Yamaha FG-512 12-String

I happened to have a lucky strike to come across this guitar, that i recently bought from a private collection. There are already plenty info about this finest 12 string and it seems to be a lot of discussion about the wood built, well im an experienced guitarist and skilled about guitar restoration and setups, my other acoustics are all solids high end Gibson J50 USA and Landola Finland dreadnoughts, but this guitar sounds quite consistent as any all solid woods, not one single dead spot, perfect sustain and intonation.
About the looks, for me it is tastefully designed, i just love the slot headstock.
The top aged to a nice orange colour and the bindings to that vintage yellow ivory like.
The back-sides rosewood is just amazing.

I run my own project and write original tunes, thats why i searched deep for a quality 12 string and i was shopping for much higher end and cost guitars, before buying the Yamaha.
The sound is really really pleasent and invite me to play for hours.
Im rating as 9 in order to keep a sincere respect for the higher end built guitars, but for me its a 10 so far.

I did changed the saddle to bone and the action was lowered to 2mm at the 12 fret, so it is now an excellent player.

This guitar is nicely aged and always had proper maitenance, the finish lacquer layer is generous and it does have a sturdy construction, strongly braced, it feels quite solid.
Anyway i will keep a higher level of care, including the Hiscox case storage, where it cames.

This i dont know, but i always have a great respect for Yamaha products.

I have about 20 years of playing experience. My other guitars are gorgeous vintage such as a Gibson J50,1969 and Hagstrom Viking,1973 so enough said i guess.
If i was looking after a 12 string again, i would shure look for this FG-512, its really an outstanding valued acoustic.
My advice to anyone looking after one, is to buy it without hesitation, if the playability condition is fine obviously.
I think this a fine example of a collectable and reasonably priced guitar.

This one was made in the eighties... probably 1983; made in Taiwan;
well crafted, classic finish, with a design made by the previous owner on the pickguard.

The guitar is almost 30 years old, and has some scratches, but hell, it's proud veteran after all.

It suits me very well... y play different styles, but i use this guitar just for my solitude times. Just for my ears. I play medieval-style tunes, some themes from RPG games, like Diablo (1) and Darkstone; and etc.

It sounds: like heaven.

Nothing to say...
Well crafted.
Taiwan was a nice era for Yamaha. Today's chinese Yamahas and Pacificas are something you better stay off.

almost 30 years old, and looks and sounds like ....

i have no words to describe it.

No need...
warranty is over... XD

My new old baby... a treasure for my kin

I own a FG-512 that I bought second hand in 1987 for $150. The moment I first heard it, I knew I had to have it. Since then it's been around the world with me once and I've tried playing other 12s but haven't found one yet that matches both the tone and playability.

I play this as my main guitar over a Fender Acoustic 6 string and several Carvin and Fender electrics. I think that as it ages it keeps sounding better and better.

These guitars were made from 1977 to 1981, back then they retailed for $270 US. Contrary to popular belief these guitars are 100% laminate, I have played (and owned)many guitars and I have come to this conclusion: Yamaha is the king of laminate guitars, why? Good question: almost all other manufacturers hide "bad wood" between the laminates or they have air gaps or use lesser quality woods between the laminated top and bottom piece of the wood. This is not the case with Yamaha, it is 100% quality wood.

Yamaha had to consider laminate guitars given their geographical manufacturing location and the effects of humidity during transportation to market. Very few Yamaha's are sold wood.

The back and sides are Indian Rosewood, so is the bridge.

This guitar is not made in the coveted "Nippon Gakki" facility. Nippon Gakki made guitars are well made tight tolerance guitars. this one is made in the Taiwan plant, quality controll is not as good as Nippon Gakki but this one is every bit as good.

I don't know how they do it (well I guess I do with the quality laminate construction) but these guitars sound awesome. No joke better or as good as some solid wood guitars.

Yamaha's are good guitars if you like redicoulosly low action, I have four Yamaha's, I have all of them set up with big strings and low action.

Well back to that laminate thing again, Yamaha's are as tough as nails, the toughest I've ever owned. The open slot tuners are cool and they stay in tune very well.

