Yamaha GC41

Construction and woods are as described by the previous reviewer and on the Yamaha website. The German spruce top was very well selected for slow growth (consistently close grain) and color uniformity (no striations), much finer quality than I expected in this price range. The Honduran rosewood and compensated saddle are unusual in this price range. The poly finish was thin as advertised and well done as were all other finish details. The tuners were also of very good quality.

In all honesty I think the sound qualities of the GC41 are over-rated. I don't know how much the sound could improve after some months of playing in because I bought it new and returned it due to a neck defect (below). As a new instrument it has a fairly neutral tonal balance with no unusually strong resonances. It has an appealing Spanish sound with both nylon and carbon trebles, which is to its credit as some guitars in its price range sound harsh with carbons. However it didn't come close to matching the power and sensitivity of a Loriente Clarita which has a similar street price. Its power and sensitivity were similar to a comparably priced Cordoba for example, adequate for casual or student use but not for serious study to develop concert performance skills. In comparison the Clarita is suitable for concert performance, which is exceptional at its price.
There are some threads published on the web that Yamaha recommends using only light to medium string tensions on the entire GC series. If this should be taken seriously, then the inability to use medium-hard or hard tension strings is quite limiting even for an aspiring student let alone an accomplished player.

The cosmetics were impressive, the action was nice and the intonation was acceptable although not as good as a Loriente despite the GC41's compensated saddle. However the neck had too little relief (essentially none) which caused fret buzz on barre chords at fret 7 and higher. The fret buzz was quite loud and present across a range of string tensions (medium nylons, medium-hard nylons, and hard carbons). To remedy this problem, either the neck would have to be steamed and reshaped; or the fretboard would have to be removed, the neck re-carved to create adequate relief, and then a new fretboard installed. I opted to return the guitar. The dealer was surprised to learn about this problem and was very accommodating.

The Yamaha website shows a photo of the top bracing which looks very substantial. However their recommendation against using medium-hard or hard tension strings raises some doubt at least for me about durability.

The Yamaha authorized dealer was a pleasure to work with. I didn't contact Yamaha directly about the neck shaping problem.

If you can find one with a properly shaped neck, it's overall a better guitar than most others in its price range, but not as good as a Loriente. I don't think it's fair to compare the GC41 sound favorably to guitars in a higher price range, although I didn't have the opportunity to play it in for a few months. I'm a conservatory trained musician who has been playing for decades. My primary classical guitar is a Bernabe. I bought the GC41 to use as a travel guitar and for casual playing at parties. The neck problem ruled out either use however.

The GC41 sports all solid woods and my guitar has wonderfully figured Honduras rosewood and a very silky spruce top. The purfling and rosette design is stunning, among one of the most attractive classical guitars I have seen. The tuners are excellent and attractive. Looking inside the guitar with my mirror, the brace work is clean and definitely shows evidence of being hand shaved to optimize the sound.

The craftsmanship on this guitar is absolutely first class, under close inspection I cannot find even a small cosmetic flaw. The finish is polyurethane and it was applied very thinly. I would prefer lacquer, or better yet lacquer with the top finished with shellac, but Yamaha did an excellent job with the finish. I am sure part of the reason the price is so reasonable is the efficiency of the spray finish technique. Of course many top guitar makers use this type of finish and it is very durable.

It is really premature to rank the sound of a brand new spruce top. After taking delivery of the guitar I changed strings to a set of D???addario high tension EXPs. In just a few days of playing the guitar, the sound opened up substantially. At this point, the guitar has the projection I would expect from a concert instrument. This Yamaha already has a beautiful traditional sound that is well balanced and the guitar has great response when playing open string and artificial harmonics.

The action came at just below 3.5mm on the bass at the 12 fret. The neck profile is very comfortable making this an overall easy to play classical guitar.

Action, fit and finish is as good as a classical guitar gets. Yamaha provides a bone saddle with a compensated 3rd string. The intonation is very good.

As mentioned I own several GC models ranging from 1974 - 1981. These guitars have never given me any problems. With the new GC41, so far so good.

Yamaha USA was quick to respond to my questions about the specs on the guitar and even sent me a spreadsheet with information on the older GC models going back to the early 1970s. I have not had to use customer service for any repairs.

I would replace the guitar.

I have played classical guitar seriously for over 30 years, and this is the only style I play. I have owned about 20 high end concert instruments and am picky as hell about the guitars I own. I started collecting select Yamaha GC models some time ago when I lived in Japan during the mid 1980s. I have models ranging from the 1970s (GC20D, Brazilian RW, an exquisite concert guitar), a GC10 (1981, also a great guitar) and now the GC41. I played all the new GC models just recently (Sept 2006) at the Yamaha retail shop in Shibuya, Tokyo. I regretted not buying the GC41 in Japan because it took over 6mos of waiting to get one in the States. In fact, I needed assistance from Yamaha USA to find out which dealers were going to get any of these within a year period! I am pleased to say that Yamaha has continued to produce some nice, very reasonably priced concert class guitars.

In this price range I have tried the Ramirez E and R models, Cordobas and other Valencia-produced guitar at my local Guitar Center. I have also owned a CY140 Yairi. The GC41 IMO is superior in terms of wood selection, craftsmanship and sound. I am very pleased with this guitar. Note that I did try the GC11 through GC31 models and found that the GC41 was definitely worth the extra money, it has noticeably better projection and dynamic range. The GC41C (cedar top) was really loud and worth a look if you prefer cedar.

I have owned guitars at well over twice the price that were not as good as this GC41.