Yamaha ERG-121

This was my first guitar which I got in 2004 for about ??160 as a starter pacl. It's cheap solid body strat style electric guitar for beginners really. It's has two humbuckers and one single, tremelo bridge and bolt on neck. Fairly standard stuff.

This is guitar is a cheap beginners guitar so it's not expected to amaze anyone. Though in comparison to other guitars of this catagory (e.g. Squier Strat) the sound is much more satifying to a beginner. The two humbuckers produce a much fatter fuller sound than the singles on the affinity strat.

When I got the guitar, it was not set up very well, and having only just started playing guitar, I hadn't a clue how to do set it up or even that the setup was bad. So my guitar teacher set it up for me and since then it has had a very nice action and play ability for a guitar of that price.

Comparing this to the Squire Affinty Strat again, the Yamaha is definetly a safer bet. I knew many people squire strats so got to play with them alot, and using them (especially with the tremelo), they would not stay in tune, whereas I found the Yamaha was generally very good at staying in tune.
The yamaha has always felt like a very solid guitar and I have never had any problems with it in the 4 years I've owned it.

Never had to use it.

I know I've compared this to the Squire Strat quite alot, but generally buying a starter pack for beginners, it is the Yamaha ERG or Squire Strat. To me the Yamaha is certainly the better buy in this market, especially when it's ??40 cheaper.
I think it is very versatile and looks great.

Mine was made in 2002. It's a good generic H/S/H guitar finished in black. Came as part of a learners kit but I'm only going to talk about the guitar (The amp and lead have both died by the way)

Interestingly mines got two volume knobs. It is a tone pot in its usual place - confuses all my friends when they borrow it.

The gig bag is a little basic. More padding would be nice but this guitar appears to be bullet proof. The pocket could also be a bit larger. There's no room for stomp boxes.

I don't have a particular style and this guitar certianly lets me play whatever I want. The humbuckers are good for anything 'rocky' and can be used clean or distorted. Same goes for the in-between settings and flicking from positions 1 to 2 or 4 to 5 on the selector lever is what I use to move from a more rhythm oriented sound to a 'lead' sound. Never found a use for the single coil on its own.

The bridge saddles have been changed to Graph Tech String Savers. I was surprised by how much difference it made and now can't remember what it sounded like before.

As I said before, the bridge saddles have been changed. The reason for this is that one of the originals had a little nick in it that kept sawing through my strings.

Neck pickup doesn't sit on its mounting. It keeps falling off the screws and sitting on the floor of the cavity. This hasn't affected the balance between the bridge and neck pickups though.

Seems bullet proof. Still my only guitar.

Been playing guitar for 6-7 years now. This guitar has always stood up to any comparison. I'll probably continue to use it even when I get another guitar.

Most of the specs have been covered by the myriad number of reviews posted for this guitar, but it has everything a beginner needs, at a bargain basement price.
Bought it as a starter pack but somehow I got a 15 watt amp instead of the 10W, never received the book though, suppose it was a tradeoff for the better amp. As seems to be common, the lead was as much use as a chocolate teapot and was replaced very early on with a decent one with Neutrik ends, I would recommend buying a good lead if you buy the starter package.

Unlike some reviews, the sound is quite good through the 15W amp, the good lead made a massive difference to the overall tone. I replaced the strings for Roto Blues which give sparkly high notes and booming bass tones. Downside is the tremolo can't cope with heavier strings so the trem was locked up with a nice piece of wood, worked wonders for the sustain.
Personally I like the bridge humbucker with some of the bass rolled off to give a jangly sound.

Overall action, fit and finish are great for the price. Friends with more expensive guitars were well impressed with the guitar considering its price.

