Yamaha first began producing steel-strung acoustic guitars at the Hamamatsu Custom Shop in 1966. The first production guitars - models FG150 and FG180 - were released the same year to critical acclaim. In 1969 Yamaha began exporting guitars to the US and Europe, and rapidly gained a reputation as a well-made, affordable alternative to Martin, Guild and Gibson.
From these early days, a huge number of leading artists played Yamaha guitars, from The Everly Brothers, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bob Dylan and John Lennon through to legendary rockers like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Brian May.
Yamaha acoustics continued to go from strength to strength in the 1970s, building on their reputation as high-quality, affordable instruments and in 1983, Yamaha released the CWE series, the company's first electro-acoustic. With calls from artists for a small-bodied, low-feedback design, four years later we introduced the APX series, with its innovative 2-way pickup system, superb playability and dramatic shallow body design that reduced feedback and improved the guitars handling. The guitar was an instant success. 11 years on, in 1998, we launched CPX, a deeper-bodied performance electro-acoustic, that combined a bridge pickup with a condenser mic within the body to capture a new level of natural tone.
In 2006, following an intensive 3-year R&D project, we launched the new ART pickup system, featuring an entirely new proprietary contact pickup designed to offer the most natural, dynamic, expressive tone possible while minimizing feedback and background noise. Launched on an all-new APX and CPX range, ART redefined the concept of a natural performance acoustic sound thanks to it's excellent performance and innovative multi-way configuration.
2 years later, in 2008, we introduced ART to our flagship L-Series guitars, complete with the new System 60 preamp which offered incredible control without the need for EQ and perfectly reproduced the incredible acoustic sound from the exclusive ARE pre-aged woods used in the construction of the L-Series guitars.
2009 saw the latest evolution in Yamaha's electro-acoustic range with the introduction of the NX Series - an all new line of nylon string guitars designed to push the boundaries of nylon string performance and offer the first truly accessible crossover nylon string guitars. Combining 60 years of classical guitar building heritage with the know-how gained from making the world's finest electro-acoustic guitars, the NX series offers a truly new voice to players of every style.
Our latest designs reflect 40 years of experience in building acoustic guitars, coupled with the latest developments in pickup and preamp design to perfectly combine the best elements of traditional construction methods and cutting edge technological developments, delivering the newest evolution in the history of Yamaha acoustic guitars and the next step in our tradition of excellence.