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Yamaha LL16ARE12 Twelve string guitar with pre-aged woods

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:38 am
by Oldbones
Had an unexpected treat recently and the chance to handle and play a Yamaha LL16ARE12.

I didn't know what ARE stood for until I checked. It's apparently a Yamaha patented method for treating and 'pre-ageing' wood which they call Acoustic Resonance Enhancement. The guitar I played had only been bought a few weeks ago and I have to admit that the sound was astonishing. The whole instrument seemed alive when strumming or playing arpeggios - seriously impressive. Great action too. I generally have problems playing further down a 12's neck than the 5th fret but not on this beauty. This is definitely an instrument to check out next time you're in a shop which stocks Yamahas.

When I got home I looked on Youtube. There are a couple of uploads about A.R.E. and a few demos or performances featuring the guitar itself. The best of these is undoubtely this one uploaded by Kraft Music ... the sound you hear on the video is pretty well what I heard. I just wish I could play as well as the demonstrator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE7NTht_oXE

Has anyone else encountered this guitar, I wonder?

And can anyone answer this fairly obvious question ... what happens to pre-aged wood as it ages naturally? Will it get better and better, I wonder, or in years to come will it turn out that the process somehow stalls or adversely affects natural ageing?