Yamaha NTX5

YAMAHA NCX5 & NTX5
98
GUITARIST SEPTEMBER 2021
4
5
The NTX’s neck, while no skinny Fender
style, is considerably different with its
48.3mm width and string spacing of 37mm
at the nut with a spread of 53mm at the
bridge. Here, the depth is similar – 21.5mm
at the 1st and 23.7mm at the 10th – but
the profile is more of a C, and the heel is
notably flatter, more steel-string-like. In
combination with the 14-fret joint, this
means upper-fret playing is easier still. Plus,
here we get position markers in the usual
spacings from the 3rd to the 17th frets.
Sound-wise, there’s noticeable difference
when played unplugged, too, as you’d
expect. The NCX’s sense of size comes from
a very balanced delivery – thick, strong
basses that don’t overshadow or aren’t
overshadowed by the trebles. It actually
creates quite an intimate voice, a little
more bossa nova than flamenco fire. The
downside, however, is that the trebles can
sound a little compressed when you hit hard;
what you get back seems a little softer, with
less snap, unlike a good Spanish-style guitar.
If anything, the NTX has a little more
of that snap to its upper-string voicing,
although the overall voice is trimmed
somewhat in the bass response, giving
this one a little more mid-focus. After
playing the NCX, it really does seem a little
cramped, but after spending time with the
NTX then going back to the NCX, that now
feels huge! The point is they have different
characters both in their feel and their sound.
Let’s plug in.
It’s fair to say that the amplified characters
mirror the acoustic characters, but the
‘size’ of the NCX now seems greater with
considerable lower midrange colour. On the
NTX, that is clearer and the bass is tighter,
giving more of the snappy character that
this writer is certainly more used to working
with. In fact, plugging in our old NCX2000R
it sort of sits between the two: a lot clearer
in that foggy lower midrange, the low bass a
4. There’s little tradition
here, and the heel of the
NTX5 is snub-nosed and
square – all part of its
‘crossover’ style
5. If you’re crossing over
from steel- to nylon-
string, you’ll have to get
used to tying your strings
on. The bridges here
appear to be stained
walnut with an ebony
facing to the rear area.
The bridges also house
the under-saddle piezo
pickup, one of three
transducers used in the
Atmosfeel system
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT476.rev_yamaha.indd 98GIT476.rev_yamaha.indd 98 05/08/2021 14:5005/08/2021 14:50