Yamaha F-310

What made me buy TWO of these guitars is the shape of the neck, the sound, the fact that the saddle is positioned properly and the plain (but attractive) look.
These would be the cheapest steel string acoustics that I have ever owned that are still great instruments, I am planning to gig with these!
Already built-in pickup systems may be the cheapest, but I like to add my own (a combination of a saddle piezo Baggs LB-6 and a Sunrise Magnetic Soundhole Pickup on a stereo jack; no internal electronics, no unreliable batteries!).

My first good acoustics were the Martin copies Takamine made in the seventies. When I eventually graduated to real Martins I realized I spent 4 times more for a 20% improvement.
Since then I've had Taylors, right now my best guitar is a Collings, for me the best ever, and every other one I've ever played has been outstanding too!
The Collings cost more than twenty times more than the AU $150 I paid for a second hand Yamaha F-310, and it is probably 4 times as good in every department.
Still, once you slap some pickups on it, there isn't much of an advantage left, over the cheapo Yamaha.....

I adjust my own necks, and I can fiddle with saddles till I like the action. If I ran a shop, I would not do this for free on a below $500 instrument, let alone a $200 one.
So if you are buying this guitar new and don't know how to adjust action and such, see if you can sneak in under the radar and get the store to do this for you as a courtesy anyway, they may be able to if you pick the right time :)
If these were totally consistent setup-wise, I'm sure they would cost more, I can easily spend a couple of hours setting up a guitar myself, and my guess is that this instrument is made with very few man-hours, even if it is made in Indonesia.
Both the necks on my pair are good, straight, nice shape & easy to play.

I never gig without a backup, a good set list is like a song, and breaking momentum is not a good plan.
Still, I do not expect the guitar itself to fail, the only moving parts are the tuners, and they have been ok so far....

There was an ad campaign once that stated: "One day you'll own a Yamaha"..... and in my case, never a true-er word has been spoken :)
I've had the bike, the stereos, the mixing desks, the sound effects units, played the pianos, loved the cheap Made in Taiwan acoustics, and now the Made in Indonesia ones aren't bad either.
All this stuff was so good I never needed any after sales support, and most of it was bought second hand anyway, it worked really well, and eventually I sold most of it without losing any money, what more can you ask for?

I can absolutely recommend this as a first guitar, but the killer is this would be more like my 200th guitar (40 years of playing), and I'm having fun with it.
With a good set of strings (right now I'm using Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 12-54 Phosphor Bronze) these guitars can ring like a bell.
The fretwork is ok, the wood looks nice, the neck shape is great, what a winner!

Very nice guitar, I've been playing for 35 yrs and i love this guitar. 20 frets, cost me $200.cdn for the guitar, soft case, strap and extra strap peg. Only problim I have with it is i have a bridge peg hole witch is lose. The e string will pull the bridge peg lose. Other than that it's a great guitar to take to a party, campfire,ect. inexpensive and durable.

Basic, no frills. Pretty much like everyone else said. At least it doesn't look like a cheap guitar, even if it is. I'm guessing it was made in the late 90's, as I bought it new in 1999.

The tuners are el cheapy cheap, but they've done the job fine

I'll give the sound an 8, considering the price point. It's actually a very good sound for 150 dollar axe

It was set up close to perfect when I bought it. Of course, it has not received the same kind of care my 2003 Taylor has had.

Dependable, but it has sustained some neck warping, and there is a buzz around the 3rd fret where the neck actually has a nick in it right on the edge of the fretboard. That's my fault, though. Being a laminate cheapy, I haven't really worried too much about dinging it up. My Taylor gets a lot of pampering, though.

Not too much fanciness here. my boss gave me this guitar for FREE when he was moving house. it's fast become my favourite acoustic (I have a few higher priced ones).

I love the sound from this guitar. i'm mostly a country/folk player and it suits me fine. a mate of mine has one but it doesn't have the brightness or the warmth mine has. maybe i've been lucky. i have it strung with 11's and the tone is superb for a laminate top cheap guitar.

the only issue i had was the fret wire. i had to take some steel wool to the frets to smooth them off as there was an occasional 'scratching' when strings were bent. apart from that the guitar is great.

i've not used the guitar live yet. i'm strongly cosidering fitting an expensive pickup though, as i'd love to give it a proper run-out. the guitar keeps its tuning fine but again, i'm tempted to make a change, possibly to a set of grovers to ensure long life. the guitar is pretty light, so may not stand up to extensive gigging, but you never know unless you try.

obviuosly this guitar could be better, but i honestly love it as it is. the jangle in the tone, the playability, the size, the way it holds is tuning, and the fact it won't break the bank if i ever need to replace it. I have a tanglewood with the B-band pickup for live gigs but i think the f310 will be having a pickup fitted very soon.

Basic looks. Doesn't have that ugly poly look of chapo guitars.

This is Yamaha's bread and butter. Sweet solid sounding acoustics.You don't mention Martins, Taylors etc because it is not in the same class but in the low to mid priced it can't be beat.

