Product: Yamaha FG-401 Price Paid: US $125 used
Submitted 07/18/2000
at 08:39pm
by sommersby
Email: stiles42 at hotmail<dot>com
Features
:7
Bought used from a local pawn shop, was my first acoustic in about 15 years, just wanted something to play on to see if I wanted to get back into it again, bought used in 1998, a basic yamaha 6 string, no frills, just a plain jane guitar, all laminate woods, mahogony neck!
Sound
:7
Was not very inspiring sound wise, but it did it's job, I had it for about 4 mo, then traded it in on a used guild D-25, but this guitar did get me interested in playing agian and I have been going strong ever since. Being as it was an all laminate guitar, not a very complex sound, kind of a blended together sound, good for rythem playing, and thats about it.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:7
as it came, it was set up ok, not a very low action, but not overly high, again a 7.
Reliability/Durability
:8
A very solid guitar, and one that your not afraid to take to the beach and toss it around the camp fire.
Customer Support
:10
A very nice company to deal with, with a great web site!
Overall Rating
:7
Like I said I did trade up not long after buying this guitar, as a guitar to learn on it would be fine, and as all yamaha's, it represents a good value for your dollar. But a martin or taylor it is not! If I was younger and lived on the beach, or did other such outings, this guitar would be the take along I would probubly own!
Product: Yamaha FG-401 Price Paid: US $300
Submitted 11/27/1999
at 01:11am
by Chris
Email: udbirkey at kiva<dot>net
Features
:7
I have no clue when this was made. I bought it in December of 1995. I'm not real sure how many frets. I honestly can't remember. I think it's 24, but it could be 22. Since it's not a cutaway, the last ones are a total waste! Next time, I'm getting a cutaway. It's a straight up acoustic, so no controls. My strap is adjustable! It's a dreadnought. Tuners are nice. Compared to other Yamahas I've played, they are easily adjusted. I guess the other ones need loosened up.
Sound
:10
I have loved this guitar's sound since I figured out a little bit about how to play. I have compared it to other acoustics, both in its price range, slightly below, and twice its price. I played three other Yamaha acoustics and a Fender, a Johnson, a Martin, and some others I cannot recall, and I love this guitar's tone! I just recently switched strings to straight bronze Martins and now, I'm getting a sweet bright sound. I liked the more rich sound of the bronze phosphors, but this bright sound is nice. This is a great sounding guitar.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:8
I've had absolutely no problems with this guitar. Everything works well. No flaws, nothing I would change.
Reliability/Durability
:9
This is real reliable. I dropped it off my bed (I, yeah, I was across the room on the phone when it fell) when I first began playing. The only problem was it went out of tune and I did not have a tuner. I broke a string and didn't have a replacement or a car. I have banged it, bonked in on the concrete, took it in the car on a four hour trip, left it while I went white water rafting and it was fine. I played at campfires (eventually, the fire smell went away), hit it, everything. The thing is fine. The only issue is a TON of scratches on the bottom of the body, where I have banged it constantly. Of course, I'm not interested in re-sell value. You hold on to something this cherry.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
iduno
Overall Rating
:10
I've been playing this since Christmas of 1995. I have totally enjoyed it. I also have an Ibanez EX electric, a Big Muff Pi, a Dunlop Crybaby, a Rocktek Phaser, a DOD FX50-B overdrive, a Rocktek Vibrato, an RMS volume pedal and a Crate GXT-410 electric amp. My Yamaha is my favorite, though that Muff pedal is pushing the electric over the top! If something were to happen to this guitar, I'd probably cry. I've loaned it out and worried about it while it was absent. I've hidden the tears when someone using it would break a string and I wouldn't have a replacement and it was Finals week and I couldn't go get a string. I missed it. I love the sound of this guitar. I prefer it over every straight acoustic guitar I've heard and played. The only thing I wish it had was a pickup. But, I guess I'm gonna hafta buy an electric-acoustic, and use this as a open E guitar, and mike it, I guess. If only I could find this sound in an electric acoustic. My friend has a Yamaha E-A that sounds awesome, and has weathered many chips in the posterior and keeps on ticking. Yamaha all the way! Don't worry about the expensive, check out the sounds. This blows more expensive guitars away.
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