Yamaha Calendar

The gifts of nature take shape as instruments and equipment that bring the joy of music to people around the world.
Yamaha’s manufacturing has always been inspired and sustained by these gifts.

To ensure that the excitement of sound and music continues to resonate far into the future, we are committed to protecting and nurturing the environment that makes it all possible.

In this edition of our Yamaha Calendar, each illustration portrays the captivating beauty of our instruments and equipment, the uplifting joy that music creates, and our deep respect and gratitude for nature—expressing both Yamaha products and the natural materials that give each its unique character.

Calendar and Wallpaper

Sound Begins in the Heart of Nature

The gifts of nature from around the world nurture Yamaha’s manufacturing, inspiring the sounds that connect people through music.

African Blackwood
African Mahogany
European Beech
German Spruce
（European Spruce）
Sycamore Maple
Birch

African Blackwood
African Mahogany
European Beech

German Spruce
（European Spruce）
Sycamore Maple
Birch

SE Artist Model (Clarinet)｜African Blackwood

The “Artist Model” name is reserved for only those custom instruments that exude the authority and refinement befitting a flagship. This marks the first time that a Yamaha woodwind instrument has been granted that title. In the clarinet SE Artist Model, Yamaha’s advanced technologies and time-honored craftsmanship converge to deliver not just excellent intonation but also uniform resistance and response from the lowest to highest registers, along with a deeply resonant tone.
The body—the instrument’s very heart—is made from African Blackwood, a rare wood of dark purple hue, exceptionally hard and dense. Its outstanding acoustic properties and distinctive appearance have earned it the name Grenadilla, and it has become an essential material in the crafting of modern woodwind instruments.
Yamaha is also promoting its Otonomori (“Forest of Sound”) initiative, dedicated to achieving sustainable forests in unity with local communities around the world. Through Otonomori, Yamaha works to ensure the continuous use of tonewoods—such as African Blackwood—in a manner that ensures healthy and well-stewarded forest ecosystems.

FG9 M (Acoustic Guitar)｜African Mahogany

The FG9, the flagship of Yamaha’s handcrafted acoustic guitars in Japan, offers a broad expressive range that responds to a player’s every nuance. Its impactful volume and clear sound make it especially well-suited to singer-songwriters. The FG9 M, built with African Mahogany for the back and sides, is distinguished by its warm mid-low tones and its light, lively character. Its slightly rounded V-shaped mahogany neck feels comfortable in the hand and supports fluid playing.
Mahogany, a prized hardwood often used in fine furniture, displays a beautiful ribbon grain (striped pattern) that changes with the angle of light. While it was once not as highly regarded as rosewood—which is celebrated for deep bass and rich overtones—mahogany has gained recognition for its warm midrange that pairs so naturally with vocals. Today, it stands alongside rosewood as one of the signature tonewoods for acoustic guitar back and sides.

S6X (Grand Piano)｜European Beech

The SX Series grand pianos incorporate Yamaha’s proprietary A.R.E. (Acoustic Resonance Enhancement) wood reforming technology, enabling newly made instruments to project the depth and warmth reminiscent of a well-worn, cherished piano.
The softly curved designs of the side arms, legs, and pedal framework harmonize with the richly resonant tone, lending the instrument an elegant presence. A grand piano, weighing between 400 and 500 kg, requires extremely sturdy support. For the legs that bear this weight, European Beech is chosen. With its clean cross-section, ease of finish, and frequent use in bentwood furniture, European Beech is a globally appreciated hardwood.

SU7 (Upright Piano)｜German Spruce (European Spruce)

The SU7 represents the pinnacle of Yamaha upright pianos. Crafted with only the finest materials and components, each instrument is meticulously built by the hands of master artisans. For the soundboard—the heart of the piano and the source of its resonance—we use German Spruce, long regarded as the finest material for soundboards. Among the various types of spruce commonly used for instruments, this particular wood is prized for its pure, lustrous whiteness and its ability to produce a clear, delicately detailed tone. In developing the SU7, Yamaha focused on allowing the soundboard to vibrate as freely as possible, achieving both a remarkably delicate response and luxurious sound. With richly colored sound that overflows in unimaginable dynamic power and elegance, the SU series offers a superlative piano experience, as if you were playing on a CFX concert grand piano.

YVN500S (Violin) | Sycamore Maple

Based on Stradivarius-derived designs and optimized with Yamaha’s proprietary A.R.E. wood reforming technology, the YVN500S stands as Yamaha’s flagship violin—capable of rendering the finest musical nuances. This model marries more than a century of Yamaha’s traditional craftsmanship in wood instruments with state-of-the-art violin technology, all in pursuit of the “ideal violin.”
For the back, sides, and neck, sycamore maple is used—a tonewood characterized by its pale yellow-white face. Spread across Central to Southern Europe, this maple has earned a place in high-end violins, such as those by Stradivarius. It often features a flame or tiger pattern formed by the undulating grain fibers. Among those, pieces with uniform grain width and depth are particularly rare. During production, Yamaha carefully selects each piece of wood so that the width, direction, and figure of the grain harmonize across all parts of the instrument.

Recording Custom (Drum)｜Birch

The Recording Custom returns to Yamaha’s roots in system drums, built with 100 % birch shells and one-piece lugs, all finished with a glossy lacquer that highlights its beautiful sheen. During an era when maple was the default shell material, Yamaha applied its deep expertise in piano and wind instrument manufacturing to demonstrate that birch is an ideal material for drum shell construction.
Birch grows in cold regions such as Hokkaido and North America. Its even, fine grain ensures both a refined appearance and excellent acoustic transmission. The characteristic rich mid-low frequencies and clean projection of birch shells captivate drummers—and over time, the Recording Custom has become one of the most recorded drum sets in history.

Calendar and Wallpaper

Connecting the Joy of Music to the Future

We aim to pass on a healthy global environment for the future generations.
As Yamaha handles products that use many natural materials such as timber and others,
we are working to connect the joy of music to the future by tackling environmental problems and creating sustainable products that can be used for a long time.

Otonomori (Forest of sound) Activities

Yamaha calls sustainable forests that produce wood suitable for musical instruments "Otonomori" (“Forest of sound” in Japanese) and engages in Otonomori activities throughout Japan and around the world to achieve such forests together with society.

Musical Instrument Wood Exhibition

Yamaha is holding “Musical Instrument Wood” exhibitions to provide people with an opportunity to reflect on the wood from which musical instruments are shaped, and to give them an understanding of our desire to coexist in the long term with forests and continue to make instruments in a sustainable manner.

TORCH “T01” Digital Piano

A concept-model digital piano with a keyboard made from unutilized rare African Blackwood resulting from the manufacturing of clarinets and other woodwind instruments.

Sustainability Stories - For Our Future

Sustainability Stories - For Our Future -
The Well-Being of People around the World.To achieve this, Yamaha is striving for the sustainable development of society and culture through the power of sound and music.The following introduces the endeavors we are implementing in a variety of areas and fields with an eye toward a sustainable future.

The Artists

With delicate watercolors, the artist depicts Yamaha products as well as the leaves, fruits, and bark of the trees that give life to them—an expression of deep respect for nature.
Each work reflects the artist’s keen observation and refined botanical artistry.