No buzzes. Action is perfect but action is a personal preferance.

I bought this guitar for use at open mics in bars. I want a guitar that can take a beatingor if damaged wouldn't break my heart but it still has to deliver.

This is basically a follow-up on my review:

The original strap finally tore away at the "butt end" of the instrument, and the strap button is now nowhere to be found. Went to my local music center, got a heavier strap, new strings. Replaced the strap button with a stand-off and thumb screw. The thumb screw is so much nicer since I don't have to worry about damaging any strap parts. Best small investment I made for my 4-year-old guitar. (It just turned four this October)

Next thing to consider: An amplifier system.

I also use Native Instruments FM7 for my guitar sound effects. The latest effect I have just created was a flanger effect.

Very basic no frills, steel 6 string acoustic guitar.

Sounded better then anything by Ibanez (too bright) or Gibson (too dark)
I would compare the sound to that of a Martin dreadnoughts, I did a side by side comparison with a D28 and I was very impressed. The build quality isn't nearly as nice as a Martin, but it comes very close to sounding like one. The tone isn't to dark or bright... very rich, and loud.

I bought it used and I believe the previous owner had the action lowered. It is very easy to play, and I believe the lower action may be why is sounds the way it does too. The only problem with the lower action is you do get a few buzzes here and there, but that should be easy to fix.

I might play it live, I actually bought it for some home recordings. I would fix the buzzing problems first though.

Ive been playing for over 10 years and I didn't want to spend an entire paycheck on a guitar. I compared this guitar to a Martin D28 and I couldn't be happier with the sound. When it comes to sound, Yamaha's guitars are much better then Ibanez, Johnson, and even Gibsons acoustic guitars. (thats my opinion of coarse) For the price this guitar is hard to beat.

Well, you can't cram many features into a ??100 acoustic, but mine came with a gig bag, spare set of strings, simple 'learn guitar' book with CD and a few plectrums. You're not going to get better than that for the price.

This was my first guitar, been playing for maybe a year and a half now, and just about to move on to an electric (probably a Schecter C1 Classic). The sound is acceptable enough, it's plenty loud if you play it hard enough, though it sounds a bit 'cheap' when playing single strings with a pick (fingerpicking's ok, though). Been playing folk and rock with it, seems to stand up fine to them. Very good as a first guitar, you'll get the trade-up bug soon enough though. If you're not certain how long you'll want to play for, want something you can just mess around on, or whatever, it's perfect.

Set-up seemed fine, action's a bit high, but as a beginner, I didn't really notice, and by the time I did, I was already thinking about upgrading. No noticeable flaws, seemed pretty well put together.

Well, in the year and a half I've owned this guitar, I've knocked it over a lot of times, left it lying against tables, given it fairly hard whacks against things while it's been in a gig bag, had it fall off seats in a car due to hard braking, and mistreated it in all sorts of other ways. The only effect has been a couple of superficial chips, one on the headstock, and one on the body of the guitar. You'd have to be fairly brutal to it to manage to cause serious damage.

Not really applicable, never dealt with Yamaha.

I'm just preparing to move on to an electric, and shell out around ??600 or so for a really nice rig. This is a perfect beginner guitar, something you can learn the ropes on, mistreat, and pass on to a younger sibling/friend once you want something better. If it were stolen, I wouldn't get another, because I've moved past that stage of playing now, but I'll probably still use it every now and again, even when I get the electric. I love the price, and the fact that it's a good guitar for the money spent. Looked around a few other beginner guitars, chose this because of recommendations, a good bundle deal, and the fact that Yamaha are a big company. If you're thinking about starting to learn guitar, and don't mind starting with an acoustic, this is a very good choice.

2000, Made in Indosneia. Standard basic jumbo steel-strung acoustic guitar. Nice wide(ish) neck to fit my fat fingers in. No cutaways, no electrics. No frills.

Beautiful, bright yet also deep and rich sound. Simple, straight forward great acoustic guitar sound.

V Good for a guitar in this price bracket. Guitar set up fine at the factory. I have not touched the action since I bought it about 6 years ago. Finish is very acceptable on both neck and body, and has proved fairly resistant to knocks.

This guitar is utterly dependable. Stays in tune for days (or even weeks, depending on how hard you treat it).
For low volume situations ( eg a sing along with a load of friends), this guitar is ideal. It produces a loud, full sound. However, obviously if amplification is needed, I would always use my electro-acoustic instead.

Never had to deal with them

Been playing over 20 years. This guitar is everything I want out of an acoustic guitar. Its sound is equal to many, ten times its price. Another big benefit is that I don't have to worry too much about it being stolen or damaged. I saw one for #83 brand new on ebay the other day. I cannot believe you can get them that cheap ! If it was stolen, I would unhesitatingly go out and buy another.
I would, obviously, also like it to be elecro-acoustic as well. I play amplified reasonably often and I have to have an electro-acoustic for that (Yam APX-3T - outstanding plugged in, but boxy and small sound acoustically, due to small body).
For its price I would give it an 11 if I could.

