Yamaha AC3R Are Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Vintage Natural

After owning this guitar for a little less than a month I’ve found some flaws that I’m not particularly happy with.However let’s start with the pros:The guitar sounds great. The all solid wood combination of rosewood and spruce is highly desired. The construction of the guitar seems great. The pickup and mic modeling electronics are a super win. Intonation is solid.Cons:The frets are not even close to being acceptable. They almost appear to be a brushed stainless. They’re extremely rough and you’ll immediately notice this as soon as you bend a note. Feels like you grinding the string against sand paper.The nut isn't cut to an exact fit with the width of the neck. In fact I can see raw exposed wood where the nut doesn’t meet flush on one end.These 2 ... MoreAfter owning this guitar for a little less than a month I’ve found some flaws that I’m not particularly happy with.However let’s start with the pros:The guitar sounds great. The all solid wood combination of rosewood and spruce is highly desired. The construction of the guitar seems great. The pickup and mic modeling electronics are a super win. Intonation is solid.Cons:The frets are not even close to being acceptable. They almost appear to be a brushed stainless. They’re extremely rough and you’ll immediately notice this as soon as you bend a note. Feels like you grinding the string against sand paper.The nut isn't cut to an exact fit with the width of the neck. In fact I can see raw exposed wood where the nut doesn’t meet flush on one end.These 2 issues can certainly be fixed but buying a guitar, one doesn’t typically expect to have to pay a guitar tech to do a fret job and install a new nut.In conclusion, the guitar is a good deal. You good a lot for your money which is important but in my case some attention to quality seems to have been overlooked.

Ausome Guitar

Overall:I've been searching for a guitar with the rosewood body and the mahogany neck for some time now. I really like the deep base sound and the overall projection of this type of wood not to mention the strength and play-a- ability in the mahogany neck. I'm so glad that I purchased this Yamaha. The sound is truly assume, the neck plays very well and requires very little string pressure to play it. If I had purchased a Martin, Taylor or Gibson with the same specs ( including the electronics and same wood) it would cost no less than 2500.00 dollars and the only thing extra you get is the "made in the USA" label. I'm a vet and I love my country, but sometimes you just have face the facts.. Yamaha is not made in America but it was made for Americans, and this is one ... MoreOverall:I've been searching for a guitar with the rosewood body and the mahogany neck for some time now. I really like the deep base sound and the overall projection of this type of wood not to mention the strength and play-a- ability in the mahogany neck. I'm so glad that I purchased this Yamaha. The sound is truly assume, the neck plays very well and requires very little string pressure to play it. If I had purchased a Martin, Taylor or Gibson with the same specs ( including the electronics and same wood) it would cost no less than 2500.00 dollars and the only thing extra you get is the "made in the USA" label. I'm a vet and I love my country, but sometimes you just have face the facts.. Yamaha is not made in America but it was made for Americans, and this is one of the best guitars I have ever played. If your on the fence, this is a great guitar, at a great price, and you will not be disappointed.

Beautiful workmanship and sweet tone

May 2021: I am a retiree with arthritis in my hands, but this guitar has low action and very comfortable to play. I love playing this guitar for hours daily - I just can't seem to want to put it down. This is a fantastic all-solid wood guitar with beautiful rich tones. And, unlike many high-priced solid-wood guitars, the grain is tight and straight with no adverse ugly markings in the wood. The overall workmanship is flawless and beautiful. This is a steal at a very low price point. Get one while they last. It comes with a padded case, which is really nice for the home. But, if you travel a lot, then get a TSA hardshell case for under $200.00, and this total price will still be $1,000.00 - $2,000.00 cheaper than another brand similar quality guitar (if you can find ... MoreMay 2021: I am a retiree with arthritis in my hands, but this guitar has low action and very comfortable to play. I love playing this guitar for hours daily - I just can't seem to want to put it down. This is a fantastic all-solid wood guitar with beautiful rich tones. And, unlike many high-priced solid-wood guitars, the grain is tight and straight with no adverse ugly markings in the wood. The overall workmanship is flawless and beautiful. This is a steal at a very low price point. Get one while they last. It comes with a padded case, which is really nice for the home. But, if you travel a lot, then get a TSA hardshell case for under $200.00, and this total price will still be $1,000.00 - $2,000.00 cheaper than another brand similar quality guitar (if you can find similar quality).

