Who bought a Transacoustic Yamaha? Did you keep it?

goldtop · October 2022

Just wondering how you got on with it after the 'honeymoon period'. A small parlour/concert-size guitar might be a perfect sofa-side guitar for me. Solid rosewood LS-TA or laminated mahogany FS-TA/CFS-TA. (I have a Sigma J45 for loud strumming in the music room.)

But... although every single YT review of these had gushing praise for the transacoustic idea (aside from Paul Davids), I can't see any of these guitars in any of the comparison videos (Andertons, Alamo, etc).

So I am wondering if it's a gimmick once the novelty wears off? Or do acoustic purists - which I'm not - scoff at the idea?

Please share your experiences. TIA.

Tannin · October 2022

I'll be interested to see what the hive mind has to say on this.

My guess - and this is 100% pure guesswork unsullied by any hands-on experience whatsoever - is that the electronic gimmickry will get switched off permanently fairly early on, but it will be a real Yamaha acoustic guitar when you turn the junk off, and pretty decent for that reason.

Cranky · October 2022

I have an FSTA.

It’s definitely a real guitar junk off. It’s fun to play and sounds nice, not even boxy if you strum it with a pick. And the fx make me smile.

Tons of them for sale used in the States, which I don’t get. Not sure about the UK. If you have mixed feelings about the fx, then I would definitely just buy used, as the new price probably has you looking for something less “gimmicky” (if that’s how you feel about it).

DavidR · October 2022

Never tried one either. I'm the opposite of attracted (repelled? - too strong) by anything electric on an acoustic as I do not feel it's part of the acoustic tradition and path. I don't even like the current trend to always fit amplification to acoustics à la Taylor.

Suppose that makes me a purist, or old. Every time I've tried an electric guitar, or any type of electric acoustic guitar device, I've got bored with it. I think I would get bored with Transacoustic too. Love Yamaha acoustics. Have 3.

JohnCordy · October 2022

I have one - it's my only acoustic - I love it - the LSTA

goldtop · October 2022

Thanks chaps. I'm still on the fence, although logically, just switching it off gives the exact same tone as the non-TA versions, and then there's always the output for recording without the internal FX.

(Dithering...)

JohnCordy · October 2022

@goldtop yeh I don't use the chorus, but the reverb can be useful for unplugged playing, and then I just use it as my go to acoustic for duo work etc

Stuckfast · October 2022

I tried one at a trade show once. IIRC both the effects are quite understated and subtle from the player's point of view. I'm not really a fan of either chorus or reverb on acoustic guitar, though, so didn't really see the point.

goldtop · October 2022

Stuckfast said:

I tried one at a trade show once. IIRC both the effects are quite understated and subtle from the player's point of view. I'm not really a fan of either chorus or reverb on acoustic guitar, though, so didn't really see the point.

And that PoV might explain why these guitars appeared as wow-look-at-this reviews when new, but never got included in the comparative reviews afterwards (Andertons, Alamo, etc).

I'm about 75% persuaded though - but I think I need to try one in person. Main q is whether the parlour version is too small and/or whether the 'S' concert size is a bit too big.

tomjax · October 2022

I've only tried one in a store. The effects were impressive and I could see them coming in useful at times. But the biggest thing I noted about the guitars was how HEAVY they are with all the electronics bundled in them.

chor808 · October 2022

I had the lsta and sold it. It was great but the novelty wore off and you end up with a heavy acoustic.

goldtop · October 2022

Interesting about the weight. The LS is almost dreadnought size already. I'll see if Yamaha lists the weights.

(I did go down the rabbit hole of built-in FX.looking at the Hyvibe and LAVA guitars. But they lack the immediacy of the Yamaha's simpler system.)

chor808 · October 2022

Unless you really need the onboard effects I'd get an ls6 or ls16.
I've got the ll36, A5R and a silent guitar for gigs (I wish it was silent with all the mistakes).
They are all great but the 36 is something special. If you can find a LS26 or above get it.

goldtop · October 2022

Thanks. LS/AC are at the top of the size range for me. I already have a J45 copy. If I get an LS, I will get the TA and just ignore the FX when I don't want them.

I'll have a look into the differences in 16/26/36 spec, so see what upgrade are toneful and what's blingy.

DartmoorHedgehog · October 2022

I had a go on one in a shop and was quite pleasantly surprised by the reverb - a lot less gimmicky-sounding than I expected. Not sure I'd really want to pay extra just for the effects at the expense of the base guitar (although the one I tried sounded pretty decent with the effects off as well), but I think if my guitar had that option I'd probably use it a fair bit.

