Longterm Test
A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist ’s longterm test report
“I found it inspiring to the point that my noodles sounded like they could go on to be fully fledged compositions”
Entranced by the sweet sonority of Yamaha’s CG-TA, David considers how it might fare in a gig situation…
Last issue, my time with Yamaha’s CG-TA TransAcoustic nylon-string was confined to my living room and I was impressed by how the internal effects put a producer’s glint on everything I played. Its ability to add very good-quality reverb without an amp in sight added so much to the sound and I found it to be a charming companion. My own tastes regarding how I like a nylon-string guitar to sound meant that I left the chorus alone after a few exploratory encounters, but the reverb was spot on.
If you’re unfamiliar with how Yamaha’s TransAcoustic tech works, it’s basically an internal device that generates reverb and chorus using the body of the guitar as a speaker cone. All clever stuff – and the sound is, as I’ve said, surprisingly realistic. Obviously, this is a boon for playing at home and I found it inspiring to the point that many of my noodles sounded like they could go on to be fully fledged compositions. Songwriters will love this as it removes the ‘can’t be bothered to set up my gear’ part of a musician’s life from the equation. It’s instantaneous studio sound. Perfect for the life of a busy (and possibly slightly lazy) minstrel.
But what if you want to take the guitar out on the road? You might not consider taking what is in effect a cheap-ish nylon-string out to a gig at the Royal Albert Hall, but the CG-TA certainly hits the spot when it comes to an open-mic casual gig. Of course, you couldn’t rely on the internal electrics alone for a crowded room or small bar. Here you’d have to rely on a PA or, at very least, an acoustic amp. So I decided to test the guitar through my AER Compact 60 to see if the Yamaha’s charms could ‘go large’, so to speak.
Hooking everything up, I set the EQ on the amp absolutely flat and turned off its built-in digital reverb. In its plain livery with no effects engaged, the CG-TA still sounds sweet when amplified externally, but switching in the reverb casts the same spell as it did when it was unplugged. The quality of the in-built reverb is really very good and even compared favourably to the reverb on the AER when I A/B’d them both. The surprising thing was that I even liked the sound when I added a little of the CG’s chorus into the picture. As with everything, you can’t afford to be too heavy-handed with it, but take it just up to the level where it bolsters the sound – think ADT rather than full-on chorus – and it adds a dynamic all its own. I wouldn’t use it all the time, but it caused me to make a note-to-self to experiment further when I get the chance. Maybe there are a few new tricks for this particular old dog, after all.
Summing up the performance of the CG-TA, I’d be happy to take it out with me to a small gig and use it through an amp or modest PA. It’s easy to play, nicely set up and sounds good, so why not? You could leave your pedals at home for the most part, except for a tuner… and it just so happens that Peterson’s new StroboStomp HD might just be the one pedal you’d want to take along.
Peterson is possibly the oldest name in rock ’n’ roll tuning circles. Long before there were pedal or clip-on tuners, Peterson’s strobe technology was the industry standard. The original models looked a little like oscilloscopes and certainly wouldn’t fit in a guitar case, but their accuracy was acknowledged across the industry. Times have changed and that same tech is now available in stage-ready foot-pedal form and boasts tuning accuracy of 0.1 cents. Close enough for country, as they say.
Using the StroboStomp is surprisingly intuitive, too. All I did was plug in a lead and there it was, no switching-on ceremony was necessary. As with all modern tuners, the Peterson displays the pitch of the string, but here two virtual ‘wheels’ rotate on the left of the screen. As you get close to pitch they slow down and begin to synchronise: if they’re moving clockwise, you’re sharp; anticlockwise, you’re flat. When they’re virtually stationary, you’re in tune… but there’s more. The clever thing is in Peterson’s ‘sweeteners’. We all know that science tells us you can never get a guitar 100 per cent in tune, but kick in a ‘sweetener’ and the StroboStomp makes microtonal adjustments to the pitches of the open strings, to give you the best level of accuracy possible across the instrument’s range. Furthermore, the unit has sweeteners available for various tunings – DADGAD, for example, or if you’re using a capo – meaning that tuning is not only fast, thanks to a clearly visible HD screen, but accurate for just about every occasion. It certainly helped the CG-TA sound even sweeter!
Our gear reviews editor has been enjoying the charms of a new 2019 Gibson model.Time to send it back… or is it?
With so many choices in the newguitar market, I can’t be the only one who finds it difficult deciding what to buy? And when it comes to Gibson, the choice is particularly difficult – or at least has been, because, before the new management took over, specs would change pretty much every year. There are plenty of 2018 models, for example, still in store, too, not to mention the first wave of 2019 models and now the actual 2019 range in its reorganised Original and Modern collections. Then let’s not forget the used market… How do you find ‘the one’ when there’s quite possibly another just around the corner?
As we discussed back in issue 448, the Classic – the lowest priced ‘proper’ Les Paul in the 2019 range, with gloss nitro finish, binding and carved (albeit plain) maple top – has plenty going for it. The downside for many might be the nine-hole weight relief, and while our sample is hardly featherweight, it’s a lot lighter than the previous Classic we wrote about in issue 443. Weight, then, if it’s a consideration, clearly varies.
Another no-go might simply be the ‘modern’ electronics: some people just don’t get the PCB-mounted controls, although the
PCB itself was invented before World War II. And even though the Classic offers expanded sounds, you don’t have to use any of them and you could easily swap the board for a more vintage-style harness for comfortably under £100. Sadly, for those of us who see positives in this PCB/Quick Connect system, not least in terms of swapping pickups, Gibson currently doesn’t seem to be offering any Quick Connect replacement pickups. At the time of writing, your best bet is eBay or similar.
But specification alone doesn’t make a guitar that you’ll necessarily bond with. That old-school method of getting off your behind and going to a bricks-and-mortar store and playing through some examples in your price range is still the ideal scenario. Having played and tested both, I didn’t feel this Classic is any less of a guitar than the more expensive Standard ’60s – that’s a saving of £350 for starters. The deal is enhanced by this instrument’s very tidy build and inherent resonance: this is no overweight doorstop with QC issues.
If I were looking for a ‘vintage’ Les Paul on a budget, the Classic might not be the best choice, of course, unless you’re planning on embarking on a little modding. No, it’s the rather 70s vibe here that appeals – from the expanded sounds through to the clean, quite Deluxe-like delivery that perfectly suits an upcoming project to pick up with a couple of mates that we’d left in the early 80s. Back then I played a Deluxe and, yes, I was looking for one this time around, but I didn’t find anything in the weight range I preferred or at a price that didn’t make me wince. Then there are all the issues and responsibilities of owning a vintage guitar – even if you look at it the value drops, right?
But the point of this specific Longtermers test was to simply get to know where Gibson sits today via an instrument. If this randomly selected Classic is anything to go by, the affordable Les Paul is in good shape.You can obviously buy a more vintage-style piece yet, as we’ve described, this is hardly cutting-edge modern, is it? You can certainly spend a load more money on a Gibson Les Paul reissue or less on, again from our evidence, rather good down-spec’d LPs such as the current Tribute. If you want a ‘Les Paul’ with the wrong name on the headstock – your choice – the price you’ll pay, is very wide (an understatement).
In the relatively affordable world of this Classic I’m not sure you’ll find better. You’ll find different, yes, but although numerous other makers feel they have the right to basically steal someone else’s design, if you want the real thing here it is.
“I didn’t feel this Classic is any less of a guitar than the more expensive Standard ’60s – that’s a saving of £350 for starters”
“In the relatively affordable world of this Classic, I’m not sure you’ll find better. You’ll find different, yes, but if you want the real thing, here it is”