As for the "wood" used - or lack thereof, you can read about this elsewhere. This review is as much a tribute as it's an testimony to what I think of the F-310.

I've owned two of these babies at different times. Both purchased at same shop in Germany. For the first one, I paid around 350DM (those were the days). Three years later, it cost 140euro -- slightly less expensive.

I have put it to the test, hitchhiking with it throughout most of Europe - rain, snow, hot & cold weather, mud, ..., lying on pavement outside gas stations, propped-up rather precariously in others' rooms, ..., et cetera. I have lent it out to strangers at music festivals - having it returned each time. From the freezing depths of northern Sweden to the sweltering heat of a bone-dry week-long music festival (SZIGET) in Budapest. From a holding cell in Paris, and fair sands of Bodensee's beaches, to the murky shadows of trucker depots.

Her only protection through these adventures -- IF/WHEN ANY at all -- has been a thin plastic garbage bag.

The memories and fun times she's provided me with, over the years, are as irreplaceable as her sound is impressive for a lower-end guitar. Oddly, she's considerably few scratches, dings, et al. to show for it.

A beater guitar is a MUST. And if you want it to sound A+ without forking-over big bucks for a Martin, this Yamaha f-310 is a WINNER among humble princes.

PS. fairly thin neck, which is good for those with smaller hands (myself incl.) I've never had a problem whether strumming, plucking or picking her strings.

With a new set of strings (I prefer light, so as not to exacerbate detuning more than necessary in light of construction mtl. and craftsmanship), she purrs like a road warrior.
Deep lows and decent mids. Detuning is not a major issue, once the stings are worked-in. The F-310 is rather loud for such a low priced guitar. Of course that alone is not necessarily a good thing. Most of that loudness carries a decent tone, but intonation and consistency, brightness and richness are only substantially improved on many other models with a disproportionally sharp price increase.
Of course, less expensive guitars, while mass produced, are more susceptible to deviations in build quality and aren't quality controlled to the same degree as a handcrafted sweetheart -- so you'd be well-advised to adequately audition potential candidates, prior to combat.
For the sound this guitar makes - quantity and quality-wise - it is fantastic. When exposed to harsh conditions, one need not worry about the potential for cosmetic damage, whilst milking her for all she's worth.

I've played high end guitars and low end ones. Generally, I find, you get what you pay for. But among the lower ranking soldiers of this troopers division, she's a leader. Most lower end setups that include ANY electronics, decals, extras, etc. are poor - extras ARE ALWAYS included in cost (non cross-brand comparison basis) and detract from the basic sound.

Very versatile for a learner guitar.
*FOR A LOW END*, NEAR-BEATER, but still solid learner GUITAR: avg. 7,5-8,5 / 10
*FOR ACOUSTIC DREADNOUGHTS in MY EXP.*: avg. 6/10, plus-AND-minus

no electronics: a PLUS (if you spend so little and the price includes "FEATURES", you're considering the wrong guitar)

setup was fine - action low-med.: not OVERLY versatile with consistency... playing above the 8th fret or so not as fluid

came in cardboard box - no case (not even garbage bag!)

Keeping-in-mind what it is were talking about - SOLID, GOOD ENTRY+ LEVEL DREAD for low price and comparable good sound: 7/10

Live playing? Yes? though I?d recommend you tune it well and give it time to warm up (lit.) if it?s been out in the cold for a while.
The tuning keys seem to be slightly different - the luck of the draw. Some are tighter, some looser than others. They hold the string consistently, with no slackness, but are generic and so each with it's own unique character. They could be geared slightly slower, for when an inadvertent extra string wrap further increases the speed at which a tone changes from the same turning motion. One or two keys are slightly loose, but the key body remains solid.
The neck/body joint has held up very well considering the battles it been through. I've never touched the setup and have had light-med. gauge strings on with little difficulty.
Mess around with her hard (but not TOO hard), or stroke her softly in a quiet room.
Over the years, the sound seems to thin ever-so-slightly - even when regularly replacing the strings. Perhaps this is due to the excessive wear that my example has handled admirably BY ANY STANDARD! In general, however, more synthetically constructed (i.e. laminate) guitars retain the same body sound, while 100% wood guitars can (negatively, or hopefully, positively) gain richness and character with time.

Under 2yrs: 8+
LONGTERM/over 5-10years+ & WITH freq. use under adverse conditions: 7

I've never dealt with Yamaha.

It a great first guitar and a fabulous guitar for traveling (where-ever, how-ever).
Having a beater guitar is just as important to me as having a high-end one. I'm sure I've gotten my 140euro out of this, more than I'll ever get a return on a D28 - despite that being a far higher quality, better sounding instrument.

After all our good times, I gave this guitar to a good friend recently. Hopefully, he'll get as much out of it as I have.

