Yamaha LL6M ARE Original Jumbo - Natural Reviews

Not sure how they actually do it, but this $ guitar sounds like a $ or more instrument. The sound is sublime, solid, sweet and smooth! It projects a LOT when you dig into it. And stays smooth and very pleasant when your attack is less aggressive! It's a big (Dreadnought) guitar, but it's NOT boomy. Bottom is clear and punchy, and lively. Top end is just what you want, too. Not thin and "tinny", but a clean and confident tone. The Piezo pick up is really nice. Each string sings and the tone is even across the fretboard, no hot spots, or dead spots. Just a natural (not quacky) acoustic sound.

I scoured the guitar when it showed up, looking for defects, finish flaws, rough frets, etc... I could find NOTHING! My hat's off to the Fine Craftsmen in China for the amazing finish, workmanship, and quality that they put into these guitars. AND! it plays so good! The set up in Spot On.

Alden DeBee was a HUGE help, and worked with me to get my stuff to me in a DAY! I had a tight time-line, but he went the extra mile and made it happen. Thanks Alden. And thanks Sweetwater for offering such a high quality instrument for an incredibly LOW price. I really am amazed by the guitar ... Can you tell ???

After back listening to some tracks, I finally admitted by beloved D-18 is a great guitar, just too much for fingerstyle. I played this guitar against some Taylors and Martins and this girl held her own. If you have a heavy right hand, this is not a strummer, it will bog out if you hit it too hard. These Tops are incredibly sensitive. This guitar is a fingerstlyle assassin. Neck is an absolute joy. String spacing-ideal. The lower bout...perfect for hand alignment over the soundhole. Bravo Yamaha. You guys simply never let me down. What a steal this guitar is.

I circled and hovered over this guitar for longer than I care to admit. I could never find one in a store to play and used units were nearly non-existent.

I finally purchased one and picked up a demo unit in superb condition. After spending the last week with it here are some thoughts - hopefully they answer some of the questions you may have.

The construction quality is excellent. It is a nicely balanced instrument that is neither too light or too heavy. An easy adjustment of the truss rod brought the guitar to a more playable action. I will eventually replace the saddle and lower it a bit there. Speaking of the neck, one question I had was if it would be too chunky - it is a 5-ply neck. The good news - it accomplishes exactly what I wanted, slightly wider string spacing while still being super comfortable. I love it. The spacing of the strings feels just right to me from nut to saddle. A little extra space but not excessive. Great for strumming or finger tips.

Plugging in to my Fender Acoustic 100 amp (not the Acoustisonic) the LL6M's passive pick-up works without a pre-amp pedal. However, adding a pre-amp or boost pedal will give you more tonal options and room to maneuver. I use a BodyRez, EQ and Chorus. The EQ also boosts the signal. This allows me a lot of room to get the exact tone I want.

Finally, the tone is wonderfully balanced playing unplugged. Plugged in I use a sound hole cover and with my pedals it is easy to dial in the tone. I love the fact I never have to replace a 9-volt battery or worry about leaving it plugged in and killing the battery. The A.R.E treatment Yamaha has developed is not a gimmick. It gets you past that ultra harsh brittleness of a new guitar and gives you wonderful tone from the start - tone that will probably evolve even further as you own it.

Overall, this is a rich sounding, comfortable guitar with great looks and enough sparkle visually and tone wise to be an extremely versatile instrument. It is softish on the wallet. Yamaha guitars are hard to beat for value - your dollars go a lot farther. Yes, it is made in China - but I am supporting a worker who made this, not a political ideology. Yamaha's QC seems to be consistently better than many competitors - no matter where they are made.

I bought this as the house guitar for my church worship band. Although I did my research on this and other guitars in the price range, and had determined that this would be a good purchase, I was completely stunned by quality of the instrument! It excels in beauty, playability and sound quality, right out of the box! It exhibits a balanced tone, sound projection is like a much more expensive and seasoned guitar, and the fit and finish is truly remarkable. I speak from the perspective of one who has owned a number of fine guitars, including a Taylor and Takamine, both twice the cost of this one, and currently own a high-end Gibson. In the early 80s I had owned a Yamaha which played well and sounded good, but I hadn"t returned to the brand since I sold that guitar in the early 90s. I"m delighted now that I took another look at Yamaha, they really do produce superior musical instruments at all price points.

I was really impressed with this guitar. Would buy it again.

Everything about my buying experience with Sweetwater was perfect, and the guitar meets all expectations. I bought it for my husband, and he absolutely loves it.

Had I seen the inside label I would never have given this guitar a chance. Was in a local shop grabbing picks I use for my Teles or Strats that I can't get anywhere else since SWater doesn't carry them. D'Andrea 347s. Anyway Happened to see this used Yamaha and curiosity had me pick it up and start finger picking typical go to try out tones like Dust In the Wind,among others. I FELT WHOA! Began messing up and down flat picking the entire neck...butter, plain butter. I thought what a decent travel guitar instead of hauling my Guild True American around and taking chances with it if not on stage. Back to this Yamaha... since it was used and very low priced, I nabbed it. Got it home and restrung with my go to Elixer gauges. Then I recorded tracks. WHOA! You would swear you hear a Martin being picked. Not exact but pretty darn close.I knew the model number but didn't realize till changing strings it said made in China. Had I seen that I would not have picked it up, but glad I didn't. The Japanese company Q'Control got this thing right. This baby sings and playability is amazing. My USA made Guild will always be my go to acoustic but this is one amazing guitar and the price definately fools you. Mine had an armguard installed giving it a nice character as well. A beautiful job by Yamaha.