I came across this guitar several months ago while looking for a new amplifier and was immediately struck by the great playability and sound for the price. It immediately went on my wish list.

Sound
The sound quality is excellent. The Seymour Duncan vintage single coils deliver exactly what you would expect and the split humbucker pairs nicely giving you the full gamut of Strat-tones. The bridge humbucker is very classic sounding albeit with higher output than a PAF. I play mostly blues-rock, classic rock and sometimes go back to my 80’s metal roots and this guitar is excellent for all of those. For playing roots rock, blues and country, it is also a good choice.

Features
The internal electronics could be better, and I question why Yamaha would put high quality pickups in this guitar without upgrading those. The locking tuners and Wilkinson tremolo are nice additions and it stays in tune shockingly well, even when giving the tremolo a good workout.

Ease of Use
It's very playable with a nice medium C-shaped neck that should be comfortable for most hands and the fretwork is nicely finished. The fretboard is on the flat side, lending it more to lead playing than chord work.

Quality
Aside from a few hardware adjustment problems I would say that it is well built. My body appears to be four pieces and has a beautiful maple veneer that gives it a classy look.… read more I think it would last a lifetime if properly maintained. The only thing I might replace would be the internal electronics (pots, switch, jack) but it's not necessary.

Value
In terms of value this guitar punches well above its weight class. I don't know of another S-Style guitar that gives you this much without costing significantly more.

Musical Background:
Enthusiast

Musical Style:
Blues-rock, Classic rock read less