All user reviews for the Yamaha FG-180-1

The Yamaha FG-180 is a dreadnought-type Folk guitar with a slim mahogany neck with "boat" profile, almost flat rosewood fingerboard. Mine has the red-orange Nippon Gakki tag, so it's manufactured in Japan. No clue about when it was born, but it certainly has seen the best part of 40 years or so. The top is solid spruce, the bottom and sides seem to be of solid wood, too, probably mahogany or something that looks like it. Bone nut and bridge that, I think, are not the original ones. Pretty vintage open gear tuners that do their job without complaints. The nitrocellulose lacquer finish is very simple, in the D18 style, but it's nice, especially with age...
In the Japanese guitar system, the model reference number (180 in this case) is generally linked to the catalog price in dollars, so this guitar was probably sold for about $150 in stores back then, which would've corresponded to a mid-range instrument...

UTILIZATION

The neck has a somewhat disturbing profile when you are used to more recent folk guitars. It's unforgiving with approximate fingerings due to the very narrow neck with an almost flat radius. It's not a guitar for beginners, who will find it hard to play with! Nevertheless, you can get used to it pretty fast if you have a good playing level. I'd even say you can get a hold of it pretty fast, even if you'll be surprised at the efforts you make to try to play "correctly" with it, but it's very rejoicing!

SOUNDS

It's the sound that has amazed me! What power! I had never heard this sound before, and I have heard quite a few folk guitars, from the cheapest to the most expensive, but never with such power! Not only does it have a good punch, but it only sounds great, very rich in harmonics, perfectly well-balanced, with sublime lows and a terrific sustain! It's amazing! It's captivating, I simply can't stop playing it once I start! To the point that I wanted to know if I had stumbled upon an exceptional model or if they all sounded like this one. So I went to look on Google, and it's easy to tell that they are often like this. There are even some videos on Youtube that are very representative. Besides that, I also heard that Elliott Smith has one and will never part with it, and that it was Jeff Buckley's favorite guitar for composing! But that's anecdotal.
It has a very particular personality and it would be useless to try to compare it to other well-known guitars from Martin or a Gibson, but it will not shy from the comparison, far from that!

OVERALL OPINION

I bought it at a flea market in my neighborhood for $80! It was dirty, unadjusted and it lacked the original pickguard, as well as two strings, but it caught my eye with its antique "mojo," so I took it home with me and I don't regret it. Even if I had to put some work into it (new strings, a thorough cleanup, adjustment of the neck and the bridge), I'm sure it has been one of the best deals of my life when it comes to buying guitars. And I have bought more than 50 throughout my life!
Even if it is quite playable like it is, I think it will nevertheless end up at my guitar tech's workshop soon because the frets won't hold too long and the action is too high for my taste (even after adjusting it), but I'm ready to do that because it really deserves it!
It's a well-kept secret, but fans aren't tricked. It is very hard to find and it is never a bargain. In good condition its price can reach up to $700. That said, in good state it is still an excellent deal for that price, in my opinion, especially if you compare it to anything else you can find for that kind of money... Otherwise, you'll have to get lucky at your local flea market.

Yamaha FG-180 "Red Label". Years of production: from 1968 to mid-70s.
Mine is "Made in Taiwan", apparently some have t produced in Japan (Nippon Gakki mention).
The Owner 'prcdant said she in 1973, Yamaha Global Support for APRS me just confirm the serial number that my copy was produced from 1972 t and 1974.

Mcaniques the original agreement are good, they are strong.

In APRS the Yamaha website, the following wood utiliss:
Top: Spruce
Back / Sides: Tigathis
Neck / Fingerboard: Nato / Indian Rosewood

UTILIZATION

Channel trs round but enjoyable enough. Action fairly low, but no frieze.
CHAC is more acute in that way, but the classical guitar without the cutaway.

It is trslgre, the fund is not too big (smaller than a jumbo lgrement)

Mine is up in tie medium, or John Pearse Strings Adamas, the direct sound!

SOUNDS

Used for pop / folk picking.
I love the sound, trs ample, well equilibrated Dfine. The volume is REALLY impressive for a guitar of this price! I redcouvre the pleasure of playing acoustic! If you play the fingers (with or without nails) is nickel. At the mediator, it is almost too strong

FYI, the late Elliott Smith's bouncing around everywhere, on scne or in the studio, and its volume apprciait precisely because he played mainly in fingers, and as he was biting his nails, needed a guitar sound ...

In short, a guitar adj over 30 years, and looks set to double the bet!

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 15 days (190 euro bought on eBay). In 1968, she was worth $ 130!

I have several guitars jou folk medium / low end before (Vantage, Cort ...), it is trs well above the level of his lot. I can not compare a Martin, Taylor or Gibson J45, I never jou but I read some comments in forums that make me think that she did not blush at the comparison, especially with these guitars over 2000 euros!

I am happy to report trs qualitprix, and I would do srement this choice, as adj knowing that through 30 years without weakening, we can say that it's a scratching sound! and then what a sound!

Edit June 2008: a two years now I have, and I'm still happy. I keep track ads on eBay, the hill has a tendency to fly away, sometimes even for instruments in a sorry state.

A good Japanese folk guitar from the '70s without cutaway nor amplification.

UTILIZATION

Nice neck, a bit thick for a folk guitar (it was recommended to me for that, because I used to play classical guitar), balanced sound.

SOUNDS

I use it to play accompaniment, DADGAD tuning, blues and finger picking with light strings.

OVERALL OPINION

It has given me 30 years of service, the sound is still very good but the strings a bit high because the neck is set to the max and it has a couple of scratches.
I had it amplified with a Fishman neck pickup, but the result didn't convince me (metallic sound and not the best control of lows/highs with a PA system). I'll maybe try with a Fishman in the sound hole.
I switched to a more recent model (with cutaway and amplification).

I have a red label Nippon Gakki, Japanese yamaha fg-180. It is a large body,dreadnought, with a standard 21 fret set up. It has a standard wood bridge, and what appears to be a fiberglass saddle. I wish it were bone, and that it had the 2nd string intonation notch that is standard on high-end guitars.

UTILIZATION

The neck is much thinner than most large dreadnought guitars, like gibson jumbos and seagulls. It has a nice feel and is very accommodating to my smaller hands. Of course, not being a cutaway, it does reach its limits on the high end of the neck. The large body is something for most to get use to, but it isn't as deep as most acoustics I've seen, so that helps out. It sounds wonderful. I use to use medium martin strings, but after stumbling upon elixir polywebs and nanowebs, I havent looked back. The guitar sounds so much brighter with those strings.

SOUNDS

This guitar is ready for anything you've got to throw at it as far as musical style goes. It has been sufficient for every style Ive carried. It was my first acoustic, and so, it has seen quite a few style changes over the years. I've read other reviews on it that say it doesnt have much of a low end, but, for me, it seems to be much lower than most acoustics. Maybe Im just not experienced with low acoustics. After 37 years, this guitar is still performing wonderfully. I see a refret happening sometime within the next 5-10 years, and that scares me... but, it deserves the effort.

OVERALL OPINION

As I am the second owner of this guitar, I got it from a family member who bought it new in the early 70s. Ive had it for 7 years and I dont plan on getting rid of it ever. What I like most about it is the fact that it stands up against Taylors and Martins or anything else you can throw at it. Yamaha, in general, is a workhorse brand, and this guitar sure does perform. I actually have an 80s model fg-335 and a 70s classical g-60a and of all three the fg-180 is my favorite. It is simply the best. I understand it wasnt very expensive back in the day, I think about 200, and it's worth every bit of that to this day.