Yamaha SLG200S Silent Review

Yamaha Silent Guitar (Steel String)

I received this about 2 weeks ago. I was very pleased with the build quality and only had to do a minor set of the neck to bring the action down a little. I bought it so I don't have to use my Taylor acoustic for indoor and outdoor gigs, especially here in southern Arizona where a full acoustic does not do well in the intense heat during an outdoor gig. I played it in my house… read more for a day without issue and then at a band practice for a few hours. It worked and sounded spectacular, especially blended more towards the piezo. I took it to an outdoor gig here that was @ 100 degrees but under cover. I let it adjust to the climate. When I picked it up for its first live song, it would not power on. I checked the batteries which were new. Nothing. I got the onboard tuner to come on for a second but it flashed a few 0's and shut off. I thought maybe the heat had caused enough expansion that the batteries were not making good contact. As soon as I got it home and adjusted to the 74 degree temp of our house, it worked again for a day. Then it stopped working again within my house. I contacted Sweetwater. They have no history of this happening with this guitar, however they have been excellent in the process of returning this guitar for a replacement model. I hope to have the replacement here in @ 2 weeks. I do hope the issue was just a defect with the one guitar. I am very happy with Sweetwater and don't intend this rating to discourage anyone. I have had an excellent experience with them for years.

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Beautiful, Great sounding guitar!

Thank you, Sweetwater! I really enjoy this guitar! I'll make a video with this instrument and send it to you soon! Merry Christmas!

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Does the job.

If you need to record acoustic guitar parts but have volume restraints, this guitar does the trick quite well. Not the easiest guitar to play until you put extra-light (0.010)strings on.

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Outstanding "travel" guitar

I put quotes around the word "travel" because this instrument is so much more than a travel guitar. The quality workmanship means that you can use this as your primary instrument if you like. The amplification system and the use of both the piezo and Yamahas SRT system means that you truly get acoustic tone from this thing. Really amazing. Recording with it is a breeze and playing… read more live - well - gone are the feedback worries or not having enough volume in a large electrified group setting. Brilliantly executed portability without sacrificing tone, playability (neck is like butter) or build quality (it's a tank). The effects are also very good.

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Grab and go guitar with quality and looks

I've been looking at this guitar for quite a while and finally purchased one. It's incredibly comfortable and folds down for easy transport. I like the fact that it LOOKS like a real guitar and holds like one as most of the guitars like this heavily modify the body shape to make it portable. People do a double take because they first recognize it as a guitar and then look back because… read more it's a bit of a mind game - looks like a regular guitar shape, but the body is missing. Most people want to hold it when it's out just to see if it's as light as it looks. Fit and finish is really professional. For a guitar that's intended for practice and private playing, the details are really well done. Corners are crisp and clean, the finish is really smooth and consistent and it's good enough to use at performances. The sound it puts out is pretty impressive. The reverb built into the electronics can quickly get pretty heavy and the tone is completely customizable right from the guitar. Some songs require more bass and some more treble - it's all possible from the guitar control panel. The tuner is really accurate in this guitar as well. As usual, Jeff R. at Sweetwater was awesome getting this done and getting it to me. Another amazing guitar purchase from Sweetwater!

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I Really Like This SLG200S CRB

I actually like this guitar, the Yamaha Silent Guitar, steel string and in Crimson Red Burst. I purchased it new just two weeks ago. I was able to pick out the actual guitar from Sweetwater's photos and I got the one with the grain pattern that I liked best! It arrived double-boxed and with lots of padding. Included was a gig bag w/strap, truss rod wrench, 2 AA batts, and owner's… read more manual. The guitar first caught my eye when it was posted by a friend on Facebook. I wasn't sure of the feel and the sound of it because I was not buying it in-store, so I did my research and viewed the available videos. I really WANTED to like it because I planned to use it as my go-to guitar for busking & jamming with friends. I own several Taylors, 2 Ovations, a D'Angelico and a Gibson so I am fairly picky. It is very ergonomically friendly and extremely comfortable for me to hold and to play ie: no having to adjust to the smaller frame and lighter weight. The nut width is 1-11/16ths (commonly found on many guitars) Most of all, the depth of the neck is quite shallow, (something I was hoping for) much like an electric guitar. True, it does not have the punch (sound-wise) compared to my acoustics when plugged in but experimenting with the pre-amp and the amplifier controls/equalizer does help, as does some adjusting needed to filter out the slight "hiss" ie: when the Gain setting is too high. Nice to experience NO feedback though ! The guitar is very well crafted, the workmanship very clean, the pre-amp is just fine and the action is comparable to my higher-end acoustic guitars-so no disappointment there ! It is a compact guitar but with the scale length of a full-size guitar (no compressed fret spacing.) No worries about having to control humidity either like for traditional acoustics. Other goodies include an input for headphones and outputs for recording devices. This definitely is a fun guitar and attracts lots of attention. The consensus seems to be that you either really like this guitar or you don't. I really like it because it is different and that it is well-constructed. - Was told by one person that "It looks like a crossbow!" I plan to enjoy playing this guitar for many years !

