Yamaha APXT2 Exotic Wood Acoustic-Electric Guitar - Tobacco Brown Sunburst

I wish I hadn't wasted my time on the cheaper "beginner" guitars and just started with this one. I actually WANT to practice on this one. It sounds nicer than anything I've played before & feels great to play with my stubby little hands. Beautiful clean sound when plugged in. The built in tuner is really handy. And it's super portable - even comes with its own gig bag.If you've got small hands and want to play guitar but find it too frustrating because you're constantly struggling to play an F chord on a full-size fret board, I'd highly recommend giving this beauty a try.

APXT2 vs. APXT2-EW (Exotic Wood Series)

Ordered the APXT2-EW in Tobacco Sunburst because I liked the look. When I was waiting for it to ship I realized the EW series does not have a solid top, like the 4 colors in the basic APXT2 series. The EW series top is Mango over Meranti. not solid Spruce. It makes a HUGE difference when playing acoustically. Very muted and flat sounding and the top offers virtually no resonance at all, If you are gonna buy this little guy, I recommend stating away from the EW series. Go for the solid spruce top. Sounds 100% better!

Always within arm's reach and never in the way.

I am really, really happy with this guitar despite its shortcomings. I'll get the bad stuff out of the way up front: The frets on my guitar are scratchy -- whenever I bend a note, there's an audible scratching sound as the string rubs against the metal fret. I reckon taking it to a luthier for a set-up will solve the issue. The other thing is that some of the higher-pitched notes (for example, notes played after the 10th fret on the B and e strings) don't have a lot of sustain. They fade into silence pretty quickly compared to the rest.But that's okay. This guitar is really easy to play, has a great sound, and you can plug it into an amp (which I have!) for an even better sound. The built-in tuner is sophisticated and easy to use. The guitar is pretty small, ... MoreI am really, really happy with this guitar despite its shortcomings. I'll get the bad stuff out of the way up front: The frets on my guitar are scratchy -- whenever I bend a note, there's an audible scratching sound as the string rubs against the metal fret. I reckon taking it to a luthier for a set-up will solve the issue. The other thing is that some of the higher-pitched notes (for example, notes played after the 10th fret on the B and e strings) don't have a lot of sustain. They fade into silence pretty quickly compared to the rest.But that's okay. This guitar is really easy to play, has a great sound, and you can plug it into an amp (which I have!) for an even better sound. The built-in tuner is sophisticated and easy to use. The guitar is pretty small, almost feels like I'm holding an electric. Feels good to play while standing.You'll have to be a little creative to play certain chords because of the smaller size (good luck playing an A chord -- tough to fit three fingers on that second fret!) but you'll find a way. This guitar is worth it.This isn't a criticism, but one thing to gently remind you of is that this is not a dreadnought. I brought it to a neighbor's house to jam, and thank goodness we were using amps, because his dreadnought was so loud next to my dinky guitar that I thought he'd already turned his amp on -- he hadn't!

Comfortable to take anywhere

I am learning how to play guitar and started with ukuleles. I just like small sized string instruments and this was a great transition as it is almost the same size as my baritone ukulele. It's beautiful and sounds pleasant acoustically and plugged in. My local music dealer sold it to me understanding my needs. I like the glossy finish and built in strap buttons were a nice touch. The tuners work well and a variety of strings fit it nicely.

Decent Instrument, hard to find travel case

Funny thing about this world is that, a perfectly shaped, and sized acoustic guitar with modern electric pick-up and built-in tuner. The maker gives you a gigs bag, which is not much thicker than double bags from your local grocery store. And you must become religiously pious and pray that every time you go out of the door, that free gigs bag is gonna protect your $200 investment. I ended up purchased in extra, a Gator Hardshell case, GWE-acou 3/4. The case is still big, so I use some swimming noodles to pad up and cradle the guitar in full protection. The plush liner inside the hardshell case can be peeled up, so I can tuck in the noodles to form a snug fit. I also purchased an Amplifier, for practices and maybe buskering later. My setup of the case is not flight ... MoreFunny thing about this world is that, a perfectly shaped, and sized acoustic guitar with modern electric pick-up and built-in tuner. The maker gives you a gigs bag, which is not much thicker than double bags from your local grocery store. And you must become religiously pious and pray that every time you go out of the door, that free gigs bag is gonna protect your $200 investment. I ended up purchased in extra, a Gator Hardshell case, GWE-acou 3/4. The case is still big, so I use some swimming noodles to pad up and cradle the guitar in full protection. The plush liner inside the hardshell case can be peeled up, so I can tuck in the noodles to form a snug fit. I also purchased an Amplifier, for practices and maybe buskering later. My setup of the case is not flight luggage safe, so if you are a frequent flyer, better ask nicely if you can give it to the cabin member to stow in the closet for you. I am personally happy with the sound range and volume, very little difference when compared with a full-sized guitar. The human comfort is better under your right elbow. The deal I got comes with a tuner, but the guitar already has a built-in unit running on 2 AA batteries. The free stand is ok.

