Yamaha A5R ARE Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Sitka Spruce/Rosewood, Vintage Natural

As an accessible and high-quality acoustic, the Yamaha A5R ARE acoustic electric guitar is an outstanding pick for your next musical sidekick. Matching slick Yamaha design with fine tonewood tonality, this model prepares any player for the next stage of their musical journey.

The A5R ARE is a traditional western-body cutaway guitar with a number of great enhancements. This whole experience begins with a back and sides made of all-solid rosewood. A classic pick for fine acoustic tones, the rosewood of this body is matched with a Sitka spruce top. Through an original Yamaha A.R.E. torrefaction process, this piece of spruce to heat treated to result in a selection of wood with fewer imperfections, more stability and a naturally richer tone. Torrefaction, a process normally reserved for the highest-end of acoustic guitars, appears to impart a more nuanced tone to this Yamaha right from the get-go and enhance the character of the wood. In addition, the spruce is fitted with a scalloped bracing pattern for greater projection.

This Yamaha piece continues with a three-ply neck made of African mahogany. Decked in a matte finish for an easy feel across the palm, this neck plays effortlessly alongside an ebony fingerboard. In hand, the combination of woods makes for a quick instrument to pick up and play. A TUSQ nut and saddle ground strings across the entire scale for steady intonation and easy stringing. Open Gear Gotoh Chrome tuning machines adorn the headstock to compound on the experience. As an acoustic instrument, this Yamaha A5R ARE plays with a consistently musical voice, yet when plugged in, that voice only gets better. An SRT2 electronics system lands on this model to bring its acoustic voices to amplified performance. Along with an SRT piezo pickup, this electronics system enables a suite of sound controls to dial into one's own best amplified mix. This Yamaha meets the challenge for live performance while also coming with an included hardshell case to ensure security traveling from one place to the next.

For players seeking out a great acoustic experience, this entry from Yamaha checks so many boxes for that exact bill.