Yamaha FG-180

Sounds like a bell.

No experience

I bought my FG180 in the 70's and plunked around with it for several year and then put ti away. I made the mistake of loaning it out and came back with some pick marks below the pick guard and some other marks-nothing major. The wood on this thing is beautiful-sides look mahagony and the spruce top may be laminated but I am no expert. The guitar was apparently made in Taiwan-that what the tag on the back of the head says. Tuners are stock chrome Yamaha the guitar stays tuned fine. Add on chrome strap button and a plastic one -probably original. Sounds great and has no structural defects. I would consider selling the guitar and I can send photos to a serious inquirer. ( Pismo Beach,Ca)805 773 1982

I have one of the early Gakki FG180's that my father bought new in about 1968. The body looks like mahogany to me, and the top is a very wide grain blond wood -- spruce, I assume. The tuners were replaced sometime in the '70's with Schallers; other than that and a custom late '60's pinstriping job (father was a hippie hot rod guy), the guitar is completely original.

No score for features -- it's an acoustic guitar, eh?

I may be blinded somewhat by sentimental value (I inherited it when my father died in '89), but for certain kinds of music this is one of the best guitars I've ever heard -- EXTREME volume, and a lot of upper-mid bite. 1st string on mine is a little muted and woofy compared to, say, a Martin or vintage Guild, but it excels both over the rest of the range when playing down in open-string territory.

I took it to a local guitar emporium recently (was looking for a case big enough to fit it) and was able to compare it directly with some Taylors/Martins/etc.: the Yammy made them sound pretty wimpy by comparison.

I really dig this guitar for fingerpicking -- it doesn't take much effort to get a big sound out of it. Strumming with a pick is generally too damn LOUD and makes the sound too bright for my taste, so I stopped using a pick years ago in favor of strumming with either my thumb (mellow) or pinched thumb+forefinger (brightish, very warm).

I'm not a very good recordist, but I don't think that's the reason this guitar sounds lousy when I mic it up -- all the things that make it speak so clearly also make it sound weird to a mic. Look elsewhere if you want nice recordings, IMO.

The action is really high -- anything above 5th fret is a little tough, and you'd better have a vise-like grip for barre chords. I plan on taking it in for some work soon, and one of the priorities is getting the action down without messing up the tone.

The finish on mine is still very nice. The top has aged to a rich light gold color, and the pin stripe job attracts a lot of attention.

Low score is for the action. Fit & finish are very nice, even after all these years.

For such a lightweight guitar, this thing is a tank. It has survived for 36 years without a case and travelled with my father all over the country, from the humid south to the dry Sierras to who knows where else.

The neck is still dead straight, and the top shows almost no sign of bowing despite the heavy strings my father ran for twenty years. The clearcoat finish has worn through in a few places and it has accumulated some minor dings here & there, but it still looks pretty when polished up.

The only real problem it has developed is some cracking in the neck just under the nut. The upcoming visit to a luthier will include some preemptive work to prevent it from becoming a serious problem twenty years down the road. I fully expect it to outlast me, and I come from a long-lived family.

They made it to last, apparently. That has to count for something...

It's a great big guitar with a huge sound -- it can sing, it can shout, and it makes a decent drum when necessary. Given its age and history, mine is certainly different than every other example of this model, but I agree with a lot of what other reviewers have said. I've played and coveted some very nice guitars over the years, but I have not run across anything that has the combination of tone and volume that the Yammy does. Other guitars are more subtle, sweeter, easier to play, etc., but they all kind of bore me after a while.

Leaving aside its sentimental value, I'd pay a "real Martin" price to find another one just like it if I ever lost it. Fortunately, it seems that good ones can be had for c. $500.

As it is, mine is irreplaceable -- I'd go savagely Old Testament on anyone dumb enough to steal it.

According to Yamaha's serialization table, my FG180 was made in Japan early in 1970. I puchased it in the Spring of 1971. I believe (and have had a luthier's concurrence, that the top is solid spruce, but there is some confusion among Yamaha afficionados on this point, with some claiming they came wuth laminate tops. This may relate to production run changes. The back, sides and neck are mahogany, with rosewood fingerboard and traditonal bridge. This guitar is brightly finished with soem sort of 'bulletproof' lacquer which has held up very well despite 30 years of sensitive but not meticulous care in travels around the world. Very good original build quality.

