#1
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Yamaha fg150
What is the allure of these? They seem to have somewhat of a following. I have a friend whos father is off to Winfield and asked if I was coming this year. I said no- I have no guitar right now and I don't have the time off to take from work. Our conversation turned to the old Yamaha that he has bumping around the house. Im not familiar with Yamahas other than their status now as 'that guitar that you see in the starter set box'. What can anyone tell me about this instrument?
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Martin 000-16 Taylor 114 Yairi DY45 It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion, It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, The hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning, It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. |
#2
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My first guitar was a Yamaha. The neck eventually wearped, but I took it to a luthier friend of mine and he straightened it right out. They are not expensive guitars, for the most part, but are great beguinner guitars, and beaters. Perfect for taking to an outdoors jam.
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freestyle Taylor W14ce Taylor XXXRS Taylor 110 GB Ovation Patriot |
#3
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The guitar im referring to is an original, approximately 35 years old, supposedly solid wood all around, not a newer remake or a bargain box starter kit. Apparently from the heyday of Yamaha instruments, from what I can gather.
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Martin 000-16 Taylor 114 Yairi DY45 It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion, It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, The hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning, It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. |
#4
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the ones you're referring to are the red label, nippon gakki, fg models, made in japan, in the late 60's and early 70's. i got into chasing them down for a while. started with a fg-75, that kind of fell into my lap,which is sort of a parlor size, then an fg-110,a little bigger, then an fg-140, and an fg 180, which are dreds. the fg-180 is one of the more sought after dreds. they all sounded very nice. i would recommend any of them, which are structurally sound, as nice inexpensive guitars. anyone looking for the proverbial beater should check them out. i was pleasantly surprised by all of them except the fg-75. it was too small for me. the special ingredient is the nippon gakki label, which is supposed to be the better guitar, but many made in taiwan are just as good, imo. the nippon gakkis aways bring more money though. here are some pictures of the ones i had recently. they are in the same order of the description. all of these guitars were either 70 or 71 models.
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#5
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My grandpa has a late 60s FG-75 (red label, nippon gakki) and he won't let me buy him a Gibson, since he likes his Yammy so much...
they're durable, good sounding, inexpensive guitars... from what I can tell they're the best balance of those 3 factors around at this time... especially since they're older and can be had for less than a comparably furnished new guitar...
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1979 Yamaha FG-331 2002 Breedlove Focus/D 2005 Larrivee OM-03 MT 2006 Taylor GSMCE Other Stuff: 1966 Harmony Stella 1998 Fender MIM Strat w/ SD APS-1s 2003 Epi LP Goldtop w/ SD Jazz/JB 1962 Gretsch 6120 2005 Regal RC-1 Duolian 2005 Carlo Robelli Classical guitar 60's Harmony Roy Smeck Banjo 60's Univox Viola Bass Marshall AS50R Line 6 POD XTLive Tech21 Trademark PE 60 |
#6
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Thanks for the information!
CAS
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Martin 000-16 Taylor 114 Yairi DY45 It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion, It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, The hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning, It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. |
#7
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one other thing i discovered about the yamaha dreds is, the lower bout measures 16 1/4", while most standard dreds measure 16". i believe that has something to do with their nice volume. i've disvoverd little things can make a big difference in a guitar. i discovered it when it wouldn't fit in a dred case ,so i measured it.
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#8
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My T314 is my camping git because it is replaceable. My FG-150 has been a dear friend since 1969 and is irreplaceable. Sounds better too
Remember, like any old git, condition is everything. It would be a shame to have to put 3 bills into a neck reset on a guitar that you bought for one. |
#9
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Yamaha FG-150 Red Label
I have a Yamaha FG-150 Red Label that I bought in 1972 (I also have a FG-420-12 that's about a year younger) and at 40 years old I still love it. What is somewhat unique about the FG-150, is that the neck is a little smaller (narrower) than most standard necks which is fantastic and easier to play for those with smaller hands (shorter fingers). That was why I bought it back then. You can also get a nice Setup to lower the Action a bit without any buzz, which also helps in ease of play; particularly if you like to Finger Pick like me. About a year ago, I had a LR Baggs Anthem installed on it (kind of a combination of Saddle Transducer and Internal Mic to balance/enhance the high/low (Treb/Bass) freqs) to electrify it; and, I think its fair to say it competes rather well with Taylors now. Beautiful sound. I use an Acoustic AG60 Amplifier. You can play it either way with great sound: just acoustic or electric acoustic. If you can find one in good shape, since they were made from 1966-1972, I think you will be happy with it.
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