Yamaha Introduces CPX Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar Line

The new Yamaha Compass CPX electric acoustic series ups the ante for performance electric acoustics by offering a complete aesthetic upgrade and adding the new Acoustic Resonance Transducer (A.R.T.) pickup system, which captures the guitar's true natural acoustic tone while virtually eliminating feedback. Similar to the new APX line, only with deeper bodies, the CPX700 and the CPX900 also feature a new preamp with a built-in tuner and frequency adjustable controls.

Electric acoustics have long vexed guitarists due to feedback and poor sound quality. To develop the A.R.T. system, Yamaha studied all of the methods for amplifying acoustic sounds and devised a better way.

The improved system eliminates the distortion created when normal piezo pickups sometimes overreact to aggressive string attack by using a six-layer contact pickup with multi-layer dampening that handle excessive vibrations, but are still able to pick up the sweet, natural sounds of an acoustic guitar. A new preamp with a built-in tuner and frequency adjustable controls add to the innovative and unparalleled sound quality of the new models.

"The new CPX line provides true-sounding acoustic tone," said Bryan Savage, marketing manager, Yamaha Guitars. "The A.R.T. system represents a major innovation for accurately reproducing the true resonance of an acoustic guitar."

Guitarists have long been troubled by electric acoustic amplification, which tends to suffer from excessive feedback and poor sound quality. To develop the A.R.T. system, designed primarily for live performance, Yamaha studied all of the methods for amplifying acoustic sounds and devised a better way.

Creating the new contact pickup was half the battle, since pickup placement is vital to getting a full sound. Based on data that Yamaha has accumulated over the last 23 years of designing pickup and preamp systems, the company's designers mathematically determined the absolute "sweet spots" for the placement of these pickups down to 1/10 of a millimeter.

The CPX900 models feature a 3-way configuration, consisting of two separate contact pickups mounted on the underside of the soundboard under the bridge and one each along the treble and bass sides (four altogether). The CPX700 models consist of a one-way system with two new contact pickups mounted on the underside of the soundboard under the bridge.

The CPX700 (MSRP: $989.99), CPX-12 (MSRP: $1059.99) and the CPX900 (MSRP: $1,399.99) performance electric acoustic guitars ship in July 2006.