, acoustic guitars, pianos, violins, flutes, drums, mixing boards, synthesizers, motorbikes, speed boats, church organs, and god knows what else, and they're top notch and a world leading brand name in every single department they activate in. that's truly something.
Love your review of Yamaha's silent guitar. Always appreciate hearing your thoughts and playing the guitar as you review. Lee Rittenour used this guitar in a show I saw in Boston a few years back.
I like mine very much. I take it into the countryside. Strung with electric 11 gauge strings (no wound 3rd string), a small Bluetooth speaker (use the wire) and my backing tracks on an old mp3 player taped to the back connected through aux - all in the same small carry case that I can lift with one finger 👍
I just purchased the SG TA . The concert body size not the dreadnought large body. I thought the small body wouldn't sound huge without the reverb or phase effects... But no... I was surprised by the boomy bottom end and midrange sound alone, no effects. This thing plays well with a little action work I did. Intonation is spot on.. Smooth playability. The SG TA is the Martin I've always wanted. It came with 12's on it and I'm gonna keep that that's for the thrill of the boom sound. Thank you, YAMAHA !
I've also played this guitar a few years ago and it was great. Yamaha did a great job with the reverb and the mic/jack pickup and separation. It is a bit expensive, but if you want something that sounds great, plays great then $600-700 isn't bad.
Ive had one in the home studio for nearly 8yrs now. As you know, when its -40f and the furnace is kicking on and off constantly for 6 months a year.. This is a must have for any home studio. Always on mic, which is actually a modeled Yamaha Jumbo, THERE IS NO MIC INSIDE! I never ever use the piezo ever! I wish they were made in Japan but China made these really well so no worries. It doesnt matter what strings you use, no matter what gauge you use, it always sounds like the same modeled Yamaha Jumbo. You can any strings you want. There is a company that makes electric guitar pickups that mount by replacing the pick guard, that makes this an awesome portable compact 1 and done guitar if you wanted. Look into that!
Sounds great. The concept is similar to the old Aria Sinsonido. Aria made guitar and bass versions of the Sinsonido years back. I am quite sure the Yamaha did a great job with this. Thanks for reviewing, didn't know this was out there.
I play this silent guitar (Nylon) since 5 years, nearly every day. Important is, that you have a good clean amp. Also I modified the armrest, in order to play more precisely. Of course I miss the loudspeaker fitting to the hole of the guitar, when playing to friends, without external amp or headphones. But I did not find the time to develop it myself, even so I could do it, as an electronic engineer 😋.
Thanks Darrel for a great review. I bought the steel string just before going on holiday for a week in November 2018, because I wanted something light and compact for the flights and to use to keep up practice when away. This is perfect for me. Since then I continued using it with head phones as my every day practice guitar, so much so that 4 years later it has some significant fret wear. After having it for a year or 2 the locating pins on the top piece of frame, that slot into holes came lose and I needed to make some mods with slightly bigger and better screws that hold those pins to the frame piece, and they've held strong ever since. Apart from that minor disappointment I've had no other issues and I'm extremely happy with it as far as a light weight compact travel and silent every day practice guitar.
I have one of each Yamaha SG; one nylon and one steel string. The steel string is pretty good, but the nylon is fantastic sounding. Only problem I had with the nylon was that the bridge was nearly 1/8" too tall to be playable out of the box. After lowering it down it turned out to be a great player.
I hacked the neck out of a cheap chinese classic guitar, and mounted it onto a solid piece of wood, building up around the joint. I have a simple piezo under the saddle, and no volume /tone/mixer controls mounted on it. I use a Vox amplug and earphones. I had very low expectations, so didn't pay much attention to quality of build etc - but it is actually quite playable, sounds good and it is compact for storage etc. I never bothered with the "bout" pieces, so mine looks pretty plain. One day when my budget can afford it, I would love a Yamaha.
