Yamaha F335

Black, high-gloss finish. Excellent, mirror like and very well done. Gold tuners. White rosette around the soundhole. This is a nice looking guitar - does not look cheap whatsoever. Who's to say how the finish will hold up over time - then again, I didn't buy this guitar based on appearance. The neck seems narrower than other acoustics...seems typical of a Yahmaha guitar. This guitar was made in Indonesia. Believe it includes a lifetime warranty. I checked Yamaha's website and it didn't list this model. It's brand new so likely they didn't update the site yet. For what I paid, I'm guessing there's laminate on the back and side...possibly a solid spruce top but I don't know.

I play original rock and acoustic pieces...as well as a few covers. The sound of this guitar is well balanced with excellent intonation. The guitar seems to be in tune everywhere on the neck. Pretty impressive for a guitar in this price range. The lows don't boom but they are there. The highs don't sparkle but they are there. The guitar lacks a bit in volume but this is likely due to alot of laminate on this guitar. Seems like it would be good to play some blues on. Very good sound for strumming and good to very good sound for fingerpicking.

Factory setup. Bought from Guitar Center. The action was very respectable. This guitar is pretty easy to play, although I wouldn't say it plays itself like some others. But....it is very playable. The hardware (tuners, bridge, nut, frets) all seem good to very good quality.

I've owned a Yamaha electric for years...awesome tone and playability. It's held up well over the years...I'm thinking this acoustic will hold up as well.

Excellent!!!! For $150, I feel like I STOLE this guitar from Guitar Center. Yamaha delivered in spades on this axe. Unbelieveable value. I'd compare the sound, finish, and playability of this guitar to some acoustics in the $1000+ range. How do I know this???? I've played them.....acoustics ranging anywhere from 1,000 to 3,500 (1968 Gibson, Martin Clapton model) dollars. Yes, it is that good. I've been playing for 20 years and know a nice axe when I play and hear one. This is it. Although, I picked through a few different guitars of the same model and this one shined bright, hands down. The others seems nice too. ALWAYS pick and choose on acoustics. There seems to be a lack of consistency even on the same model.

All laminates, spruce and mahogany. Nice looking wider than normal dread, but plain. I also have the E model, with built-in pickup and tone knobs.

Puts out an extremely well-balanced, mid-bassy husky tone. No stridency (too high notes) anywhere up the fretboard. My favorite fg of all (I have the 140, 160, 180, 200, 340, 345.) Loud enough, has a sound not heard on other guitars, even the fg line. I found the 340 too bright, brassy, and a bit messy sounding. I found the 345 (rosewood) a little boring, frankly. The 335 is one of the best values in the old fg (70's and 80's) line, along with the 160, imho. Has a dark punch when fingerpicked; the 'd' string really stands out. Does get a bit mushy when really strummed, but I like that personally. Puts out a bassy and midrangey wall of sound- with just enough high end- that sounds...regal, somehow.

Action is good for a 1980 or so guitar. These are built fantastically, no warps or splits anywhere.

Built like a tank. I am sure these old Yamahas will still be making fine sounds hundreds of years from now. They do not warp or crack...

N/A

Never paid more than 115.00 for one of these gems. I have...a few 335's. I played with identical new strings my 335, 340, and 345, and I honestly enjoy the 335's sound much more than the other- more expensive- two. I found, also, that GHS 12-54 Vintage Bronze strings really bring out the sound of the fg's. Anyway, I am so glad people pay over 300.00 for the 340 and 345, and really don't know about the 335. It also records great, wonderful balance.

I just reviewed this and the rating for sound and overall did not take for some reason so I'm entering them again. I can't overlook this because they are the most important ratings.

The neck contour is the best I???ve ever played. Why are all the necks on the new guitars, save the vintage remakes so thin backed. My HD28 felt like a toy compared to my FG335. I like support and mass in a neck. Tuners were shit so I replaced them with Grover locking tuners. All laminated body: Spruce and Mahogany, but very nice woods used.

What made me look into these guitars after years of sticking with the top names was the tone I kept hearing. Every single old Yamaha I heard at various gigs was better sounding than my Guilds, Martins, Tacomas, Taylors, Larrivees and many others.

One day I heard my son playing what I thought was my HD28 (on one of its good days). I walked into his room and he had this old Yamaha FG-340W he earned from his aunt for work he did for her.

I said wow that sounds good. Then I said, do you ever play my HD28? He didn???t want to hurt my feelings and hem???d and Haw???d around saying ??? sorry dad, but this sounds better.

Rich, articulate, lots of bottom end, clear, loud, balanced. All the things I was looking for over the last 34 years. It absolutely blew my Martin HD28 out of the water which tended to be too boomy and muddy. Something cool I once heard on a review: You can???t make an old guitar. All this hype about forward shifted X-bracing ??? all it does is make an already boomy guitar boomier.

I???ve always been told that laminate guitars can only improve a little over time. Bull!!! If a top has to be solid, then explain a Rainsong to me. Carbon fiber top? I think I???ll stick with the organic (Woody tone) laminate top on my Yamaha!! I???ve had at least 20 solid tops in my 34 years of playing and none I MEAN NONE! Sound as good as this FG335.

High action, but I turned the truss rod a bit, and lowered the saddle. Now it is 3/32" at the 12th Fret. It had the expected amount of ware for a 30 year old guitar.

Like a Tank!!

Good!

After having the FG-335 a month and playing it next to my Martin HD28 (which I reviewed here two years ago). I have decided that the HD28 can be sold to pay bills. DONE!!! I will buy one more FG 335 as a backup. These can be had for around 150 to 200 bones. The beauty is, they are not the collector items of the Nippon Gakki???s like my FG75. I did also steal a Fg75 for $89 and it is almost mint. I???m a vintage Yamaha man now. Every old Yamaha I???ve played sounds better than anything out there under $2000. I go to Elderly about every three months and play all day long ??? You really have to pay a lot and buy a sweet old OM Martin to get the tone of these old Yamaha FGs. I know some of you Martin owners are going to have to scoff at this, but as a three time Martin owner myself, I???m sorry the proof is in the pudding. I???m coming off a little cocky here and forgive me for that. Please just play one of these and judge for yourself. I???ve always appreciated all of your reviews. Its kind of a sharing within a musical family I???ve always been thankful for. That is all this review is about too. I want you all to get the same blessing. Shoot, just add one of these to your stable. They are so cheap, you have nothing to loose. If you find one, but it has belly buldge like mine did, causing high action. Just get a bridge doctor from Stewmac. I will flatten the bulge and lower the action. You don't always have to get a neck reset.

Why are the Old Yamaha laminates so good? I don???t know, maybe it is their unique body geometry and bracing (larger lower bout and tighter waist than a dreadnaught). I know this, after spending thousands over three decades for THEE sound. I found it at only $173.00.

Same as everyone else here. I belive I bought this Gem in 1975 after my Epiphone 12 string was destroyed at a party.

This Yami has pretty much defined my music style(Folk, Blues, etc..) since its the only guitar I owned untill a couple of years ago when I bought another 12 string(Yamaha of course) It has a massive vintage sound that can be both warm and rich or bright and edgy depending on what type of strings used, and how the instrument is played. I generally use GHS phospher bronze extra lights. I get a nice Neil Young "My, My, Hey, Hey(Out of the Blue) sound out of it. Playing near or on the neck gives a great round warm sound and down by the bridge is bright and percussive.

When I bought this guitar, the action was really high and over the years I have lowered the bridge and the nut and adjusted the neck a couple of times and now the action is SA-WEET!

This baby is as dependable as a hammer. It stays in tune whether its played for a couple of hours or sits in the corner for a couple of weeks. I did replace the tuners about 3 years ago, one of the originals started buzzing. The finish is dinged and scratched from wear and tear but still looks pretty good. It hasn't worn off after 30+ years of playing.

Never had a problem.

Dollar for dollar there isn't a better acoustic guitar on the planet, even after all these years. I am a very ungifted amateur but have played and recorded for donkey odd years. I've worked with number of professionals and their jaws never fail to drop when I tell them how much I paid for the guitar when it was new.
I go to the music store every few months to see what's new and for 30 years I haven't found a reason to replace my Yamaha. I would have to go into therapy if it were lost, stolen or damaged.

It is a great guitar. it's a dreadnought with a gloss finish and it has yamaha tuners that are great. I rarely have to tue it. it has a rosewood neck with 20 frets with 14 accesible frets. This guitar was made in taiwan and was my dads who bought it in the late 1970's. Even though it was a laminate top, it sounds great.

It is great for strumming and fingerpicking, with a kind of bright sound. i love the tone of this guitar.

This guitar still (over 25 years) has the origonal factory settings. it never needed to be reset or anything like that. You can barely tell that the top is bookmatched. all the frets are perfect and the wood is not bad.

It is still working great. the only thing that has ever broken on it was a pin, and that was when my brother (who doesn't play guitar) tried to tune it.

i never needed it

i have been playing since 1987 and i own gibsons and martins and this is a great guitar for the price.

This is a laminate top guitar. I thought it was a solid-top but I was wrong. I like this guitar. The saddle and nut are plastic.

It suits my style. I like to play Hank Williams jr tunes. I would like to change the saddle. Bone is my choice.

I bought the guitar used and changed the strings right away. Being that it is a used guitar I give it an eight as it has the usual dings and marks. The action was fine. I do not think that it needs any setup.

I believe that this guitar can be used for live playing. A back-up guitar is always a wise decision. I do not see any serial number so I can not date the manufacture of the guitar. It seems to be a dependable acoustic.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for a few years. I am an amature. I still want to change the saddle to bone. I can then re-evaluate the guitar.

all standard features of a fg 335II, came in a cardboard case.

used for country/bluegrass gospel.
it has good clear sound.
it is comfortable and reliable.
works well with any medium strings.

the string height was fine from the factory, but after years of use
they started to raise. i had a local man shave the bottom bridge and set
the strings back down, now it plays better than new.
all fitment of parts was/is very good

i dont treat a guitar like it is an investment, it is a tool, and i use it as such. it is a very good tool. it has a few dings but the finish has held up well. this is the only guitar i have and use it without any backups.

been playin 35 years
i would buy this guitar again, and again, ect
what i love and my favorite feature is familiarity, this guitar is like an old reliable friend.

It is a very basic dreadnaught guitar. Made in Taiwan. Mahogany back/sides and I think a spruce top. I know lots of people say laminated, but the end grain on the top anyway appears to extend through the cross-section, which would indicate solid. I think it was made in 1982, and perhaps they made it differently from year to year. I received it in 1983 as a 13th birthday gift from my grandmother. Other's have come and gone, but this one will be buried with me.

I play mostly folk-based acoustic fingerstyle (Bruce Cockburn, Leo Kottke, James Taylor) and it suits me pretty well. I think a wider neck would be a little better for that. I had the neck reset and the action adjusted and it plays as well as many Taylors I have picked up off the wall at guitar center. It can be a little muddy sounding when strummed hard. Sustain is unremarkable, and the volume could be better for a dreadnaught. I have trouble hearing myself when playing with others. I installed a K&K sound Mini-western transducer pickup under the bridge, and it sounds nice plugged in.

Action was a bit high when i first got it, and that discouraged me for a little while. also, it benefits from lighter strings. I use d'addario exp custom lights (light set, but .011 and .014 on the top) and rarely have to change them out. after resetting the neck and a new nut and saddle, it plays much better, but i woudln't go so far as to say it plays like an electric. Finish is Ok, i really don't remember what it was like new. I had it in its case for years and years, and when i removed it, it had aged to a wonderful warm amber color. It honestly sounds better than some brand new Taylors and Martins I have played. You can't "make" an old guitar.

As others have mentioned, this thing is an absolute tank. Think dreadnaught, as in "battleship". Over the last 23 years, its been overseas, its been in storage, toted around from pillar to post in that ridiculous paper-bag of a case it came with, and only has a few dings and scratches to show for it. No cracks or finish checking or anything that isn't completely self-inflicted. Its got that elusive trait "character" I think upgraded tuners would be my next move. Not sure whether i would use it without backup, but i bet i could.

Never had to deal with them, except for motorcycles.

I have been playing off and on since about 1983. "rediscovering" this guitar a couple of years ago inpired me to take it up much more seriously, and I am soon to purchase my first high-end guitar, a Martin. It has mostly sentimental value to me, since my dearly departed grandmother gave it to me, i will never sell it. If it were stolen, I might buy another one, but it wouldn't be "the same". I can't think of a better first guitar for the money - you would have to spend 10x that on a Martin or Taylor before you could really quantify the difference.

It is a regular acoustic guitar; you should not expect any extra features.

It is the best sound I have ever heard from any acoustic with the price less than $2000. I am not a very good guitar player, but I have a very good guitar sound judgment. When I was purchasing my FG-335 thirty years ago, I compared the sound of my FG-335 to an array of other Yamaha FG guitars in the same warehouse, and making sure that I had picked the best among the best. My brother heard the awesome sound of my FG-335, and he was a serious guitar player who insisted what he had should be better than mine. After searching the entire New York City, he purchased a Gibson with a price tag over $2000.

OK

I know my FG-335 is a marvel and I have been taken good care of it at all time. After 30 years, it is still as good as new.

It is an acoustic; it never needs them.

My over satisfaction rating is higher than 10. Now, I have passed the FG-335 to my son who is 17 years old. He is very satisfied with the FG-335; he enjoys it as much as his daddy.