Yamaha NTX1NT NAT

Earlier, I had Yahama C40 which is a very cheap (122€) nylon string, but famous for being great bang for buck. I had to get a new acoustic, because I ruined my C40 by simply playing it too much (no point in taking a guitar that cheap to a luthier for refretting, refretting would cost more than the guitar itself). I wanted to get a semi-acoustic for easier recording. Setting up mics is always a hassle.

The action is MUCH better than C40, out of the box. Easy to play also from the highest fret positions. The neck isn't too thick, easy to play. Also the intonation is good up to even 12th fret and beyond, unlike in C40. NTX1NT plays in tune and is well setup right away. The in-built tuner also works great. The guitar sounds great when plugged into a good amp.

However, the unamplified acoustic sound is not that amazing. It's thin, nasal and lacking bottom end warmth, compared to the C40. It's also pretty quiet. This is probably due to the thinner sound box. The sound box simply doesn't have enough size and depth to create the warmth. (Plus side is that it's easier to hold in your lap than a larger guitar). The solo cutaway is great for playing leads, but it also cuts a chunk off the sound box. In addition to this, the electronics (battery compartment for 2x AA batteries, and the tuner/EQ block) means that the sound box has two holes cut into it, with plastic parts in them. Of course this doesn't help the sound, when the resonations are lessened by additional holes in the structure. But this is a problem with many semi-acoustics, what can you do.

All this is solved, if you just plug it in and play it with an amp! 5 stars for that sound. You can get the warmth, the bass, and volume of course.

I think this guitar is primarily meant to be played non-acoustically. I just didn't fall in love with the acoustic sound, sorry to say. The cheaper C40 beats it easily, in that regard. Because C40 has a larger sound box, with symmetrical structure and only one hole (the sound hole). In acoustic guitar, these things matter. In electric guitars, the sound comes from the pickups mostly, but not here.

C40 has other problems, like terrible intonation on high frets, and high action. Unless you do some adjusting to it. Overall I'm very happy with my new NTX1NT because it's 90% for studio work. It's okay without an amp, but I wish it had more warmth and bass tones.

I have been playing steel string acoustic and (some) electric guitar for over three decades. I have played nylon string guitars before but never owned one. Wishing to improve my finger-style technique I decided to purchase one. Classical guitars have too high an action and too wide a neck for my tastes and hands so after looking at "cross-over" style guitars I decided to purchase this one. I have had this guitar now for over a year.

I like the sound of this guitar unplugged and plugged. It probably looses some bass because of it's small thin body but still sounds "warmer" than a steel string acoustic. The on-board electronics, including the chromatic tuner, are simple and very effective. The body size make this guitar light and easy to play seated or standing using a sling.

I started with normal, then medium and now have high tension strings (Savarez 500AJ) fitted. It was nice but now is a pure joy to play. I highly recommend fitting high tension strings if you get one of these especially if you mostly play steel string guitars.

I think the NTX1 is great value and would recommend it.