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Hand selected materials, handcrafted construction - at an amazing price.
With a solid Engelmann spruce top, multilayered mahogany/padauk reinforced neck, and ebony fretboard, the Yamaha LL16 acoustic guitar can be judged an excellent deal on materials alone. Yet where this dreadnought really shines is on the strength of its handcrafted construction by expert Japanese luthiers. Every step in the creation of this excellent instrument, from tonewood selection to hand-sanding the frets, is done in a small factory by master craftsmen.
Body top
Most manufacturers are using Sitka spruce tops for their high end models. In Yamaha's experience, Engelmann spruce (Canada) naturally suits the role for top woods better than any other. The overriding quality for body top material is an allowance for resonance and Engelmann spruce has this attribute in abundance. It is a light wood that is easy to work and enables a good tone response with a wide harmonic range. Visually Engelmann spruce is comfortable on the eye and its opaque light yellow tint is reminiscent of a mature acoustic instrument.
Back & side
Yamaha uses solid rosewood for both the back and sides on all the LL16. The rosewood blends extremely well with the Engelmann spruce top. It disperses resonance evenly and effortlessly.
Neck block
The neck block reinforces the neck joint. Yamaha has improved the conventional C block design by enlarging the surface area that is in contact with the top of the guitar. The block securely meets the underside of the top adding a real depth to the tone of the instrument.
Bracing
X-bracing maps out the vibration patterns of the guitar. Each of the eight braces has been carefully positioned in order to bring out the tone in a balanced fashion and find a natural harmony with the guitar's tone woods.
Multilayered reinforced neck
Traditionally, an acoustic guitar neck is carved from a single timber block. As the grain of the timber has to be angled at about 14 degrees to accommodate the headstock, it leaves itself vulnerable to excessive stress. To alleviate the potential of neck movement over time, Yamaha has introduced multilayered necks.
The LL16 model features a strip of padauk set into the center of the mahogany neck. Padauk has been chosen for its strength and the way it complements mahogany tonally.
Bridge
The unique larger bridge on the LL16 provides a more efficient transfer of the string vibrations to the body of the guitar, giving a tight, clear midrange and a full, balanced tone. Handcrafted with chamfered edges, the bridge design offers a perfect balance of tone, comfort, and style.
Yamaha has over thirty years experience of crafting quality steel string instruments by hand. Today's L series guitars are a testament to the decades of that extensive research and development work.
Yamaha design themes center around the following points:
A balanced tone and response. The ultimate goal. Bass and treble must complement each other, encouraging inspiration from the guitarist rather than compensation.
Dovetail neck joint. Since the '70s, Yamaha has adopted a unique dovetail neck joint. This particular joint gives the guitar the excellent surface to surface (neck to body) contact. In the joint there is nothing but timber. This enables and indeed encourages resonance flow from the neck to the body, aiding the achievement of a balanced tone and response.
Blending of woods. Yamaha's experience of blending quality woods ensures that the highs are really sustained and note texture is under maximum control at all times by the player.
Body Designs. Yamaha's original L series has shoulders that are slightly more slender than a standard dreadnought design and the body has been designed to be subtly wider. This gives the guitar a more definite tone.
Lacquer expertise. Without a doubt, one of Yamaha's most significant strengths. They work very closely with lacquer manufacturers. The focus being less is more. Specially developed finishing materials, unique to Yamaha are used on handcrafted models. Ultimately, this gives the guitar every chance to breathe and tonally shine. A good acoustic guitar must feel alive and not simply just sound good!
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