That being said, I recommend a person not buy ONLY this guitar beyond 1 year or so. The danger in owning this guitar ALONE, is that it sounds good enough to (merely) remain content, but is not good enough to advance your technique and progress at the same rate a better model would allow for. (At least an extremely nasty guitar tells you with less ambiguity, when it?s time to say goodbye and move-on.)

She was a beautiful Lady, a bit rough around the edges, but we learned a lot from each other.

>10 years playing
6 acoustics
2 electrics
1 piano
a few amps, effects, mics, a PA, etc...
most important: a big heart and good ear
sadly lacking: a fat budget

OVERALL GRADE for *ENTRY LEVEL, SOLID BUILT, COMPARITAVELY GOOD SOUNDING DREAD*: 7,5+

Year: Probably between 1999 and 2003
Frets: Around 20-24
Top: Laminated
No pickups. ..... Yet.
Finish: Probably satin
Wood: Cheap, but definitely NOT balsa
Body: Probably dreadnought
Bridge: String-through body
Tuners: Non-locking, generic brand
Neck/Scale: Typical
Included accessories: Picks (of course), gig bag, strap, reed tuner, capo, spare set of strings, winder. Basically a starter kit.

Suits my classic rock and church music styles perfectly
No amps or effects. Just natural acoustics
Not very noisy, especially if miked
Rich, full sound
Typical acoustic guitar sounds can be made
I like how well it sounds in room with a lot of reverb, even without a mike. However, I don't like how it has no cutaway, but there's not much I can do about that. Heck, having one put in may destroy it. Nobody wants a broken guitar, do they?

Was set-up fine
No pickups
Properly bookmatched top, and routed bridge
No flaws, but it obviously came to me detuned. I guess an Indonesian company's gotta what it's gotta do.

It will withstand live playing, but not in the way you are thinking. I normally just strum it gently when in front of a mike, because the mikes use are super sensitive. (Not bad for Audio-Technica)
The hardware seems that it will last. It seems to be made of stainless steel.
Finish is good enough to last.
The strap button sometimes pops out, but notice it does so once in a blue moon.
I can indeed depend on it.
I can use it on a gig without a backup. It's that solid.

I've never dealt with Yamaha, so I cannot tell you how helpful or friendly they are.
I had a string replaced, but not by Yamaha. I guess they don't cover string replacements.
I do not remember the duration of the warranty.

I have been playing for three and a half years. I don't own anything else by Yamaha. However, I do tune it with Yamaha pianos.
I really could not ask for more on account of this guitar.
If somebody had stolen it, they would probably turn it down at first sight, because of a few minor gouges. But, I would either buy this same guitar, or an electric from Yamaha.
I love everything about this guitar. I hate the fact that I don't have money for a pickup system or a guitar slide. ;-)
I compared it to another guitar, which was practically a beater. Heck the Yamaha sounded better than the beater.

This one was bought in 1999 and is made in Indonesia. It has a laminate spruce top and some cheap wood on the sides and back, definitely not rosewood or anything ou would call quality.

The sound is pretty good for something so cheap and laminated. It has a tendency towards the a bottom end sound. Quite a booming type of guitar that lacks defined range and tone when compared to a decent guitar. I have just purchased a Yamaha FG730 which is solid spruce and rosewood sides/back and when comparing the two you can notice the solid top is much warmer and has a wider range of tone. Playing harder chords and past the 7th is difficult in the sensethat often there are muted notes due to the action and design.

These guitars have pretty high action, probably designed that way to improve volume. If you were to lower the action Id say the buzz would be bad because even with action high there is buzz past 5 or 6 fret. It is not the easiest guitar to play and that for the beginner is actually a good thing. Practising on this will help the beginner appreciate playing a good guitar. Its amazing how easy I find it to play my other guitars after I play my 310. If you want to improve your speed and finger strength play this. Finish is decent for the price and really beginners dont really need anything fancy. Few glue marks near the neck and the neck saddle has come loose. Im giving it a 6 for action because if u were to compare it to a higher quality guitar but like I said dont let that turn you off if youre starting out because it will make you a better player when you upgrade.

This is a solid guitar, has a few dents and dings but sound is not affected by blemishes. I have knocked this guitar a few times, once I threw it to the ground it bent the tuner but still everything works fine.

NA

This was my first guitar and I would have recommend it over any other laminated guitar. These are usally selling for $250 which is about 100-150 less than a entry level solid top. For beginners they probably wont notice the difference in tone until they play for about 6months to a year and by that time if theyre keen musicians they would want to upgrade anyway. Had I known I would remain playing guitar I would have bought a solid top but that would have been 150 more and as a beginner you dont really need anything flash. Beginners cant go past this guitar.

Made in Indonesia, but not sure about the year (I got it for Christmas 2003). It has 20 frets, laminated top, no pickups. Natural finish, full-size dreadnought, 25 1/2" scale, with a neck width that's a little larger than an inch. My parents got it at a wholesale club, and it came in a starter pack, which included a gig bag, an extra set of strings, 3 picks, a strap, capo, truss rod adjustment tool, a string winder, and a pitch pipe.

