At Summer NAMM 2016, in Nashville, held in late June, Yamaha Guitars showcased its new TransAcoustic model, a high-tech acoustic guitar for home or performance.

The groundbreaking ransAcoustic guitar was named “Best in Show” by a panel of industry experts at the annual music products trade event.

The guitar features a Engelmann spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, and five-piece neck of mahogany and rosewood. But the real action is under the hood: The guitar sports an actuator that, product manager Dennis Webster explains, acts like a “speaker motor,” vibrating the back of the guitar to create natural effects. Those effects include two reverb settings (room and hall) and chorus.


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Yamaha actuatorSo you can play the guitar—unplugged—at home and add effects.

Or, thanks to the guitar’s SRT pickup, you can plug into an amp or house PA system and add those same effects, saving you the trouble of lugging around an effects pedal.

The TransAcoustic model is scheduled to go on sale in September.