Yamaha FG-300

I will state for the record that I do not own this guitar. It belongs to my sister-in-law, who inherited it when her father passed away. As such, it has been "in the family" for 26 years. I have played it on numerous occasions over the years and have just spent a couple of weeks repairing and adjusting this fine old guitar. I feel this qualifies me to give the review that follows.

What we have here is a "red label" Yamaha FG-300 acoustic guitar. This example has no serial number, but I believe it dates from about 1970, and was made in Japan by Nippon Gakki. The guitar is a dreadnaught body style, with a spruce top, rosewood sides and back, and a mahogany neck. Despite what several reviewers below indicate, the top, sides and back are laminated, not solid wood, at least on this example. I can see the cross ply laminations on the edge of the soundhole, and the wood grain on the back is markedly different on the inside and outside of the body. The guitar appears to be styled after the Gibson Hummingbird or Dove family, though it's not a direct copy. Like the Hummingbird, it has a short scale, measuring only 25", and an large, elaborate pickguard with a floral pattern engraved on it. Like the late 60's Dove, the Yamaha has a large rosewood bridge, with pearloid inlays, which incorporates a "tuneamatic" style adjustable bridge. There are 20 frets on a rosewood fingerboard with small split paralellogram pearloid inlays. The covered tuners and bridge are of Yamaha's own design and manufacture. The neck is rather narrow, with a comfortable soft "v" shape, and is bound with a single layer of white binding. The body and headstock are bound with alternating layers of white and black plastic and the "Yamaha" logo is inlayed on the rosewood peghead veneer in pearl. The finish is a gloss poly or urethane varnish.

The guitar came with a simple hard shell case, also made by Yamaha. It has a rather thin yellow plush lining, and is unusual in that all the hardware is screwed to the case rather than being riveted.

I'm not sure how you rate an acoustic guitar for "features." It does have a case, an adjustable bridge and fancy inlays, so I'll give it an "8"

Over the years I've played this guitar on many occasions, Usually at parties at my brother's house. Unfortunately, the guitar was usually equipped with old, dead, rusty and mismatched strings, so I never was able to evaluate it fairly. After performing necessary repairs (see below) and stringing it with Martin SP custom lights, I was able to give this guitar a fair evaluation. I am impressed. After 33 years of aging, the wood is very dry and the guitar is toneful and lively.

I also own a new Gibson Hummingbird and a three year old Gibson SJ200, and this little Yamaha holds its own with them. Compared to the Hummingbird, the Yamaha lacks the deep, warm bass and sparkling presence in the high notes of the Gibson. The Yamaha has a sound that is more focused, with strong mids and a slight compression. The Yamaha's tone makes the most of its limited volume and cuts through a mix very well. This focused sound would make the guitar a good choice for ensemble playing. Where the Hummingbird tends to get lost in a large room, the Yamaha cuts through and makes itself heard.

I was so impressed that I took the guitar to my church and played it in last Sunday's service. I was very pleased with the way it sounded in the large hall, and I got several compliments on the sound from the congregation.

The sound is so good that my rating is not just against other guitars in its price range, but against all other acoustics I've played. The "8" in this category may, therefore, seem low, but I'm comparing it to high end Gibsons, Martins and Taylors. In this company the rating I'm giving it is nothing to be ashamed of

The guitar is pretty old, so I don't really know what the factory setup was like except for a couple of things. The original nut is cut with very close string spacing, making the already narrow neck seem even more tight. My playing style includes a lot of fairly intricate left hand work and elaborate flat picking, so I'm used to a fairly wide board with generous string spacing.

Although my sister-in-law does not remember it, the guitar was worked on at some point. The frets have been dressed quite low between the 3rd and 12th frets. I believe that the neck developed a back bow at some point in its early life, and that someone attempted to correct it by dressing the frets to obtain some neck relief. With fresh strings and a truss rod adjustment, the guitar plays very well despite these issues. I think the guitar would play even better with a new nut and a professional refret, but it's not my choice to make.

Overall, the woodwork was neat and tidy. Yamaha even varnished the INSIDE of the body. The hardware (tuners and truss rod cover) were installed a little crooked, but those are the only issues I can find with the guitar as built.

