Great review! I like that you compared the different ways of recording the guitar, and some nice playing!. I have one of these but without the pickup system. To be honest, the pickup direct sound doesn't do the guitar justice at all. It sounds amazing acoustically when I record with two small diaphragm condenser mics (Violet fingers - very similar to KM184s) in XY configuration, the sound is warm and focused with some beautiful overtones. When I was gigging I used a cheaper Martin cutaway with piezo pickup, and nobody really cares when you're playing live as the nuances of the Yairi would be lost in a band environment on stage. I don't miss the piezo pickup on the Yairi and would never use a piezo pickup for studio work. The tone that this guitar produces is unique, and I have 2 Martin acoustics (D-16 Rosewood (modified) and Cutaway (Modified) for gigging), a Gibson LG2 and a Yamaha FS800 (modified) acoustic. Compared to the Martin dreadnought, the Yairi can equal the amount of bass of the Martin, but with a tighter sound, being mahogany, which is amazing for an OM sized guitar. It's loud too, really loud if you strum it hard. If you fingerpick, it's very responsive and can be played very lightly, while still producing a good volume. The neck / fretboard is a dream to play, perfectly set up with no buzzing and perfect intonation. The higher end is more mellow than the Gibson LG2 which is a very crisp sounding guitar having a small body and sitka spruce top, but it also depends on the strings used. So far I've tried standard D'Addario 12 - 54 PB, which are a little tight for string bends with their hexagonal cores. Changing over to the Martin MA540F Lights, round core versions string bends are easier. Soon, I want to move over to Nickel Bronze, which are great for Mahogany guitars and work really well for fingerpicking. The slightly shorter scale (25") makes it easy to play, but retains the tension needed to get a powerful sound. The one strange thing was that the neck width at the nut was listed as 1.72" on the spec sheet, but is a standard 1.75 " when I measured it with calipers, so for some it might be a little wide. I'm not tall and find it comfortable to play with lots of room for fingerpicking. The Gibson LG2 has a shorter scale (24.75") with a 1.72" neck width at the nut, and is slightly easier to play 5 fret stretches on, even with its Vintage V neck which is quite chunky but very comfortable to play. But I have to say playing harmonics on the Yairi is a dream, they're strong and clear as a bell. I've tried all Mahogany guitars by a few other manufacturers, and I found many of them too overpowering in the bass end and without much clarity in the treble end, but all had a very good mid focus. The Yairi is a different animal. The bass is clear and tight, but there when you hit it hard (surprisingly dynamic). The mids are very clear and present (again very dynamic). The highs are very clear and bell-like but without the extra sharpness of a sitka spruce top. So it's indeed a very well balanced guitar, that can also deliver a very wide range of dynamics, depending on how you play it. The Gibson LG2 just buzzes if I play the #$%^ out of it (I think mostly because of the lower tension on the shorter scale), but the Yairi is still clear, and it's action is lower than the Gibson! with a similar neck relief. There are some very cool things about this guitar which I haven't seen before. Firstly it has a bridge / saddle system which transfers maximum sound from the strings to the body, with a steep break angle and is in a position to make best use of the forward shifted X-bracing. This really makes the top resonate like crazy (which you feel through your body when playing it), giving rich harmonics which I love. Secondly the bridge pin holes are slotted, unlike most guitars. This is a really cool feature, because when you change strings, the end of the string makes full contact with the underside of the bridge, so the bridge pins don't have to hold the string in place, as the string is held in place by the underside of the bridge. Again this maximizes volume and clarity. Every part of the guitar is perfectly thought out. For instance, the neck shape, which is quite different to say a standard Martin low oval (which I find very easy to play on). The Yairi is a little different as it has a gentle V shape between the nut and 5th fret, and gradually morphs into a C shape moving towards the bridge. First position chords are very easy and barre chords are easy too. Tuners are really stable, being Gotoh 501's. I was so impressed that I refitted my cheap Yamaha FS800 with Gotoh 301 tuners for about $30 and it's a lot more stable now. All the other acoustic guitars I've owned I've also modified, to make them sound better and more stable. The Yairi is the only one, that I would leave the way it was made, because I can't really think of anything I could improve on. The Yairi is a guitar which could be used for any style (Blues, Jazz, Rock etc) and you can strum, play lead, and fingerpick just as well on it. My D-16 is fantastic for strummed vocal accompaniment or lead, but not great for fingerpicking because of the mid-dip in its tone. The Gibson LG2 is great for fingerpicking, because of its high end clarity and mid presence, but runs out of steam when strummed hard. So a guitar like the Yairi that does it all is very welcome. It's also brilliant for solo work ( e.g. Tommy Emmanuel style pieces) because it has so much character and warmth to the sound, it can stand alone in a mix and captivate with its tone. And one thing I never mentioned is, that it also looks great ! with immaculate construction and no faults I can see. The one downside of the Yairi is the hardshell case it comes with, which is a quite flimsy compared to the Martin and Gibson cases, which are so solid you could literally use them as lethal weapons 😂That's a good thing though ...... If I bought a "Made in the USA" handmade guitar which sounded as good, it would have cost 2 to 3 times the price of the Yairi. I love US made guitars like Martin, Gibson., Fender etc which I've played for 3 decades, and I've always wanted a Collings or Huss & Dalton to name a few 😊, but really can't justify the cost of these amazing guitars. The Yairi does what I want with style and class. This is just my 2 cents worth, and if I had to have a 'Desert Island' guitar the Yairi would be it.
My FYM-66HDE is the standard for all other guitars that I am blessed to hold in my hands. Nothing surpasses its sound, yet. As James refers to, the age of the wood has resulted in a very light and quite responsive guitar. One can strum it if you want, but the nuances of finger picking make this my go to guitar when I feel like creating new sounds.
that looks and sounds like a million dollars! i've got the big sibling to that guitar, the DYM60HD. Aged Honduran mahogany back and sides and adirondack top. Mind blowingly wonderful!
F= Folk body style Y=Yairi...(hand built in the Yairi workshop) M=Masterworks...(all solid wood-top, back and sides) 66=Mahogany top, back and sides HD=Honduran Mahogany...(from the 50 year old stash)
James G. Are you te James who had the guitar store in E Burleson near the train tracks and Babes? I did business with you if you are te same proprietor of that shop
