Product: Yamaha 15
Price Paid: $20 (Australian)
Submitted
03/02/2006
at
04:02am
by
Col, Australia
Email: colatpc at hotmail<dot>com
Features
:
7
$20 Australian, used.
This guitar comes out of the 60s, if not before, it's pretty old and looks it.
It is made in Japan and it has stamped on the head in gold lettering,
"YAMAHA Dynamic Guitar". It also has a different insignia to the more modern "3 tuning forks" that Yamaha products of today, carry !
This little solid topped (spruce, 99% sure) Yamaha was found in a very sorry state in a secondhand store. It had two strings, no saddle, stuffed tuners and a nice big split running the length of the sound board. I couldn't help myself, I had to have it !
The back and sides are not rosewood or mahogony, so I'll take a stab in the dark and say it maybe basswood, and I emphasise "maybe".
You see this timber on a lot of early Jap guitars. The neck is mahogony and the fretboard is rosewood and the bridge under the dark stain is some type of light coloured timber. The bridge needs replacing because somebody had butchered it and the slot for the saddle is no longer there, so it supports a three inch nail, instead !
The neck joins at the 12th fret and the fretboard was still playable,
(not too bad!)
The finish is old and abused looking, and transparent.
I like the shape of the body, which is a round square, round shape, if that at all makes sense.
I had to replace the tuners and strings !
It certainly had more features than I was looking for,(added extras} but I won't give a 10 for the extra character it gives the guitar.
Sound
:
10
This guitar is called dynamic, and that is just what the sound is!
Sound wise, this guitar is better than most, it is bright and vibrant.
For $20 I paid for the guitar, the sound gets 50 out of 10.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
7
The action is O.K. (even with the 3 inch nail as a saddle) and will suffice until it gets a new bridge and setup.
Reliability/Durability
:
8
It is an old guitar, but it is not too bad and I am sure it will outlast all of us, unless somebody like its' previous owner gets hold of it.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I was thinking about trying to contact to try to find out more about these early Yamahas, and if there is anybody who reads this who may be able to throw some light my way, please do !
Overall Rating
:
10
I played this guitar solid for approx. 15 months out of the 33 years I have been continually playing for, up to 8 months ago. I got that much enjoyment out of this guitar, it is hard to describe. It has got good sound and it plays just fine, and I love this guitar, it is a little beauty ! and I would take it anywhere and would never, ever sell it.
