Yamaha LL-TA TransAcoustic Dreadnought - Brown Sunburst Reviews

I am a big fan of many Yamaha products, including their musical instruments. Yamaha quality is fantastic. I was shopping around for a really nice acoustic -electric guitar. I already have the Yamaha AC1M, but have tried the Yamaha Transacoustic guitars at a local guitar Center and was impressed by the onboard effects.
I was torn as to if I should buy a TA Yamaha or just a really well built one, like the LL16D I also had my eye on. I looked at the Martins, the Taylors, etc....but quality, features, and price..the Yamaha for me was the way to go.
I have a Tonewood Amp that I think is fantastic (that gets 5 stars too) that I use on My AC1M and another dreadnaught I own. You can use that Tonewood amp on other guitars as long as you install the magnetic X brace in them. Then you just pop the amp on the back. Problem I had, was going back and forth with the amp and occasionally forgetting it.
So, do I pull the trigger on this LL-TA or just get the LL16D without the effects and just use the Tonewood amp??
Going back and forth with my sales engineer, John Tonello, and some other assistance John gave me with my order...I just decided to go with this beauty. Don't have to worry about "forgetting the Tonewood amp" again.
The AC1M sounds fantastic, even though the back and side are not solid mahogany. This LL-TA is all solid wood and rosewood back and sides. The sustain is much better with the all solid woods. The guitar with NO effects on, sounds awesome. The Room and Hall reverb settings sound really nice. Chorus as well. There is an EQ adjustment for these on the main power button. Increases / decreases the midrange. No separate Bass / treble, just a mid adjustment. I wish Yamaha would switch from Urea Nut and Saddles to better material....but even with that said...still sounds awesome. Cheap and easy swap if you install aftermarket nut/saddle yourself. If you are looking at a Martin, Taylor, other brand that costs more...check this out first. Came with a really nice semi rigid Yamaha soft gig bag as well. Quality instrument!
Pros: sounds great, Build quality, intonation-spot on, solid woods, Built in effects.
Assistance and set up from John and the folks at Sweetwater is always excellent as well!
Cons: Urea Nut / Saddle....but not a big concern.
Sounds great still and installing Graphtech Nut & saddle is cheap and easy DIY.

So I've been playing for 40 years. I've had more guitars than you can imagine. Prior to this guitar my main go to was my Taylor 814ce DLX V class. The sound is sweeter, fuller and more rich. Who would a thunk you could buy a solid Rose Wood Back and Sides, Sitka aged spruce top for under $. Not I. My wife commented how good it sounds. Love love love the non plugged in chorus effect. Ok now to the playability. You won't believe it but it's better than any other guitar I have. I did have it professionally set up but I have all of them set up. Jacob my sales guy always checks for me that it's perfect prior to shipping. If I'd a read this prior to owning one I would have never believed it. 2 friends I gig with both want one. It's very solid guitar. But heavier than the 814. It's even beautiful. I've purchased from Sweetwater for years. Couple things I've purchased in the past I've returned. No hassle returns. Puts guitar center to shame. My sales engineer knows me like a band member so I don't waste time or money A+++

I have owned a lot of great guitars but Yamaha puts out a great guitar. I love the sound you get from this guitar with the rosewood back and sides. It's great with or without an amplifier. For the money I really don't think you can find a better deal.

Everyone is shocked when I walk in a perform, no amp or anything, and get that warm reverb and chorus. It's like magic. I'm planning on buying the nylon string transacoustic for my next guitar. It's also great for leading my guitar class when we perform, since it projects just bit as well. It helps me keep everyone together.

Stand alone playing sounds really good . Plugged into the PA its pretty bright tone down the treble don't need the effects works for me can't go wrong great guitar pretty heavy

This is a beautiful sounding guitar, even without the TA turned. When the resonator is turned on it's truly amazing sounding. The quality of the craftsmanship is excellent. Big Bang for the money! The Sweetwater staff, are very knowledgeable, and helpful, as well as friendly. Highly recommend…

Absolutely the best sounding, easy playing Dreadnought I've ever played. Martin can take a back seat. Taylor is right there. However, (More money).

I own quite a few guitars, and have played many guitars. This is my fav; pure and simple. The deep tone and amazing reverb make this hard to beat. Love it!

This is my 3rd Yamaha transAcoustic all I can say is WOW great great on board affects what a pleasure to play.

Received this beast yesterday WOW the quality of this guitar is something else it is a tank heavy for an acoustic guitar it's really a beautiful instrument it's a bit stiff but that's not a bad thing definitely going to have to be broken in thanks to Trevor Parks as always does a awesome job had the guitar in 2 days SWEETWATER IS THE BEST Thank you

I love this guitar (Solid Rosewood). This one goes with my Taylor and Martin but more.... with transacoustic mennnn it's magic. After I lowered the action and changed to a lighter string, the playability is great. Shout out the Sweetwater's sales agent and technical support that answered all my questions and helped me to select the best guitar for me; good job.

