Yamaha Steel String Guitars

In 1978 I purchased a Gibson Maurauder,which was a Les Paul solid mahogany body and a Flying V neck. I paid $375.00 for it and $280 for a Crate 60 watt amp when they were first put out they were in a crate type box.I was not satisfied with the sound or playability. I was looking to sell it, but one day I was in a local music store where I had shopped since I started learning guitar. Mr. Jones of Jones Potts music Co. . had sold a fella that played Bluegrass a new Martin and was in to pick it up.I ended up walking out with his old Yamaha FG-300,a Di-armond pick-up for Acoustic guitar,a Shure PE588 mic,mic stand,a new Chromatic Hohner Harmonica,picks and a peg winder and a music book (Bluegrass Greats).I wouldn't trade my Yamaha for any guitar or amount of money. I have played many types and brands of acoustic's and in price from cheap to 1000's of dollars and mine plays as Good as some of the most expensive made and I have made cheap guitars sound as good as mine so I rate it right up there with the Big Boys. Not much bad about my FG-300,it does not like extreme cold weather.Or any high moisture areas. Don't know much else that is a draw back of any kind. I am impressed with the construction of this guitar.It was a true craftsman who did this work. I am disabled now,but was in the construction industry and this wood work is awesome. I had left my guitar over at a friends house and they had baseboard heat and my case was against the wall.It had melted the case to the point it was drooping .It was 15-20 degrees outside and I carried it out and laid it on the deck.When it was cool enuff to touch I carried it in tuned it and it was not hurt at all. As my effort to catalog my works of music come closer since my disability in Nov. 2001 I am working on my two CD debut CD's instead of one. Each will complement the other. My Yamaha FG-300 has been there and always will be my primary instrument,I am in the market for an old Tele-Caster that has been there and done it ,once or a thousand times.My wife owns a Squier Tele-copy, Torino red (Muddy Waters) style. My son 14 got his first electric this year ,a Squier Bullet Black-on-Black and its awesome.Plays good and thats what counts. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

My dad passed it down to me when i was about 12. I think he paid around 400 US dollars for it. It plays VERY well, and is very beautiful. It is very tough to hurt this guitar. I have droped it a few times, not damaging anything on it! There is nothing I really don't like about this beautiful guitar! It was made in Taiwan, sold in one piece. It has a golden maple finish with a cherry oak looking finish on the neck and pick guard. The stain has not scratched one bit since the day it was bought. It is a VERY good quality guitar. This guitar has been in my family for two generations now, and hopefully for many more it will go charished and unharmed. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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 purchased this acoustic at Guitar Center in Scottsdale Arizona for $308 with gig bag. I had been searching for an acoustic guitar that had a good tone for under $400 bucks. I think this guitar has it all. It has a beautiful gloss finish and nice looking pick guard. Solid spruce top that delivers a mid range tone. Best of all, I love the price I got it for. The only thing I don't like but can tolerate is the laminate rosewood back. I would much rather prefer a solid back but for the price you can't beat it. It still sings when you play it. The guitar seems pretty durable. I noticed it has been going out of tune a couple of times but I guess thats pretty typical of a new guitar. The pick guard seems to be holding up pretty well against any scratches. Just minor ones, but that is what you would expect to see. Bottom line is I don't like guitar center because they try to re sell you stuff as new that other people brought back. I examined this guitar for a good 30 minutes and could not find anything wrong with it. I am pretty confident that this one was brand new. Other than that, Yamaha has done a wonderful job with this guitar. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this from an Exchange store on base for $250 USD back in 1998. Wanted to continue my practicing while I served in the Army. It is a well made and solid guitar. Had bright sound with it's original strings. When the strings were replaced with a more heavier strings, had very nice resonance. Stays in tune very well over the period I've had it. Action on the strings were a little high until I changed to a heavier string. Some of the fret edges were rough and required a little filing on the edges. Very solid in construction. Some fret edges were rough. Very good guitar for learning and practicing with. Had this now for over 7 years and it still is going strong. I use it now to teach my daughter how to play as I've graduated to a better guitar. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Well, being quite experienced with Yamaha. I snagged this little puppy up right away. I bought it from a Swap Meet in Nipomo, California. From someone who obviously did not know what he had. I also talked hip out of a full set of yamaha strings. I paid $75.00 with a hard shell case. Once restrung with new strings, i was amazed at how nice this sweet little instrument sounded. I was suprized at the debth of tone it had. Similar to Guild guitars. Bassy. Oh, then you know I loved the price. The possiblilty of selling it. I have had it only l0 days and have had 2 offers over $200.00 on it already/ This guitar is very well made. The neck is in perfict condition. The sound is awsome and it is one of the easier guitars i have played. I notice that the new strings even hold their note in place easier than some. The Yamaha FG 160 is a wonderful little guitar for beginners through professionals. I would suggest this little unit for anyone. My daughter has a birthday coming up and I am planning on letting her have it for a first guitar. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I paid $100 for the guitar, as the previous owner had died and was cremated, before the urn was placed in his guitar case. The trustee of the guitar and ashes then took the stuff to Cecil's Pawn in Boise, Idaho, where he did not repay the loan or interest, making it the shop's property. When the women working at the shop opened the case, they found that the urn had spilled, dumping most of the ashes in the guitar's sound hole. They hung the guitar on the wall with a $250 price tag on it. When I saw the guitar, I immediately began to drool. I knew that only a limited number of the FG335's were painted black, so I had to have it. I asked what they wanted, and Karen, a friend and employee said cringing, "If you take it right now- you can have it for $100, and I'll throw in everything that was in the case, too." (a Dean Markley hole pickup, several cords, strings, a capo, a cheap electric tuner, and a small porcelain urn.)I paid cash for it as she told me the story behind it, and said I didn't care, as long as I has the guitar. The girls at the shop were happy to get rid of it, since it gave them the creeps to have it in the shop. Incidentally, I used a tiny car vaccum to get the ashes from inside the guitar, and place them back in he urn. I returned to the shop to tell them that I loved the guitar, and when they weren't looking, I placed the urn behind some items on a high shelf behind the counter with a note attached, saying "body parts from Yamaha Guitar.." I love the guitar, you could play tennis with it and it still would sound good. It has weathered over a decade of abuse, and still sounds as good as the day I got it. Hole pickups (exept for the Dean Markley brand)sound really good in it, and it works great for live performances using a cheap Lawrence pickup. I would trade or sell anything I owned except this guitar, and when I die, I want to be cremated, placed inside it, and left at a yard sale or something... It's the heavyest acoustic guitar I have ever had..... in the case, it feels like an electric bass or something.. This guitar is built tough, and the black finish has stood the test of time. However, the white border around the body has turned yellow, making it unmatched with the bleach white pickguard. Overall, the guitar is built very well, and will stay in tune for months. I have not had to fix or replace any part on this guitar. I have played other Yamaha acoustic guitars, but I still like my FG335II the best. My best friend, a dedicated Washburn fan, loves the way my guitar sounds, but complains that the neck is too wide at the nut. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar new from Soundslive in Newcastle for £390, complete with a fitted flight case, two packs of strings and a capo! I wanted a jumbo acoustic and had been looking at Gibson/ Epiphone but the guy in the shop reckoned that the yamaha was better than the epiphone and was £300 cheaper! The build quality is superb- you would think that the guitar was more expensive as it really is beautifully made. Tonally, it is quite bright for a jumbo but sounds brilliant. I recorded a demo with it and recorded it sounds great- a real Neil Young acoustic tone! Obviously the access to the higher frets is problematic, but I believe that if you're looking at a guitar like this then you aren't getting to play above the 12th fret much anyway! Other than that, the string spacing is superb and the neck is much more reminiscent of an electric guitar than an acoustic-it reminds me of the neck on a Les Paul I'm not overly keen on the colour- I wanted a blonde guitar but this model only comes in a violin sunburst finish so its a little darker than I wanted. However, the quality is that good that I forgot about the colour. Besides which, everyone else seems to like it! As I've said, faultless really. It truly is a wonderfully well made guitar and I would recommend them to anyone. Having also played the epiphone version I can say that I do prefer the Yamaha and it's half the price. The Yamaha feels really sturdy but has a great kind of worn in feel when you pick it up. It's really playable and sounds great. If you're in the market for a jumbo acoustic then I strongly suggest that you check this out. It's over a grand cheaper than the gibson and it's half the price of the epiphone- other than those models jumbos aren't all that common by anyone else (and certainly not within what most of us would call a realistic price bracket). My first impressions when I played it was how I thought they must have put the wrong price tag on the guitar because I caouldn't believe that it was only £300! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I just bought this off my friend because he was getting rid of it and the price was right. I paid 30 dollars. I like that it's old. It's from the late 70's I think. I don't really know too much about it. If anyone knows what their value is, please let me know. It is my first acoustic. The action is really really high and there's no way to fix it. the neck is slightly bowed but there's no room to unscrew the truss rod. It's all the way loosened. It makes it super hard to fret any chords. The construction is very good to have held up all these years. It feels very solid. Well, without knowing what their value is, I can't suggest to buy one, but they seem like great guitars if you can find one without such high action. Are they all like that? I don't know. (If anyone does, let me know) This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought at Manny's Music in New York City for $220. My first foray into 12-string territory. Sounded good, played well. Became my main guitar for nearly two years. I know it's a cheap guitar and I played it almost every day, but the frets wore down just under the two-year mark and the repair job would have cost more than the guitar itself! A $220 investment should last longer than that. Also, no built-in pickup or tuner. Okay, but not great. The finish was pretty inconspicuous. I do not recommend this guitar because of the fret issue. Better to spend some more money and get a guitar that lasts. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this in a store in Hong Kong called TOM LEE for approx 1700$HK, so that's approx US$212.50 The reverb is really nice on this thing! And I have to say being blue color is extra pretty. And it definitely gives a fuller sound as long as your strings are kind of new... But the sound quality is definitely amazing for the money..it beat all the other guitars in this range I just changed my bottom 3 strings (E,A,D) strings today and it sounds a lot weaker than the dirtier string,s I dunno if thats cos of the strings or just my guitar I think it's really good quality, the neck looks strong and it's got the extra support over what the FG412. This was my first guitar I bought and I think it's one that'll last me. But one mistake I made was that I didnt buy a semi-acoustic guitar instead because I'd be using htis to play on shows, so I had to add my own pick up which was a bitch, so think about that one factor, otherwise if you're REALLY DETERMINED to stick to playing the guitar, the money u put in here will be worth it. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought from Sound Control in Birmingham UK for £129. Chosen as I thought it sounded better than equivalents at the price/ Great sound from solid top body, sounds as good as some twice its price. Clear treble and mid range. Nice neck for the price, seems well built and finished. Understated looks. Bass slightly light. Supplied strings seemed to go 'off' quite quickly Good at this price. All over matt finish doesn't emphasise the wood as much as gloss finish. Well made and finished. Loses tune a little. Love the sound and the understated looks. If you want a great sounding guitar and aren't bothered about a shiny finish, this is for you. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com