Great little guitar with big sound!

Purchased this awesome little guitar for my 9 year old daughter. It fits her perfectly and it's really easy for her to use and learn on. The sound is great when not plugged in and sounds even better when hooked up to her amp. The built-in tuner is easy to use and it tunes up quick and stays in tune. The finish is amazing, the pictures don't do it justice, it's beautiful. Solid quality and really fun to play.

Great travel guitar....with some adjustments

Body, neck, and acoustic tone are wonderful on this little guitar. The preamp and tuner are okay, but the pickup is garbage. I bought it, strung it with Nashville tuning, and had a new soundhole pickup wired in to bypass the terrible bridge pickup. Now it sounds and plays awesome, like a unique cross between a guitar, a mandolin, and a ukulele. Gonna use it for a small part of my set where I play mandolin/ukulele-inspired tunes. For under $400 (guitar, new pickup and setup), this is a great deal. For standard tuning use, plx check other reviews.

Nice little travel guitar

This little Yamaha is good for its intended purpose as either a small guitar for kids or as a travel guitar. I will use it for travel on airplanes so I can practice and do a little entertaining with it. It is easy to play and came out of the box with a decent setup. The acoustic sound is pretty good for such a small one, but the built in pickup does not sound very good. The built in tuner works well and is a nice feature to have. The included gig back is thin and cheap, but probably good enough for the airline overhead bin. Recommended as a first kid's guitar or for traveling on airplanes.

Nice travel size guitar

Guitar set up was spot on out of the box. It did have a slight flaw on the neck finish where the stain obviously ran just below the fret board - thus the four star rating. Outside of that, the finish on the body is beautiful. This is a very nice travel size guitar. Great to grab and noodle around on . No, its not a Taylor GS mini but at half the price I can accept the thinner sound when not plugged into an amp. That all changes when hooked up to my Fender Super Champ X2. The sound is both bright and full. For the money, its hard to believe that you could find any other comparable guitar.

Perfect Solution!

You get a 3/4 size acoustic guitar, of course, for the size. I already had the Yamaha APX500III which is a truly magnificent price-point instrument. The thinlne body moves you away from the bloat of a regular size dreadnought. All of the features of the larger brother are implemented in the APX Thinline 3/4: built-in tuner, volume and tone controls. The reason I wanted a comparable guitar in 3/4 size was to have it in my office nearby, ready to pick up at a moment's notice and for that it serves me perfectly. You can sit in an executive swivel chair and play this guitar comfortably. Do not delude yourself into thinking the big sound of the bigger thinline will transfer to the smaller guitar when play unamplified. When amplified the difference is slight. So now I ... MoreYou get a 3/4 size acoustic guitar, of course, for the size. I already had the Yamaha APX500III which is a truly magnificent price-point instrument. The thinlne body moves you away from the bloat of a regular size dreadnought. All of the features of the larger brother are implemented in the APX Thinline 3/4: built-in tuner, volume and tone controls. The reason I wanted a comparable guitar in 3/4 size was to have it in my office nearby, ready to pick up at a moment's notice and for that it serves me perfectly. You can sit in an executive swivel chair and play this guitar comfortably. Do not delude yourself into thinking the big sound of the bigger thinline will transfer to the smaller guitar when play unamplified. When amplified the difference is slight. So now I have what I wanted - a quality price point smaller guitar that sits on a stand in easy reach for those moments when you need to reach out and find a way to explore a musical idea, run some scales, etc. Perfect solution!