Great workmanship great forward positive sound. reminds me of a $4,000 Guild. The on board fx are classy and fun you can not buy a guitar of this caliber at this price anywhere. Carl Schwindeman

I have been struggling with cheap guitars forever and decided to spend some money this time. I started looking at Martins and Taylors. I have a little Simon and Patrick concert guitar but I wanted a good dreadnought that plugs in and sounds good acoustic. I went to a couple less cool guitar places and played a couple Martins and Taylors but what I wanted was going to cost way too much, so I looked around more. I came upon this guitar in a review somewhere and after reading a bunch about it, started studying what Sweetwater had available. They had this model available- floor model and took my chances. Boy was I surprised. This guitar is magnificent. It is beautiful on your fingers, beautiful on your ears, really a joy to play. Thanks Sweetwater, for another great musical instrument! You haven't steered me wrong yet. Oh, and BTW, the transacoustic part really changes it into something that is amazing.

Ive had this guitar several months. Before that I got the FG TA that I love but in My head I have to have sold wood back and sides. I have 6 guitars including a Les Paul but I love this LL-TA. I wanted it because its close to a Martin D28 I had. The Transacoustic is mind blowing. When you amplifie a guitar the sound is coming at you from speakers and as acoustic is coming out of a,body to your ears but when you play the Transacoustic you are in the center of the sound. Its all around you and you think, Wow, where's that wonderful sound coming from. Think of the first time you listen to your voice on a recording. Thats how everyone hears you. You only sound like you when you talk because you are in your head picking up vibrations, your ears are in your head. You are in the head of your guitar now. In the FGTA over any other FG 800 series, believe me its worth the difference.

Even without the Trans Acoustic prior amp is a miracle. Seriously. Only problem is frets were kind of high, chewing my fingers, so I had a luthier do a fret job. Now, perfect.

Tis Magical

I'm old school where guitars are considered. I have owned every major brand.This purchase was originally made to fit my budget. It was the only all solid version for a grand. Now it seems it delivers way beyond the price tag. My preference brought about a lower than factory action. I installed Martin authentic 2.0 strings, and prefer the Taylor thermex picks 1.25mm. The built in effects are exceptional and not a gimmick-very useful! HOMERUN!

I must admit I was very nervous purchasing a guitar I had never had my hands on. This is my eighth acoustic guitar purchase. All of my previous guitars I spent time with in the store. My first guitar was a Yamaha FG335, in 1977. This Yamaha plays very much like my first, which still plays and sounds great, but this one is better.

The "TransAcoustic" feature is very impressive. Although I do not practice with it on, preforming "unplugged" with reverb and chorus is a lot of fun, and my friends and neighbors love the sound.

The guitar from Sweetwater arrived on schedule. Packaging was top notch. The setup and condition of the instrument was perfect.

Overall I am extremely satisfied with the guitar and the experience of the purchase from Sweetwater.

Bought the LL-TA version of this and with the help of Josh, my Sales Engineer, had a few tweeks done to the guitar before it was shipped. It was put through the PLEK process, both the Saddle and Nut were upgraded to Bone and as I wanted the depth of the dreadnought (LL-TA) but like to play finger style, had the stock strings changed out for Ernie Ball Aluminium Bronze to help get a little more projection from the G, B and high E strings. --- This is the most amazing guitar I have ever owned, it is such a wonderful sounding acoustic and I find myself playing it without the effects as much or more than with.

Just received my LL-TA yesterday and played for hours I simply cannot put this guitar down it's addictive to say the least build quality is top notch playability is very good thanks to paul Eckert for the awesome customer service been buying from sweetwater for years only place I'll shop try this guitar out you won't be disappointed
Mike Rhoads

I received my LL-TA in brown sunburst last week, and I simply cannot put it down!

The fit and finish of this guitar is flawless, and the sound/tone is nothing short of amazing! I had previously played a TransAcoustic model in a music store, so I was familiar with the built-in reverb and chorus effects, and pretty much knew what to expect - awesome tones at your fingertips if and when you so desire! But, here's what really blew me away - the brightness, shimmer, sustain, and incredible sound of this guitar WITHOUT utilizing the onboard effects - simply beautiful! In fact, the vast majority of my time spent playing this instrument is without activating the TA feature (but I'm glad it's there when I want!) - it truly sounds that good! As much as I absolutely HATE to admit it, I own a custom-built (1984) Martin HD-35, and it's spending a lot of time in its case - truth be told, I prefer the sound of this Yamaha over the Martin - it's louder, brighter, and has more sustain and ring!