Nice. I have the nylon string version and it’s super useful. Couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve used it, esp when people want me to play nylon string on big stages, where feedback would normally be a major issue. It’s since paid for itself 10x over
I own a SLG200S and gigged it in an orchestra setting for a few years. It was great plugged into a massive house PA. Always got compliments from the sound guys about the tone, they liked what they heard better than my guitars with a Baggs anthem. The “mic”, btw, is an emulation built around Yamaha SRT models. The simplicity, portability and silent stage design also worked very well for me. Only slight complaints are the EQ demands secondary processing as this thing gets real boomy real quick, and it was always neck heavy anytime I used a capo. I also love this guitar as a true practice tool. Plug the iPad into the aux and play along with practice tracks while reading the sheet music on the iPad. All silent into my headphones. I do feel this 200 model is getting a little long in the tooth though with all of the recent amp technology Yamaha has brought out since these were released. Would love to see the next gen version come along soon with some of the “THRA” amp technology built in…NAMM 2023-Come on Yamaha!
I bought my silent Guitar about a year ago just because of that Sound you have demonstrated. In fact the steel string version can be strung with Nylons too. So this proofs there is no real magnetic Pickup, its either Piezo or that „Sound generating“ SRT thing. The swap of string type I have seen and heard online. But for now the steels string sound so good that I left them on. Love that sound! Well done Yamaha!
I've been wanting one of these for a while now, maybe two of them, both the steel and nylon. I've never met a Yamaha instrument I didn't like - my Mk I DX7 is turning 40 this year and my G60 classical guitar will be 65 years old, both doing fine and in daily use.
Nice review. I used to own the nylon string version of the Silent Guitar. The only negative was that you couldn't do any flamenco-like body taps. Playing "More Than Words" doesn't sound the same without being able to slap the top.
Actually blown away how good this sounds. No idea how they did it, but to me it sound better than my epiphone hummingbird. The downfall I guess would be is you'd have to lug a small amp around
I always enjoy your videos and your ability to play so many different styles of music. Your videos give an upbeat feeling. This Yamaha guitar has been around for a while and perhaps the inspiration for the Enya guitar with the fabulous built in speakers.
It's a great sounding guitar. Had the pleasure of listening to a guitarist play one at a Winery here in Washington State. If not for My Epiphone DR 400 MCE I'd probably have one of these. Very nice guitar!!
Nice, I just bought one of these a week ago. My acoustic chops were withering and after playing this on a whim I had to have it. I haven’t put it down since.
had these (classical and steel) for years and around me travelling and both combined weighs as much as a normal LP. held up great, so far. sounds great with an amp. and really sounds awesome on headphones, open-backs like the sennheiser hdxx and 58x, meze classics, and beyerdynamic pros, even with hybrid iems. great for noodling around whilst the wifey and kids are chilling out or sleeping.
I was just looking at this thing. It looks like the ultimate backpack guitar. I was wondering how it sounded, because none of the music shops around me have even heard of it. Lol. So thank you for this. Much appreciated. Hope all is well and you had a happy new year.
The one thing I don’t like is the ‘travel mode’. My personal preference would be for it to stay in one solid piece instead of that detachable half. Then you wouldn’t need that good half gig bag lol but I love my steel string with ultra light gauge. Love pairing it with my TRBX304 🙃
I use the Yamaha Silent steel string, and the Silent Nylon as my primary travel guitars. Can't beat them for convenience and with the usual excellent Yamaha build quality.
Thanks for the Video! Im 65 and decided to learn guitar... I was going straight for aa Les Paul Studio not a traditional choice I know. Then I cam across this Yamaha. i like it. To learn and to grow for my personal enjoyment. What do you think.?
I practice using a Harley Benson LP kit that I built three years ago. I rarely plug it into my amp and can hear it fine without headphones or amp so I can understand how this guitar would be great for practice or stage.
Excellent tool for its marquee feature: silent practice. The plugged-in sound can't escape its inherent piezo-ness - a kind of tone which doesn't happen to appeal to me; but they've made the best of that limitation, so imho it's absolutely useful around the house.
I bought both the steel and the nylon string versions for my studio. After 3 years in use, no one likes the nylon version. It's now wall-art. The steel string however, is fantastic in all facets. Sound quality, timbre, reverb. (Delay is hit or miss depending on the song.) I would buy the steel string again if it went up in a dumpster fire! + It looks great hanging over my bar cart. Side note: This is one of the best playing necks I have ever played. Intonation, feel, action are all amazing. Thank the stars they (Yamaha) engulfed Line-6, maybe we can get an updated version of the Shuriken Variax.