No issues so far.

never needed to use them

Lets not forget, this is a beginners guitar for very little money and for that alone you can't fault it. No one wants to spend a fortune to find out that they're never going to be able to play or playing guitar is not for them. I've been playing nine months and I'm now treating myself to something special, a 330 Ric, but I'll always keep the Yam because it was my first guitar. When looking at similar priced guitar packages, my kids piano teacher recommended the Yamaha,in fact he recommended anything Yamaha as they make educational instruments which are economical, durable and have a good sound, he wasn't wrong.
If it was lost or stolen I would probably buy something else but only on the grounds that guitar is for me and the Yamaha served it purpose well.
My boss has a vintage SG complete with broken headstock and he has borrowed it on occasion and he rates it, to the point he has given up trying to get the SG repaired and is buying something new to get back into guitar playing.
If you're looking to take up the guitar, buy the ERG 121 and a good lead, you can't go wrong at the price.

My first electric guitar. Bought as starter pack with practise amp about eighteen months ago. H/S/H configuration which at the time I thought would suit. Controls ( Tone and volume only )very basic as would be expected for a cheap guitar. Gig bag supplied which is quite useful but amplifier lead of very poor quality. Pickups appear to be of Yamaha manufacture. Tremlo not used on advice of a friend who warned me about tuning problems. Scored seven on the basis that you cant expect a lot for what I paid

I love Blues music and really go for the humbucker sound. On this guitar I found neck H/B a big dissapointment which is why I am moving to a SE 350 with H/S/S configuration. Bridge H/B sounds good even through 8 watt amp but middle very week. I solve this problem by buying Marshall MG30DFX which really gave all pickups a lift. It seems a general complaint which I agree with that it is very noisy at bottom end but again what do you expect for this kind of money

Fortunately i have a friend with guitar experience because both pick up height and action required some work but once done it has performed well enough. One of the winding pegs is sloppy and this can cause problems when tuning

Not serious knocks so hard to tell but paint finish seems very good though the guitar would benefit from a pickguard. With exception of tuning peg mentioned above everything seems well put together

Not used

I am getting rid of this guitar which I am replacing with another Yamaha.I only play guitar for my own amusement and this guitar would have suited me for ever but for pickup config which is the reason I have bought a 20 year old SE 350

* A japaneese guitar, yet made in china.
* 22 frets on this baby
with volume control, tone, and a 5-way selector
* the pickup configuration is (H/S/H)
* tremolo

bought it in 2004

any guitar (almost any guitar) can suit your playing with the right amp and effects to i'll comment on the CLEAN sound only, and it's pretty damn good :)

everything's good about the guitar except that the pick-ups fitting sucks. if u play hard or for 8 or 9 straight hours they "fall" into the guitar. u have to "raise them up" a little bit and lock that position with the "pickups-heights-adjusting-bolt" (dunno it's actual name :D) so i can say it's not an A-Class guitar, that's forsure

the guitar fell like a BILLION times and it still sounds good :) so i'd have to say that's a pretty tough bad boy. however it fell bec. of the strap. i dont know it the strap buttons are the problem or the strap itself but it seems it cant hold on for a long time soi would reccomend usin it on gigs :D u dont want your guitar to fall on the ground infront of the crowd :S

the weren't of much help

it is definately the BEST beginners guitar (based in features/ sound /and VALUE) but for more professional playin u might wanna go with something else.

it was made in 2001 I think in japan
22 frets
solid top
volume ; tone ; 5 way selector
H/S/H
pick up's are the same of same ibanez
passive electronics
neck is maple
black
it is like a strato
strato bridge
strato tuners
and strato selector.

I usually play blues or rock
I usually use a matcheless hurricane amp.
with the single coil pickup the sound is clear and quite bright,
with the neck humb. my guitar can make a tipical blues sound
with the bridge humb it can make a rockenroll sound, and
on intermedie positions it makes jazz sounds
I've played lots guitars, like usa tel, custom shop strato, les paul, rickenbacker and musicmaster,
and my little guitar has agood sound.
her sound is too good for the guitar as it is.

the action was very good
the bridge isn't very good, and pickups hurt my pick when i play, because there are 3 pickups
I have to chord my guitar rarely

the giutar is very good to play live performances, but it hasn't 'battipenna' like strato.
I use it with secure strap buttons
I've change one time the 5 way selector with a strato one.