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Stylish and Comfortable... Improved from previous generation...

Had the previous Silent Guitar and thought that it sounded good... The SLG200S has a comfortable neck and the new pickup/mic blend is an added bonus... I like that it has a fret marker on the side of the fret board at the 9th fret - I know sounds weird, but the SLG200N Nylon String version doesn't have it so it jumps from 7th to 12th (no fret markers on the fretboard like most… read more classical style guitars)... I always joke to the audience that maybe after a few more shows I can afford the rest of the Guitar... Tobacco Sunburst finish looks great and is a duplicate to my SLG200N...

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Best travel guitar so far

I have two other travel guitars, one I hate (Martin backpacker) and one ha is okay (travelcaster). I really like this guitar. The neck was a little rough when I received it, but a little sanding fixed that. It's nice to play sitting next to my wife without bothering her. Had I spent a little extra and bought this one earlier, I'd never have purchased the other two.

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Great practice guitar.

I love this guitar for practice. It feels good and looks interesting. I can sit in the bed room and not disturb anyone in the house, or sit on the porch and play without the neighbors hearing me. I normally play without amplification, but when using headphones it sounds like a real guitar. This is THE guitar for travel, and it also records well. One added bonus, it tends NOT to… read more feedback on stage. A side effect of not having a resonant body. If you play acoustic on stage and have trouble with feedback you may want to give this a try. Mine is the steel string version and it holds tune very well. I can practice with it, put it away, pull it out a month later, and it is still in tune. This is a quality guitar.

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So glad I ordered from Sweetwater

I've used Sweetwater at work when we needed sound equipment. Didn't really expect the same professional service when I ordered my guitar for the same price as other (cheap) online places. The Yahama SLG200S is a godsend. I'm now able to play everyday again for the first time since high school, thanks to the ability to play quietly without bothering anyone. I really enjoy the… read more ability to play with different acoustic settings to fit the song and the mood. The SLG200S feels a tad smaller than a standard size guitar, but not by much. The upside is that it's way easier to carry it around.

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Great way to travel and even stay at home

This electronic marvel does it all! Great tone, voices, built in tuner and fingerboard action! Don't leave home without it!

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Somewhat surprised

Reading the reviews on this from multiple sources... I felt it would be good. Travelling a lot; the need is for something I can take on the road and enjoy quietly. The things that surprised me are the solid construction, the ease of attaching the "rib", the overall sound and the convenient case. It's a great little instrument. The only complaint is the buttons are not as solid… read more as a McIntosh amp lol, But they work great. Love the thing. Also, to throw a bouquet; service is important and Sweetwater is unmatched... along with my sales guy Mickey, his patience and attention to detail makes the purchase an actual pleasant experience!

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Outstanding acoustic guitar

This time I waited a few days to write my review and it was time well-spent. I used this new guitar with 4 sets of headphones, 4 amps, and the included earbuds. It sounds great with all! The best sound came from the Line 6 Spider V 120 combo with the acoustic amp setting. Since only one effect can be used at a time on the silent guitar, I added the other with the amp. The guitars… read more reverb is very good and with some chorus added by the amp, I was in sonic hog heaven. Tried it the other way with amp reverb and guitar chorus, and it was excellent as well. Plugging into a Roland Micro cube was the next best amp combo. The same combinations sounded great. The headphone are more dependent on the quality of the headphones' quality. The Bose and Sony headphones sounded the best, the included earbuds sounded good, but not spectacular. Good enough for late night practicing. My only 2 issues are not really issues but preferences. I need to put lighter strings on the guitar for one, entirely a preference. And my Line 6 G-10 wireless transmitter does not fit in all the way. But, an adapter fixes this issue. I love this guitar. I called it my skeleton guitar, but my friend suggested "Skeletor". I also joke that I get the rest of the guitar after I finish my payment program. If you want a great, quiet, practice guitar, that can also be used o stage without feedback, THIS IS IT!! As usual Bob Mondok took great care of me and got everything handled like the consummate professional he is. Sweetwater ROCKS!!!

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Great guitar

Been playing this almost every night. I work a mid swing shift. So, there's lot's of times I need to unwind after work and this guitar works great . Quiet enough that I don't wake up the people in the other apartments, or my girlfriend if she's sleeping.

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Yamaha Silent Guitar

Plays nice! Good set up/action. Bass seems heavy when plugged in even when control on guitar is essentially at it's lowest setting. Really like the reverbs and chorus controlled from the instrument. Can't beat the portability of the guitar.

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