As I mentioned before, the case hardware is attached with screws rather than rivets. Some of the latch screws near the lower end of the case are long enough to penetrate the thin case lining and scratch the guitar. It's something to watch for.

This guitar is over 33 years old now and has survived years of abuse and neglect. It has been stored under beds and forgotten in closets during damp summers and dry, cold winters. About six years ago, my nephew decided to take up guitar and "borrowed" mom's guitar for the next five years. My nephew is now a working professional musician, and the guitar he learned on shows the scars and dings that time and careless youth have inflicted on it. The finish is showing many dings and scratches, but hasn't worn through except for some pick wear around the soundhole.

This past year, my sister-in-law asked me to clean, adjust and restring the guitar for her, as it has achieved "family heirloom" status. As it turned out, the guitar needed a bit more work than that, but nothing out of the ordinary for an instrument its age. The top was beginning to sink ahead of the bridge due to a loose brace, which I easily reglued. This cured the sinking top. The neck set proved to be excellent after all these years. One of the tuners was stripped from wear and neglect, so I installed a set of Grover Rotomatics. The pick guard had come loose (apparently they all do on this model, according to the other reviews). I cleaned off all of the loose glue, sanded the guard and top smooth, then reattached the pickguard with 3M double sided adhesive.

All the guitar required after this was a good cleaning, a fret polish, a little oil on the fretboard, and a careful setup. Now it plays and sounds as good as ever.

Of course it will withstand live playing, and has for many years. My nephew has subjected this guitar to far more abuse than I ever would, and it has come through with only the minor troubles I've noted. In my opinion, this guitar is as durable as any acoustic guitar could be expected to be.

I've never contacted Yamaha, but I doubt they could be of much help. This guitar is, after all, over 33 years old. I'm sure that original replacement parts (tuners, pickguards, etc.) are long gone.

This guitar belongs to my sister-in-law, who, although she rarely plays it herself, cherishes it because it was her father's guitar,and because her son learned to play on it. Our whole family plays music and we own many guitars, as well as drums, keyboards and other instruments. This Yamaha is the oldest of the bunch, and the only instrument to have achieved "heirloom" status. It's a fine guitar that only needed a little love to be restored to health. I'm glad I had the chance to do this. It's a great little guitar.

I bought my Yamaha FG300 red label about a year or so ago. The serial number is 20124484. There is a small "k" stamped above the label with a circle around it. The guitar is in great shape. The only 2 flaws I've seen are the pickguard which I reglued with a contact adhesive, and a small dent on the back of the neck where someone had evidently knocked it over. The finish is great. I came with the original case,which still had the little made in Japan stickers on it. The frets are in almost new shape. This guitar has not been abused or played heavily.I love the adjustable bridge-it makes sense.

I play my guitar mostly at home because I'm usually playing electric live. I've really been afraid to use it much live because of the rowdy kids at all of the youth band functions related to the church, etc.This guitar has a very mellow tone as well. The highs are great, the lows are thundering. I've played some bluegrass next to an early 60's brazilian Martin and an older Gibson j50. It blew the drawers off the Gibson and hung valiantly with the Martin.Martin won the lows.

This guitar was built solidly. The pickguard was raised when I bought it. I fixed that. Great woods-I thought it was solid but was informed it was probably laminated. The adjustable bridge is great.

This is an awesome player. It still has the original tuners which do fine. All the woods in fine order. I got rid of my Alvarez pd series guitar after I got this one. It sounded like a cigar box. It is my only acoustic-I can't justify the money difference to buy its equivalent. I own a 93 American strat,G & L asat special, Yamaga sbg 500, 95 American strat limited edition, 65 Fender p-bass. Bang for the buck this is THE winner hands down.

The only experience I've had with yamaha is when they sent me a free catalog for a sequencer I had. They were really nice, though.

I have been playing guitar for 20 or so years. If was lost or stolen, it would be devastating. I would be forced to go buy that new Taylor and sell the kids to the slave traders.I will buy another 300 right now if one comes available.

The bridge is to die for, like a tune-o-matic for acoustic

Warm tone, resonates where it should, sings out strong

Plays like a dream, looks like a million... or it would if the pick guard would stay on the darn top....