I don't know

I bought this guitar like first guitar, now i've a usa tele, but i usually play with my yamaha
i love this guitar because when youa re playing live you can make lots of sounds, and it has a aggressive or honey sound, it depends

Used ERG 121, generic strat shape, 22 fret, H-S-H configuration, 5-way selector, all black, beautiful finish for a low price guitar, no pickguard. Can't tell what the body wood is but must be cheap, however, not too light, typical nice thin Yamaha neck, cut-price alloy bridge, jack socket on body edge. Not sure what the fretboard is made of, a cheap grade of rosewood or rosewood look-a-like, but smooth feel.

Play this through a Marshall and a decent effects unit - sounds like a more expensive guitar - that's the thing about a some (not all) modern low cost guitars - you can make one guitar sound like another, and save yourself a lot of money. But there's always the name thing - we often buy names and models instead of just buying guitars - advertising and branding are so powerful in the world of guitars, along with snobbery. Still, Yamaha are a good name to consider. This erg121 has a smooth sound, not too bright, the pickups are surprisingly good. Bridge pickup has the typical creamy Yamaha sound, neck humbucker has a bit more growl than single coil in middle. I use light gauge strings, so can't comment on what would happen with heavy gauge strings.

The guitar was in mint condition, just lightly covered in dust from lack of playing use. Pickups set at right height, reasonably low action, frets well finished, no sharp edges (better than some other cheap guitars - watch out!). The only thing is, the fretboard wood smells like wild animal dung!! What is that! Tried lemon oil and other liquids, smell still comes back. Some kind of weird far-eastern jungle thing going on here. Tuners not too bad, bit unstable with prolonged wild string bends, but what you would expect anyway. No real complaints about hardware.

Most players would probably not turn up to a gig with this guitar - not enough "cool" (that word was pretentious and out of date by 1974 - people now using it again!!). No, now you have to arrive at the venue with your battered, crap sound "vintage" plank or a new #2000 "boutique" or custom plank - anything except a low-price guitar which might spoil the "image". Alternatively, find some obscure, hardly-known guitar model from years gone by that keeps 'em all guessing.

Contacted them once to get a replacement trem for a Pacifica - good communication, trem came by first class post, and good price.

Been playing on and off for about 32 - 33 years. If you haven't got a lot of money then consider this guitar - it will serve you well if you don't abuse it. Great guitar for practice, and I wouldn't hesitate to gig it. Yamaha usually have very high quality standards, but if you have any doubts about this guitar there are others made by them, that are not too expensive. Of course, if you try more expensive guitars from Yamaha and other manufacturers, and you like them, then thats your choice if you have the money - there's so many good guitars to choose from these days, at different price ranges. Sometimes it takes a while to know if you like a guitar or not. Sometimes you pick one up in a guitar shop and the assistant has to wrestle you to get it back off you.

General features of a strat rip off, 22 frests, 1 tone 1 volume knob, 5-way-selector, string-thru-body, but with a very $%^&!@ bridge.
Came with Lead, Gig Bag and GA10 amp.

It buzzes, i don't mean fret buzz, I mean it just makes the amp buzz (With any amp) like crap, mainly on the humbucker settings, But it seems to add more distortion.
It's sort of the kind of guitar you'd give a 10-year old going through a rock phase knowing full well it'd be in the back of the warddrobe in a few months.
And there is also a lot of fret buzz. The string tension is awfull.

When I got it I had no idea what action was. So I just played it like that. Eventually I decided to raise the pickups (During a point where I decided I wanted to sound like Rhandy Rhoads).
For a factory set up everything was pretty good. Fret wire perfect, quite a nice fingerboard, nut cut fine. Tremelo was a #$%^& though, it knocks out of tune if you dive.

I think I could throw this out of my window and it only come off with a few dints. Strap buttons are great, finish would last forever, very solid.
Although due to neglect the fingerboard is begining to rot.
Wouldn't gig it. Except for a joke.

