Yamaha
 

Hi all. I'm brand new to the forum and I love it!
And I love my Yamaha acoustics. I've got 2 FG-340s
made in Taiwan in 1981 and they rock. They are all
laminate and have the "3 piece" back and nice binding
on the fingerboard and headstock. They even have really
nice grain on the headstock and are pretty inexpensive.
Made in Japan FGs have a big reputation (and price)
and I'm sure are awesome, but every Taiwan made FG I've
played has been great (for the price).
I've also got a new(ish) LLX6 made in Taiwan and it has great tone
and is easy to play. It's got a great solid Engleman spruce top
and beautiful laminated rosewood back and sides.
It looks and sounds great.
Yesterday on Ebay I won a 1981 L-15A, all solid wood and handmade
also made in Taiwan. So wish me luck on that!
And I think the new FG 730s is great for the price.
The new FG700s and FG 720s are also great for their
(cheaper) price, but I've found the FG 730s to be a lot better made,
more consistent, easier to play and better sounding.
Well, I won't go as far as to say, "You can't go wrong
with a Yanaha". But I will say, "I can't go wrong with a Yamaha!"

Hi there Yammieplaya. big welcome to the forum and I think you'll find quite a few Yamaha fans here. the L-series seems particularly popular.
I'd love an LL36 one day.
Good luck with all your lovely Yamahas. They are always top value, in my book:)

Welcome to the AGF! I agree, Yamaha guitars are a great value. The FG-335 listed in my signature was my main go-to guitar for many years. It has mellowed beautifully and it remains a valued instrument in my work.

Welcome to AGF. As you can see by my log in, you ain't alone!
I think you will find that your L15a is Japan made. Please do correct me if I am wrong about that. Yamaha has made over 700 different Acoustics over the past 40 years. So, there are huge lapses in my knowledge.
Over the past couple years I have collected some high end guitars that I rotate out so I can try others. But, I hold onto my Yamaha's.
Red Lables cost more than non red lables. But they are still far cheaper than 60's Martins. The Martin will likely be cleated and rebuilt. The Yamaha just keeps plugging. And often they eat Gibsons and Martins for breakfast :D
The kings of the Red Lables to try are the FG300. The pickguards are almost always toast due to a glue reaction. The tone is unsurpassed in anything I have ever owned. It's not "boomy". If a guitar can sound like honey, it's the FG300. Boomy is the FG180. I just won one dirt cheap on eBay. The frets are shot so there are lots of dead spots on the neck. Cosmeticaly she is challenged and I will leave that go. I will go to the expence of a complete refret job because the sound shows so much potential!
If you are looking at 12 strings.... Find a FG460 12A. Wowow what a nice guitar. My Taylor 355 is available!
I could go on forever but I will end the post with Yamaha porn :)
Here is a Compass North. Wow what inlay!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...assNorthfr.jpg
A one of 300 CJX Handmade http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...fullfront2.jpg
The happy family, waiting to grow :) A few are missing from the picture.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...afullgroup.jpg
The FG350 is a Taiwan version of the FG300. The 350 has an adjustable bridge but not like the adj on the FG300http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ahac1sized.jpg
An odd one; Lets talk Laminated wood! All Bamboo including the Neck. Why they put Rosewood overlay on the headstock is beyond me, but very cool.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/bamboob1.jpg
I'll end with a FG1500 Wow what a guitar!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...1500fgfull.jpghttp://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...sg/fg1500a.jpg

Enjoy your Yamaha's!

Welcome! I love Yamahas myself. First real guitar I ever owned was a brand new FG-300 bought in 1972, I think it was. I wish I'd held on to that one...
http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/7...mmtoocoit5.gif

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a pic of my Yamaha LJ6.
It's tone is surprising for an inexpensive guitar.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...6/P7290026.jpg


With pickguard:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...6/P7190001.jpg

Welcome to AGF! I really like my Yamaha as well, and even though guitars have come and gone over the years my Yamaha (see my signature below) remains and is in good company ;)

Thanks for the welcome, all!
Junkie - You are prolly right about the
L-15A being Japan made. I don't know why
I thought Taiwan, but your theory makes a lot
more sense. The one I ordered doesn't have a label,
so I won't be able to tell that way.
You mentioned FG460 12A. Have you played FG230
and/or FG260? They seem to run pretty cheap.
I'm not really looking for a 12 string anyway,
as I'm much too lazy to tune or restring one :-)

One of the first jumbo guitars I ever purchased was a Yamaha "Country Jumbo" model I purchased in 1984. It was a great guitar!

All them numbers. I goofed. Its a FG460S12A The "S" on a Yamaha is Solid top so it's an important correction. They have solid tops not designated "S" but if there is an "S" it's for sure a solid topped guitar.
I've had 2 FG230's. I didn't like them. See even Yamaha Junkie has a list. The necks were funky. The tone was quite flat. Maybe a 12 string is too much for a Nato Wood neck? I have a few Nato necked Yamaha's. That seems to be the entry level wood for necks. The better stuff is Mahogany with Rosewood fingerboard. The deluxe stuff is Mahogany with Ebony fingerboard.
Are you aware of the Yamaha Archives? There is a ton missing but it is still the best build history tracker I have found on the net. I keep asking Yamaha to hire me to search the world for the missing links and information. I haven't heard back from them :(
Get some pix up of the L15A when you get it!