My FG180 (like most, it seems) sounds like a $2000 Martin or Taylor. In fact, I once had a Martin D35 which took second place (and caused a lot less worry) than the Yamaha. Even with light strings, which i added out of respect for it's age and longevity, the bass tones are rich and deep, with the highs bright. I chose this guitar originally because it was the best sounding one on the rack. Everyone who plays it feels similarly.

It seems to be axiomatic that the action on these guitars is routinely high. In fact, it's become sort of an inside joke. I found mine tolerable until a few months ago when I took it to a talented luthier who adjusted the truss rod for the first time in its history, replaced the nut and bridge saddle with lowered bone pieces. it's now among the easiet-playig acoustics I've ever held. The tuners seem to be the sole poor element...brutish and vague open-style..but reasonably effective. Overall very good build quality and finish.

The FG180 has gone through battles and over mountains while still sounding great, though mine has led a fairly benign existence in humidity-controlled environments. I made my living with it for a time in College, and have used it to teach and entertain for over 30 years. Following it's recent tune-up, the action is fabulous and it plays better than ever. It looks set to go double the distance and outlast me. What else can I say about durability?

I've had no dealings with the Yamaha factory, except to oreder new Mikuni carbueretors for a Yamaha dirt bike I once owned - they were ok.

I've been playing for 38 years, and have owned a variety of (mostly poor) acoustics, many of which I paid a lot more for than this FG 180. I've also currently got an Am Standart HSS Strat, a Gibson SG-Standard, a Kay hollow electric, and a Fender Jazz Bass. In the past, I owned a Gibson 335 Jazz and a Guild Country Gentleman (both HBE's). The only comparable acoustic which has lived with me was a Martin D35, but it was not measurably superior to the Yamaha; I worried a lot more about it, though. My Yamaha has remained 'faithful' through law school, military service, living on 3 continents, too many broken romances to name, marriage, children, and hundreds of gigs, parties and jam sessions. It is supremely reliable and as comfortable playing 'hot country' or bluegrass as it is playing Joni Mitchell, either strumming or finger-picking. It's 'Big Dred' design really booms, and gives long lasting clear sustain to the highs. I would be deeply distressed by the loss of this instrument. My son, who is a punk freak with his own Strat, has secretly begun playing my FG 180 (though he thinks I dont' know it), so I'd love to find one for him. Inevitably the secret will get out about these guitars, and the prices will increase - I'll hang on to mine. If you can find one - GET IT.

My first guitar was a bad silvertone. My first real guitar was a nice
alverez, the eaarly 70's model with adjustable tuners and the fancy pickgaurd. When the Alverez was stolen I was left without a guitar. One day (I think in 73) a friend stopped by, told me I needed a guitar, and gave me this Yamaha. He said he had bought it used for $75.

Yamaha fg 180 serial #663107, red 'NIPPON GAKKI' label. Not sure of exact year with this one, made in Japan. 20 frets, 14 to body. Laminated spruce top according to Yamaha history, with light bracing for very rich sound. Side & back are 'tagithis', whatever that is. Original gloss finish.

Upgraded with enclosed tuners, and had the ac=tion lowered. I love this guitar! I'll reate it a 7, cause it's unadorned.

Everyone who has tried this guitar is impressed. I think it 'cries'. Good sustain & ring, smooth sound. I once thought it had a string rattle, but it proved to be a screw working loose in a tuner. I'll rate it a 9 because I have played even better sounding instruments (which inevitably cost many times what one of these would run).

Great finish, has held up well for around 35 years. No cracks at all, but came to me with lots of light dinging on the back.

Pickgaurd loosened after 20+ years and was replaced. The piece of wood where the pegs hold the strings in developed a crack running through the pegs & was replaced. The replacement has developed a smaller crack in the same position, with no noticable effects, so I'm leaving it alone for now.

A real workhorse. This guitar will outlast most of us. Finish is great, I've already upgraded the tuners and I added a strap button on the side of the neck heel. The pickgaurd did start to come loose, no biggie.

never had reason to try to reach them. After 30+ years who expects customer support?

