A Solid-Top Performer That's Ready to Plug In
If you've been hunting for an acoustic-electric that doesn't force you to choose between great unplugged tone and reliable plugged-in sound, the Yamaha A1R TBS is worth a long look. It's built around a solid Sitka spruce top with scalloped bracing — the kind of construction you don't always find at this price point — and it delivers the balanced, full-range response that players who gig and practice equally tend to appreciate.
The Tobacco Brown Sunburst finish adds a classic, understated look that fits just as naturally on a coffeehouse stage as it does in the living room. The cutaway body design means you're not locked out of the upper frets the moment you want to reach for a high melody note. Whether you're strumming open chords or picking single-note runs above the 12th fret, the A1R is shaped to accommodate both.
This is a guitar that suits players who want something they can take seriously — someone moving up from a starter instrument, a working musician looking for a reliable second guitar, or anyone who needs dependable acoustic-electric performance without a lot of fuss.
Solid Top, Scalloped Bracing, and Rosewood Warmth
The solid Sitka spruce top is the heart of the A1R's acoustic voice. Sitka is stiff, elastic, and responsive across a wide dynamic range — it handles aggressive strumming and careful fingerpicking without collapsing tonally in either direction. Yamaha pairs it with a custom scalloped bracing pattern developed through acoustic analysis by their R&D division, which contributes to stronger low-mid response and richer overall resonance.
The laminate rosewood back and sides add depth and warmth to the Sitka's brightness, producing a well-balanced tone from the low end through the highs. The rosewood fingerboard and bridge reinforce that tonal character and contribute to the guitar's overall responsiveness. Players who've compared the A1R's rosewood configuration to the mahogany-sided A1M often note the rosewood version offers a slightly broader tonal balance — more even from string to string.
SRT Pickup and System 66 Preamp
Yamaha's SRT (Speaker Response Technology) piezo pickup is the A1R's solution to one of acoustic-electric guitarists' oldest complaints: plugged-in tone that sounds like a guitar instead of a toy. The SRT system is designed to capture and reproduce the natural acoustic resonance of the instrument rather than a hyped or artificial signal.
The onboard System 72 preamp gives you straightforward control: volume, a 3-band EQ, a built-in chromatic tuner, and an AMF automatic midrange frequency control. The AMF slider adjusts mid-frequency response on the fly — useful for compensating for different stage environments without digging into a menu or external preamp. It's a clean, practical control layout that doesn't get in the way during a performance.
Neck Feel and Playability
The A1R's 3-piece African mahogany neck has a high-comfort profile with a straight taper designed to make upper-fret access easier. Yamaha incorporates hand-rolled fingerboard edges on the rosewood fretboard, which gives the neck a played-in, broken-in feel right out of the box — a detail usually associated with instruments that have been around for years. The 43 mm (1-11/16") nut width sits in the comfortable middle ground for a 6-string: wide enough for clean open chord voicings, narrow enough to keep barre chords manageable. Scale length is 650 mm (25-9/16"), which is close to a standard long scale and contributes to solid string tension and note clarity.
Product Features:
-
Top: Solid Sitka spruce with custom scalloped bracing for enhanced low-mid response
-
Back & Sides: Rosewood Laminate, contributing warmth and tonal balance
-
Body Shape: Traditional Western Body Cutaway (Dreadnought with cutaway)
-
Neck: 3-piece African mahogany with straight taper and hand-rolled fingerboard edges
-
Fingerboard & Bridge: Rosewood, 43 mm (1-11/16") nut width
-
Scale Length: 650 mm (25-9/16")
-
Electronics: Yamaha SRT piezo pickup with System 72 preamp — volume, 3-band EQ, built-in tuner, AMF midrange control
-
Finish: Tobacco Brown Sunburst gloss
-
Strings: Elixir NANOWEB 80/20 Bronze Light
This item is a "B-Stock Guitar" directly from the manufacturer. It is NEW Stock that has never been owned. Pictures are of the actual Guitar you will receive.
We will have our licensed tech go over the Guitar and set it up for you. On this Guitar, {VENDOR} states it is B-Stock due to {ISSUE STATED BY MANUFACTURER} (see pictures). This may not be the only defect that causes it to be a B-Stock, but it is the one {VENDOR} identified.
Brand: Yamaha
Model: A1R TBS
SKU: A1RTBS-2ND
Condition: B-Stock
Since 1872, C.A. House Music has been helping musicians across the Ohio Valley find the right gear -- with real advice from a team that actually plays. We're your authorized dealer of all the big names in guitars, keyboards, band instruments, drums, pro audio, and more. With four family-owned and operated locations in Ohio and West Virginia (plus a full online store), you don't have to go far for instruments, lessons, rentals, and repairs. No matter your musical needs, our team of musicians wants to help you Play Music for Life.