No problems since the day it was new ... except that pickguard

I am waiting for a reply from Yamaha on how to properly repair the pickguard. I need a replacement guard and am having problems finding one. The old one is in pieces from being brittle from age. I have yet to hear back....

I have owned Gibson, Taylor, Martin, Ovation, and Guild acoustics. They all have thier ups and downs (mostly ups) but they can't touch this thing for value on the dollar. Not many 35 year old acoustic guitars look as good as this one ... except for the pickguard. As soon as I get a response from Yamaha, I will post the info how to repair the common pickguard problem.

playing for 30 + years
When god invented the guitar this is the one he was talking about!
With the tone quality that this old yamaha has
and the perfect action that compares to a top dollar gretch
it is hard to set it down
and it doesnt matter what kind of strings are on it some cheap ghs or marques this guitar brings out the best in any brand
even dead strings sound good on this old fg300
I just wish that I bought it ealier in life, for it would have saved me from buying about 13 other aquistic guitars that dont get very much play anymore now that I have this one
I just dont understand why yamaha cant duplicate the quality of this old guitar on any of their newer models
nor any of the computition
I bet that Neil Young has at least one

late 60's or early 70's
never counted the frets .all's I knowns is if-in I can't them I start in a lower key
metinks it's solid
naw-thing onboard as far as electronics
fg300
shoot I don't know what wood it tis

full bodied sound
non-amplified
well hit don't bark or moo or sound like no cat or aminail
most times it's user error when I screw up up, trying to play her

guitar was givin to me by a friend
his son tried to refinish it and FAILED
LOOKS LIKE HELL

welp it set in my buddy's celler fer about 20 year and it has been in my basement fer about 20 year
so's you finger it out

HA___HA_____why ask-------whatis customer support

action on this unit is fantatic; I would put it up against any guitar in the world today
other than my 59 gibson les paul or my 63 fender strat
but these are electric guitars

How many features can you have in an acoustic? Not many but this is my favorite acoustic I've ever played on. I may only be 17 but I've been playing since i was about 11 years old. This is a wonderful guitar and possibly one of the best buys you can find. Esspecially with the red nippon ghakki (rare version, japenese) After buying these in 2002 I felt i had ripped th eguy off once iI got home. I got it for only $80 dollars!!!

Two words..GOD LIKE... no guitar under a thousand bucks has the sound this does. If you fnd one buy one..but they can be hard to get!

Very well! Although after time the pickguard trends to warp off the wood... other than that wonderful!

Very good except for the pickgaurd like i said.

dont know..this guitar is over thirty years so there would eb no need for customer service.

W - O - W

1974 FG-300
Black Label: Yamaha + Nippon nomenclature under varnish (watch for early model fakes as labels are peeling yellowed paper, not under shellac.
Serial number at front of sound hold bracing near neck side in blue.
Dreadnaught body style (fat waist, wide body acoustic).
Solid Rosewood sides, book matched rosewood back, rosewood neck, binding includes headstock!
Solid spruce top (use dental mirror to verify grain patterns when purchasing), with rosewood tailpiece, mother of pearl neck inlays, flower pattern 3 color painted pickguard is a must for true value.
Adjustable tailpiece (action, and intonation).

I'm comparing the sound to overal guitar tone. Since I'm not primarily an acounstic player this is based on an odd set of circumstances. However, my extensive/eclectic guitar collection and involvment in music makes me feel this is an unbiased opinion.

Some of my more recognizable guitars currently owned:
91 Fender USA Stratocaster 'Ultra' Model with Fender Lace sensors
84 Ibanez Signature series Alan Holdworth AH-10
76 Hagstrom Super Swede
79 Les Paul Standard
98 Les Paul Zak Wylde Signature model

This acoustic is ultimately a very warm guitar. Whom ever posted (see other reviews) that there is a lamitated top has never seen the original literature for this guitar, or looked inside with a dental mirror. The guitar features a solid spruce top with incredible solid rosewood book-match back and sides. No laminates here at all. Even the interior skeleton is made with rosewood, or spruce supports. Include the fact that there is close to 2 milimeters of gloss sealant on the guitar and you have a very dense, high sustain, warm tone. The fundamental notes ring true and last for days. If you match features with any new guitar of the same caliber, expect to empty your bank account for more than 2K us. That is the bottom line.