I have been playing for 35 years. I also own a Martin D-28. Within the past year I've briefly had a couple of other Yamaha NIPPON GAKKI's, an fg-75 and an fg-300. Both were nice, but I liked the sound on this 180 the best. I was sad to let go of the 300, it had the best action of any acoustic I've ever played, but it went to a good home with a good friend.

I'll never part with this 180, mainly because it was a gift, but also because it is such a fine instrument. It holds up well against my 28 year old Martin D-28.

I'd be amazed if you could find a better guitar for the price these go for today.

This FG-180 was purchased in 1970 brand new by me. I never had a really great guitar so this was the first. It was $129.00 and came with a chipboard case. The top is stika spruce. Back and Sides are what appear to be solid Mahogany but I have been told unofficially by Yamhaha that it is not Mahogany. Even a reputable Luthier told me that it was so, i'm inclined ot believe that it is! The fretboard is rosewood.

Thd sound of this guitar has always been bright. New light guage strings ring and the sound volume is exquisite. This guitar actually is louder than my 1997 Martin HD-35. The ring sounds like a James Taylor guitar, and i'm always very impressed every time i pick it up!

The Action of this guitar as was factory set actually stood up for a long time. Over the years, some natural bellying did occur changing the action just a bit but not enough to really cause serious playing problems. Light Guage strings kept that in check. THe finish was always very admirable. It had the look of a vintage guitar even before "vingage" was vogue. The toner used on the sitka spruce has aged nicely over the years and the guitar has a look of a well taken care of 34 year old instrument.

This guitar has entertained many parlor guests and has traveled to picknics but has always been taken care of. It was so loved that 2 years ago, I took it to a a VERY reputable Luthier and asked if the guitar was worth doing some 'set up' work on. He assured me that it was so, I had him perform a Neck Reset, we added new frets, new tuners (Waverly) which fit the same screw holes as the original, he repaird a small bracing crack inside and added a compensated bone saddle, and water buffalo bridge pins. Total cost $800.00. I could not have purchased a guitar this nice for less than 3 times that amount of money, and now it is more than an exceptional guitar. The only recommendation that I did not take, which i do regret was to replace the nut which is not standard width and forces the strings to be a little closer together than on my Martin guitar. He suggested this when I picked it up and I was anxious to get it home. I will at some point return to hime t ohave that very minor work done.

I have never had any support from Yamaha on this guitar. I'm unsure whether they provided it when I purchased the guitar. I believe the FG-180 was the first Acoustic Guitar that Yamaha had ever made!

I have been playing guitar for 30 years or so, and have developed a liking to fingerstyle playing. I did not want to part with this guitar even though i was upgrading the quality of instrument I was playing on a regular basis. This guitar was made very well, and was always free from blemishes, and has been well cared for over the years. I have not compared current Yamaha guitars to this, however I am sure that with technological advances, and product improvements in the mass production of guitars, Yamaha i'm sure has some good instruments for folks looking to begin learning, however there are more choices today, even C.F. Martin has made a guitar for everyone in a price range affordable for "no musician to be left behind". Way back in 1970, choices were few and Yamaha aka Nippon Gaki in Japan fit the the bill with this exceptional instrument which has lasted for many playable years!

I bought my Yamaha FG180 new for $80 (Canadian)in 1970 from Steve's Music in Montreal, so it can't have been made too much before then. 7 digit serial number beginning 113. 20 frets, apparently a solid spruce top (couple of small gouges bear this out). Mahogany sides, 1-piece back, and neck; fingerboard rosewood. Glossy finish, dreadnought-with-a-waist body style. Simple bone or plastic bridge and nut, original open-style tuners really do stay in tune. Mine came with a truss-rod wrench, had to buy case separately.

I do a lot of finger-picking, thump and strum with running bass and occasional hand percussion on the body, and this guitar can really take it. I'm using Elixir Nanoweb Custom Light strings (.11 to .52), but the G is a .22 and it buzzes on the first fret when played open, so it probably should be heavier, but the sound of this guitar with these strings in nothing short of breathtaking. Phosphor-bronze (92/8) can add back the brightness I feel is missing due to the mahogany sides and back. Of course if you like a mellower rather than brighter sound, regular 80/20 strings will be just fine. Played with the back of the finger nails, this guitar sounds very bright and open. At the other extreme, slapping down on the strings near the bridge with the open hand tambour-style yields the most booming bass I can get out of this instrument. Before switching to Elixir, I felt the volume and projection were deficient, but a string that can sing brings out the best in my FG180.

