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Yamaha APX 700 Electro-Acoustic Guitar

 

Review of the Yamaha APX 700 Sandburst by The Man in the Jar 

This guitar is actually very pretty in the flesh, this photo does not do it full justice.

Features of the Yamaha APX 700  

Tuners - Sealed unbranded mini-tuners work smoothly.

Headstock - This is an elegant three-a-side paddle design that's faced with what looks like rosewood and is bound in antiqued white pin-striped binding. The Yamaha logo is rendered in mother-of-pearl and the truss rod cover looks like rosewood. All very classy.

Nut - The neatly-cut white plastic nut abuts the fretboard.

Neck - The nato neck is a real joy to play. The dimensions and scale length fell perfectly into my hand. The playability of the neck alone practically justifies the price tag. The grain of the nato wood shows through the stain that perfectly matches the Sandburst colour of the body. The heel is very contoured to the point of being practically flat, making access above the 12th fret very comfortable.

Fretboard - The rosewood fretboard has a lovely even grain with mother-of-pearl dot markers, both the 7th and 12th fret being marked with double-dots. The board is bound with antiqued white binding.

Frets - The thin frets are well polished and finished immaculately.

Action - The factory set-up is perfect for the instrument with the action set high enough to maximise resonance of the strings but low enough to allow fast and intricate playing.

Body - The nato back and sides support a solid spruce top. The body has less depth than a conventional acoustic guitar and is therefore a lot more comfortable to hold and play. The body is bound front and back with antiqued white binding with a single pin-stripe. The single cutaway gives enhanced access to the upper frets. The elliptical sound-hole has a raised plastic rosette that bears an abalone decoration. Yamaha supply a plastic cover which slots into this rosette to deter feedback when playing at high volumes.

Bridge - A nice wing-shaped rosewood bridge supports a simple blade saddle that has a compensatory stagger at the second string. The strings are anchored by traditional black bridge pins.

Pickup - A dual piezo transducer sits under the saddle.

Controls - The battery compartment sits on the side of the upper bout just above the neck. The control panel sits on the top of the side facing the player. The controls are quite simple, a rotary volume and a three band eq operated by sliders. The range of the Mid slider is set by a fourth slider below the eq section. This greatly enhances the tonal flexibility available from the instrument.  

Strap-buttons - One on the bottom of the guitar and one on the back of the heel.

Output Jack - The jack is plugged in through the specially designed strap button on the base of the body. I've always thought that looks a bit sexy, but it does mean you can't stand the guitar up against the wall or on most small stands unless you unplug it first. 

Finish - Really good throughout. The Sandburst finish is particularly attractive.

 

Sound of the Yamaha APX 700

The un-amplified acoustic sound is a lot fuller than would be expected given the limited depth of the soundbox. The response is good and even over the strings and there's a honeyed depth to the bass notes that anchors the whole voice of the guitar very satisfactorily. I would have no qualms using this guitar un-amplified with other acoustic instruments. Plugged into a clean valve amp the acoustic promise is fulfilled with a full rich sound. The dual pickup combination works really well. As with most piezo-equipped guitars I found a touch of bass boost was required, but the onboard controls gave more than enough scope to nail the sounds I was looking for.  

 

Overall Impressions of the Yamaha APX 700

I really came to like this little guitar. It offers a superb playing experience with a voice that belies the size of the guitar's body. That makes it suitable for players of smaller stature with smaller hands who don't want to compromise on quality.

Buy the Yamaha APX 700 Electro-Acoustic Guitar 

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