This is my second Yamaha acoustic - I also own an LS16M. I am absolutely convinced that Yamaha produces some of the very finest acoustic guitars for a fraction of the price of a Taylor or Martin. If you want to talk "bang for your buck", and compare these instruments feature for feature, Yamaha simply cannot be beat!

Also, a shout out to my incredible Sales Engineer, Norb Berninger, for the amazing and professional job he has done for me over the years in regards to all my various Sweetwater purchases - thanks so much - truly appreciated!

This instrument is amazing. The playability is incredibly good. The sound, volume, quality of build, appearance, & sustain are absolutely on point.
As always, the Sweetwater staff delivered impeccable service. Big thanks to Chris Sonja & the Shipping Department for another satisfying experience.

Really enjoying the guitar. It plays and sounds better than the Gibson J-185 I had at twice the price. I had the bridge and nut replaced with bone while I was there just to "hot rod" the guitar a little bit. Wanted to make the guitar the best it could be for the price. The guys in the shop did a wonderful job hand carving the pieces. Getting ready to start gigging again! Brian and Kody did a great job guiding me to what I wanted. They listened carefully and discussed my options. Lots of fun hanging around the store surrounded by music and the possibilities.

Buy it. If you're thinking about buying a guitar, just buy this one. If you're not sure and going back and forth,.rest assured, this is the greatest guitar. I am so glad I bought this one.

Bought this from Sweetwater and have been playing it everyday for the last year and a half. When researching for a guitar, I was looking for the very best solid wood guitar at the best deal. My favorite guitar was always Taylor but the solid wood was 3000 and up. This guitar just came out and there were not many reviews at the time. There was one review on by Andertons on youtube, but they sell the guitars, so I was skeptical on motive. But now that I own this guitar, their review if anything isn't positive enough! Stop looking and buy this one, it's the very best guitar I've ever heard)played. Even without the TA, it's still sounds amazing. Add in the TA and this thing is like a Lamborghini vs a Honda Accord. They both get you to where you're going, but only 1 blows the mind

After testing a couple Gibsons and Martins that failed to impress me at all, I decided to find the best sounding guitar I could, with no regard for brand name. I spent a few months testing guitars. Went to 4 different music stores. Tried Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Alvarez, Breedlove, Eastman, Yamaha, Epiphone, Seagull, Fender, and more.

Hands down, the Yamaha LL-TA blew them all out of the water, even without the transacoustic actuator turned on. The Yamaha A.R.E. system really makes this guitar sound like a solid wood guitar that has been played for years, from day one. When one of my local stores got one in, I bought it the day I first played it.

With the actuator effects turned on, this guitar is like nothing else I've ever played. It's like playing inside a world-class concert hall, no matter where you are. The chorus and reverb coming from the sound hole is absolutely astonishing. I was playing it live last night at a coffee shop connected to a recording studio. The engineer, who was in the middle of working on a song, stopped working and came over to see what guitar he was hearing, because it sounded so good.

I bought mine from a local store, because I like to play the guitar before I buy, and I got a deal due to a minor blemish. If you aren't so lucky, I highly recommend Sweetwater. They provide the best service of any online retailer, and you can always buy worry free from them.

I grew up learning to play on a Yamaha FG series guitar. Yamaha has always been an affordable option to amateurs and professionals alike, but this new TransAcoustic from Sweetwater is a masterpiece. I have never played another acoustic guitar that provided so much inspiration and this much fun. I find myself playing for hours and still can't put it down. Even without the amazing built-in effects, the guitar projects and rings out like a champion dreadnought should. The solid Rosewood back and sides, the solid Engelmann Spruce top, and the Elixir strings all work together to produce a bold, deep, sound that cuts through and demands to be noticed! I shopped Taylor, Gibson, and Martin first, none produced a sound any better than this Yamaha. The LL model is my choice. I'm sure the FG sounds great too, but for just a little more, the solid LL adds all the bells and whistles. The effects still blow my mind. I can't get my head around how it works, but other guitars line up to get their hands on my LL and play around with the built in reverb and chorus. The reaction is always the same... surprised, amazed, and confused! 5 STARS and as always SWEETWATER ROCKS!

I could not resist the temptation of having reverb and chorus effect in an acoustic guitar. I have been a working musician since 1960 playing mainly classic country and some light rock and roll. About the only effects I ever used was reverb and chorus. Just enough to fatten up the sound. I'm playing mainly acoustic guitar now having pretty much retired from the saloon circuit. But I still liked the sound of my acoustic electric plugged in with some reverb and chorus. When I read the specs on this Yamaha I had to have one. And it has become my new main guitar (I've got 14) . The finish and set up on this guitar are perfect. It sounds every bit as good as my Martin OM28V and when I turn on the effects it leaves everything else in the dust. Don't hesitate, just buy one .

