APX600
Black
The same stage acoustic, in the finish that disappears behind you
Amazon rating
4.5 (1,226)Price band
$300 - $500
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The short version
The APX is the acoustic Yamaha built for people who mostly play electric. The body is a thinline cutaway between 80 and 90 mm deep — around two thirds the depth of a dreadnought — and the whole instrument is designed around being amplified rather than around unplugged volume. That trade is the point: a shallow body feeds back far less on a loud stage, sits comfortably against the ribs, and with a 25-inch scale and 10 mm string spacing feels close enough to an electric that the transition costs you nothing. The electronics are the reason to buy it. Yamaha's SRT piezo is the same pickup family fitted to instruments several tiers up, feeding a SYSTEM65 preamp with three-band EQ and a tuner built in. Note what the specification does not say: the top is spruce, not solid spruce. This is a laminated instrument throughout, which is a real limitation and an honest one at the price.
Score profile
Six axes, scored 1-10. These are editorial judgements about what this instrument delivers for the money — not measurements, and not anyone else’s ratings.
- Build
- 7.0
- Tone
- 7.0
- Versatility
- 8.0
- Comfort
- 9.0
- Hardware
- 8.0
- Value
- 8.0
Scores are Fretline editorial ratings on a 1-10 scale. They are our own assessment and are not supplied or endorsed by Amazon or by any manufacturer.
Full specifications
| Brand | Yamaha |
|---|---|
| Model | APX600Black |
| Body | |
| Body | APX thinline cutaway, 80-90 mm deep (3 1/8" - 3 9/16") |
| Body wood | Spruce top with locally sourced tonewood back and sides |
| Top | Spruce (laminated) |
| Back & sides | Locally sourced tonewood |
| Bracing | Non-scalloped X-type |
| Body finish | Gloss |
| Neck & fingerboard | |
| Neck joint | Set neck, cutaway for upper-fret access |
| Neck wood | Locally sourced tonewood |
| Neck finish | Matte |
| Scale length | 25" (634 mm) |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Radius | 15 3/4" (400 mm) |
| Nut width | 1 11/16" (43 mm) |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Rosewood |
| Electronics | |
| Electronics | SRT piezo pickup with SYSTEM65 preamp, 3-band EQ and built-in tuner |
| Controls | Volume, 3-band EQ, onboard tuner |
| General | |
| Type | Thinline acoustic-electric guitar |
| Finish | Black, abalone soundhole rosette |
| Orientation | Right-handed |
21 verified fields. Specifications come from the manufacturer first, then the Amazon listing, then authorised dealers — sources are listed at the foot of this page. Fields the manufacturer does not publish are omitted rather than estimated.
The good and the bad
What we like
- SRT piezo pickup and SYSTEM65 preamp with 3-band EQ and tuner — genuinely good electronics for the price
- Thinline body resists feedback at volume and is comfortable to hold
- 25-inch scale and narrow 10 mm string spacing feel familiar coming from electric guitar
- Cutaway makes the upper frets usable, which most acoustics at this price do not
What we do not
- Laminated top, not solid, so the tone will not open up over the years
- Quiet and thin unplugged compared with a full-depth acoustic
- Yamaha does not publish a fret count for this model, so we leave that field empty
- Amazon's own listings contradict each other on the bracing; we follow Yamaha
Who it is for
Skill level
Styles it suits
What owners and reviewers report
Patterns we found across published reviews and owner feedback. These are summaries of recurring themes — we do not reproduce or invent individual testimonials.
What comes up most
- The electronics are the most consistently praised feature, with reviewers noting the SRT pickup sounds natural rather than quacky when amplified
- The slim body and electric-like neck are repeatedly described as unusually comfortable for an acoustic
- Upper-fret access via the cutaway is singled out as genuinely usable
Frequent complaints
- Unplugged volume and depth are the recurring limitation — reviewers describe it as thin next to a full-bodied acoustic
- The laminated top is noted as the ceiling on how good it can ever sound
Recognised strengths
- Widely treated as the sensible choice for a stage or worship player who needs a plug-in acoustic that behaves
- Build consistency is reported as good, in line with Yamaha's reputation at this price
Recognised weaknesses
- Not the right instrument for someone who mainly plays acoustically at home
The verdict
Buy this if you play in a band, plug in most of the time and want an acoustic that will not fight you or howl at volume. On those terms it is very good: the neck feels familiar to an electric player, the cutaway makes the upper frets genuinely usable, and the SRT pickup is a class above what normally arrives at this price. Do not buy it as your only acoustic if you mostly play at home unamplified — the thin laminated body sounds small and polite on its own, and a solid-top FG or FS will give you far more guitar for the same money. It is a stage tool, and it is honest about that.
Sources
Amazon rating captured 2026-08-24. ASIN B078WXWNBT.
Strings for this guitar
All stringsThe manufacturer does not publish the gauge this instrument ships with, so these are ordered by our editorial score rather than by fit. Measure the set on the guitar before changing to something noticeably lighter or heavier.
- 8.2/10
- 8.0/10
Elixir · Strings
NANOWEB Phosphor Bronze Acoustic
The same coated string as the light set, a step easier under the fingers
- 8.0/10
Elixir · Strings
NANOWEB Phosphor Bronze Acoustic
The long-life acoustic string, and still the one to beat on longevity
What else you need
All accessoriesThe highest-scoring option in each category that suits this instrument. If you have never owned a guitar before, the starter guide explains what each of these is for and what you can safely skip.
- 7.8/10
Fender · Tuners
FCT-2 Professional Clip-On Tuner
The tuner to buy first, before strings, before a strap, before anything
- 8.2/10
Dunlop · Picks
The Delrin pick that replaced tortoiseshell, in the gauge most people settle on
- 7.4/10
GLEAM · Stands
The accessory that decides whether the guitar gets played at all
- 7.8/10
CAHAYA · Bags and cases
Six pockets, which is five more than most bags and the reason to pick this one
Compared with
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