Yamaha A-Series electro acoustic guitars: A1 and A3 details and spec

Yamaha a-series

Yamaha a-series

One of the big acoustic guitar stories of NAMM 2011 was Yamaha's brand new A-Series acoustic electric guitar launch. Following our video demo of an A3M model at the show, here we're taking a closer look at the full range…

Split into two Series - A3 and A1 - the former features solid mahogany or rosewood back and sides with Sitka Spruce tops, dreadnought and concert-size body styles with System63 SRT pickups and SRT preamps. The latter features the same body options but with System66 analog preamps and SRT pickups.

Yamaha claims to have created the A-Series based on real players' feedback. So, accordingly, a lower action and a slimmer neck profile feature on each guitar.

At present there are a total of eight A3 and A1 models - scroll down for detailed specifications of each one and stay tuned for full, in-depth reviews…

A1R

Yamaha a1r

Yamaha a1r

A1R spec:
Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back and side: Rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Bridge: Ebony
Body depth: 100-118mm
Nut width: 43mm
String length: 650mm
Tuning machine: Die-Cast Chrome
Colour: natural
Finish: Gloss
Preamp: System-66

A1M

Yamaha a1m

Yamaha a1m

A1M spec:
Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back and side: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Bridge: Ebony
Body depth: 100-118mm
Nut width: 43mm
String length: 650mm
Tuning machine: Die-Cast Chrome
Colour: Natural
Finish: Gloss
Preamp: System-66

A3R

Yamaha a3r

Yamaha a3r

A3R spec:
Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back and side: Solid Rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Bridge: Ebony
Body depth: 100-118mm
Nut width: 43mm
String length: 650mm
Tuning machine: Die-Cast Chrome
Colour: Natural
Finish: Gloss
Preamp: System-63 SRT

A3M

Yamaha a3m

Yamaha a3m

A3M spec:
Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back and side: Solid Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Bridge: Ebony
Body depth: 100-118mm
Nut width: 43mm
String length: 650mm
Tuning machine: Die-Cast Chrome
Colour: Natural
Finish: Gloss
Preamp: System-63 SRT

AC1R

Yamaha ac1r

Yamaha ac1r

AC1R spec:
Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back and side: Rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Bridge: Ebony
Body depth: 100-120mm
Nut width: 43mm
String length: 650mm
Tuning machine: Die-Cast Chrome
Colour: Natural
Finish: Gloss
Preamp: System-66

AC1M

Yamaha ac1m

Yamaha ac1m

AC1M spec:
Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back and side: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Bridge: Ebony
Body depth: 100-120mm
Nut width: 43mm
String length: 650mm
Tuning machine: Die-Cast Chrome
Colour: Natural
Finish: Gloss
Preamp: System-66

AC3R

Yamaha ac3r

Yamaha ac3r

AC3R spec:
Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back and side: Solid Rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Bridge: Ebony
Body depth: 100-120mm
Nut width: 43mm
String length: 650mm
Tuning machine: Die-Cast Chrome
Colour: Natural
Finish: Gloss
Preamp: System-63 SRT

AC3M

Yamaha ac3m

Yamaha ac3m

AC3M spec:
Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back and side: Solid Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Bridge: Ebony
Body depth: 100-120mm
Nut width: 43mm
String length: 650mm
Tuning machine: Die-Cast Chrome
Colour: Natural
Finish: Gloss
Preamp: System-63 SRT

You can check out Yamaha's dedicated A-Series section for more information.

Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).