Yamaha URBAN KUA100 TBS Acoustic Guitar: Full Review

The Yamaha Urban KUA100 TBS is an affordable acoustic guitar designed for beginners and students. Part of Yamaha's Urban Series, the KUA100 offers solid construction and quality sound in an attractive, contemporary body style.

With its spruce top and meranti back and sides, the KUA100 produces warm, balanced tone that works well for playing chords and fingerpicking. The slim neck and smaller body size make it comfortable for younger players or those with smaller hands. While not as loud as a full-size dreadnought, the KUA100 projects nicely when played unplugged.

The KUA100 comes ready to plug in with a passive undersaddle pickup and preamp with a built-in tuner. The pickup allows you to amplify your sound through an external amp or PA system. With its stylish looks, playable feel, and flexible electronics, the Yamaha KUA100 is a great first guitar for practice, lessons, and jamming.

Body Style and Design

The Yamaha Urban KUA100 TBS features a classic dreadnought body shape beloved for its balanced tone, wide dynamic range, and enhanced low-end. The large dreadnought body produces a deep, resonant bass with crisp, bright trebles and well-rounded mids. The Urban KUA100's traditional dreadnought design projects sound powerfully while retaining note definition across the tonal spectrum. Though commonly used for strumming and flatpicking, the dreadnought's versatility also handles delicate fingerpicking nicely. Its broad shoulders generate volume required for live performance, and its wide waist fits comfortably when playing seated. The Urban KUA100's conventional dreadnought form factor provides proven acoustic tone and ergonomics.

In contrast to the Yamaha Urban KUA100's dreadnought body, the YMC BCG34-AM features a concert body style. The concert body's petite proportions produce focused lows, articulate mids, and shimmering highs ideal for fingerstyle playing and recording applications. Though smaller than a dreadnought, the concert body's balanced midrange and articulate bass retain excellent projection and richness. The YMC BCG34-AM's concert shape emphasizes fundamental notes over boominess, making it a versatile choice for various musical genres. Despite the compact concert body, the YMC BCG34-AM still delivers volume necessary for live gigs thanks to its solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. Overall, the YMC BCG34-AM's concert body style provides a nimble, focused voice perfect for intricate playing.

While the dreadnought favors brute force projection and low-end power, the concert guitar opts for balance across the tonal spectrum. The dreadnought's booming voice can overpower other instruments in an ensemble situation, whereas the concert body mixes in more smoothly. Fingerstylists often prefer the concert body's clear note separation for musical passages with complex rhythms and counterpoint. On the other hand, aggressive strummers gravitate toward the punchy lows and crisp trebles of the dreadnought design. The choice between dreadnought and concert body styles comes down to the needs of the individual player and their musical genre.

When purchasing an acoustic guitar, the body style merits close consideration as it greatly impacts tone and playing feel. While personal taste plays a role, those playing live or with other instruments may want to avoid the dreadnought's dominating low-end. For solo performers, singer-songwriters, and studio players, the balanced voice and comfortable size of the concert body has much appeal. Testing different body styles in person allows buyers to determine which suits their needs best. An informed decision helps match players with the ideal acoustic guitar to inspire their music making.

Top Wood

The Yamaha Urban KUA100 TBS features a solid spruce top. Spruce is a popular choice for acoustic guitar tops thanks to its crisp, bright tone that projects very well. The solid spruce top on the Urban KUA100 provides excellent resonance and sustain. Solid spruce tops are known for their dynamic range, allowing the Urban KUA100 to produce everything from bright, singing trebles to deep, full-bodied bass tones. The solid spruce construction allows this guitar to have a balanced tone across the entire frequency spectrum with crisp highs, pronounced midrange, and rich low end. Compared to laminate tops, solid spruce is lighter and more resonant, giving the Urban KUA100 a responsive feel that brings out the nuances of the player's technique. The solid spruce top is an ideal choice for this beginner-friendly guitar, allowing it to produce a balanced, dynamic sound.

If you're looking for another high-quality acoustic guitar with a solid spruce top, check out the Fender FA-125CE. This acoustic-electric guitar features a solid spruce top along with mahogany back and sides. The combination of spruce and mahogany produces a balanced, well-rounded tone that's great for all styles of music. The spruce top provides crisp highs and tight low end while the mahogany adds warmth and depth to the midrange. Just like the Yamaha Urban KUA100, the solid spruce top on the Fender FA-125CE allows it to have excellent projection and dynamics. The guitar also comes equipped with a Fishman preamp system that includes a built-in tuner, EQ controls, and pickup for amplifying your acoustic tone. This makes the Fender FA-125CE a versatile choice for both acoustic playing and plugging into an amp or PA system. It's an ideal acoustic-electric guitar for beginners and intermediate players looking for great acoustic sound with the flexibility of amplification when needed.

Both the Yamaha Urban KUA100 and Fender FA-125CE feature solid spruce tops, which provide balanced tone, excellent projection and dynamics. The spruce tops on these guitars allow them to produce everything from sparkling trebles to deep low end resonance. Whether you opt for the Yamaha or the Fender, you'll be getting a quality acoustic or acoustic-electric guitar with a solid spruce top that can handle strumming chords or intricate fingerpicking equally well. The solid spruce construction allows these guitars to sound great when played acoustically, while also providing the clarity and responsiveness needed for amplifying your acoustic tone. If you're searching for a new acoustic guitar with great acoustic sound and amplification options, be sure to check out the Yamaha Urban KUA100 or Fender FA-125CE.

