Yamaha has a tradition of building musical instruments for over one hundred years. The first Yamaha solid body electric guitars were introduced to the American market in 1966. While the first series relied on designs based on classic American favorites, the second series developed more original designs. In the mid-1970s, Yamaha was recognized as the first Oriental brand to emerge as a prominent force equal to the big-name U.S. builders.
Production shifted to Taiwan in the early 1980s as Yamaha built its own facility to maintain quality. In 1990, the Yamaha Corporation of America (located in Buena Park, California) opened the Yamaha Guitar Development (YGD) center in North Hollywood, California. The Yamaha Guitar Development center focuses on design, prototyping, and customizing both current and new models. The YGD also custom-builds and maintains many of the Yamaha artistĀ“s instruments. The centerĀ“s address on Weddington Street probably was the namesake of the Weddington series instruments of the early 1990s.
The Yamaha company produces a full range of musical instruments, including pianos, band instruments, stringed instruments, amplifiers, and sound reinforcement equipment.
Instruments currently produced in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Indonesia since the mid-1940s. Distributed in the U.S. by the Yamaha Corporation of America, in Buena Park, CA. The Yamaha company headquarters is located in Hamamatsu, Japan.