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• Review
• Manufacturer's Description

First, and bucking manufacturers' natural tendency to keep adding models, the new generation of each series is more concise than ever.

The APX intros, replacing the entire previous line-up, number only three models, while the new CPX roster is just two strong (albeit supplemented by continuing production of the higher-end Jap-made CPX15 and its cosmetic variants).

Aside from the introduction of a lower-cost, conventional piezo-loaded APX500, the main focus of attention is on the new powering system for the other new guitars – the APX700 and 900, and CPX700 and 900.

Dubbed ART (Acoustic Resonance Transducer) and apparently three years in development, Yamaha's exclusive system is based around piezo crystal technology, but instead of a normal under-saddle strip pickup, it's incorporated into a multilayer contact sensor that's both body and string sensing.

The multilayer aspect, involving a sandwich of rubberised and metallic layers, is designed to achieve the optimum balance between a natural, dynamic, low-distortion sound and suf?cient damping to stiife feedback.

ART comes in two forms. On the APX and CPX700, it's a single-unit dual sensor mounted just forward of the underside of the bridge and linked to a one-way, three-band, mid-sweepable preamp.

On the 900 models, this pair of sensors is augmented by two further single ones, either side of the rear of the bridge and specifically tuned for high- and low-frequency response respectively.

The companion preamp is a three-way affair, allowing individual gain control of these auxiliary sensors, plus there's a master arrangement of volume and three-band EQ. Both the new preamps include an onboard tuner.

According to Yamaha, one of the crucial facets of the systems' testing was establishing the best placement to hit the 'sweet spots'. Consequently, this part of the build process is aided by a simple jig to ensure that the sensors are located under the tops in exactly the same positions every time.

Overview

Outwardly, and taken as a broad viewing, there's little to differentiate the new APXs from the previous ones, but closer inspection reveals cosmetic upgrades when weighed against each model's closest comparable predecessor.

The APX700 is the same price as the old APX5 yet the specification is noticeably more upmarket. The spruce/nato construction now includes a solid top, the raised soundhole ring is inlaid with abalone, and the cream binding encompasses not only the body but also the fingerboard and the rosewood-overlaid headstock.

The Yamaha logo and leafy motif here are inlaid mother-of-pearl, rather than transfers. The collective result is like an amalgam of the APX5 and the APX7.

The company is stressing the thinness of the polyurethane lacquer on all the APX/CPX debuts, aimed at helping to maximise acoustic resonance.

It reckons that after final buffing, the finish averages just a tenth of a millimetre thick, comparable to what premier-league boutique luthiers claim to achieve. Like most Yamaha acoustics, the APX700 has a gloss body and satin neck, though the APX900 is all gloss. This difference applies to the CPX700 and 900 too.