I've had one for at least 5 years and they are great. With the Silent Guitar I do miss the feeling of the vibrations (subtle) on my torso from the back side of a more traditional acoustic guitar. It sounds great either through headphones or through amp.
I first encountered this thing in a pub in Saint Petersburg Russia that had a solo acoustic guy playing. I was amazed at how good it sounded. I looked into getting one but they were scarce and priced way over list. I ended up with a Crafter CT 120 N - which you also might be interested to review if you can find one. Looks kind of like a Les Paul Junior body but has a big acoustic tone.
FYI, low voltage is bad for linearity if you want clean tones. The electronics would perform better with TWO 9 Volt batteries at the very least and Four 9 Volt batteries would work even better..
I must have one. A guitar with it all. I'd like to see the out body parts made of a translucent plastic, to give that on stage usual appearance, until they work it out. Thanks Bro, great demo and thanks Yamaha, great product 👏
Sounds good. Maybe with some acoustic amp models and some tweaks it can be a stellar guitar. Maybe some stylish counterweights on the bottom band to balance it out. I like mine sweet sounding and trebly with good low and mid tones.
Thanks for boosting the popularity of these guitars, I have the classical version and I love it but I'm thinking about trading it for one of the new yamaha violins since I have a bunch of other guitars anyway
How silent is the silent guitar? Rings out musically like a softly played acoustic when you're trying to be quiet. So a bit louder than the plinky sound of an unplugged solid body electric, but quieter than an unplugged slim body semi-hollow. Comfort-wise, for longer sessions I slid a pad from a shoulder strap over the frame where my arm rests. I have the same crimson model reviewed here.
Got a fun one for you guys this week!
Enjoy :)
Guitar link: imp.i114863.net/BXj43W
I spotted one on your wall just over a year ago (during your 700K give-away) and was hoping you'd do review but couldn't wait ... bought my crimson beauty during Black Friday sales 2021🤘
There is no microphone.
@@I.M.Guitar-Nerd You are correct. It is a model based off of a microphoned acoustic guitar - simulated but very good.
Sounds BEAUTIFUL!!!
@@sleemajd It is an amzing sounding simulation, they used a high-end Yamaha acoustic for the modeling but the exact model escapes atm. I'll keep mine forever.
From Yamaha:
SRT Powered is a new system designed to recreate the body resonance of an acoustic guitar in a bodiless guitar. Yamaha developed SRT Powered, collaborating with recording artists to create a system tailored to the unique properties of the new SLG body and modelled after the tones of a high-end Yamaha acoustic guitar captured using a carefully selected microphone in a professional recording studio environment. By actually reproducing the sound of an acoustic guitar-right down to its natural sustain and decay-Yamaha lets guitarists experience the genuine body resonance, body tone and ambience of an acoustic guitar.
SRT Powered sound can even be mixed with the sound from the instrument's piezo pickups, allowing guitarists to be even more flexible in their creative endeavors.
Because the SLG can virtually reproduce the sound of a guitar recorded with a microphone, players are free from complicated procedures involved in mic-ing up a guitar when recording at home or in other settings.
Best music purchase I’ve ever made. This thing is stunning. It’s not totally silent, of course, but it’s only slightly louder than playing my electric unplugged.
One thing I have learned in over four decades of playing is to never underestimate Yamaha's ability to deliver great playing, feeling and sounding instruments across a very wide range of prices. Even when they go for something as unconventional as a "silent acoustic guitar," they'll still deliver a surprisingly great guitar.
Keep up the great work!😁
and not only. yamaha makes pianos, violins, flutes, drums, mixing boards, motorbikes, speed boats, synths, you name it. and they're top notch and among the leading names in every single department. that's something.
@@Tryggvasson Exceptional company. Other companies worldwide could learn a lot about serving their customers and running a highly successful business by studying Yamaha.