I play mostly country and a little bit of classic rock, and this guitar sounds OK for it. I don't intend on playing live, just around the house, so I don't have a need for effects or amps or pickups. Ocassional buzzes occur, mostly at the 7th fret. The overall sound is OK, not great. I got a better sound when I changed the strings and put Elixirs on rather than the extra set they gave me. Elixirs are all I use on this guitar, and they really do make a difference.

The action is high, but the fretboard is easy to move around on. The only flaws that this guitar had was that the tuner for the B string was loose everytime I tuned the guitar, and the B string was always the string that was "most out-of-tune" everytime I tuned up to play. So there is definitely some type of correlation between the loose tuner and the B string being out of tune all the time.

Like I said before, I don't intend on playing live, but if I ever did, I probably would not use this guitar because of the ocassional buzzes and its inability to stay in tune. As a practice guitar or a "play around the house" guitar, I think it will last, but don't accidentally bump it against something because it does scatch, or ding, easily (I've done it). The finish has held up quite nicely, minus the few scratches as a result of my clumsiness. No strap buttons on my guitar, which was a disappointment.

Never had any big-time problems, just little ones that I fixed by myself, so I haven't had to deal with Yamaha at all. It did come with a one-year warranty.

I've been playing for about a year and a half now, so since I'm still practically learning, I don't want to get another guitar right now. I probably would get another guitar, but not same exact one, if this one ever got lost or stolen. I would probably dish out some more money for a better sounding, higher quality intrument. This guitar is basically good for the beginner, like me, and even though I plan on replacing it eventually, I'm still going to hang on to it and use it as practice guitar. I don't like that it doesn't have a strap button, and the buzzing, but you get what you pay for.

My F-310 was made in Indonesia by Y.M.M.J Corporation "to Yamaha's standards".It has no cutaways and is very basic-therefore ideal for beginners.The action is a bit high when it comes from the factory but this can be fixed if you like a low action.

The dreadnought sound is very good.I had a problem with one of the strings buzzing but this was fixed very easily.Once my action was lowered,the sound quality increased drastically so I suggest you lower your action for beter sounds.

The finish is o.k.Mine had glue marks where the bridge met the body but its barely noticeable.The sound of the guitar cancels this out totally.The body is nicely finished,has awesome tuning pegs I think and just has a great look and feel overall

This guitar is not really made for live playing-mine doesn't have a pick-up so it is just for songwriting,messing around and when I'm too lazy to switch on my electric.It is tough but it is made of thin wood-remember that.The guitar was made to sit down with and strum along with your favourite songs-not to swing it around and jump on it.The guitar is strong and I don't think it will break any time soon(or ever!)

Never called them-don't need to.

Very good guitar for beginners.When buying it I compared it to alot of others and it was the best(Tip:Stay away from Montanna guitars!)If you want a guitar for home-use,to mess around on and to write songs,this is the best one.

Made in Indonesia. Not sure about when it was made, but I bought it in early 2004. Typical dreadnought style of guitar. Laminated spruce top. Natural finish. Check the others for more detail. No cutaways. Mine actually comes with some accessories, eg. gigbag, tuner, capo, strings, picks etc.

The sound is kinda thin to me but overall it's pretty good. Beats everything within the price range. You can play pretty much anything on it.

The guitar looks like a big buck. The setup are good. At first I thought the action was too high. But after some finger practise I had adjusted to it. The neck is abit thinner than usual. Some minor dings here and there, but nobody will notice.

I've use it for a year and it still looks pretty good. Solid construction. But you don't wanna drop this thing, believe me.

Friendly people.

I play guitars for almost three years. I own a cheap classical guitar and a Gibson Les Paul. This is a great beginner guitar. It's a pleasure playing this guitar. If you want anything better, save up more for something like Gibson/Martin.

I bought it secondhand in early 2004. I'd guess it was born a year or so earlier. No special features. It's a basic dreadnought but with decent curves. Made in Indonesia, 20 frets etc, just the same as everyone else's. But since when did a lot of expensive fancy-work make for a decent sounding & playing guitar?

I play folk/blues/C&W, flatpicking, fingerpicking, strumming. This suits me fine as a practice instrument. I fitted Ernie Ball bronze medium-lights and a graphite bridge which improved the sound. And the sound you get depends a lot on how you play anyway.

As a secondhand instrument, it had been bashed about a bit. A little paint and polish sorted that out. The bridge pins had been gouged out by someone, leaving dents in the bridge. Some nice new black-and-pearl pins have improved the looks! Otherwise the build is fine. You don't expect anything flashy at this price.

I probably wouldn't play it live. I use it more as for practice e.g. in non-standard tunings. If it's anything like my other Yamaha (30-year old FG200) I expect it to last pretty well.

Never tried it.

This is a surprisingly good guitar for the money. I have been playing for 40+ years and own several guitars 5 and 10 times the price. I bought this for fun as a cheap take-anywhere practice instrument - now I play it all the time! It looks fine, it plays well. If I lost it I'd probably get another. A sound first acoustic - and infinitely better than the #4 horror I started out with way back when!

