Yamaha CPX1000 NT

I was gigging with an Ovation 'Celebrity', and although I like the Ovation sound in the raw, it wasn't cutting it for me when put through my PA. I'm working as a singer with another guy playing lead. I needed something better than my current guitar. I played the lead guitarist's Yamaha CPX15W and instantly loved the guitar. The 15W is discontinued, and to be honest would have probably been outside my current budget since it was a once-off special with extra eye candy and superior woods. The 15W was brought out to herald the new CPX range, so I thought a CPX 1000 would be a good fit, and at only 950.00, still a push for me, but if the sound was good, it would be worth it.

I got the guitar last Friday, did a quick check with my PA and gigged with it on Saturday night. Glorious! It's a great guitar, and the features are amazing for the price. The SRT onboard preamp mixes the mics and the piezo bridge pickup up for a huge range of sound. Also on the preamp are a 3 band eq and a three way switch which I haven't figured out yet :-)

The guitar plays really nicely. A lovely action 'out of the box' and the neck is quick with the action allowing playing all night without stress on my wrists. The tone is beautifully warm and chocolate-like in the lows, with a nice glassy top end (at least that's the way I set it up). This guitar is a dream for the price and I highly recommend it. If you are moving from a mediocre/beginner guitar and want something high end without paying muitple $000's, then do yourself a favour and get this guitar. The gig I did on Saturday? I got an extra bonus payment from the manager and more gigs! Was it the guitar? Only you can decide that :-) but it certainly made a difference to my playing, my mood and my on-stage sound,

best,

MikeyB