@@Tryggvasson Indeed, Yamaha makes all kinds of great stuff, but this is a guitar video on a guitar channel, which is why I addressed the quality of Yamaha guitars in my comment.😉
Yamaha also make great brass - trumpets tubas etc. I have a Y tuba and piano and used to have a great Y bass guitar.
So glad you are covering this. I have been using a Yamaha silent guitar fir gigs for years now. I have the nylon string version. Perfect classical sound, no feedback. And people are always amazed by it.
Can the action be adjusted to have the string height really low like those on Spanish nylon string flamenco guitars?
Yes, I had mine adjusted and it plays perfectly. Love my Yamaha nylon guitar.
@@paulysguitarjournal thanks. Was it a simple truss rod adjustment or did the bridge and nut need adjusting as well?
I tried the nylon version in a shop and wasn't super impressed by it unfortunately... the neck felt cluncky and the sound wasn't exceptional. Construction was passable - I can see the sprues and support structure on the injection molded pickguard and the side rings made of wood didn't feel that solid.
@@allboutthemojo I had the bridge adjusted as well. I’m assuming he adjusted the nut.
I've had the steel string model for several years and it's awesome. Not only acoustic but can sound electric and easy to play. I did change out the saddle for bone. It records very well. My daughter now uses it at college so she can play without bothering any dorm mates. Is a real sleeper, I recommend.
I recently bought one, and it is indeed an excellent piece of kit (like everything Yamaha), BUT I find the string tension quite high. What string guage are you running?
@@feddomeijerwiersma6955 I use Elixir Nanoweb Light 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Guitar (11052) Gauges: .012, .016, .024, .032, .042, .053
@@feddomeijerwiersma6955 I have mine setup with electric strings for less tension and it still sounds awesome and bends for blues playing. I pipe backing tracks into it from my ipad and listen through over the ear headphones and it’s a bit addicting.
@@shaneroberts9466 I'm glad to hear it can handle 12's. I see it comes with 11's. That's like hairs to me lol. Still like it?
@@robland4812 What gauge nickel strings are you using? I use 12's on my Hollowbody.
I have had one for several years now. I absolutely love it! I use mine for performance every weekend.
Me too.
Wish he had demonstrated how silent it is. That's what someone in the market would like to hear.
I've had the same model as in this video for just over a year and the body is quite resonant and you can feel the vibration travel through the frame. It is slightly louder than a solid body electric unplugged, but quieter than a thin semi-hollow body electric. Silent no, relatively quiet yes.
Did you watch it through?. He did play it without the amp towards the end.
just about the same as an unplugged electric 🤘🏻🤘🏻
And don’t forget, Brian May used to play the older version of Yamaha‘s silent Guitar on Stage! It is a versatile instrument indeed! Worth every Penny!
Wow!! The mic sounds legit!!! Thank you Darrell for demonstrating.
The sound of that guitar is amazing. That is why I bought that guitar a few years back. When I play with headphones and close my eyes and I enjoy it so much!!! Every time I play it, it feels so good inside!!! Best acoustic guitar for me!!!
I fell in love with this guitar when they brought it out 20 years ago, before I'd ever played any guitar. I would love to own one. So beautiful.
This was my first guitar paired with a THR5A and I can say with 100% confidence that THERE IS NO INTERNAL MICROPHONE!
Quoted from Yamaha:
SRT Powered is a new system designed to recreate the body resonance of an acoustic guitar in a bodiless guitar. Yamaha developed SRT Powered, collaborating with recording artists to create a system tailored to the unique properties of the new SLG body and modelled after the tones of a high-end Yamaha acoustic guitar captured using a carefully selected microphone in a professional recording studio environment. By actually reproducing the sound of an acoustic guitar-right down to its natural sustain and decay-Yamaha lets guitarists experience the genuine body resonance, body tone and ambience of an acoustic guitar.
SRT Powered sound can even be mixed with the sound from the instrument's piezo pickups, allowing guitarists to be even more flexible in their creative endeavors.
Because the SLG can virtually reproduce the sound of a guitar recorded with a microphone, players are free from complicated procedures involved in mic-ing up a guitar when recording at home or in other settings.