Back and Sides

The Yamaha FG800 features a laminated meranti back and sides. Meranti is a popular tonewood used on many entry-level acoustic guitars. It is an affordable alternative to more expensive tonewoods like mahogany or rosewood.

Meranti provides a balanced tone that emphasizes the mids. It gives the FG800 a well-rounded sound across the tonal spectrum. While it may lack some of the richness and bass response of solid wood, it's a great option for a budget-friendly acoustic.

The laminated construction helps keep costs down while providing rigidity and durability. Overall, the meranti back and sides offer a great value for a guitar at this price point. Players looking for an affordable all-purpose acoustic will appreciate the tonal qualities of the meranti.

Neck and Fretboard

The Yamaha URBAN KUA100 TBS features a Nato neck and rosewood fretboard, providing excellent playability. Nato is known for its clear, balanced tone and great sustain. It's a durable, stable wood that withstands changes in temperature and humidity. The rosewood fretboard complements the Nato neck nicely with its dense grain that keeps intonation true. Rosewood also has a rich, complex sound. Its oily finish allows smooth, comfortable playability up and down the neck. The 22 frets are medium in size, making them ideal for versatility whether strumming chords or playing intricate solos. The nut width measures 1.69", standard for a dreadnought acoustic. Overall, the neck and fretboard offer a quality feel and reliable performance.

Hardware

The Yamaha Urban KUA100 features high quality hardware that allows for stable tuning and comfortable playability. The guitar comes equipped with die-cast chrome tuners that hold tune reliably. The tuners are solidly constructed and smoothly turn for easy and accurate tuning adjustments.

The saddle and bridge are also noteworthy components. The saddle is made from quality synthetic bone, which transfers string vibrations well. The bridge utilizes a rosewood composition that is both attractive looking and tonally resonant. Together the saddle and bridge form a sturdy foundation that promotes rich, full tones.

Overall, the hardware components on the Yamaha Urban KUA100 are thoughtfully designed for optimal functionality. The chrome tuners keep the guitar in tune, while the saddle and bridge provide a solid base that enhances tone production. This high-grade hardware allows the Urban KUA100 to deliver a rewarding playing experience.

Electronics

The Yamaha Urban KUA100 TBS acoustic guitar does not contain any onboard electronics or EQ. It is an entirely acoustic instrument without any built-in pickups, preamps, tuners, or effects. This helps keep the cost down but means you'll need to mic it up through a PA system or amplifier if you want amplification or effects. The lack of electronics also contributes to the guitar's clean, pure, and natural acoustic tone. However, it limits the versatility compared to acoustic-electrics with built-in pickups and preamps. If you require amplification or effects, you'll need to install an aftermarket pickup. The Urban KUA100 TBS aims for an affordable, back-to-basics acoustic guitar experience focused entirely on the wood construction and resonance.

Sound Quality

The Yamaha URBAN KUA100 TBS produces a bright, balanced tone that projects well. The spruce top brings out clear, articulate highs while the mahogany laminate back and sides provide a rich, full low end. The combination results in a pleasing sound with warmth and resonance.

Though the KUA100 has a laminate rather than solid wood body, the build quality still allows for good resonance and sustain. The tone has clarity and balance across the tonal spectrum. Notes are well-defined and chord tones ring out.

Overall, the guitar is capable of both vibrant rhythmic strumming and sweet fingerstyle tones. Volume and projection are sufficient for playing with others or busking. The KUA100 sounds full despite its compact size, offering versatile acoustic tones at an entry-level price point.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The Urban KUA100 offers excellent value for the price point. The all-laminate construction keeps costs down but still provides decent tone and playability.

• The slender neck and comfortable body size make this an easy guitar to play, even for smaller players. The action is set low and very playable right out of the box.

• The tone is surprisingly good for a guitar in this price range. It has a balanced sound across the registers and good projection. The laminate spruce top contributes to its bright, focused tone.

Cons

• As expected with a budget guitar, the tone and volume don't match that of a high-end solid wood acoustic. It lacks some nuance and dynamic range.

• The tuning machines are basic and may need to be upgraded for more precise tuning stability over time.

• The laminate construction means less tonal evolution and projection over years of playing compared to a solid wood guitar.

Conclusion

The Yamaha URBAN KUA100 TBS acoustic guitar is a good choice for beginner guitarists looking for their first instrument. Its compact size makes it very portable and easy to practice on the go. The spruce top provides a bright, crisp tone while the meranti back and sides offer plenty of volume despite the smaller body size.

The nato neck and rosewood fingerboard are smooth and comfortable for new players. The hardware is durable with chrome tuners and a TBS bridge system. While it lacks advanced electronics, the simple passive under-saddle piezo pickup gets the job done for plugging into an amplifier.

Overall the Yamaha URBAN KUA100 delivers quality construction and sound in an accessible package for new guitarists. Between its convenience, playability, and tone, this acoustic is a great way for aspiring musicians to start their musical journey.