We have been following the quest to find great guitars that connect to us on different levels. Thankfully, India has seen the entry of many guitar brands in the last 10 years. While the new might look exciting, this time we glanced at something that has been around more than two decades. We are talking about the Yamaha AC1R - A brand synonymous with great quality since its establishment. With this we can confirm, that the Japanese know their stuff! We have been hopeful to review the AC1R and LL6 since a really long time and finally we got the opportunity to do so.
The moment I held the guitar, it sang to me the stories about the quality and craftsmanship that it has gone through to become this beautiful avatar. This guitar is honestly not all about bells and whistles in terms of aesthetics. However it is everything a guitarist is probably looking for in terms of build and sound. While Yamaha has not really announced the grade of wood, we took a closer inspection and found the quality of wood used as one of the best in the given price range. The top wood grains were closely packed and there was no noticeable knots or uneven grains. I know that from the guitarists perspective, this might not be important specs. But I assure you this has a lot of importance in the betterment of sound that takes place to solid woods over the years.
The back and sides of the guitar are made up of rosewood that looks absolutely beautiful! Even the fretboard and bridge is made up of some high quality rosewood that looks amazing and feels premium. The AC1R is a concert shaped guitar with a cutaway that ensures a familiar comfort across adults of all age groups. The machine heads also had a smooth rotation to it. The guitar was tuned up and with the first strum, we understood how this guitar could connect to almost everybody right in the moment. Folks who prefer a very warm mellow sound might not like this model immediately - I can confirm. However more flavours in sound is something that every musician always seeks and even for these folks I can mention that this is a flavour you gotta try. The neck felt super comfortable and this might even be a considerable option for people with smaller hands. The nut-width of 43 mm also helps this factor!
Coming to the electronics we have to particularly mention that this is one of the only intermediate guitars that sounds super close to the sound output when we recorded directly. (Good job, Yamaha!!) The tone had a breath of air to it, making sure not to sound like an artificial digital sound. The pick up features a volume knob, bass, mid and highs and also has a tweak for your mid frequencies. Something that many guitars do not offer anymore. Yamaha AC1R comes preloaded with Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 bronze strings in the gauge 12. So in case you are looking for a more warmer sound, I will strongly suggest switching to a phosphor bronze strings from Elixir or D’addario.
An important fact to be reinstated is that NO guitar is perfect and they have their own flaws. Now in all honesty this guitar did not have the level of flaws that makes it undesirable. But if I was to address, Yamaha could really work with how the electronics look. With the amount of advancements in pickup technology and design, the one on AC1R looks quite primitive combined with an eye sore of a tuner. Similarly the aesthetics of the guitar is not at any level comparable to what the competition offers. Yamaha could really work the the ornamentation that will for sure add to the appeal of the guitar. Also there could be more colours offered for the modern guitarist!
To summarise - If you are looking for a great sounding, electro acoustic guitar that is stage and studio ready: the AC1R takes the crown in the price segment of 50 to 60k Indian rupees. This is the kind of guitar you want as a faithful companion in the years of growing with music. I would strongly suggest this guitar to the folks who are interested in composing music and is into recording some pieces time to time. And not to leave out one of the most important fact - This Guitar also works amazing for finger style players!
Click for Full length VIDEO REVIEW on our Youtube channel. We have recorded the body sound as well as the pickup sound for your understanding.
Accessories- Sound Hole Muffler, Allen key and 2 AA batteries.
