Yamaha FS-TA

first play
25
april 2018 Guitarist
YAMAHA FG-TA AND FS-TA
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
both cases: frets are well finished and both
guitars have a finger-friendly low action
with enough tension to tune down
comfortably (they ship with 0.012s). The
smooth satin necks found on this otherwise
gloss-finished pair also offer a welcome
enhancement to playing comfort.
The Vintage Tint of our dreadnought-size
FG-TA ‘Traditional Western’ lends an
attractive darker-hued aesthetic to its
spruce top, though it doesn’t have Yamaha’s
resonance-enhancing ARE treatment that
featured on 2016’s LS-TA and LL-TA
Engelmann spruce-topped models. The
concert-size FS-TA is also available in that
finish, though here we have a Brown
Sunburst that blends a heritage vibe
with a modern spec very nicely.
Feel & Sound
A clear and bright tonality is immediately
evident here, though we’re surprised
to find the smaller-bodied FS-TA has
the warmer character of the two, with a
surprising low end. The bigger FG-TA has
punch and clarity across the spectrum that
may be attributable to Yamaha’s move to
scalloped bracing for the FG Series design
in 2016. Scallop bracing’s calling card of
strong projection is certainly evident on
both these guitars. It provides an excellent
foundation for the TransAcoustic features
these models host.
Holding down the level control (the
middle of three rotary controls on the
upper bout) for a moment activates the
TransAcoustic mode. From there you can
dial in a reverb type, from room to hall, and
a separate chorus. We soon gravitate to the
hall reverb for the drama it brings to any
fingerstyle we throw at it. Even in its more
extreme settings it’s still usable and organic,
and while a new pedal or amp can certainly
be inspiring, having effects that travel with
you everywhere on the guitar ups the ante
when it comes to creative inspiration.
We found we needed to be a little more
cautious with the chorus level, but setting
it at about 10 o’clock proved great for adding
shimmery enhancement to chord work
with a touch of room reverb giving the
depth of a studio-recorded acoustic. Turn it
up to for a deeper modulation and you get a
fair way into 12-string territory – trying to
resist some Stairway... action is difficult. It’s
addictive stuff and the chances are it’ll make
you want to play more and come up with
more ideas as a result.
Yamaha’s SRT piezo system is good
enough for the likes of Billy Corgan,
who uses the passive version in his
Yamaha LJ16BC signature model, and
here the plugged-in experience places the
emphasis on the onboard effects rather than
EQ. That means tone-shaping will have to
come from the PA, amp or preamp pedal
but the essential unplugged character of
both these guitars is reproduced pretty well
by the pickup system alone, before EQ is
applied. The TransAcoustic effects also give
you a different kind of control at your
fingertips. The easy to use controls make it
easy to bring in different effects during a set
as the material demands.
Packing all that in at this price means
these may not be your do-it-all recording
and gigging acoustics in the longer term, but
Yamaha knows
better than most
how to make quality
acoustics with friendly
action and comfort
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GIT431.rev_yamaha.indd 25 22/02/2018 14:44