Natural-no pickups

Not a bad guitar for beginners. Depending on your taste you may find it lacks resonance, but it could also drown out a voice if you really like to hit the strings, at least it does with my wimpering. Recommended for personal use. Not sure about jumping up on stage with it even if you managed to install pickups.

Actions a bit slow- and the truss rod had to be adjusted, (note: read up on truss rod adjustments before attempting, it can make or break your playing)- Other than that it's constructed to fit intermediate needs. If your looking, and you come by one cheap as I did, then it wouldn't hurt to try.

My used yammy has some superficial flaws from the abuse of former owner(s), but it's a surviver and remains proudly playful.

I've been playing on and off for ten years, it's a habit I can't break. If your like me and need another fix then this guitar will suffice. If your looking to play some lead, you'll find it difficult on this hard to reach 20 fret. The only reason I chose the F-310 was because the price was nice.

Indonesian, made in 2000 and something. The pack came with lots of goodies but nothing spectacular. The 2 way truss rod works ok. Laminated spruce top, indoneisan mahogany back and sides etc... Was going to buy an Ashton DM25 which cost less and looks alot better but was advised that this one would have better sound.

it's not bad but nothing spectacular. i haven't changed the strings it came with but i want to coz i think it'll make a huge difference. The original strings are hard to fret (especially bar chords in lower neck) and sounds very harsh and metallic. But overall it is loud enough and good enough for the price.

IMPORTANT!!! although this guitar is good but it needs alot of tweaking!!!! i had to adjust the truss rod because originally the neck was overly concaved. some had said the bridge should also be adjusted. The original strings weren't all that flash either! Don't get me wrong, this does mean it's a bad guitar, but the tweaking it needs might not be easy with the begginers this guitar is aimed at, but would be okay for an experienced player who just wants a cheap acoustic.

Looks solid. Covered by the 5 year warranty anyway.

Have not dealt with the company but the music store i bought it at infromed me about the 5 year warranty etc. so i think it's not bad in this aspect

I have been playing electric guitar for a few years now and never owned a folk acoustic, only a half size classical which can be regarded as a "toy". I was looking at the Ashton DM25 which had an amazing satin finish and a low pric tag, but the shop assistant reccomended that i buy this one. I SHOULD OF BOUGHT THE ASHTON!! because for guitars in this price range the sound would not differ all that much i don't think, just buy one that you would like and looks good. But i'm not that unhappy because this guitar has a better sound and is covered by a 5 year warranty and doesn't look that bad. It's a more well known brand too. But as I said, too much tweaking is required for those who just started to strum. Buy it if you have some experiences with guitars and just want a nice guitar you don't mind taking around to places.

Basically, this is an entry level acoustic: all laminate. the one I'm reviewing is 10 years old; has been played loads! And with the exception of some wear around the binding, is still in perfect condition. No neck adjustments have ever been needed, the bridge isn't starting to pull away from the top, and it still sounds great, with no buzzing or dead spots. The best entry level guitar available, IMHO. Buy one today, and even after you buy your MArtin or Taylor in ten years time, this will still be around your house!

I bought my Yammy in 1996 so i guess its a '96 model. It was my first guitar of any sort and i still play it every day now. It only has 20 frets, plastic nut, bridge, and pegs. The tuners are chrome. It has a spruce top, rosewood fretboard, the rest is mahogany, made in indonesia. The guitar comes with no gizmos, no tricks, just 6 strings. Thats all you need to learn isnt it? Its a nice big dreadnought.

This guitar sounds fantastic. It booms with the best of them, especially with a nice set of 11s strings, but i recently put a set of 9s on so i wouldnt tear myt fingers to shreds every time i played. There are one or two slightly flat spots high on the neck, but you only notice this if your playing single notes, not chrods. Who shreds on an acoustic anyway? There is no buzz at all, just a big warm sound that actually gets better as the guitar gets older. Leave an old set of strings on and the guitar clowly changes from a big full sounsd to a nice mellow jazzy vibe.

The action gets a bit too high when your high on the neck, meaning bending strings past the 12th fret a bit difficult. But if this is your first guitar, learning to solo on a guitar like this will only make life easier when you buy and electric or a better acoustic. The action in general is fine, and the finish has held up to many bumps, crashes and scratches with minimal damage.

Up until this year this guitar has been invincible. recently a tuner started working loose (the screws have been knocked out of their threads in the wood, but that was because a sibling knocked the headstock against a wall. The plastic hardware has held up without the slightest bit of wear. The only damage sustained was a small chip at the bottom of the body, which was quickly re-attached with a bit of superglue and now you cant even tell.
Ive used it for maybe a dozen gigs and nothing has ever gone wrong with it, never gone out of tune, never broken a string, nothing. And i bash it pretty hard!

never had to deal with yamaha

Been playing this guitar for 7 years now and i wouldnt trade it for Hendrix's strat.... well maybe not. Its a perfect guitar to learn on, or just for that cheap acoustic that isnt going to sound like crap. I tried to use it to record once or twice and it held up reasonably well, but not great. But its not supposed to is it? Its an entry level axe for someone who is learning, and it will still sound good in years to come.
If it was lost or stolen i'd track it down until i found it, but thats because it was my first guitar. Theres nothing to hate about this guitar, but nothing flashy either. Its just dependable.

