Part 1: Intro

Acoustics

Warning: Pictures overload. I might get sued for putting up so many pictures =.= The specs are taken from Fender Japan website. The prices are just for references, if you wanna buy it at Japan.

The pictures are the 'evidence' that YUI actually uses these guitars, not just posing with it. Hence, mostly are screencaps. Another purpose is to refresh your memory hee, I'll try to put captures from different videos.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Main Guitar: Martin D-28 (1977)



My rant on this guitar.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Fender ESA-10CE (*Discontinued*)



157,500 yen = RM 4,428 = USD 1,287
ELECTRONICS: FISHMAN ELIPSE VT PREAMP
COLORS: NATURAL
FINISH: GLOSS (POLYESTER)
TOP: SOLID SPRUCE
SIDE & BACK: SOLID PALO ESCRITO ROSEWOOD
NECK: MAHOGANY
FINGERBOARD: EBONY
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm
WIDTH AT NUT: 43mm

YUI's entry in Fender Japan

YUI used this guitar as her main acoustic in 2nd Tour 2007 “Spring & Jump”. It's almost the same as GA-45 (the one she's using), but with a thinner C-shaped neck. For GA-45, it will be having fun with the band during lives. With ESA-10, it will be bringing back YUI to her origin, starting point, which is street performance. As what YUI said, 'Things that she won't give up by no means/ the unforgetable feeling'. Using 'sound' to represent what she felt about the 'things she won't easily give away' which matters the most.

Apparently when dear YUI first played this model, her eyes gone wide.

Previous Entries on this baby:
LINK 1 - LINK 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Fender GA-45SCE : Natural

YUI has a LONG history with this guitar, I bet she has more than one GA-45SCE. Lets start with the original model, which has black bridge pins embedded on the 'straight' bridge, and golden tuning pegs.



97,650 yen = RM2,737 = USD 795
Finish： Gloss (Polyurethane)
Top： "AA" Solid Spruce
Side & Back： Solid Rosewood Back, Laminated Rosewood Sides
Neck： Mahogany
Fingerboard： Rosewood
No of Frets： 20
Bridge： Rosewood
Electronics： Fender®/Fishman_Classic 4T
Scale Length： 643mm
Width at Nut： 43mm
Strings： Fender®60L (.012-.052)
Case： Hard Case
Unique Features： Abalone Inlay, Tortoise Shell Binding, Gold Hardware

I wonder why she had to manual tune it in Taiyou no Uta. Isn't it has a built in pre-amp?? Then, she changed the pins to white , and tuning pegs 'turned' silver. As shown below:



I had troubles selecting which screenie to upload LOL. In the end I choose the older ones since so many of you complaining that you miss the so-called old YUI. Put smaller pictures to avoid being sue haha. Anyway, during their 60th anniversary, Fender gave YUI another GA-45 with her name (silver inlay) on the 5th fret board.



I'm 100% sure that she has 2 GA-45s. Go and watch the Rock in Japan Fes video, she used GA-45 with yui sign in Good-bye days, in TOKYO she used GA-45 without sig xD I need someone to explain this picture below:



What is that black thing stuffed inside the sound hole?? Internal mic??

EDIT: It's a guitar sound hole cover.

I just realised that she used GA-45 without sig after watching it for so many times not noticing it =.=

Actually this model of GA-45 is discontinued. The latest version is with curved bridge. Since YUI is THE artist in Japan being associated with GA-45, Fender decided to let her use the new GA-45 (main difference is the rounded bridge):



Is this meant that she now has grand total of THREE GA-45SCEs?! (one with the 'yui' on the fretboard one without, plus the new version???)

For the new version of GA-45, as usual they added the silver 'yui' sign on the fifth fret.



AND, they added this silver thingy on the 19th fret....



It's a silver turtle inlay!! (as you know dear YUI has 3 turtles as pets) Made by some person (nabe chan) from YUI's equipment maintainance team. The original image was named 'nobita' fyi, which is one of her turtle's name. The other 2 are Suneo and Giant (sounds familiar? Hint: Doraemon).



I only saw YUI uses this new GA-45 in YUI LOCKS though (see the curved bridge):



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Fender GA-45SCE : Sunburst



Same model with the one she always uses (YUI said in Oricon style 061120), but different colour (and silver tuning peg). It seems that this colour is not available in Fender Japan website...limited version??

again, I wonder why YUI has to use tuner even though that guitar is embedded with this:



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Fender GDC-200SCE: Natural



60,900 yen = RM1,707 = USD 496
Finish： Gloss (Polyurethane)
Top： Solid Spruce
Side&Back： Laminated Ash
Neck： Nato
Fingerboard： Rosewood
No of Frets： 20
Bridge： Rosewood
Electronics： Fender®On-Board Active Preamp w/Piezo PU
Scale Length： 643mm
Width at Nut： 43mm
Strings： Fender®60L Phosphor Bronze (.012-.052)
Case： Soft Case
Unique Features： Venetian Cutaway,"F" Inlay at 12th Fret,Gold Hardware

I've never seen dear YUI performed using this guitar, normally this guitar appeared in magazines or interviews.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest are non Fender guitars, during the early days before YUI 'picked up' by Fender. In a Hong Kong magazine interview (East tOUCH #624), YUI said that she has no contract with Fender but admitted that they sponsor her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Yamaha FG Series (either FG-402 or F-310 or whatever)



This Yamaha was used in the cover of It's happy line too. YUI used this guitar since debut after she switched it to Fender during Tomorrow's way period. I believe that this guitar was given by YUI's teacher (西尾芳彦, founder of Voice) back then in Voice music school. He said it in Oricon interview that when he first met YUI, she was still a real amateur when it comes to singing and instruments, he even had to buy a guitar for YUI (because she didn't have one, had to borrow from her friends).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Unknown Martin (Martin D-35 or whatever)



It was used in feel my soul PV as well. Since Martin is famous for being freaking expensive, most probably it was borrowed for shooting purpose.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hopefully it is not too confusing to read =x

Next, electric guitar.

Special thanks to nobuさん, 沈黙の堕天使さん, crazyfcuk @ YUI-CN, Fumiko and all the YUI Lovers out there for providing valuable informations and helping me out to dig around lol. It was a really fun process =D

As for the pictures...either from Fender Japan, YUI LOCKS, or stole it from Channel 2, Jpopsuki, JPM, YUI Lover, YUI-CN, or YUI-forum. lol!!

Till then.