Didn't deal with them.

I've been playing a year and only get it out when my younger cousins come around and I don't want them to touch my fender or wesley.
It got me startered on guitar, I don't regret getting it, as my first guitar, it got me a talent. In the future i'd see myself sticking stickers all over it and having it signed by somone and sticking it to my wall.
I loved the sturdyness of this guitar and it's sentimental value. But that's about it.
And it was a christmas present.

2005 Chinese-made 22 fret HSH with volume and tone controls and a five-way selector. Apart from the pickups, this is a purebred Strat knockoff. It came with a gig bag, cheap practice amp and cable, tuner, a few picks, an Allen wrench for truss rod adjustment, and an extra set of strings. For a beginner, this is all you need and a lot more.

I tend to play classic rock (the worst this has been through would be some AC/DC tunes). Don't expect to play live with this unless you want to be laughed at; the low E string will develop a distinct buzz after a month or so (even played open!) and it won't go away no matter how you try to set up the thing. If you can get over that, you'll learn to live with the sound (at least in a practice setting).

Initial setup was mostly ok; I needed to adjust the intonation slightly (this is painful, as the adjustment range on the bridge is pathetic), and the pickups were adjusted a little bit for height to match personal taste. Other than that, I've noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

The finishing has chipped slightly already, and I can see this wearing off extremely quickly (it's a cheap beginner's guitar; do you expect it to last)? As a consequence, I don't expect this to last more than two or three years, and I'll be surprised if I still have it by then. It certainly gives off the impression of being well built otherwise, however.

I haven't needed to deal with them, and probably won't need to do so.

I have had this for two or three months and have been thrilled with it as a starting point, and would not hesitate to recommend this to individuals who are looking to see whether or not they would have an interest in guitar playing. The price combined with the flotilla of accessories it comes with makes the thing a steal. If anybody were desperate enough to steal it (haha, not likely), I'd go out and buy a real Stratocaster (which is probably what I'll do in the future anyways). Still, it has served me well thus far in my capacity as a beginning player and probably will continue to do so.

Made in Taiwan
22 frets
solid-top
Volume, tone, 5-way selector
pickup configuration h/s/h
Yamaha passive pickups
agathis body ( whatever it is) and rosewood neck
Elegant black finish
standard vibrato bridge
yamaha non-locking tuners
25,5 scale
For the price it is a great value. It allows You to try many sounds like double and single coil pickup configutions and vibrato bridge. Thanks to this guitar now i know what kind of guitar I really need. Because of this and price i give it 10.

I was palying difrent kinds of music. Nu-metal, punk, industrial, jazz, blues, You name it. Actually I'm a songwritter in two bands. One is playing pop ( something like mix of the police ang queen), another one plays music like godspeed you black imperror and silver mt zion. My rig is: dunlop crybaby wah, e-bow plus, yamaha dg-stomp, crate gx10 practice amp or marshall
valvestate 100. Noisy only on single coil settings. Bridge pickup very agressive and chunky with 11 strings. Single coil is quite nice, on drive channel sounds like early hed pe ( chad benekos ). Neck pickup is very full and dark, i'm using it only on clean channel. If you play well you can get good harmonics. For the price you get bags of sounds. I like it very much, indeed. But After 5 great years of playing on this i had to get better guitar. I like everything in this instrument. I still play on erg121. For sure better than ibanez low-budget guitars. No regrets.

Action was a little bit to high for my taste. Pickup had to be adjusted.
Great neck for the price. I like manny playbilities in this guitar. Of course it will be hard to do double-tapping on this babe but what begginer would know how to do this trick? No complaints

Played gigs with this. No complaints except pickups selector. When you change it, you can hear noise.

Never had to deal with them

5 years playing this yamaha. If it were stolen i would replace it, especialy the new erg121 looks much better. My favorite feater is manny posibilities in sound. In its own class its a champion. If you are starting playing, buy it. There isn't anything better on the market.