Made in 1995 in Indonesia. 20 frets, laminated spruce top, mahogany sides and back, rosewood fretboard and bridge, nato neck, dreadnought style with gloss natural finish and open chrome tuners.

This guitar has a very rich sound with a strong bass and clear treble, and the sustain is good for a laminated top. The guitar suits my playing very well which is mainly fingerstyle, and it doesn't buzz.

The action is perfect for light to custom light strings, it's very strongly built, the only flaws i've noticed are some glue stains inside the body. It stays in tune for weeks and till now it hasn't developed any warping or crack, only a bit of fret wear i think it's normal.

I only play at home but i think it would withstand some abuse, mine has a few nicks on, everything is on place.

Mine came with one year warranty, but i never needed to use it.

I've been playing for 30 years, and have already played some real crappy axes, but when you know how to play you can use a shoe box with strings on and still deliver good music, so i think Yamaha has done good acoustic guitars for the money as does Fender with electrics (I have a Tele), and if it was stolen or lost i would buy with no doubt another Yammy.

Made in 2002 in Indonesia. 20 frets, laminated top. It hasn't got pickups or electronic.
Rosewood fretboard, chrome tuners...
The finish in my guitar is Tobacco Sunburst, really good one.
Its body style is like a jumbo but could be a dreadnought. It's between this two things.
The tuners look fine.
In the place where I bought it (Real Musical, from Spain) they gave me a strap, a case, a tuner, a pack of 6 replacemente strings, 4 picks... Nothing special. The case is a shit but the rest is acceptable.

I really like it! I like to play soft pop/rock music (Beatles, stones, things like that) and folk spanish music and it sounds really great, crystal clear with the bass so strong...

To me, the guitar doesn't buzz. I'm lucky!

Action?? Whoa, hard, but my fingers were accostumed to Spanish guitar string which are a lot softer than this, and man, I haven't got time to get in with this, but it doesn't seem so bad.

The wood is just normal. The tuning pegs are good, I think so, it stays in tune very well...

I won't play live with this guitar 'cos I'm not a guitar play, I just use it to play at home/with my friends, but the thing looks like it will last.

The strap buttons look solid, and the finish is solid too... I think that if i ever have to play live with it, i won't have any problem, I'm only a beginner.

But, I like to treat well all my things and this guitar is not special for that. It stays always in its case, away from radiators and hot with normal humidity conditions.

The ppl who sold this to me were very friendly,they helped me, but the guitar has not guarantee.

I think that if i'd ever have to repair it (I'll try to treat it so well that it won't need that), i'd give it to a local luthier.

Whoa, I'm a beginner, I'm crap, I've played guitar for 6 months but this guitar has a great sound, well finished and very reliable to me, and with a fantastic price. I was looking for similar-priced guitars (from 200-300 euros) and this was the best. I decided purchasing it because of the sound and the finish, which is really beautiful, tobacco sunburst.
If this was stolen or lost... I'd cry! But, who knows. maybe, if i got more money, i'd buy another one. But, in this price, only this. :D
I compared it with another jumbo guitars and this was the better with a stunning price!!!!

It's made in Indonesia. 20 frets, suppose it's a laminated top, no elecs on it. Tuners are low end tuners ya know, but really solid.

I play mainly pop/rock and some british pop (Travis, Smiths,Suepergrass etc.) it just fits my needs as I have to practice while listening to records... It's a bit noisy if you strum it hard but only in upper positions. I say there are great low end frequencies and you won't be disappointed by the higher ones as long as you have good strings on.

Pretty good, good fretted, good glued even if I found a bit of glue dripped off the neck/body joint...

I've seen many of these guitars living for years near radiators and falling from beds in my mates'houses... They still sound great!

Dunno, I trust the store where I bought it, the owner is a friend of mine... ;)

I was looking for a cheap "battle" guitar and I found it. It sounds great cos it's not so fat as a Jumbo but has good "bass" and has brilliance as well. It stays tuned for weeks and I can carry it around without thinking about how much I paid it. I wish it had a piezo but it's too cheap to feature one... I'll put it on if the sound will be still good for me in a year. I'd rather spend thousands for electrics...

Don't have any idea what year it was made and pretty much don't care! Come on, it's a laminated (plywood) top guitar, you expect to be choosy? The guitar is made in Indonesia and the glue job on the inside is really messy! To some, a strong indication of a cheap guitar. It has 20 frets, and 14 are usable, being non-cutaway. But what's the purpose of getting a cutaway guitar when you're just starting out, like yours truly!

