Yamaha APXT2 3/4-Size Acoustic-Electric Guitar – Black Review

Yamaha is proud to present a three-quarter size version of one of their best-selling acoustic-electric guitars.

The 3/4 size is actually perfect for children, right around 10-12 years old or younger. This is a great guitar for young enthusiasts to start their journey with because of its smaller size. Yet, this guitar isn’t reserved for children or beginners.

The sound, tone, and playability of 3/4 guitars make them an attractive option for more experienced guitar players as well.

For those of you who are new to acoustics, you might be wondering how a company like Yamaha pops up on the list of best acoustic guitars?

Long before Yamaha started making snowmobiles and ATVs, even before they started making acoustic guitars, they made pianos and organs. Designing and manufacturing stringed instruments rest at the very core of Yamaha.

It’s an interesting fact that doesn’t get much attention, probably because Yamaha doesn’t need to brag about their past. They let their work in the present do all the talking.

The Yamaha APXT2 acoustic-electric guitar continues in the long and proud tradition Yamaha has built as the leading maker of high-quality, affordable instruments for all types of players and styles.

We know you’re itching to know more. So come along with us as we take a closer look at the…

Our rating: (4.5 / 5)

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Yamaha’s APXT2 3/4 size Acoustic-electric Guitar

Since Yamaha is based in Japan, there are certain differences in the kinds of woods that get used more often than others in making their guitars. Some kinds are difficult, if not impossible, to source from the area. While others have simply become too expensive for Yamaha to use and still keep their prices low.

What you find is that Yamaha uses woods that have unfamiliar names for people living on the other side of the world. Such is the case with the APXT2, where we find the back and sides are made of Meranti.

Meranti is a hardwood found in Southeast Asia and is often called “Philippine Mahogany.” While it is not actually a species of mahogany, it does have very similar characteristics to that particular tonewood.

Just like mahogany, when Meranti is used to make the body of an acoustic guitar, the tone is full of warmth and body. Meranti is quite porous, so it produces a good sustain and has a lively resonance. With this wood readily available in Southeast Asia, the price is much lower than real mahogany and is easier for Yamaha to get their hands on.

Some drawbacks of Meranti is that it is more attractive to insects than mahogany and is less resistance to outdoor exposure than mahogany. Meranti may not be as hard or as durable as mahogany, but the musical properties of the two kinds of wood are nearly identical.

The top is solid spruce. Spruce is the most common top used in acoustic guitars of every size, due to its balance and natural sound.

As mentioned, this guitar is a 3/4 size guitar, which means it is smaller than the average acoustic guitar. The smaller size makes this guitar the perfect travel companion because it is light, compact, and easy to get around with.

The 3/4 size also means a difference in tone. Smaller guitars are livelier and tend to have less overall volume. The mid-range and the high-end have more presence than the low-end because of the smaller size.

Often referred to as “Traveler Guitars,” the 3/4 size Yamaha APXT2 is great for those who want to be able to take their music with them wherever they go.

This guitar also features a single cutaway making high-fret fingering a snap.

With an elegant Black gloss finish, this acoustic guitar looks and sounds polished.

Made from Nato and mahogany, the neck on the Yamaha APXT2 is stable, strong, and durable. The Nato/mahogany neck offers lots of warmth and fullness to help balance out the brightness of the smaller body size. For those who are unfamiliar, Nato is a type of wood that has very similar characteristics to mahogany but costs much less.

The APXT2 features a rosewood fretboard with 21 low-action frets. The neck is incredibly easy to play and is quite fast. The action is lower because of the smaller three-quarter size body. Higher action on the frets and strings tends to diminish the liveliness of the sound and the amount of volume it can produce.

The bridge is also made of rosewood. While the bridge on an acoustic guitar isn’t typically made from rosewood, there is some reasoning behind its use in the Yamaha APXT2.

Rosewood is another warm tonewood. By making the bridge out of rosewood, it is another way to tamp down some of the brightness and sharpness that 3/4 size acoustics generally produce.

One drawback is that rosewood is a softer wood than maple or mahogany. This means the strings will wear grooves into the bridge faster. And it may need replacing sooner if you put it through heavy use.

The tuners are Yamaha’s own proprietary design. They ensure ease, accuracy, and stability for your intonation.

This is an electric-acoustic guitar, so we need to discuss the electronics of the APXT2.

The Yamaha APXT2 features an Acoustic Resonance Technology (ART) contact pickup. This pickup is engineered and made exclusively by Yamaha, who has an incredible R&D department available. This has given them new insights and innovations in designing pickups for acoustic guitars.

The ART-based pickup is just as powerful, dynamic, and responsive as any other acoustic pickup that costs twice as much. It is a transducer pickup and includes its own preamp. This means you are going to be getting reverberation from the wood of the body and neck more than from the strings.

This is a real bonus because when you plug in this guitar. Because it does mellow-out a bit thanks to the transducer pickup. There are tone and volume controls so the sound can be shaped to how you like it. It is a surprisingly powerful pickup with lots of clarity and responsiveness.

It also features a highly accurate built-in tuner that again is designed by Yamaha.