When Darrell shows the close up shot of the controls, the blend pot is marked with "Mic". Does the SRT system not have an actual microphone inside the body to get the mic tones? Do you know how it works if there is no microphone inside? Does it use a transducer in place of a microphone? Mine sounds very much like a mic'd acoustic when it is dialed to full "Mic".
it makes sense, since there's no cavity to place the microphone in, and it sounds a little overcompressed and slightly artificial in the microphone setting. it's probably an emulation. but very useable.
@@k9er233 It's a simulation. Yamaha used one of their high-end acoustics and some mystery microphone to create a model of that guitar, that modelled guitar is what you can blend into the sound of the peizo pickup in the SLG200.
@@I.M.Guitar-Nerd Thanks for the information. Even without an actual mic, the tone is very pleasing to my old ears.
@@k9er233 The are fantastic guitars, play one if you can.
I have the 100 S and it's my main performing guitar. I'm the rhythm guitarist in an alternative rock quartet and I actually use this with electric-style effects to create a much fuller and more responsive sound than your average electric. I turn on Reverb 2 BEFORE it goes through the rest of my effects chain and the results are just glorious. I think you just convinced me that the 200 S has just enough quality of life improvements to merit an upgrade. Thanks and keep up the great work!
I have the nylon strings version and absolutely love it! They are really well made and the electronics are awesome, basic but just enough. Definitely the best - and affordable! - travel guitar out there!
Great. I saw Joyce, the Brazilian vocalist and guitarist who played one of these at the Blue Note awhile back. She has it for years, it sounded great. As did yours. 🎸.
I have owned one of these for 5 plus years as I work on others. You can lookup variations but I took mine apart, routed a cavity for a single telecaster pickup and put in the body. Isolating the circuit from the original, you can make your own circuit for an unfiltered electric pickup, put in treble and volume knobs on the "aux in" side of body and replace the back plate with a dual output jack (make it out of plastic or use isolating spacers to insure circuit is separate from original). With some work and ingenuity you can have a clean jazz sound or the built in sound with effects. The guitar action is low. Its a great substitute as a training tool when you are worried about putting wear on an expensive guitar. I added a graphtech nut and saddle and can't be happier. Most times I use this for practicing over any of the 6 or more guitars I own simply due to versatility, weight, and ability not to worry about temp/humidity so much.....
I'd take this over a traditional box in a heartbeat. Sounds great and has just the features you need.
It's a great guitar. I've had mine for 6 years and absolutely love it.
I have a gen 1 version. Plays great, even with electric strings. Sounds incredible... even into the gain channel on my Marshall. I love it.
Great success in Brazil! I had the 1st version of the Yamaha Silent, great sound, very comfortable for performances that can last a long time. The 1st version only had volume, bass and treble controls. Only problem was the drain on the 9v battery which basically didn't last at all compared to other preamp systems.
Bought one of these a few years ago from Chicago Music Exchange when I was travelling a lot... this fits in the overhead and even under the seats on most airlines and it's travelled with me every flight since. ☮❤🎶
yamaha makes electric guitars, acoustic guitars, pianos, violins, flutes, drums, mixing boards, synthesizers, motorbikes, speed boats, church organs, and god knows what else, and they're top notch and a world leading brand name in every single department they activate in. that's truly something.
but did not make Formula 1 race car?
The "mic" sound is pretty awesome! This guitar is almost a classic now, it's been around for a while now.
Love your review of Yamaha's silent guitar. Always appreciate hearing your thoughts and playing the guitar as you review. Lee Rittenour used this guitar in a show I saw in Boston a few years back.
My son uses one for his acoustic show. He loves it!
I had the older version of this for over a decade and it's pretty handy for apartment living and traveling
Between that guitar sound and you’re playing, it’s beautiful
I'm impressed... sounds much better than I first expected. Thanks for the vid!
It's a clown guitar. 🤡
I like mine very much. I take it into the countryside. Strung with electric 11 gauge strings (no wound 3rd string), a small Bluetooth speaker (use the wire) and my backing tracks on an old mp3 player taped to the back connected through aux - all in the same small carry case that I can lift with one finger 👍
Got one used on sale from L&M and love it. Really fun to play and nice for a change. Headphones are easy too.
