A byword for the continually evolving electric acoustic guitar.
The guitar at right is CW4E (released in 1990 as a custom-built guitar), the predecessor to the APX.
Appreciate
Scrapes and scratches from live performances, together with a character evolved over years of being played. Just as the sound of these instruments improves with play, so their owners’ affection for them grows with use.
Pride
uilt for live performance, the guitars in this series come in an array of brilliant finishes. The transparent pick guard emphasizes the beauty of the instruments\' unique shape and coloring. (CPX series)
Inspiring
The slim body of the APX series allows the guitarist to switch from an electric guitar without any discomfort, and features a performance-enhancing cutaway. The position of the preamp reflects the extensive care put into making it easy to use.
Dual-View
The unique form and vivid coloring of this series mean make it uniquely appealing to the audience, and emphasize the unification of player and instrument.
Kazuhito Nakajima
Designer
Yamaha Design Laboratory
Toshihide Suzuki
Designer
Yamaha Design Laboratory
Yoshihiko Tanbara
Designer
Yamaha Guitar Design
Loved by guitarists for quarter of a century.
Released in 1987, the APX series remains a superb example of Yamaha electric acoustic guitars. The series’ characteristic elliptical soundhole and unique cutaway silhouette have remained unchanged since its debut, something that can be attributed to our notion of what a guitar ought to be.
While there are many types of guitars, in reality, the volume level of a guitar, and consequently the actual number of people who can hear it are strongly affected by its design. Classical guitars, for example, are quiet instruments played without amplification, and are thus best suited for salon-sized venues. Consequently, the audience must be seated relatively close to the performer, and can thereby appreciate the artistic ornamentation of the guitar head and the delicate inlay around the soundhole while listening to the music. Conversely, electric guitars are played at high volume, and often on a stage where large audiences can observe the guitarist, hence the importance attributed to shape and color over intricate detailing in asserting the "personality"of the electric guitar.
The relationship between acoustic and electric-acoustic guitars is similar. While there are no great differences in these instruments’ construction, they are played to different audiences in quite different venues. Played in bands where they may often be switched with electric guitars, electric-acoustic guitars feature a design that is close to an electric guitar, and thus require an individual identity that can be perceived at a distance.
I believe that it is the transparent relationship between design and volume achieved through the APX series that has allowed the series to endure for a quarter of a century without any significant change, establishing itself in the hearts of many guitarists as a byword for electric acoustic guitars.