Cranky · October 2022

There’s always a Tonewood Amp a-la Mike Dawes.

goldtop · October 2022

^ I saw a video on that, but I prefer Yamaha's approach.

Cranky · October 2022

^Yamaha’s is less clumsy.

But my Tonewood turns all of my acoustics into the Yamaha, and with a few extra fx (I like the Leslie setting).

I have both because the Yamaha sits at a friend’s place in Hawaii. I bought it there and left it knowing that it’s basically the ideal climate to leave an acoustic unattended for prolonged periods. I thought the FSTA was fun enough that I toyed with getting another for at home, but decided on the Tonewood instead because I didn’t really want a whole other guitar.

goldtop · October 2022

Makes sense. I've just ordered the entry level CSF-TA as a sofa-side guitar.

guitarjack66 · October 2022

goldtop said:

Just wondering how you got on with it after the 'honeymoon period'. A small parlour/concert-size guitar might be a perfect sofa-side guitar for me. Solid rosewood LS-TA or laminated mahogany FS-TA/CFS-TA. (I have a Sigma J45 for loud strumming in the music room.)

But... although every single YT review of these had gushing praise for the transacoustic idea (aside from Paul Davids), I can't see any of these guitars in any of the comparison videos (Andertons, Alamo, etc).

So I am wondering if it's a gimmick once the novelty wears off? Or do acoustic purists - which I'm not - scoff at the idea?

Please share your experiences. TIA.

I have a Sigma GA sized as my best guitar and really like it's sound/tone and neck/fretboard. I plumped for Sigma after trying a Sigma travel or 3/4 sized as I thought that felt great too. I am delighted with it and wondered if you'd considered another smaller Sigma to go with the larger model you have? Like I say,the one I tried felt and sounded very nice,even at the small sized but it was just a bit smaller than I wanted. They are generally reasonably priced too.
PS Just seen that you've ordered a guitar but maybe somebody else can think about my suggestion in future.

goldtop · October 2022

guitarjack66 said:

goldtop said:

Just wondering how you got on with it after the 'honeymoon period'. A small parlour/concert-size guitar might be a perfect sofa-side guitar for me. Solid rosewood LS-TA or laminated mahogany FS-TA/CFS-TA. (I have a Sigma J45 for loud strumming in the music room.)

But... although every single YT review of these had gushing praise for the transacoustic idea (aside from Paul Davids), I can't see any of these guitars in any of the comparison videos (Andertons, Alamo, etc).

So I am wondering if it's a gimmick once the novelty wears off? Or do acoustic purists - which I'm not - scoff at the idea?

Please share your experiences. TIA.

I have a Sigma GA sized as my best guitar and really like it's sound/tone and neck/fretboard. I plumped for Sigma after trying a Sigma travel or 3/4 sized as I thought that felt great too. I am delighted with it and wondered if you'd considered another smaller Sigma to go with the larger model you have? Like I say,the one I tried felt and sounded very nice,even at the small sized but it was just a bit smaller than I wanted. They are generally reasonably priced too.
PS Just seen that you've ordered a guitar but maybe somebody else can think about my suggestion in future.

Interesting. I had thought that Eastman's pricing and quality had sort of usurped the place of Sigma in the market. There are some all-solid Sigma models now, so I will see if there's a GA/Concert size for the next one.

goldtop · November 2022

Just an update to say that the CFS-TA arrived and this parlour-size is perfect for the sofa. Action is quite a bit higher than I'd like, but I gather that's normal for newly made acoustics? All the others I've had have been s/h and someone else has done a setup.

As for the transacoustic thing ... it's a sort of guilty pleasure. I know it's not pure/real, and 90% of the time it's turned off. But for playing along to just about any '80s ballad or 60s/70s 12-string song, it's a lot of fun. Reminds me a bit of the echo you get on a karaoke machine.

For my own stuff, I absolutely have to turn it off. It's distracting, and makes you (well, me) resort to that sound and style of playing.

jca74 · November 2022

Action is quite a bit higher than I'd like, but I gather that's normal for newly made acoustics?

I bought a PRS SE20 parlour acoustic last year and the action was perfect out of the box. It had a bit of fret sprout which my local tech sorted for £15, but the neck relief and action haven't needed touching. It may be that yamaha go for a higher action setup from the factory to allow adjustment to taste. If it is lower than you like it's harder to raise it than it is to lower it.

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Who bought a Transacoustic Yamaha? Did you keep it?

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