At first the action was high and hard to play, but in 1971 or 72 I had the action lowered and the frets taken down by Mr. Vogel at Anton Wilfer Luthiers in Montreal. The bridge bone was adjusted then too, improving the intonation. It's still not 100%, but maybe a different string gauge would intone better, or an offset bridge. For the past 32 years this guitar has played like butter. I cannot see the seam on the perfectly bookmatched top from a distance greater than 6 inches. A few of the small wood screws holding the machine heads in place have loosened as the wood has dried out.

This guitar has withstood live playing for over three decades. I don't see it deteriorating beyond the loosening of the pick guard. Strap button on the end is solid, I installed one under the 13th fret so it's balanced on my shoulder. The finish is aging gracefully and I would take this guitar to any gig without a backup, it's that dependable. And it hardly ever goes out of tune.

I've never had to deal with Yamaha, and I don't know about any warranty details.

I've been playing guitar since '66. A lot of stuff has come and gone: Framus acoustic, Yamaha FG260 (yellow Taiwan label) 12-string, Moserite and Strat electrics, Rickenbacker 4001 bass. I also have a small Fernandez electric (that has a speaker built into the body. Powered by a 9-volt battery, it even feeds back and distorts--more so as the battery runs down!) If my FG180 were lost or stolen, I don't know what I'd do. I've tried other Yamahas, but never been knocked out by them. I've been looking for a better guitar, one that I can say is "twice as good," and I haven't found it yet (although I'm only looking under $5,000). This week I tried out a Martin D18 and OM-28. The OM28 was very nice, about the equal of my FG180 (in my hands anyway). The Larivee OM-10, however, is the first guitar about the same size, weight and feel as the Yamaha FG180 which I've found to sound measurably better, with more sustain using the same strings--but at over $2,000 more! Money aside, I love my FG180 because it sounds great, is easy to play, has recorded very well and helped me make up dozens of songs. The only things I don't like about it are occasional string buzzes when I play hard, and the stiffness of some of the machine heads. But I love the way we work together, and how I can depend on it to sound great--and then it can still surprise me by sounding better than I ever remember.

It's a copy of an old Martin with the red Nippon Gakki label. Simple decoration. Very wide waist. Cool silver and black truss rod cover with the old Yamaha logo. I give it a 7 because of the cheesy tuners, but what do you want for the price?

Like most of the other reviewers, I have found very few guitars under $1000 that do the dreadnought thing this well. Great rich sound for fingerpicking and cuts through just about anything when strummed. I give it a 9 because I have played better sounding guitars. Of course they cost ridiculous amounts of money.

My dad bought this new in 1969 for $95. He used it for fingerpicking folk stuff when I was a kid. I picked it up in 1978 when I was 12. My buddy taught me Freebird on it. The F chord was a problem because the action was so high. Learning on this thing with its chunky V shaped neck gave me finger strength. My dad had the action fixed a while back and it now plays like a dream. Un fortunately the guy shaved the bridge down a little and the ball ends of the strings are wearing grooves inside their holes. The string end windings have crept over the bridge saddle making it buzzy. I have invented a unique way of stringing as a workaround until I can afford to have this baby worked on. Pickguard is coming off around edges.

This guitar can take serious abuse. Dad gave it to me a few years ago because he knew how much I loved it. There are many scratches and dings all over this thing because it has been played constantly for about 34 years. It's my party and travel guitar and the guitar I learned on. It stays in tune (despite the difficult tuners) no matter what.

N/A

This guitar has tone to die for. Sometimes it can be a little too loud, especially if you're trying to sing over fast strumming ala Richie Havens. If it were ever stolen I would cry. I own an 5 other guitars electric and acoustic. I wouldn't say the FG 180 sounds better than my old Taylor 712, just different because of the much larger body. If you ever see one of these old red label tone machines, buy it without hesitation.
-Bernie

This FG180 is like all the others I have seen, red label, rosewood fretboard, rosewood bridge, mahogany neck, look like mahogany body, but I guess its tigathis, what ever that is, spruce top, dreadnought style body! Still has the original tunners which seem to work well!

The sound is incredible! Its hard to find another acoustic that is that much better than this one, strumming or finger picking!