Being a plain steel stringed acoustic with 6 strings, it's nice and simple. Constructed with a Spruce Top and Indonesian Mahogany (aka Meranti in the native tongue) back and sides. Has a nice, shiny finish but I'm not too sure it it's semi-gloss, high gloss, etc. For those who are curious, you can see you reflection in the back clearly and to some extent, in the front. I'm guessing it's a Dreadnought imitation. Comes with one strap button on the end. If you wish to use a strap, you're faced with 2 possibilities, the first, install another strap pin and the second option, tie the end of the provided hook to the headstock and hook it up to the free end of the strap.

The tuners are pretty bad. I'm expecting mine to fall off soon. The neck is made from Nato and the bridge, Rosewood (Indonesian).
I bought the package system, which included a gig-bag, string set, 3 picks, nylon strap, capo, string winder and pitch pipe.

To sum it up, nothing too fancy, just a plain, simple, beginners acoustic!

Can't say too much about the sound, as I have no other guitars to compare it too. But for the record, it sounded pretty loud and clear for a plywood when I tested in out in the store. Low price, good bargain! Although some have claimed it needed constant tuning, I only tuned mine once a week eventhough I played an hour and a half at least each day. These guys/gals must be banging their ax pretty hard to make it go out of tune every day!

Has low action straight from the factory! The dealer told me no setting up had been done. Yamaha products always have low action which makes them very playable. Tuning pegs seem okay, but I guess they'll soon fall off and that calls for a replacement. The nut seemed pretty bad to me, it already had grooves in it. I'm not sure if it had been designed like that for the string placement, but I don't like it. Saddle seems well fitted and the finish was flawless (to me), no scratches or whatever until today. I took good care of it (just to let you know). For the record, I had no problems with the guitar, it could be played right away straight from the box...err gig-bag!

First things first, I've only had this guitar for slightly more than a year, so I can't give a proper review for the durability section. I would't play this guitar in front of hundreds of people, but around family members and friends, why not? Great for the outdoors too as it's pretty hardy being a laminated guitar! Strap button seem pretty solid to me, but if you don't tie it up properly, it might fall and bounce! Quite dependable, for a cheap guitar. If I were to play a gig, I might not use it unless I had no better option available.

Customer support sucks! The guitar comes with a warranty, but the Yamaha branch in my country (Yamaha Malaysia) screwed me out of the warranty. In USA, the Yamaha branch offers a limited lifetime warranty, but in Malaysia, no such thing. I contacted them and asked them about the warranty, and guess what those jerks said? Check it out before you buy it and if you're not satisfied, we'll replace it then and there. But that's it, no Warranty whatsoever! Hey, surely anyone should check a guitar out before buying it! That's plain common sense! The shop I purchased it from, on the other hand provides good service. The salespeople are friendly and readily provide assistance. The rating I give here is for the Malaysian Yamaha branch. The guitar shop I purchase the F310 deserves a 7 at least!

Overall, the Yamaha F310 is a great beginner guitar. You don't have to baby it too much anyway. I've been playing for more than a year and it seems quite solid after a year's usage. If this ax were stolen or lost, I'd probably get a better guitar, maybe Seagull or even Art & Lutherie since I'm already past the novice stage. I doubt a laminatd top guitar deserves to be re-purchased. After all, solid-tops sound much better. I've been playing this ax everyday for at least an hour and a half. The thing I love the most about this guitar is the loud, booming sound it makes; for a laminate. As a beginner, I believe one should start with a laminated top as it is rather cheap and you probably don't know if this guitar thing is going to stick or not in the first place. As a beginner, a solid-top or a laminated top wouldn't make any difference to you as you're just learning! You won't appreciate a quality solid-top. You can't expect to run before walking, right? Always keep that in mind when you're shopping for the first time to purchase a guitar.

The Yamaha F310 ia made in Indonesia. Im not to sure about the date but i'm guessing around a 95. Complete with 20 frets, with a solid spuce top. There is no pickup. i'm not to sure what the neck and fretboard is made of but i'm pretty sure it has mohogany sides and back. It has a satin finish. the top scratches and dents really easy. Its a dreadnought body with No cutaway. its has a thin neck and the strings a very flexible. i found that the best playing was done but D'Narroi(not spelled right)extra light strings. The action can be better.

overall, the guitar sounds very nice. but whenever you fret a string and strum semi-hard, there is a rattling becasue it hits the frets. you can try to raise the bridge but the the action will horrible.

as i said, the action can be better, and there is some rattling on the frets. the finish can be better, it scratches and dents very easily. the inside is not put together to great. i read in a book to look for sloppy construstion, such as to much glue. and it has glue all over the place.

well i guess it would ok to play live, but its not my first choice.the hardware isn't top quality but it is desent.there is only one strap button, and right now i'm tying the strap at the top of the neck, by the nut. i guess u could use it as a backup but definatly not as a lead. but as i said, its not my first choice.

never delt with them, but i'm sure the poeple at Yamaha are wonderful.

this isn't the greatest guitar ever, riht now i'm in the process of buying another guitar.