I received this guitar from my wife, who's father died at an early age. The guitar was in storage for 20 years. SInce I've had it, I have adjusted the intonation depending on the string gauges I use with it (try that with a solid tail piece!) and have had no problems with the playabilty of this guitar. There are even frets, and no dead-spots on the neck.

I have had the same standard pick guard problem. Ironically this is due to Yamaha trying to make a better pickguard mounting system. Instead of clear coating the top, and sanding where the pickguard was to be glued, they clamped a slightly smaller version of the pickguard before the shellac process. After the thick shellac was placed, the pickguard was removed and glue was poured into the cavity and the pickguard placed on top. The reasoning being that the glue adheres to the wood better than the clear shellac or varnish. Unfortunately for Yamaha, they didn't realize these guitars would be played 30 years later, and the glue shrank at a quicker rate than the shellac. With the edge of the pickguard overlapping the now-higher shellac, the two separated and the pickguard falls off. No big deal, my local luthier glued it back on for $40 during a Winter (the dry season) tune-up.

Otherwise the guitar features, a nicely shellacked interior...could of been sanded inside, but this is no boutique model and back in the 70's nobody did that when making $300 guitars!

This is an acoustic that can last a lifetime. It is the kind that you refret and pass on to your children. 2 mils of shellac all over the thing, and solid tuners with thick gears. The heel of the neck is robust and will not warp (my guitar was left outside for a week in -10 Celcius weather when dropped off by a delivery service) My luthier says it is straight as an arrow.

Who knows.....

Considering you can buy one used for half of what a top of the line Martin Dreadnaught costs there is no question this is a great value. Try one and see for yourself.

I bought my FG300 at a music shop in Douglasville Georgia in about 1970. It was new and a friends parents owned the shop. I paid $250 for it with a case. It is a Red Label with all the look of a Gibson Hummingbird. Lots of pearl and attention to detail. I do not know the wood or the finish...it does have an adjustable neck to keep it easy to fret. It is a dreadnought. Everything is original. The keys are still perfect.

When I bought it...I just wanted the top of the line Yamaha...I had no idea what I was getting into.......I knew it sounded good compared to my old Kay (which I wish I still had), Silvertone (Sears Craftsman..lol) and some classical guitar that I learned on.

This is perhaps one of the few guitars in the world where the bridge can be adjusted to fine tune each string. What a cool feature.

Here is the big thing. I have always wanted a Martin. I've been looking at D28's anywhere from 1299 to 1699. I gotta tell you...they are way over priced. Put a set of Martin Marquise medium gauge strings on this baby and it will kick the Martin at any time...and believe me I've played at least 10 Martin D28's and other models in the last two months. This is a killer...and can do bluegrass, country and rock...I bet John Denver knew about this guitary.

The guitar has been perfect. After 30 years I've only had to adjust the neck slightly two times. I gotta tell you...compare the ease of fretting to a factory martin...way down the bridge...and the FG300 will kick a Martin every time...and the baby never rattles.

Only issue I have ever had was the original pick guard coming loose. I have glued it with "super glue"....because super glue is light and will not affect the harmonics of the wood deck. No problem since.

Finish...to consider that this baby has been in my hands for 30 years..and the fact that it got played by a lot of people...it has held up remarkably well. It looks like the kind of guitar that a lot of people have enjoyed.

Got kinda routy with it a couple of times and left some pick marks on the deck....but it looks like a guitar with "character"...what a nice guitar.

One little place on the top edge has pulled away a little. It was like that the day I got it.....a good luthier could fix it in 10 minutes.

Withstand? 30 years of me and she is still perfect...I think that answers the question.

Never had to deal with anyone at Yamaha. Just no problems.

I have been playing since 1964...albiet pick it up and put it down for years at a time. At age 56 I am working on a lot of things to improve my playing. With retirement not so far away it will be nice to have a hobby that brings so much joy....

Rating...hummm...I mean this from the bottom of my heart....as mentioned earlier I've (since life has been good to me) been looking to buy a really good guitar. Everyone told me get a Martin, get a Guild, get a Taylor, get an Alvarez. You gotta be kidding me. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar...I guarantee there is nothing that comes close to the sound, sustain and performance of this guitar.