That guitar has interested me for a long time, but I have never had an opportunity to try one. Thanks for the demo.
That’s a real beauty, sonically and visually. I want one!
I just purchased the SG TA . The concert body size not the dreadnought large body. I thought the small body wouldn't sound huge without the reverb or phase effects... But no... I was surprised by the boomy bottom end and midrange sound alone, no effects. This thing plays well with a little action work I did. Intonation is spot on.. Smooth playability. The SG TA is the Martin I've always wanted. It came with 12's on it and I'm gonna keep that that's for the thrill of the boom sound. Thank you, YAMAHA !
I've also played this guitar a few years ago and it was great. Yamaha did a great job with the reverb and the mic/jack pickup and separation. It is a bit expensive, but if you want something that sounds great, plays great then $600-700 isn't bad.
Ive had one in the home studio for nearly 8yrs now. As you know, when its -40f and the furnace is kicking on and off constantly for 6 months a year.. This is a must have for any home studio. Always on mic, which is actually a modeled Yamaha Jumbo, THERE IS NO MIC INSIDE! I never ever use the piezo ever! I wish they were made in Japan but China made these really well so no worries.
It doesnt matter what strings you use, no matter what gauge you use, it always sounds like the same modeled Yamaha Jumbo. You can any strings you want. There is a company that makes electric guitar pickups that mount by replacing the pick guard, that makes this an awesome portable compact 1 and done guitar if you wanted. Look into that!
The most useful guitar reviews of any I've ever seen, keep them coming, thanks!
Sounds great. The concept is similar to the old Aria Sinsonido. Aria made guitar and bass versions of the Sinsonido years back. I am quite sure the Yamaha did a great job with this. Thanks for reviewing, didn't know this was out there.
I play this silent guitar (Nylon) since 5 years, nearly every day. Important is, that you have a good clean amp. Also I modified the armrest, in order to play more precisely. Of course I miss the loudspeaker fitting to the hole of the guitar, when playing to friends, without external amp or headphones. But I did not find the time to develop it myself, even so I could do it, as an electronic engineer 😋.
Wow! So glad you featured this. Now I'm going to have to get me one! Thanks DBG....
Really glad you reviewed this. I’ve played one in the past and loved the feel and weight. It’s on the radar!
Thanks Darrel for a great review.
I bought the steel string just before going on holiday for a week in November 2018, because I wanted something light and compact for the flights and to use to keep up practice when away. This is perfect for me. Since then I continued using it with head phones as my every day practice guitar, so much so that 4 years later it has some significant fret wear.
After having it for a year or 2 the locating pins on the top piece of frame, that slot into holes came lose and I needed to make some mods with slightly bigger and better screws that hold those pins to the frame piece, and they've held strong ever since. Apart from that minor disappointment I've had no other issues and I'm extremely happy with it as far as a light weight compact travel and silent every day practice guitar.
Great guitar that has proven itself for years now. The only thing I donot understand is why the underside part isn’t detachable as well.
Its always a good day when there’s a new Yamaha guitar!!
I have one of each Yamaha SG; one nylon and one steel string. The steel string is pretty good, but the nylon is fantastic sounding. Only problem I had with the nylon was that the bridge was nearly 1/8" too tall to be playable out of the box. After lowering it down it turned out to be a great player.
the action on this guitar is buttery 🧈 .
I hacked the neck out of a cheap chinese classic guitar, and mounted it onto a solid piece of wood, building up around the joint. I have a simple piezo under the saddle, and no volume /tone/mixer controls mounted on it. I use a Vox amplug and earphones. I had very low expectations, so didn't pay much attention to quality of build etc - but it is actually quite playable, sounds good and it is compact for storage etc. I never bothered with the "bout" pieces, so mine looks pretty plain. One day when my budget can afford it, I would love a Yamaha.
I have the SLG200N (Nylon String) version of this guitar. Gift from my wife. I love it. Nice soft tone. Yamaha electronics are very nice.
