Yamaha Guitars 60th Anniversary

You can enjoy reverb, chorus, and other effects directly from the guitar itself, without the need for an amp or external effects pedals. The secret behind this new playing experience lies in the actuator embedded inside the guitar. This innovative technology converts effect signals into vibrations, causing the guitar body to resonate like a speaker.

In the second generation, the system has evolved to support external audio playback and multi-layered looping, transforming the guitar into an instrument that supports the entire process of listening, playing, and creating.

With its distinctive frame-only design, this guitar eliminates the traditional resonant body—an iconic symbol of acoustic guitars—achieving both high quietness and lightweight portability. This allows players to enjoy performing anytime, anywhere, without being limited by time or location.

The second-generation model utilizes SRT Powered, a technology that enhances the piezo pickup signal by blending in the rich resonance of professionally recorded and processed studio sounds. This creates a natural acoustic tone that feels authentic and expressive. By incorporating feedback from various musicians and engineers, we have meticulously refined its design, playability, and sound quality—perfectly capturing the essence of what makes a Silent Guitar™ unique.

By capturing even the most intricate characteristics of analog circuits—elements that traditional digital simulations cannot accurately replicate—our technology precisely simulates each circuit down to the component level. This not only reproduces the warmth and tonal richness unique to analog equipment but also faithfully recreates the response and feel of knob adjustments, ensuring an authentic user experience.

As a result, professional-level sound quality—once only achievable with large analog amps—can now be experienced in a compact, desktop-sized amplifier. Yamaha’s audio division has applied the same cutting-edge technology used in professional-grade sound equipment to guitar amplifiers.

Despite its compact body size, this amplifier delivers an impressively wide stereo sound that exceeds expectations.

Leveraging advanced technology from Yamaha’s audio division, we have integrated the same highly acclaimed sound processing used in our desktop audio equipment into this guitar amplifier.

Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E.) is an advanced wood modification technology designed to accelerate the natural aging process of tonewood. By using A.R.E.-treated wood in guitars, players can experience the rich, resonant sound that traditionally takes years of playing to develop—right from the day they purchase the guitar.

This technology precisely controls factors such as temperature and humidity to alter the wood’s properties, enhancing both sound transmission and vibration efficiency. However, improper treatment can result in a loss of tonal core, meaning that extensive research and prototyping are essential to determine the optimal conditions for each type of wood.

Initial Response Acceleration (I.R.A), a technology originally developed for wind instruments, has been adapted for guitars to create the rich, resonant tone of a well-played instrument—even in a brand-new guitar.

By applying controlled vibrations at each guitar’s unique resonant frequencies for a set period, this process helps relieve internal stress within the wood, finish, and components. As a result, the entire guitar vibrates more freely, enhancing its resonance and overall tonal richness.

Using advanced acoustic analysis and 3D modeling technology, Yamaha has developed a unique process for designing guitars.

To achieve the desired sound, the vibrations of the body and neck are scientifically analyzed to determine their optimal behavior. The necessary structural modifications are then identified, and through iterative prototyping and evaluation, the ideal instrument design is efficiently refined. This process is particularly useful in determining the structure and placement of bracing in acoustic guitars, as well as the chambering design in electric guitars.

"Miter Bolting" technology was developed during the design process of the Billy Sheehan Signature Attitude Bass. The goal was to create a neck attachment method that could withstand intense neck bending. Through this research, Yamaha reconsidered the traditional bolt-on construction and introduced an innovative solution: in addition to the standard bolt-on method, an extra bolt is installed at a 45-degree angle from the back of the body, securing the neck end more firmly.

This groundbreaking fastening technique enhances neck strength while also improving sustain, resulting in a powerful and articulate sound. Furthermore, the increased neck stability reduces the need for frequent adjustments. By seamlessly integrating durability, acoustic performance, and expressive playability at a high level, this design maximizes a player's performance potential.

This pickup system was developed with the goal of faithfully reproducing the sound as experienced by acoustic guitar players.

It captures vibrations from the strings using an under-saddle pickup, the resonance of the top board through a contact sensor pickup mounted on the underside of the soundboard, and the character of the guitar body with an internal microphone. By blending these three distinct pickup types, this system recreates delicate nuances and the natural ambiance that conventional pickups often fail to capture. This allows for an optimal setting tailored to each guitar model.

SRT is a preamplifier and pickup system that digitally enhances a player's performance with the rich, studio-recorded tones of an acoustic guitar.

Expert engineers have carefully recorded high-quality acoustic guitar sounds in top-tier studios using handpicked microphones. These recorded tones are then blended seamlessly with the player's live performance, delivering a studio-quality, natural acoustic sound through the line output—without the need for complex setups, even in live performances. Since the recordings are made using the exact same guitar models that the system is installed in, it faithfully reproduces each instrument’s unique tonal character.

The Reflectone pickup, developed through collaboration between Yamaha and Rupert Neve Designs, combines powerful bass with sparkling high frequencies.

The unique design and manufacturing process successfully overcame the traditional trade-off between strong low-end and bright high-end that has been a challenge with conventional pickups. It delivers excellent response and balanced sound, offering enhanced expressiveness for the player and exceptional acoustic performance that suits a wide range of musical genres.

By incorporating a passive circuit based on transformer technology into the electronics, this design achieves a tone that focuses on the mid-to-low frequencies.

Even with single-coil pickups, it delivers a sound akin to that of a humbucker, expanding the range of expressive possibilities from loud solos to jazzy tones.

By integrating a circuit that cuts the mid-to-low frequencies, the guitar's tone can be switched to achieve better clarity in a mix.

This produces a similar effect to coil tapping on a humbucker pickup, but unlike traditional coil tapping, it works with all types of pickups. It also eliminates noise and minimizes the volume difference between the on and off states. This feature is particularly effective when switching between solo and backing, or in high-volume live performance settings.

These are five EQ presets (Slap, Pick, Flat, Finger, Solo) that allow players to instantly switch between different tones during performance. With just a simple switch operation, players can easily select the optimal sound for a song or part. The 2-band active EQ provides intuitive control for fine-tuning the tone.

Thanks to years of expertise in high-quality acoustic design, each preset delivers a balanced, clear, and rich sound. The user-friendly interface makes it easy to use, even for players who are not as experienced with tone shaping, and the variety of sounds enhances both performance and creative expression.