The only thing that I did to improve it was to lower the action, and a friend of mine back in 1969 put some custom inlays in the fret board which gave it a custom look and character! I seem to remember having the bridge reset a few years ago!

This guitar has aged very well! 35 years! I didn't take that good of care of it but it has no cracks, very light dents, the finish is still glossy! This old girl could be used anywhere, any time, for any purpose!

Never had to use it!

Been playing off and on for 35 years, seriously for about 5 years, have been trying to teach myself Hawaiian Slack key! I have 3 guitars including the FG180, a Koa wood that a friend of mine made which is a very nice guitar, and a classical guitar from Spain which I got pretty cheap but is a nice guitar! My son now plays the FG180 more than I do. He has friends who he practices with who love this old guitar. It obviously has sentimental value and knowing what I know now I would buy another FG180 without hesitation!

I bought this guitar new in 1971 in Hollywood. My guitar guy says its a laminate top. When I bought it I immediately took it in to get the action lowered and replaced the tuners with Schallers. I rated it "what features?" because what features do you find on an acoustic? It's either good or not.

The sound is one of the reasons I have had this guitar for so long. I have had friends use this guitar in the studio because of its sound.

The reason I rated this "Fabulous" is because I have recently had the neck reset and I feel like I have a brand new instrument with a seasoned sound. After looking to replace it with a "better guitar" such as Taylor, Tacoma etc., I found that my FG 180 sounded as good if not better than those, at least to me it did. So instead of spending $2000 on a new guitar, I spent $440 on refurbishing mine with the neck reset (now I have a bolt on)and new bridge. The guitar is louder and sweeter than ever. I have a Highlander PU and the amplified sound is pretty true to unamplified. I have a hard time putting this thing down.

The only thing over the years that I've replaced were the bridge a few times, you know those cracks between the strings. I don't think it was ever fixed properly until now. The finish has darkened nicely over time. I used to gig with it for a long time in LA playing Country Rock during the 70's, back then using a barcus berry PU which worked pretty good for the time. Gosh I love this guitar!!!

Never had to deal with them except to ask general questions.

This is one guitar I have had steadily over the years. I've owned a Les Paul Black Beauty, Sunburst Tele with Maple neck, (love that maple neck)and a few others that have gone along the wayside. This guitar has been my friend for a long time and will remain so for as long as God wills. I only wish I played it better. Of course my standard is Eric Johnson so I don't think I'll ever play it any better, but it doesn't stop me from trying. For the money I feel you can't go wrong with Yamaha although there are some who feel that the post "Red Label" guitars are rather inconsistent. I've been looking to buy an FG 413-12 12 string, which sounds fantastic for the price, $300.

Don't know the year this old ax was made probably in Japan in the late 60s'. Has the red lable nippon gakki. Spruce top, mahogany back, neck and sides and a rosewood fretboard. Frets are in great condition and the neck is strait and true. A big guitar with a big sound. Tuners replaced by a closed gear type that work great.

The rich sound of this sold bird is excellent. I love it. I use Elixer lights and reccomend the nanoweb strings to all. Clear true highs and booming lows. A joy to hear and although I own a Strat and a Les Paul custom this is the guitar I play when I just want to hear the joy of the sound of guitar. I use this tool to write all of my tunes and find the fingering and neck suited for fast chordwork and strum.

I bet the finish and fit was excellent when it was made. It was a little scuffed and scratched when I bought it but nothing serious and certainly nothing that affected the wonderful sound. I bought it with a hard shell case and 3 world war 1 bayonets at a yard sale for $70.00 5 years ago. Sold the bayonets for 250.00 on ebay. So I guess I was paid 180.00 to buy the Yamaha.

I play the old 180 all the time and my only worry is the bridge where the strings come out, the strings seem to be wearing little longer grooves all the time in the mahogany so that someday I may need to replace the bridge. But until then I will play this guitar until my fingers no longer work.

Haven't and probably won't

I have been playing the guitar for 40 years and have played many different types and models of the ax and I assure all of the readers out there that this is one of the sweetest, clearest, loudest most satisfying guitar sounds I have ever heard. If this guitar were lost or stolen I would be heart broken as now I see the rest of the world recognizes the value of these fine old 180s and I could not replace it for less that 500.00.