Nice. I have the nylon string version and it’s super useful. Couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve used it, esp when people want me to play nylon string on big stages, where feedback would normally be a major issue. It’s since paid for itself 10x over
Mine is a 2004/05 model. Man! They've really stepped it up over the years. Mine only has treble/bass/volume. And 2 reverb tones.
I own a SLG200S and gigged it in an orchestra setting for a few years. It was great plugged into a massive house PA. Always got compliments from the sound guys about the tone, they liked what they heard better than my guitars with a Baggs anthem. The “mic”, btw, is an emulation built around Yamaha SRT models. The simplicity, portability and silent stage design also worked very well for me. Only slight complaints are the EQ demands secondary processing as this thing gets real boomy real quick, and it was always neck heavy anytime I used a capo.
I also love this guitar as a true practice tool. Plug the iPad into the aux and play along with practice tracks while reading the sheet music on the iPad. All silent into my headphones.
I do feel this 200 model is getting a little long in the tooth though with all of the recent amp technology Yamaha has brought out since these were released. Would love to see the next gen version come along soon with some of the “THRA” amp technology built in…NAMM 2023-Come on Yamaha!
Owned one for years, excellent guitar, keep it in my locker at work
I've had one of these for years - great guitar, and looks very cool hanging on the living room wall!
I bought my silent Guitar about a year ago just because of that Sound you have demonstrated. In fact the steel string version can be strung with Nylons too. So this proofs there is no real magnetic Pickup, its either Piezo or that „Sound generating“ SRT thing. The swap of string type I have seen and heard online. But for now the steels string sound so good that I left them on. Love that sound! Well done Yamaha!
I've been wanting one of these for a while now, maybe two of them, both the steel and nylon. I've never met a Yamaha instrument I didn't like - my Mk I DX7 is turning 40 this year and my G60 classical guitar will be 65 years old, both doing fine and in daily use.
The Little Engine that could. Fantastic instrument.
Nice review. I used to own the nylon string version of the Silent Guitar. The only negative was that you couldn't do any flamenco-like body taps. Playing "More Than Words" doesn't sound the same without being able to slap the top.
Actually blown away how good this sounds. No idea how they did it, but to me it sound better than my epiphone hummingbird. The downfall I guess would be is you'd have to lug a small amp around
TONE AIR
I always enjoy your videos and your ability to play so many different styles of music. Your videos give an upbeat feeling. This Yamaha guitar has been around for a while and perhaps the inspiration for the Enya guitar with the fabulous built in speakers.
I've had one for a couple years, only thing I don't like is the strap button wing locking setup, it doesn't stay tight.
I have one and it's really nice to play. Very cool for travelling.
It's a great sounding guitar. Had the pleasure of listening to a guitarist play one at a Winery here in Washington State. If not for My Epiphone DR 400 MCE I'd probably have one of these.
Very nice guitar!!
Nice, I just bought one of these a week ago. My acoustic chops were withering and after playing this on a whim I had to have it. I haven’t put it down since.
had these (classical and steel) for years and around me travelling and both combined weighs as much as a normal LP. held up great, so far. sounds great with an amp.
and really sounds awesome on headphones, open-backs like the sennheiser hdxx and 58x, meze classics, and beyerdynamic pros, even with hybrid iems. great for noodling around whilst the wifey and kids are chilling out or sleeping.
I was just looking at this thing. It looks like the ultimate backpack guitar. I was wondering how it sounded, because none of the music shops around me have even heard of it. Lol. So thank you for this. Much appreciated. Hope all is well and you had a happy new year.
I bought one about 3 yr ago and it sounds and plays great.
The one thing I don’t like is the ‘travel mode’. My personal preference would be for it to stay in one solid piece instead of that detachable half. Then you wouldn’t need that good half gig bag lol but I love my steel string with ultra light gauge. Love pairing it with my TRBX304 🙃
I use the Yamaha Silent steel string, and the Silent Nylon as my primary travel guitars. Can't beat them for convenience and with the usual excellent Yamaha build quality.
The greatest innovation from guitar world.
Thanks for the Video! Im 65 and decided to learn guitar... I was going straight for aa Les Paul Studio not a traditional choice I know. Then I cam across this Yamaha. i like it. To learn and to grow for my personal enjoyment. What do you think.?