I have a 1977 F385 Takamine 12 string....the Martin lawsuit model. What a gem and a Yamaha G-231II classical... They funny thing is that all of the models that I have are rated above 9.5 on the Harmony Central web site. Thank goodness I made some good choice.

If you can find a FG 300...with the orginal pick guard and fairly taken care of...it would be a real value. Today, if I had to replace the FG300 I would pay the equivalent of a Martin D28 to do so. The value proposition is certainly there. I do believe that the newer models of Yamaha don't touch the quality of their first guitars....the fit and finish are just not there....maybe the current pricing is reflective of that...since you can buy one today for what I paid 30 years ago.

To hell with Martin...I think they are overated badly....I play a little bluegrass with my cousins husband and he says...Can I play the Yamaha....he has a D12 Martin...this is a funny world.

Hey ! Just found this site...nice ! I beleave my FG-300 was made in the early 70-s. It has the standard features...20 frets ,ajustable bridge, double m-p inlay on neck + bridge,"dreadnought"solid spruce soundboard,
rosewood body+ fret board,m-p inlayed insignia...

The sound is quite moving...exuisite ! Lovely deep bass vipes with
soothing over tones with above average volume...in all ..
rich,solefull harmonics...A pure delite to hear. I play any and all type of music with this FG-300!

Ive experiensed the pickgard comming lose.my only minnor complaint.
Ive had this FG-300 for 4 years. I traded a "Guild Starfire 3" for it.
...go figure. I just fell in luv with it...ya know ? It may not have been taken the best care of...because it has a few "tweeks"..
A bit of fret vibrations here and there, neck could use a peck or two..and the nut needs replaced,it has uneven notchs. The finish is quite nice, everything is tite and true. There is some darkening of
the finish...gives it a antuige apearense. the action will be perfect
when i get the tweeks out , ill have a pro do it..no doupt too valuble ! if i sold it as is ied have to get $1500. easy !

Oh yea i'ed use this in any pro live gigs or recordings,A VERY WELL MADE GUITAR..SUPURB SOUND, Ofcorse age has someTHING to do with that.

Ive never dealt with company... im sure they are great.

Been playing for 20 years ,Have several guitars electics,dreads, clasical,and a "slide". If i find a good deal on the FG-#s i'ed get it
in a heatbeat , love the sound... "deep sole". Infact the nicest sounding guitars ive played havE been yamahas... true !

I'm not sure what year this guitar was made, But I bought it from a very close friend of mine in 1997.It has a red nippon gakki label inside, so I'm thinking probably around the same time as most in the previous reviews.It has a laminated top, no pick-ups or any electronics.It does have an adjustable bridge, with individual tuners.Standard Yamaha covered tuners.Last but not least, a black yamaha cap covering the adjustment rod on the head.

The sound sends those cold chills down your spine. Nothing under $1500-$2000 can touch it in my opinion. Oh yeah, and new strings just make the chills that much colder.On a scale of 1-10 I'd have to give it a 12 or so, but 10 is all they allow!!!Perfect for almost any style of music(pre-1990, as if anything later is even considered music)bluegrass, folk, rock, etc.

Compared to many guitars I've had priveledge to play, nothing comes even in close proximity to the playability, without doubling or even tripling the price. the only problem so far is, like many of the other reviews, I have had to re-glue the pickguard down.Other than this minor detail, the action, fit, and finish are all perfect.

I would not be afraid to stand in front of 10,000 people and play this instrument, it is as faithful as the sun rising and setting,even now 30+ years old. Also haven't had any trouble at all with tuners sticking or neck warping or anything of that nature. Very low-maintenance!!!!

Never had to deal with Yamaha for repair or warranty!

I've been playing for nearly 10 years( still an ametuer by all means )I also own a Gibson Les Paul Custom 1978/black. From the very first time I played the FG-300, I fell in love with the sound and playability and pretty much begged for my buddy to sell me this guitar, and when he practically gave it to me($200)I've never regretted spending the money. If it were stolen,well, we'd better not go there.It'd be pretty drastic!!You'd have to have one to understand!!!