Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar Review Published January 12, 2022
| Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars | ★★★★ |
Yamaha A1M: An Affordable Powerhouse With Great Tone Quality
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
The Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar is a guitar that is both pleasing to the eyes and the ears. I have owned one for 3 years and play gigs with it weekly, and I am always receiving compliments about how great it sounds. Let me tell you more about this guitar and why I love it.
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Beautiful Tone, Beautiful Design
People are always complimenting me on the sound of this guitar, both acoustically and plugged-in. Yamaha’s SRT pickup is a piezo pickup that blends your sound being picked up by the piezo pickup with a digitally modeled microphone.
Check out the Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Vintage Natural $479.99 on Amazon
You’ll hear the clarity of your strings with the piezo pickup blended with the warmth of a digital microphone, and you have additional customization of your sound via the AMF midrange frequency control.
Luckily, not only does this guitar sound great but it is also beautiful to look at. The vintage finished spruce top is a rich, vibrant wood color, contrasting with the dark mahogany back and sides.
Check out the Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Vintage Natural $479.99 on Amazon
I really like the design of the pickguard as well; it has a cut that reminds me of a flowing sail and is a rich reddish-brown tortoise pattern. This pickguard design makes this guitar visually stand out from all of the of other acoustic guitars on the market.
The Nuts & Bolts
The Yamaha A1M is an acoustic electric guitar with a dreadnought body and a traditional western cutaway. It has a flat Sitka spruce top, medium-large sized mahogany body with a boxy shape. The body is slightly shallower at the neck end and deeper towards the bridge end. The sound is rich and resonant; yet it is still crisp, present, and projects sound well.
The guitar neck is a 3 piece mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard. The scale length is 25.5″ and the radius of the radius is 15.75″, for those who are keeping track. The neck feels substantial in my hands but not too thick.
Check out the Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Vintage Natural $479.99 on Amazon
Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This guitar sounds great plugged in, and with it’s mid-range frequency and EQ controls you can dial in your sound quickly and easily.
Yes, the Yamaha A1M has a built-in tuner that is activated by a press-and-hold of the button on the control panel. It picks up the vibrations of the strings and tells you if your strings are in tune, and allows for chromatic tuning if alternate tunings are your thing.
Great for Beginners and Professionals Alike
The Yamaha A1M is a powerhouse that can satisfy most gigs, and yet is a great beginner guitar as well due to its easy playability and great sound. I would recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a mid price range acoustic-electric that gets the job done, and with great tone to boot. (Support us by clicking through to our Amazon Associates link and purchasing the Yamaha A1M. A percentage of the sale will go to MusiciansEnlightenment.com.) This guitar MSRP is $928.90 but I see them being sold on Amazon for $480.
All in all I think this is a top-notch offering by Yamaha- here’s a link to the Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar product page.
The only people wouldn’t recommend this guitar to any young kids or someone with a smaller frame, as the guitar is larger and boxy.
Comment below if you have one or have played one and tell me what you think!
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Check out the Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar on Amazon!
Yamaha A1M Specifications
Guitar Body: Mahogany
Top Wood: Sitka Spruce
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Fretboard: Rosewood
Cutaway: Yes
Pickup: Yamaha SRT Piezo
Controls: Tuner, Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, AMF Slider (Average Middle Frequency)
Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric Guitar Review
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Summary
The Yamaha A1M is a powerhouse that can satisfy most gigs, and yet is a great beginner guitar as well due to its easy playability and great sound.
Yamaha A1M Specifications
Guitar Body: Mahogany
Top Wood: Sitka Spruce
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Fretboard: Rosewood
Cutaway: Yes
Pickup: Yamaha SRT Piezo
Controls: Tuner, Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, AMF Slider (Average Middle Frequency)
This guitar is a beaut. This is one of the best low end Yamaha guitars you can buy! Cheers!
I agree, Dillon! I’ve owned one for over 3 years and its been one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I get complimented often on how well it sounds and looks! How long have you owned your A1M?
Thanks for commenting!
-Alex
MusiciansEnlightenment.com Founder & Contributor
Hi there, I have owned an A1M since approx. 2016. It is a lovely guitar with a beautiful tone.
I changed the bridge pins and fitted a set of white tusq and as well, sanded the saddle to lower the action. This included checking and getting the underside of the saddle perfectly flat for the pickup.
It plays well and since I have been used to the neck radius on electrics being 7.25″ I now find the A1M is 15.75″ and it really suits my left hand.
The guitar records superbly.
Cheers – Trevor Akoorie. NZ
Hi Trevor,
Thanks for your comment and feedback, great to see another fellow A1M player! I agree, it records great. Best wishes and happy playing!
Alex, MusiciansEnlightenment.com