Whether you’re itching to shred guitar all over ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ or keen to bash out a honky-tonk version of ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ on a pristine set of keys, few gifts make Christmas feel as special as a brand new musical instrument. Even after the tinsel’s packed away and the last of the Christmas ham’s been polished off, an instrument is the gift that keeps on giving for months and years to come.
No one knows this better than Yamaha, the brand that’s been crafting world-class instruments for over 150 years. From envelope-pushing electric guitars to the finest pianos and keyboards, you can count on Yamaha to deliver the kind of instruments people will actually want to play, from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals.
While Yamaha has an incredibly comprehensive catalogue to choose from this Christmas, such an exhaustive list would be overwhelming for even the most dedicated music fan. As such, we’ve narrowed things down and selected a handful of our favourite picks to place at the very top of any Chrissy wishlist. Read on to discover what gifts you should be asking for to unlock your musical chops when Santa stops by on December 25th.
TransAcoustic Guitars
Like an acoustic guitar but better in just about every way, Yamaha’s TransAcoustic range elevates the sonic properties of classic steel- and nylon-stringed instruments with built-in reverb and chorus effects that resonate within each guitar’s body. This provides a richer, deeper, and more satisfying audio experience for both the player and listener. Plus, it’s simply a whole lot of fun to play around with, too.
Most handy is the onboard looper feature included with the latest TAG3 C model. This allows you to effortlessly record and playback performances, layering melodies over backing tracks or creating unique beats by tapping your guitar.
Available in a range of styles with traditional, concert, cutaway, and compact parlour-sized bodies—and with the option to choose between the aforementioned nylon or steel strings—once you’ve played a guitar from the TransAcoustic range, a regular acoustic just won’t cut it ever again.
Clavinova CSP-200 Series Digital Pianos
This innovative line of pianos is designed to help you improve your playing regardless of your skill level. Whether you’re a beginner eager to play your favourite carols on Christmas morning or an experienced muso looking to create a more complete performance of ‘Silent Night’ with additional backing tracks and voices, Yamaha’s CSP-200 Series has you covered.
Using the accompanying Yamaha Smart Pianist app on your smart device of choice, you can select from a range of instrument sounds and even switch between emulations of a variety of performance spaces — these replicate the acoustic properties of environments like a concert hall or cathedral, taking your performance to the next level.
Further, for those who are still learning to read music, Stream Lights functionality works hand in hand with the Smart Pianist app, using lights to mark the keys you should play next. You can adjust this functionality to guide just the left or right hand and you can slow down the tempo for tricky sections until you have them nailed.
Plus, keyboards across the Clavinova Series offer a dynamic range of touch and response, replicating the feel of a grand piano.
Pacifica Electric Guitars
Having been a pioneering force in electric guitars for 35 years now, Yamaha’s Pacifica range features some of the most highly regarded guitars in the world. With their distinctly elongated headstock shape and twin-horned body design, they undeniably have the looks to back up their reputation for elite performance.
While there are a number of categories that sit under the Pacifica umbrella—all of which embrace the same unmistakable design language—we’re going to focus on the Pacifica Standard Plus and flagship Pacifica Professional options.
Exceptional sound and playability are the Pacifica Standard Plus’ calling card. This is thanks to its alder body’s Acoustic Design technology (consisting of wood-routing techniques that increase body resonance and improve vibration transfers between body and neck), combined with the speed of the slim C-shape maple neck, and the use of Reflectone pickups co-developed with the legendary Rupert Neve Designs. All of these add up to an absolute monster of a guitar.
The Pacifica Professional line elevates matters even further. Made in Japan (home to some of the world’s greatest luthiers), these guitars introduce Initial Response Acceleration into the mix for maximum resonance and sustain, as well as a 10-14-inch compound-radius fingerboard that empowers the player to strike chords cleanly at the low-end of the neck and to bend notes higher on the neck during lead breaks. No matter your playing style, the Pacifica Professional delivers.
Line 6 CATALYST CX Combo Amps
It doesn’t matter how good your Pacifica electric guitar is, if you don’t have a killer amp to play it through you’ll only get so far. Fortunately, Yamaha’s Line 6 brand offers a range of amps that are ready to go, whether you’re playing in your bedroom, in a rehearsal studio, or you’re prowling across stages every night of the week.
The Catalyst CX family includes three dual-channel combo amplifiers that perform like traditional guitar amps but have the added versatility of modern technology. That means you can easily adjust your amp to make sure it sounds precisely the way you want it to.
Featuring a dozen amp voicings made possible by the award-winning Helix amp and effects processer with 24 built-in effects, you can access a pristinely clean jangle, an aggressive modern high-gain, and everything in between.
Whether you’re after the professional power of the CX200, the versatility of the CX100, or the more portable but no less toneful CX60, Yamaha’s Line 6 CATALYST amplifiers have everything you need to take your music to the next level.
HS Series Studio Monitor Speakers
Finally, if you’re going to listen back to your own music (or anyone else’s, really), there’s only one way to do it properly: using a pair of Yamaha’s much-lauded HS Series studio monitor speakers. Ever since the ‘70s, the accuracy of these reference monitors has seen them become a genuine industry standard.
Designed to provide the most honest and precise representation of a musical track possible, Yamaha’s engineering team has examined and optimised this series of speakers over time, deploying state-of-the-art sound technologies to ensure they are the most trusted speakers money can buy.
Thanks to its commitment to sonic purity without any colouring or alternation of the original sound, the HS Series has become the only way to hear music honestly. Whether you’re hearing Mariah Carey’s Christmas album for the 100th time or a recording of your latest musical masterpiece for the very first, you really shouldn’t trust your listening experience to anything else.