I bought this acoustic for my son as a birthday gift but in the grand scheme of things was taking a little bit of gamble as it being a beneficial "tool" upgrade for his band as their previously used acoustic guitar was fairly low end although sounded ok. I did a lot of research before hand and took into account that I didn't have infinite funds to help them up grade their acoustic. I want to say I got REALLY lucky but at the same time all my history with anything made by Yamaha has been pretty good. This LLTA is no exception. We've looked at and played a lot of different guitars in the last 3 months. This guitar plays and sounds as good as the bigger name acoustics costing around three times as much or more..... The neck feels and plays like an electric guitar its so smooth. I play guitar also and am usually not very impressive on an acoustic.this LLTA makes me sound like I play an acoustic all the time. By looks, feel & sound, so far its a home run. We put it in the PA the day it showed up and the sound from the speakers is identical to the unplugged sound. Our board has an RTA display and you can analyze the sound coming into the board and its a very full even spectrum and much more level than their other acoustic. And for anyone wondering about the guitar's onboard chorus and reverb, it sounds really really nice. At first we were going to not use the effects during live gigs and add the effects through the board but after playing with it in the PA the guitars own effects sounded terrific so we changed our minds and our going to just use those and not add anything from the board (an X32). All four guys in the band can play acoustic and of coarse they all had to give it a drive! Almost couldn't get any of them to put it down. The other guitar player in the band already has one for himself on order... Sand Creek Soul on FB, check'm out & they'll have a video up of the guitar soon.

excellent team I like its sound and the equalization it brings is perfect I recommend it and the delivery was very fast congratulations to the Sweetwater team thanks

I've owned the LSTA for a few years now, and I've played it multiple times a week throughout that time and I can say that it has its place on stage. I've been a worship pastor for 30 + years as well as a fingerstyle guitarist for the same amount of time. Please note that, as with the VAST majority of store bought guitars, you'll need to do an initial setup to get the most out of the instrument. Sure it will play nice, but a setup goes a LONG way. With mine I remember the saddle a bit high and the nut slots the same. If you're not a luthier take it to one to get this fixed.

Here are a few things concerning the LSTA
PROS:
- The guitar is really pretty
- Well made by Yamaha
- The transacoustic mode sounds GREAT and is a LOT of fun to play unplugged
- Intonation (the consistency of playing in tune over the neck) is really good
- The size of the LS is great IMO. A slightly smaller size is GREAT for sitting
- The tone of the guitar is pleasing to me and is balanced

Cons:
- The guitar is pretty heavy
- I feel the guitar is probably over built which affects tone and response (this can be remedied if you are careful)

I needed an instrument I could play on beach shows. My Gibson J200 was not appropriate for such shows out in the elements. This guitar was just the answer. The new features are interesting and hopefully usefull.
I can always count on my friends at Sweetwater to recommend the exact instrument or accessory to fit my needs.
I only wish I lived in Ft Wayne!!

This last week I sat in a music shop and picked up one of these instruments. For the first time in years I giggled as I played because ... WOW is this guitar fun to play. It is a pretty decent plane jane acoustic instrument on its own, but when you add in the effects it become something I can only describe as magic. Yep, magic. This purchase was for my son, and I'll be getting my own VERY soon! The ONE GRIPE I do have about this guitar is that Yama chooses, for some reason, to use a hardened plastic nut and saddle. Why they would do this on an otherwise fine instrument boggles my mind. This is why I gave it 4 instead of 5.

The technology on this guitar is amazing.

As always Sweetwater and Chris Leonard comes through for me!!
This is now my GO TO instrument for beachside shows. The new features are unique to say the least but most importantly it is a well made guitar and was ready for the stage right out of the box!!
Sweetwater is now and will always be my only supplier of musical equipment.

I bought this guitar 5 months ago. I have been a pro musician for a very long time. I have to say that I find the guitar very underwhelming, (for many reasons). One; the pickup system. It's the typical piezo under the bridge technology. (To me this is a very old technology for acoustic/electrics - with obvious tone issues). Two; Speaking of electronics, (this guitar is literally powered by double A batteries). Really Yamaha? Double A Batteries? Three; there are of course a lot of the usual (cheap), parts on the guitar. The machine heads seem quite cheap. They seem kind of loose and sloppy to me. Of course you have the usual tusq nut and etc. (So if you are even at a semi pro level or whatever; you will put money in this guitar). Four; Yamaha touts the guitar as a real solid wood acoustic, (with great electronics), but in my opinion it just doesn't sound that good, (even just playing it dry). That is to say, the acoustic guitar itself seems to have kind of a hollow/tinny sound. I don't know exactly why this is, (but I suspect that even though this guitar is also advertised as a full sized dreadnought, (that it's really just a bit smaller than say a Martin dreadnought). So sorry, Sweetwater, (but I am calling this as a see it). It's not worth a thousand dollars by any stretch.