luthier opinion on Yamaha A3 Series Guitar Please

[Ken H]

  Hello all, first thanks in advance for your knowledge and opinions
I bought a Yamaha A3R all solid guitar, I absolutely love it. Sound, appearance and feel is just what I want.. I like it so much that I am thinking of buying the Solid Mahogany model, but something just dawned on me.....
Does anyone know or have any opinions on if Yamaha is using there mystery glue making separating the neck near impossible on this series? It is made in China. According to Yamaha they say it will remove with steam, but I expected them to say that!
At $800-$900 a pop, id hate to think im buying a throw away guitar.
I hang on to my stuff, and play hard so at some point Im sure I will need to reset the neck. Again, thanks for your knowledge and opinions.
It appears to be pretty well designed and made, so I cant see them using that epoxy crap, but what do you all think?

[Hesh Breakstone]

Ken I applaud you for considering the idea of "serviceability" in your guitar selection criteria!  This is not something that we see very often when non-Luthier-sorts ask opinions on prospective purchases.  Good going!

Here's the rub with your questions though although they are very good questions.  I think that there are potentially two possible issues with considering the serviceability of the neck joint on an Asian import guitar.  First is it a dovetail, bolt-on, or doweled joint.  If it's a doweled joint it not meant to be serviced although they can be reset too but not many people would take these on, me included.

The other issue as you rightly suggested is the glue.  I doubt that it's epoxy since this is not an Ov*tion but more likely what we unaffectionately call AMG or Asian mystery glue.  AMG does not release well or reliably with heat and/or steam and is considered unserviceable.

I checked out the Yamaha site for the A3 to see if I could better educate myself to be helpful to you and your questions.  Other than the usual 30,000 view of guitar specs no mention is made of is a dovetail is used or not.  Unless others here know for sure with personal experience, which is unlikely since these are new, we may not have an answer for you regarding the serviceability of the neck joint or the glue used for that matter.

But.... I can tell from your post that you really hate this guitar....:)  Kidding of course.  So you like it and you like it a great deal and that's pretty important too.  Don't know your age but many guitars go 20, 30 even more years before it's neck reset time and it could be that this neck joint may be good enough for your intended uses for decades to come.  Regardless of it is serviceable it's possible that the "value" and enjoyment that you will receive is good enough to make this a good fit for you.

There are millions of Yamahas still kicking around and many are 3 - 4 decades old so the track record is pretty good as well.

At this price point it can be a tradeoff when one considers the lower price (compared to say Martins) vs. any possible issues with serviceability, glues, neck joint type, etc.

So I'm going to plant my flag firmly in the camp that if you like this guitar and with a price point as mentioned as well as the track record of Yamaha in general I say enjoy the hell out of it and if you want the hog top one too - go for it.  

You can also do your part in preserving what you have too if there is any question of future serviceability by using strings that are not too much tension, keeping it humidified, and generally caring for the thing well.

Hope this helps.

[Ken H]

It helps a great deal.  Many thanks for the very informative reply.  You really put things into perspective for me.  Im 40 years old at the moment so this guitar very well could last me a lifetime.  I do keep a small closet with a humidifier on a timer maintaining it pretty close to 50%.

Being a Auto Technician, I look at new cars knowing that someday it will have to be worked on.  I guess that mindset has carried over into my hobby!

Thanks again.

Ken

[Thomas James]

I did some research a while back in preparation for a job interview with Yamaha Guitar Development. This coincided with the the then new A Series. Though I do not remember this specific neck joint information; there are a couple of videos on you Youtube about the factory. Also The NAMM Show is this weekend. Yamaha has done many live performance and info webcasts from the show in the past. I can tell you I was impressed with their attention to detail and quality in this line of guitars.

[Thomas James]

Side note: I have done several resets on older Yamaha F's. They were standard dove tail joints that steamed apart without much fuss.

[Ken H]

Thats comforting.  Thanks for the info.  There does appear to be some attention to detail, at least on the outside. 

[Ken H]

Okay, last question....

Is tuning 1/2 step down "definitely" better for the guitar in tems of longevity or would the benefit be debatable?  or am I over thinking this and should I just shut up and play!!!

Thanks all.

[Ned Knepp]

Hi Ken.

My personal opinion is that you are over thinking this if your only concern is a repair that MAY be needed in a couple of decades. There isn't any real way to know what sort of attention any given guitar will need in the future.  While a lot of guitars need attention over decades, I own a guitar that I bought 35 years ago that's never need any sort of adjustment. Take reasonable care of it, have fun with it and deal with what comes when it happens.

Some people tune their guitars down but it's usually because it's a vintage guitar, the tuning better matches their voice range, or they feel that the guitar plays/sounds better there. I've know a few 12 string guitars that were always tuned down because their owner was worried about the tension on a guitar they only play intermittently. I've never known anyone that did this because of concern about a future neck reset on a new guitar. Keeping a guitar tuned down can have an effect on the tone and feel of the guitar and it's fine if you only play alone but it gets old when you play with a group. I use capos but I don't want to do it all the time. In this case, the other choices are to tune up or have everyone else tune down. (not going to happen.)  To me, if the question of a reset is something that going to bother you every time you pick it up which appears to be the case if you are considering tuning down in an attempt to avoid one, you should keep looking for something you will be completely comfortable with. There are makers with easily reset neck designs on their instruments. You might look at them if this is really an issue. 

[Thomas James]

The good news is our guitars will out live us.  Play on  :)

[Ken H]

Hello all.  I didnt want to start a new thread for this so I thought Id ask here!  I received my Yamaha A3M after a while on back order.  The 2 areas where there are tight bends for the cutaway there are "lines","slight surface "cracks" going against the grain.  Is this normal for a solid mahogany side?  Thanks

[Ken H]

Better pic of inside.  the surface cracks are not opposite of one another.  they are on the inside of the 2 tightest bends.

Im just wondering if this a common thing for tight bends in mahogany sides or is it a craftsmanship flaw?

Im new to solid wood guitars, so I am clueless on the matter.  thx

[Jeff Highland]

That is unacceptable, I would take it back

[Paul Verticchio]

Hi Ken.

These types of irregularities are not uncommon in solid wood instruments in your guitar's price range. If the instrument is otherwise structurally sound, my best guess is that Yamaha wouldn't call it a defect. If they did, there's a possibility of receiving a 'replacement' with even more severe cosmetic issues.

Please understand that these are factory made (in mass quantities) guitars in the "mid-low to low-mid" price range of "all solid wood" acoustic guitars. There will be cosmetic flaws (or other compromises) but that's how the manufacturers keep them within their price points.

In today's advertising world, "All Solid Wood" seems to attract a lot of attention. Given the nature of all things wood, it truly doesn't REALLY mean a thing in terms of manufacturing quality or the 'appropriateness' of the material.

If you're looking for absolute perfection...well...it's not out there at any price.

BUT, you have something that eludes so many buyers and players: You love your Yamaha guitar. You're WAY ahead of the herd in that aspect.

Play it. Enjoy it. Make music :)

Best of luck, Ken. :)