Yamaha FG700S

rosewood fret board, good weight and comfortable size, changed factory strings and it sounds great.
been playing guitar for just under two years mostly folk but some classic rock rythym type. The biggest 'gig' I've ever had was at a nursing home, but I don't do much persuing of gigs, I do street performances for extra cash.

received as a gift - probably cost around $100-150

nice, elegant look. Can be beat up a little which makes it a great beginner's guitar. Has a raw, twangy sound which can be either a pro or a con, depending on your tastes, but sounds awesome with folk and classic style playing. Stays in tune exceptionally well (which is saying a lot as I have a habit of changing the stings often). Looks like an expensive guitar and it doesn't feel remotely fragile unlike most guitars of it's price range. I've had people who have been playing for years and own Martins tell me its one of the nicest guitars they've played


The finish is wearing off and I've only owned the guitar for a year. Granted - it has been played quite heavily and has been exposed to all kinds of extreme Northern weather (hot, hot summers, freezing winters) and has seen it's share of drunken campfire nights. Also, the factory strings that came with it were dead, and needed changing

For a mass-produced Japanese guitar, I haven't had much construction issues (other than the finish issue- see above) The inside is a bit rough-hewn, and you can see it was assembled in a hurry, but that doesn't effect it's playability or sound at all!

I LOVE this guitar and take it just about everywhere with me - no lie. Through high school and now, even through university, it's been a very dependable instrument and probably the best guitar of it's price range on the market today

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I'm a beginner, I've been playing for about a month and a half. I'm a big fan of Coldplay, Jason Mraz, Elliott Smith and others.

I'd been borrowing my friend's Ibanez and he asked for it back so, since I'd been practicing consistently I decided to go to guitar center(CA) and buy one. I tested out pretty much all of the acoustics there and none of the ones in my price range really compared with this one. It's a great buy for about 200 bucks.

-It has great tone (or so I hear from more experienced players)
-It is beautifully constructed.
-My fingers reach all of the general chords. (I have medium to small hands)

I would like for the action to be a little lower just because I am a beginner and it was easier to play for hours on an Ibanez where the action is super low.

The guitar has a solid spruce top, and a rosewood fretboard and sound board. It resonates well and is not overly laquered. When more experienced players play I notice no buzz and when I play the buzz is quite minimal. It's well made also from the perspective that I'm clumsy and have dropped it and hit it against my desk numerous times, but I haven't noticed any dents or scratches.

I love this guitar! I feel as though it can only get better with time and I didn't pay 500 dollars for it. I give it a four and a half for beginner players, they might want to change the provided strings to lighter ones.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Yamaha FG700S is one of the standard dreadnought models available to the public. It's priced so that it is within the reach of many beginning and intermediate players. It features a solid sitka spruce top, nato back and sides, rosewood fretboard, rosewood bridge and a nice faux tortiseshell pickguard. It is made in China and like many other Yamaha guitars it is available in a few diferent body styles to suit different tastes as well.

UTILIZATION

This guitar is reasonably for a dreadnought type design. It has a nice thin satin lacquer finish which not only helps with the tone but makes it lighter and more resonant. For my own personal tastes unwound choose one of the smaller bodied Yamaha guitars as that's my preference, but if you are after a good feeling and sounding dreadnought design for not a whole lot of cash this one is definitely worth a second look. It plays extremely well right out of the box and the comfortable setup right away shows Yamaha's commitment to quality in their instruments.

SOUNDS

Like many Yamaha guitars this one has a nice deep and rich tone that will work very well for chord work and some lead styles. The low end is reasonable, if not a tiny bit woofy when hit hard. It doesn't have an extremely apparent midrange quality to the sound either but you can certainly still hear yourself fine in a mix. The high end has a decent sparkle that helps to bring out chords and some lead in a great way. It can get a tad sharp sounding if you hit it too hard but that can be avoided by adjusting your technique. It's definitely got an admirable sound for its price point.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Yamaha FG700S is a fantastic buy for anyone looking for a great sounding dreadnought for chump change. It's everything you need and nothing you don't. Nice simple looks paired with excellent playabilty and very surprising tone make this guitar a real winner. For the retail price of $200 Yamaha's practically giving these away! Definitely worth a look in my opinion.

The Yamaha FG-700 S was the one of the first guitar I ever owned, and I've had it for a long time now. The quality of sound that you get from this guitar is way beyond what you pay for. The action on this guitar is good, and it doesn't come out of tune very easily. Before I got this guitar, I played on my sister's Marshall (which was similarly priced), and I can honestly say that this guitar is at least 10 times nicer. A friend of mine, who's been playing guitar for years and owns an expensive Alvarez model, borrowed my Yamaha for a couple weeks, and told me that it was really fun to play on. The only thing I can see wring with the model is that it has no internal pickups. This isn't a problem unless you're going to be playing it live. Other than that, It's a total gem. I think I'll be hanging onto mine for years to come

UTILIZATION

This guitar is very good for beginners. More to play with as you gain experience, but overall this guitar is well worth it. Replace the strings to some Elixers and this thing sounds amazing. Sounds naturally warm yet different strings improve the tone. The gold tuners are really smooth too.


SOUNDS

The tone is full, balanced, and the instrument carries good volume. The tobacco sunburst is beautiful.

OVERALL OPINION

My wife was convinced I had dropped some serious cash for her, when in fact it was one of the most inexpensive guitars in the shop. This guitar is a great bargain! I still use this guitar daily. I recommend it to anyone that is going to spend less than $300 on an acoustic guitar. This is one of the most comfortable guitars to play for the buck. Great action. I highly recommend this guitar especially to beginners on a tight budget.