Great 2nd time around

This is my 2nd AC3R. 1st had terrible fret ends. This one I found in the same store and it is a beauty. Great neck with no fret issues. Warm and organic tone. Sound is definitely different - almost like a classical guitar. However the tone is wonderful. Nice case. Easy controls with a really wide range of sounds available. Fantastic construction.

Maybe it's Just Me but I'm not too happy.

I perform live 2 to 3 nights per week. I've gone through many acoustic guitars and my style of playing will challenge any acoustic. I play many styles of music so I need diversity. This acoustic does handle all of my playing styles with ease. I will say it has its advantages and will kill any feedback with the touch of a button. However, I noticed a loud pop when I would hit the saddle area with my wrist (which I often do while looping). Turns out there was a short in the battery compartment which (I thought) was why it was using 2 AA batteries up every session. I ordered a new case and replaced it. Worked fine but I'm still going through 2 batteries every night! Something is not right but it was so subtle that I couldn't send it back. Besides, this is how I make a ... MoreI perform live 2 to 3 nights per week. I've gone through many acoustic guitars and my style of playing will challenge any acoustic. I play many styles of music so I need diversity. This acoustic does handle all of my playing styles with ease. I will say it has its advantages and will kill any feedback with the touch of a button. However, I noticed a loud pop when I would hit the saddle area with my wrist (which I often do while looping). Turns out there was a short in the battery compartment which (I thought) was why it was using 2 AA batteries up every session. I ordered a new case and replaced it. Worked fine but I'm still going through 2 batteries every night! Something is not right but it was so subtle that I couldn't send it back. Besides, this is how I make a living. What am I going to do....mail it in for repairs and miss 3 or 4 gigs because of it? Anyway, I'm sure no one else has had this problem because I ALWAYS seem to run into this sort of thing. I have a sneaking suspicion that all the junk equipment gets sent my way because of where I'm from. People just hate Mississippi for some reason. LOL. Overall it's been a great instrument but for once I wish I could have a guitar that just works properly. Now that it's been said has anyone else had this problem with the batteries dying every night? It's getting expensive and I'm afraid the EPA will notice all the old batteries in the trash.

Perfect Guitar!

A week ago I traded in my a1r (laminate dread) for the ac3r (solid concert) and couldn't be happier. One thing you should know about the Yamaha A series is they are bigger than average guitars. In particular they are very deep. The a1r was an ok guitar but it was not very fun to play. It is such a large guitar that when sitting it digs right into your armpit and restricts your movement. And I am an average size Male. For smaller players I do not recommend the A series dreads.But the concert is perfect! In reality the A series concert is actually somewhere between concert and dread size. And the sound and tone reflects this. You do get a deeper sound on the lows and more volume than your average concert. The bracing also helps with this.Also the switch from ... MoreA week ago I traded in my a1r (laminate dread) for the ac3r (solid concert) and couldn't be happier. One thing you should know about the Yamaha A series is they are bigger than average guitars. In particular they are very deep. The a1r was an ok guitar but it was not very fun to play. It is such a large guitar that when sitting it digs right into your armpit and restricts your movement. And I am an average size Male. For smaller players I do not recommend the A series dreads.But the concert is perfect! In reality the A series concert is actually somewhere between concert and dread size. And the sound and tone reflects this. You do get a deeper sound on the lows and more volume than your average concert. The bracing also helps with this.Also the switch from laminate to solid on the A series is well worth the money. The clarity on this guitar is amazing! On the a1r chords sounded a bit muddled but not at all on the ac3r! The setup on this guitar is great and makes it very playable.The only issue I have run into is going out of tune quickly. But that is fairly common with new guitars. After stretching the strings and playing daily I expect this will improve.Overall I find it to be the perfect guitar. Perfect size, perfect electronics, perfect tone.