Love what Yamaha created with this one. Thanks for the excellent review.
Wow, very cool, Yamaha! Excellent innovation. And nowhere near what I thought this would cost.
Wow the mic sounds like an acoustic guitar! Very cool!
I practice using a Harley Benson LP kit that I built three years ago. I rarely plug it into my amp and can hear it fine without headphones or amp so I can understand how this guitar would be great for practice or stage.
Excellent tool for its marquee feature: silent practice. The plugged-in sound can't escape its inherent piezo-ness - a kind of tone which doesn't happen to appeal to me; but they've made the best of that limitation, so imho it's absolutely useful around the house.
Thanks for covering thus. You didn't mention that there's a nylon string version. I love mine.
I saw Rick Emmett live years ago. He sounded amazing playing one of these.
I bought both the steel and the nylon string versions for my studio. After 3 years in use, no one likes the nylon version. It's now wall-art. The steel string however, is fantastic in all facets. Sound quality, timbre, reverb. (Delay is hit or miss depending on the song.) I would buy the steel string again if it went up in a dumpster fire! + It looks great hanging over my bar cart.
Side note: This is one of the best playing necks I have ever played. Intonation, feel, action are all amazing. Thank the stars they (Yamaha) engulfed Line-6, maybe we can get an updated version of the Shuriken Variax.
I've had two of 'em for over twenty years. The first ones were crap, but the one I bought five years ago is killer.
Excellent! Yamaha makes an superb electric violin too. They make superb everything. This post makes me miss my '86 V-max.
Lee Ritenour has been using the Classical (nylon string) version of the Yamaha Silent Guitar, for live performances, for many years now.
This is also great for people who drop there picks alot bc no inner
I've had one for at least 5 years and they are great. With the Silent Guitar I do miss the feeling of the vibrations (subtle) on my torso from the back side of a more traditional acoustic guitar. It sounds great either through headphones or through amp.
I first encountered this thing in a pub in Saint Petersburg Russia that had a solo acoustic guy playing. I was amazed at how good it sounded. I looked into getting one but they were scarce and priced way over list. I ended up with a Crafter CT 120 N - which you also might be interested to review if you can find one. Looks kind of like a Les Paul Junior body but has a big acoustic tone.
FYI, low voltage is bad for linearity if you want clean tones. The electronics would perform better with TWO 9 Volt batteries at the very least and Four 9 Volt batteries would work even better..
The technology we have, and to think that back in the 40’s Les Paul was playing a block of wood with a neck and wings screwed to it!!
gotta love that Wish You Were Here riff from Pink Floyd!
I've had this guitar on my wish list for a while, but have not had a chance to try it out. Thanks for the review.
My jaw dropped when you started playing…just wow.
I must have one. A guitar with it all. I'd like to see the out body parts made of a translucent plastic, to give that on stage usual appearance, until they work it out. Thanks Bro, great demo and thanks Yamaha, great product 👏
I love Yamaha man! Definitely one of the best. I grew up with Yamaha
Sounds good. Maybe with some acoustic amp models and some tweaks it can be a stellar guitar. Maybe some stylish counterweights on the bottom band to balance it out. I like mine sweet sounding and trebly with good low and mid tones.
The microphone sounds amazing!
such a nice review. can you do with the same yamaha silent nylon guitar?
Lucky Guy, You got one with the elusive premium tone-air!
Great Air Tone!! It would sound different in different air.
now this is cool, not a big Yamaha fan but this really is different.
Thanks for boosting the popularity of these guitars, I have the classical version and I love it but I'm thinking about trading it for one of the new yamaha violins since I have a bunch of other guitars anyway
99% sure I'll never own one, let alone play on one, but that is a slick guitar. That's really cool.
Great guitar, it actually plays well and records well. I like it because it goes anywhere.
How silent is the silent guitar? Rings out musically like a softly played acoustic when you're trying to be quiet. So a bit louder than the plinky sound of an unplugged solid body electric, but quieter than an unplugged slim body semi-hollow. Comfort-wise, for longer sessions I slid a pad from a shoulder strap over the frame where my arm rests. I have the same crimson model reviewed here.