Hand-selected materials, and handcrafted construction—offered at an amazing price.
With a solid Engelmann spruce top, rosewood body, multilayered mahogany/rosewood reinforced neck, and ebony fretboard, the Yamaha LS6 acoustic guitar can be judged an excellent deal on materials alone. Yet this Yamaha concert body really shines on the strength of its handcrafted construction by expert Japanese luthiers. Every step in the creation of this outstanding acoustic guitar, from tonewood selection to 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. The top of the Yamaha LS6 guitar 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 guitar.
Back and sides
Yamaha uses rosewood for both the back and sides on all the LS6 guitar. The rosewood blends extremely well with the Engelmann spruce top. It disperses resonance evenly and effortlessly.
Neck block
The neck block on the Yamaha LS6 Concert guitar 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 Yamaha acoustic guitar. The block securely meets the underside of the top adding a real depth to the tone of the guitar.
Bracing
X-bracing maps out the vibration patterns of the Yamaha LS6 acoustic 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 acoustic 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 Yamaha LS6 guitar features a strip of rosewood set into the center of the mahogany neck. Rosewood has been chosen for its rigidity and the way it complements mahogany tonally.
Bridge
The unique larger bridge on the LS6 acoustic guitar 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 have 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 have 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.