Ultimate in Quality and Performance

I received my AC3R about 7 years ago as a birthday gift from my parents. It was my decision to get more serious about guitar and I had outgrown the old ones. Over time the guitar has only become more of a delight. It is comfortable to play, the controls are useful and intuitive, and it sounds beautiful. My AC3R is a limited edition. It has a Bearclaw finish that is stunning, and it came with a hard-shell case that is probably worth a couple hundred on its own. The guitar oozes quality. All solid wood, rosewood fretboard...from the input jack to the headstock, I wouldn't trade it for any Taylor or Martin out there. Folks honestly, with this line of Yamaha guitars, you aren't paying for the name on the headstock; you are paying for craftsmanship. I intend to keep this ... MoreI received my AC3R about 7 years ago as a birthday gift from my parents. It was my decision to get more serious about guitar and I had outgrown the old ones. Over time the guitar has only become more of a delight. It is comfortable to play, the controls are useful and intuitive, and it sounds beautiful. My AC3R is a limited edition. It has a Bearclaw finish that is stunning, and it came with a hard-shell case that is probably worth a couple hundred on its own. The guitar oozes quality. All solid wood, rosewood fretboard...from the input jack to the headstock, I wouldn't trade it for any Taylor or Martin out there. Folks honestly, with this line of Yamaha guitars, you aren't paying for the name on the headstock; you are paying for craftsmanship. I intend to keep this guitar as long as I live. I play it at church, I play it around the campfire, I do small open-mic night gigs at coffee shops, and I play instrumental dining music at restaurants. I do mostly fingerstyle, which is where I feel this guitar excels the most, and also latin and contemporary strumming. Plugged in, the guitar really catches you off guard, where at first glace you wouldn't be able to think it could deliver such warm mids and potent lows based off of its shape. It sounds clean and colorful. The pickups are truly top-notch. My only reservation would be that when not plugged in, the guitar can be a little bit quiet and not resonate very well due to its shape. Still, going into it, I knew I wasn't buying a dreadnaught so I'm not too critical here. Even playing it acoustically, though it can have a thin sound, it is still colorful and delivers those solid wood tones that we all love. The pickups more than make up for this when plugged in. It feels great in the hands, well balanced. I love my guitar, and I would buy it again and again.

Underrated and over delivered

This guitar is fantastic! Solid wood and well made. First it looks fantastic. I'm sure if the headstock had a name that started with "M" or "T" people would be going crazy over these. The neck is great. The frets are hand rolled. My guess is that bad humidity had something to do with another reviewer's experience with those. The mic modeling is really cool. The guitar is very comfortable to play, the neck is smooth. Don't pass trying this in the store. For under $1000, my guess is you would be hard pressed to find something better. I'm happy with the ac3r and plan to keep it for a long long time.

Wonderful guitar for this price point! Buy it!

I hardly ever write reviews but I thought this product is so good it really deserves a good review. I played this guitar along with many others in Guitar Center over multiple days. I was looking for a guitar that would be very similar in feel and playability to my Taylor 714CE. I wanted a guitar that would feel and sound close to the Taylor but that was less expensive so I could take it around more without as much worry. This one really fit the the bill. I was a little hesitant to make the purchase because it's hard, if not impossible, to find a guitar at any price point that has as nice an action or plays as well as the Taylor. I finally decided I liked this guitar well enough that I had to make the purchase and then try to have the action lowered a little and have ... MoreI hardly ever write reviews but I thought this product is so good it really deserves a good review. I played this guitar along with many others in Guitar Center over multiple days. I was looking for a guitar that would be very similar in feel and playability to my Taylor 714CE. I wanted a guitar that would feel and sound close to the Taylor but that was less expensive so I could take it around more without as much worry. This one really fit the the bill. I was a little hesitant to make the purchase because it's hard, if not impossible, to find a guitar at any price point that has as nice an action or plays as well as the Taylor. I finally decided I liked this guitar well enough that I had to make the purchase and then try to have the action lowered a little and have the strings replaced. That's exactly what I did. I had a setup done and had the strings switched to John Pearse 10-47 bronze (JP500XL). Wow! What a beautiful sounding and playing guitar. This guitar has the same body shape and size as the Taylor. Also, it has the same scale length, nut width, etc. And, now it plays just as well. To have these tone woods and to have the playability of my Taylor for roughly one third of the price is really remarkable. I highly recommend this guitar with the stipulation that, IMHO, it will need a setup with new strings for about $80. The guitar is also very beautiful (more so than many of the photos portray it).

Yes

I have an A5R also and this AC3R. I'm an intermediate level player with no experience playing high end MIA guitars but I can compare these two. The A5R fretboard was given more attention for sure. The AC3 is more comfortable for smaller people and just feels more solid. The A5R eats batteries...always unplug after use and maybe even pull the battery pack. Both sound great amped through either my tube or modeling amp. The A5 has some issues when played through my MXR looper pedal that none of my other 6 guitars do. So, the A5R is superior to the AC3R in playability. I'm glad to have both though because I can leave the A5 home and gig the A3 just fine. I truly believe these to be a great value. I just can't prove it, not having played other high end MIA legendary guitars.