YJ - yeah, I've seen the "Guitarchive".
It's great, even if incomplete. You've got my vote
for Paid Yamaha Historian. I love your Yamaha porn,
but the family pic made me a might nervous.
I can't afford / don't have room for such a big family,
but there's no way to prevent it. We get as many
Yamahas as God sends us, each one a miracle.
If only there were some way to control or regulate it.
Oh well!
I fully expect the L-15A to be the greatest thing known
to man, so I don't see any chance of disappointment there ;-)
Pix of the whole family coming in a week or two.

Welcome Yammieplaya!

Yeah, certainly nothing wrong with a Yamaha!!!!

Speaking of FG-460S-12s, I'll probably be posting a WTB soon for one...just that I want it to be made between '85 and early '87 so it has the Dove logo....then I'll have a matched set of 6 & 12 string. Just need to sell the old 411S-12 first, and then prepare my wife for another purchase this year.

Good to have you here!

Yammies are great
 

Me loves my 730. Way different than my other two guitars, but a"good" different. I find I have to drive it a little harder to get the volume, but it stands up to heavy whaling and doesn't get all buzzy. Good solid git IMO.

Tim

Junkie - both of the user reviewers on "Harmony Central"
say that their L-15A's were made in Taiwan. Hmm ...

Heck, if thats right its not the first time I was wrong even today :)
And I learned something.
I thought all L production from a few years ago was Japan only.

Well the L15-A arrived today.
It's great, but the action was a little high.
It's got a big saddle, so I took it to my guitar tech
for a little shave. He always wants to do a little
fret leveling on old guitars, and this time I'm letting him.
So in a week I'll have it back with nice low action
and no buzzing.

Welcome to the forum! :)

Don't think I've ever seen an L15A. Do post pics, when you get it back.
Cheers:)

Cool! Do post pix! Well? Does it say Taiwan? :)

Yup, it does say "Made in Taiwan".
What little I played when I opened it,
even with only 5 ancient strings,
sounded great. Hopefully it will be the
flagship of my guitar collection, surpassing
my 1991 (Bozeman) Gibson J-45 which has
2 significant finish cracks in the top.
Besides that, all it has to beat is my
Yammy LLX6, which will be tough to beat.

Pix coming in about a week.
I'm pretty sure I will love the L15A but I did
spend too much to buy it, and now a little more
for the fret leveling. For what it's worth, I've bought
3 instruments on Ebay and none of them were great deals.
The only good deals I've ever gotten on guitars has been
from ... guitar shops!

Nice. My first was a new FG180 in 1969 and I love the things.

__________


Yamaha LL26
Yamaha LL6
Martin 000-15S

Right on Yamaha people!

My first guitar is my Yamaha FG-730S that I bought in January, 2007. It is currently tuned to DADGAD and gets played everyday.

My Yamaha CG-171SF is a beautiful sounding nylon stinged classical/flamenco guitar. I play it everyday too, and it really is starting to sound mellower.

I have to go ... Yamaha is calling ....

Enjoy :-)

The FG180 is one of the best. I call it a D18 eater

I have just come to this group myself but I can still welcome you.

I have always liked the older (Gakki) Yamahas. You can see the trouble I had with one starting with image #055 at -- http://tinyurl.com/32xsdu. I must admit, I should have replaced the frets on mine. I will this winter.

They were, and still are a good deal for the money.

Ken C.

So far I've shied away from Nippon Gakkis
because so many of them need neck resets,
which cost a fortune. I can only imagine how many
people get excited reading about them and win one
on Ebay only to find it needs a 350 dollar repair
before it can be reasonably played. I know there are
many fine ones out there, but I haven't wanted to
take a chance (yet).

Hey - now when i google "yamaha L15-A" this thread
is about the 7th entry. We're famous, guys! haha

Yammieplaya,

My only acoustic guitar at the moment is a Yamaha L-25A that I bought used in about 1984/5.

It sounds great and has always had an incredibly low action. Sometimes I'd like something with a smaller body but, given how long I've owned it (and how many dings I've put in it!), I couldn't get rid of my L-25A.

It was made in Taiwan and as with your L-15A, there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of information out there about them. I'm not sure what the differences are between the models but here are a few photos of mine:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/...2e6f8cdb9b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2081/...346a35293b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/...11956791c2.jpg

Basher - I think the main difference is that
the L-25A has solid jacaranda back and sides.
In other words, you've got a Brazilian Rosewood
guitar.

Believe it or not I have owned quite a few Yamaha's in my past and they worked well for me. I never did keep one for long because I would buy one, play it a while, take it on a missions trip to South America and leave it with the missionaries to play in their churches. They arent all that expensive, but for the money they are hard to beat. There are Yamaha's all over South America because of my donations to missions.

Hope yours serves you well!

http://www.vistaserv.net/ragamuffin_meet.htm

There is a link to the Yamaha acoustic web page from this AGF meeting flyer. Harrys Guitar Shop in Raleigh, NC is moving--or has moved, actually--into Yamaha in a big way. Watch, the thread here in the AGF for some upcomg news about Yamaha's sponsorship presence at the event. It is shaping uo to be.....considerable.