This is the third yamaha in my collection. I bought my first in 1983 a FG335...still awesome to this day and gets better with time. The APX 500 is just plain and simple a great guitar. I use it for direct plug in and miked recording, and the tones are great..the eq and presence work great. Live shows even plugged directly to the board, it holds it own. I was actually surprised by how it sounds unplugged, not a boomer but holds it's own. Playability, great, even with light Elixirs and 1 step down tuning. I now use it with the Behringer 450 Ultracoustic amp, and am simply blown away. Budget conscience? Get this guitar.

This guitar sounds good, looks good, feels good, gets finger prints easily,scratches, and dents easily. Other than those few downside. Buy it! It is a great bang for your buck! Everytime I take this guitar out and play it at school people always compliment it! I even have some people willing to buy it. Everything is holding up very nicely, even after mistreating it, which I regret so badly. If you want a versitile, not break your bank account, stirdy, easy to use, good sounding, Bang for your buck, and more bang for your buck....Then get it! Don't look past it!

I know I have become spoiled playing high end Martins and Taylors quite frequently, but this guitar still holds up. I decided to get Cleartone Strings. This was the best investment so far on this guitar. It sounds great plugged in and has a lot of options eq wise, which I am very picky about the sound of my guitar, even though I am only 16. =) The action on this axe is perfect. Barre chords sound nice. When an open tuning is used, this guitar pops, especially with the nice strings. Of course, since it's not a dreadnought, the sound isn't fully present, but being so THIN and a CUTAWAY, this thing is by far the best "bang for your buck!"

my friend got this guitar just the other day, and wow! I own 4 guitar of my own and have been playing for about 3 years, and in that short time i haven't seen or heard a better acoustic guitar. Now it doesn't have an unplugged volume as loud as my dreadnought guitar, but when we play together her guitar is still has presence. we have sent it through a pa system and the piezo pickup in the bridge, does the guitar justice; rings out like a beauty. not to mention this guitars playability. i was sliding all over this neck without any problems. now I'm only 16 and don't earn money too easily, so this guitar was a great price and great tone. you'd be stupid to not buy this guitar as your main acoustic whether a beginner or pro, have money to burn or on a tight budget; this is the one to get!

I bought this guitar about three months ago. I have already changed the strigns to much thinner ones. but have yett o find naqyhting wrong with it. On the the neck the binding goes froma cream to a white because the neck wasnt finished properly on mine but overall the finish is beautiful. I have the Dark red burst one originally i wanted the old violin sunburst but they didnt have it in store. THe dark red burst is actually a very beautiful color and the picture doesnt truly do it justice. Plugged into an acuostic amp at the store this baby soudned harmonicly beautiful. I suggest you dont plug it in to a normal amp as it doesnt sound as beautiful it will still project he sound accurately and make it sound good, but its not the same thing. THe onboard tuner is a really nice ouch this is mty second guitar my first being a no name electric. So tuning has always been a pain for me. With this baby theres no wired to plug in or to unplug between songs. Etc. I personally find the guitar to have a nice sound. It isnt as deep and its nto incredibly twangy. it ahsa nice mid sound. It is incredibly thin making it a really nice jump for people liek me who usually play an electric. Its thin doesn' thurt your arms at all. I don't wuite understand the lack of pickgaurd and the black oval like hole as opposed to a round on and why it has a thick black albalone black ring on it i will never understand. I get many compliments from the playing and aesthetics of this guitar. I would definately reccomend it to any player who doesnt have money to spare and wants a good deal for there money. If your not a big fan on the oval whole then i reccomend you look at he ibanez acuostic electric atrounsd the same price range but i dont liek how the headstock looks on that one. but htats another review for another time. :D