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Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE
Yamaha CGS103AII
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Playability
73
Sound
84
Build
84
Value
65
Score
80
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Playability
82
Sound
76
Build
55
Value
86
Score
71
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Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE vs CGS103AII

Reasons to Get
Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE over CGS103AII

Country of Manufacturing
Japan vs China
Built with higher quality standards
Nut Material
Bone vs Plastic
Good quality nut with rich tone
Top Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Sides Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Back Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Nut Width
1.732'' (44mm) vs 1.89'' (48mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Concert vs Classical
Compact body with balanced tones
Scale Length
25.6'' (650.2mm) vs 22.75'' (577.9mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15.75'' (400.1mm) vs Flat
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings

Reasons to Get
Yamaha CGS103AII over LS56 Custom ARE

Release Year
2017 vs 2014
From a more recent year
Nut Width
1.89'' (48mm) vs 1.732'' (44mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Classical vs Concert
Compact body with soft nylon strings
Scale Length
22.75'' (577.9mm) vs 25.6'' (650.2mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
Flat vs 15.75'' (400.1mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
86 vs 65
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE vs CGS103AII

Back Material
Rosewood vs Tonewood
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Rosewood vs Tonewood
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Bone vs Plastic
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Ebony vs Rosewood
Different Bridge Material
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Tonewood
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ebony vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Bone vs Plastic
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE vs CGS103AII

Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE Prices

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE is probably the better product overall with its final score of 80 compared to the Yamaha CGS103AII's 71 score, although not by a lot.

The Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Yamaha CGS103AII has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Yamaha CGS103AII is the better choice.

The Yamaha CGS103AII meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha CGS103AII
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Soft Strings
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2014 L series
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Engelmann Spruce A.R.E. top
  • Solid Indian Rosewood back
  • Solid Indian Rosewood sides
  • Mahogany + Rosewood (5-Ply) neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Die-Cast Gold (TM67G-Y22) tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Yamaha CGS103AII Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2017 SCHOOL series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 22.75"'' scale
  • Flat Fretboard Radius
  • Spruce top
  • Locally-Sourced Tonewood back
  • Locally-Sourced Tonewood sides
  • Locally-Sourced Tonewood neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Rosewood bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Chrome (RM-1252X) tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Woods Used in the Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

Woods Used in the Yamaha CGS103AII

Tonewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Tonewood

This is just a generic wood whose origin hasn't been disclosed. Commonly found in cheap guitars.

Winner: Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE.

Electronics

Neither of them come with electronics that allow you to connect them to an amp. This makes them completely acoustic, so you'll need to use an external mic to record with them or play live.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE
Sustain 85
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84
Yamaha CGS103AII
Sustain 60
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 76

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE compares to the Yamaha CGS103AII.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE is built in Japan while the Yamaha CGS103AII is made in China.

Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.

China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.

Winner: Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

On the other hand, the Yamaha CGS103AII comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Winner: Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE's are Die-Cast Gold (TM67G-Y22) while the Yamaha CGS103AII's are Chrome (RM-1252X)

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE
  • Made in Japan
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha CGS103AII
  • Expensive Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Top Wood
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE
Quality of materials 86
Features 65
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 84
Yamaha CGS103AII
Quality of materials 45
Features 65
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 55

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE Nut Width
Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE Nut Width
Yamaha CGS103AII Nut Width
Yamaha CGS103AII Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Yamaha CGS103AII has the wider nut with 48mm (1.89'') vs 44mm (1.732''). This is a 4mm (0.158'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Yamaha CGS103AII, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE's Scale Length
Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE's Scale Length
Yamaha CGS103AII's Scale Length
Yamaha CGS103AII's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE has the longest scale: 25.6". The Yamaha CGS103AII is only 22.75" long. This is a 2.85'' (72.4mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE and the Yamaha CGS103AII have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE Fingerboard Radius
Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE's Fingerboard radius
Yamaha CGS103AII Fingerboard Radius
Yamaha CGS103AII's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Yamaha CGS103AII's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Yamaha CGS103AII.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Yamaha CGS103AII:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE and Yamaha CGS103AII Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73
Yamaha CGS103AII
Bending & Vibrato Ease 90
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 82

Specs Side-by-Side

Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE vs CGS103AII
General Yamaha LS56 Custom ARE CGS103AII
Brand: Yamaha Yamaha
Year: 2014 2017
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Japan China
Series: L SCHOOL
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Engelmann Spruce A.R.E. Spruce
Sides Material: Rosewood Tonewood
Back Material: Rosewood Tonewood
Bridge: Ebony Rosewood
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Die-Cast Gold (TM67G-Y22) Chrome (RM-1252X)
Fretboard: Ebony Rosewood
Neck Material: Mahogany + Rosewood (5-Ply) Locally-Sourced Tonewood
Decoration: Custom Abalone
Scale Size: 25.6" 22.75"
Shape: Acoustic C Acoustic C
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15.75" Flat
Nut: Bone Plastic
Nut Width: 44mm (1.732'') 48mm (1.89'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: