Yamaha FG 331

I got this guitar brand new in the winter of 1979 for about $160. It was my first guitar.

I'm pretty sure the 331 has a laminate top, couldn't tell you the wood. The grain structure on top of my particular guitar isn't very consistent going from close together to widely spaced with what looks like the very beginning of a knothole that was growing in the tree.

The wood is bookmatched very nicely though... the knothole grain is on both sides of the top!

For the low end/beginner type market this guitar was built for, the tone is remarkably good and has improved as the guitar has gotten older. I give it an 8 only because it's not very loud, probably because of the laminated top (and back?) what looks like a very thick finish. For such a small guitar, the bottom end has a surprisingly rich tone.

The sound reviews before mine are really consistent when it comes to describing the tone... I absolutely agree with what has been posted.

It's odd, when I got the guitar I initially thought it was very fragile. The very thick looking finish had a little crack in the neck heel and there were little cracks forming at the end of one fret... they haven't changed or gotten larger in 30 years.

Little things bothered me at first like the little screws for the tuners pulling out of the wood, but all that is easily fixed. The tuners themselves are original Yamahas and probably not the highest quality, but they're still on there.

This guitar is built to last. Mine went through absolute hell the first decade I had it. I'd leave it in the trunk of my car in below 0 weather and 100+ degree temps... it has not come apart yet. Except for the top changing to a rich golden color, the thick finish is still shiney and new looking as the first day I had it. I've never treated the outside to any polish or fancy cleaners... amazing finish.

I have 0 complaints about durability.

NA

I have more expensive acoustic guitars, but this is the one I always return to. Maybe because it's been with me for so long or maybe because it's the one thing in my life that has remained absolutely constant over 3 decades.

For the job this guitar does, for the performance and absolute ruggedness and dependability, for the fact that it looks as good as the day I got it in 1979, I give this guitar a solid 10.

It has become my most cherished possession.

The finish is I think polyurethane, pretty much no frills. The headstock is basic Yamaha issue, again nothing fancy. The guitar has stock Yamaha tuners which on mine work quite smoothly and the guitar stays remarkably well tuned. There is a rosette that is plain vanilla and some white binding around the top of the guitar. My baby was made in 1970's, not sure of the year, will have to check the serial number. I have a bone nut and saddle. Bridge is rosewood as I believe is the fretboard. Obvious but this is a laminate guitar. She was made in China. The fretboard is somewhat wide but comfortable and easy playing. I only give it a 6 given its simplicity. That said, she is beautifully simple, with no frills, very understated. She's a small bodied guitar along the lines of the Eric Clapton Martin acoustic signature model. Very comfortable to play. I play from the classical position and at 6' she fits in on my left leg nice and snug, perfect.

The guitar absolutely shines. I own too many guitars to list, being entirely obsessive compulsive. I am partial to Yamahas I must say, although my stable is stocked with two martins also (an HD 28 and a D 15). The Yamaha is certainly not a boom box as the Martins are, but it has a beautiful resonant sound. This is my second FG 331. I managed to botch the first one up by trying to "fix" the finish. The highs ring out and the lows hold their own. The sound is wonderfully balanced and true. Just one beautiful guitar. I just finished a pick and strum Texas blues tune and it rang out the riff and sang out the chord. Great for Beatles tunes, Dylan stuff and folk which is what I enjly.

The finish on my guitar is just right is all I can say. I adjusted the truss rod a quarter turn to suit my low action preference and it settled right in. I was happy to see that there remains plenty of room in the truss rod. I own another Yamaha (FG 75) that has unplayably (for me) high action which I have come to learn is a malady in many of the older Yamahas. Finish is first rate. I have no idea how she sat when she left the factory, but I can only assume given her current pristine condition that it was as perfect then as it is now.

I don't gig so I can't say how she would stand up to live playing. I can attest to the fact that this guitar will stand up to mountains of abusive treatment. I abandoned my first FG 331 for years. She sat in my attic, in my basement and in my mother's garage for at least 10 years before being rescued by my musical epiphany. I took her to the guitar shop to be restrung and looked over. When she was given back to me the luthier remarked on the wonderful sound. I couldn't believe I hadn't ruined her (although I later managed to ruin the finish - and even that did not screw up the first unit's pristine sound). Both FG 331's I have owned have had the same consistent quality and durability.

I have contacted Yamaha on a few occasions for customer support with questions about my 3 Yamahas. Each time my email was answered by a phone call the following day. Amazing. The Company is still going strong and supporting its products.

I must say I love this guitar. I play it more than my Martins. I am not terribly skilled having played continuously for about a year and a half. This certainly measures my review. I hope that as my skill level increases I will grow into the Martins. This Yamaha is just a joy to play, great action, easy to finger and to lay down chords. My favorite feature is her consistency. The bone nut and saddle has been a tremendous improvement in the sound, she rings clear, consistently, sharply and true on every note. I would not change one thing about this marvelous instrument. I bought this one on Ebay for a steal in my humble opinion. I have played all sorts of expensive guitars in my lunch hour in the guitar center. It doesn't have the full body sound of the small bodied Martins or Taylors but it's close enough for me.