YAMAHA INTRODUCES NEW SILENT VIOLIN, SILENT VIOLA AND ELECTRIC VIOLINS

—With Viola, Complete Electric String Ensembles Are Now Possible—

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (January 17, 2002)—Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, introduces a collection of new silent and electric string instruments for student and professional artists alike. The SV-120 Silent Violin is an improvement on the popular SV-100 and SV-110 models, while the SV-200 is a brand-new silent violin for serious performers. The EV-204 Electric 4-String Violin and EV-205 Electric 5-String Violin add new tone and edge, with the SVV-200 Silent Viola, rounding out the renowned Yamaha Silent Series string products.

Yamaha's EV-204

"Despite the acclaim our silent string instruments have received, we're not sitting still," says Michael Schaner, product manager, Band & Orchestral Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "The new products we're introducing at NAMM represent innovative, market-driven upgrades that will please artists of all stripes. And with the new Silent Viola, our silent ensemble is complete."

The new and improved SV-120 Silent Violin offers several enhancements to the previous design. It has a re-shaped acoustic style neck, a quieter pre-amp that reduces white noise and Yamaha original strings. Available now in brown, black and red, it can also be ordered as part of an outfit with an attractive case, wood bow and rosin.

The SV-200 Silent Violin meets the needs of serious performers with dual piezo pickups, a built-in quarter-inch jack and a studio-quality pre-amp to make amplifying and recording easier than ever. An EQ dial on the new violin replaces the three pre-set reverb options on previous models, giving performers more control over their sound, and it also features dual pickup balance, and features D'Addario Helicore strings as well. It will be available in February 2002 in brown, black, red and blue.

The SVV-200 Silent Viola, will appeal to serious soloists and enable schools and performing string groups to form complete silent electric string ensembles in combination with the Yamaha silent violin, silent cello and silent bass. It includes the same features of the new SV-200 Silent Violin and will be available in May 2002.

Finally, the EV-204 Electric 4-String (EV-204) and EV-205 Electric 5-String (EV-205) Violins use a revolutionary new pickup system—sandwiching a maple bridge within a composite shell with sensors that resonate to each individual string—and will excite even the most proficient and practiced electric player. The EV-204 has an electric edge that will appeal to rock and jazz performers, while the EV-205 offers another performance option for violin and viola players while making studio lessons easier for teachers.

The five-string violin will be available in April 2002, while the four-string model will be available in June.

For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, 3445 East Paris Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49518; call (616) 940-4900; send e-mail to infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com/band.