Yamaha LL26 ARE 2020 - Natural

I traded this Yamaha LL26 ARE in at the recent Nashville vintage guitar show.  The gentleman who owned it told me about it and, before going out to his car to bring it in, said: "Now don't think this is just any old Yamaha!".  

He was right - this thing is a cannon and is by far the best sounding Yamaha I've heard.  The price of a new one reinforces that concept ($2999 at Sweetwater).  Playing it against the 2000s era Martin D and HD28s I got at the same show revealed that Yamaha is really on to something here!

Before getting into the rest of the description, I can tell you that the guitar is in fantastically clean condition.  There are only some small, very superficial areas of surface wear that tell you someone picked this guitar up a few times.

There is very little fret wear - just a tiny bit on the first three frets.  The neck feels great.  The truss rod was checked to make sure there is room for future neck relief adjustments.  The saddle is tall, and we were able to set it up to industry spec with a new set of 12s.  

The case is in similar condition.  The case does smell like cigarettes however, though the guitar does not.  We're working hard on the case and have the outside smelling much better.  The inside has a hint of the smell as well.  I will update the listing as we mitigate this.  I'm not sure how the guitar escaped the smell, but it did. 

I encourage you to go out and get your hands on one of these if you can.  Also, check reviews - people really love these guitars.

Now to descriptions of the guitar from the interwebs, to give you some insight into the quality of the guitar and the motivation from Yamaha to build such a fine instrument.

"The Yamaha LL26 ARE is a true send-up to vintage design, tone, and feel. Utilizing Yamaha's unique ARE technology, Japanese luthiers have constructed a work of art in the LL26 ARE. Featuring a solid rosewood body with a solid Engelmann spruce top, the LL26 produces gorgeous tone that is balanced, full, and unique. A 5-ply mahogany/rosewood neck with ebony fingerboard adds to this stellar instrument's exquisite tone and playability. High-end, detailed appointments such as a maple binding and an ebony bridge support and enhance the rich tone of this stellar acoustic.

The great tone and smooth playability of the LL26 ARE are due to Yamaha's never-ending search for perfection. The recently developed ARE (Acoustic Resonance Enhancement) process gives your guitar a broken-in and aged tone. By controlling the atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity, the molecular properties of the wood are manipulated to mirror those of a guitar that has been played for years. Each L Series guitar also sports modified non-scalloped bracing that enhances the guitar's low end. And the 5-ply mahogany/rosewood neck, after reevaluation of string height and spacing, has a new design for improved playability. The Yamaha LL26 utilizes newly developed advances in guitar construction to bring you an amazingly playable and great-sounding instrument."

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• Color: Natural
• Weight: 4lbs 14.4ozs
• Top: Engelmann Spruce
• Body: Solid Rosewood
• Neck: 5 ply Mahogany and Rosewood, with volute.
• Fretboard: Ebony
• Inlays: Mother of Pearl
• Frets: Original
• Fret count: 20
• Nut: Original Bone
• Nut width: 1 11/16"
• Scale: 25 9/16"
• Radius: 15"
• Neck thickness at 1st Fret: 0.83"
• Neck thickness at 10th Fret: 0.89"
• Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 3/32"
• Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 3/32"
• Total length: 40 3/4"
• Body length: 20 1/8"
• Lower bout: 16 1/4"
• Waist: 10 3/8"
• Upper bout: 11 1/2"
• Body depth/thickness: 4 15/16"
• String gauge: .012-.053"
• Electronics?: Yes
• Electronics Original? Yes
• Pickguard: Original with original protective film still intact!
• Bridge: Original
• Tuners: Original
• Case: OHSC 
• Notes: 

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Three day UPS air shipments will be automatic for buyers including these states and those to the east of them: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas.  Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions.  If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to .  Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.