As you can see I like Yamaha's. I owned a Taylor (510), awsome guitar but I had to sell it (as well as a Yamaha) due to financial dificulties. Funny thing is when I came back into some money I replaced the Yamaha with another one, I never bought another Taylor.

spruce top, rosewood back and sides, beautiful work, nice touches, white trim, stripe down back, nice looking guitar. This model has a slotted peg head with the tuner knobs on the back which makes it less busy-looking than other 12-string guitars. One owner, I bought it new in 1978 and it has aged gracefully.

I play a lot of country music, some contemporary Christian, and even rock and roll. I have played this guitar for parties, in groups, and in church. Always gets noticed, sounds great. I use light strings for a bright sound and this instrument rings forever. Sound just gets better with age.

Nice action, wide neck, takes a man to play a bar chord, but that is the nature of a 12 string. Never had any problem with the hardware, stays in tune very well. Gets complements on its sound everywhere I have played it. I finger pick it most of the time to get the most out of the exceptional tone. But using a pick makes this instrument a one-man band!

This was my primary guitar for years, and it still is as solid as the day I bought it. I have worn out a few frets, but they were easy to replace. I try to take good care of my guitars, but this guitar survived a fall from the roof of a 1970 chevelle one night onto a gravel parking lot and all it did was chip a small place on the corner. No serious damage! Tough guitar.

yamaha is a class act, I have 3 yamaha guitars now, and would buy more. But honestly, no one makes them like they used to. My yamahas are 1978, 1968, and 1967. They have aged well and sound great.

I have played for 32 years, I have 7 other guitars including a 1964 Gibson Hummingbird. But the fg-512 is the only 12-string that I own. A 12-string is not right for all songs, but I try it when I think that it might add something to the song. If something ever happened to my yamaha fg-512 I would replace it with another fg-512. As far as I am concerned, there is not a better sounding 12-string guitar. Most bluegrass musicians appreciate an old yamaha, they call it the "poor man's Martin"

this particular guitar is a late seventies model with, according to yamaha, a spruce top, rosewood back and sides, mahgany neck and indian rosewood fingerboard. yamaha states that the fg630, an earlier model, featured back and sides made of jacaranda. these guitars retailed for over $400.00 vs $270.00 for the fg512, which probably means that the fg512 is indian rosewood.

this guitar has a very powerful, crisp tone , evenly balanced and articulate. you can strum the bejesus out of it without it becoming mushy.

i havent touched the setup since aquiring this ax. it's perfect. this particular guitar was purchased at an estate sale and it looks like the original owner croaked before he could put many miles on it. the fit and finish are top notch and the woods used are of the finest quality

i only play this thing at home, so it will most likely outlive me.

i don't know, probably never will.

ive been noodling around on a guitar for about 35 years oneverything from gretches and gibsons to fenders and silvertones. currently, i own 9 guitars,including the above guitar and a yamaha sbg 2000, which is a kickass guitar. yamaha certainly knows how to make a quality product, and if i was looking, i would check them out first.

Really nice looking and great sounding full size plywood 12 string made in Taiwan in 1970. Spruce top with rich silking appearance, jacaranda back and sides - two parts of back perfectly matched, with really striking striped pattern. Dull gloss finish but this could be age. Mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard (and bridge). Nice binding (plastic) all round with an interesting pattern down the back centre. Saddle and nut plastic. Tuners are classical style six a side in slots. Seem well made and work well. Neck is the typical 1.875 inch, but seems less in the hand. Really easy to play for a big guitar: feels smaller than it is and has a slightly shorter scale than many.

Big rich sound. Well balanced across the strings. Rings for ever. They got something right: probably the overall design and construction. Very versatile - makes a range of different sounds according to playing technique, pick, strings, etc.

Well put together. No gaps or cracks evident. Everything works. The neck is holding out well for a 25 year-old guitar. The neck block feels solid, and the laminated top must have helped. I keep it tuned down half a step as I have always done with 12 strings.

I think I have covered this above.

Never. No need. I have had Yamahas before and they do what it says on the box. Never broken one.

Playing 30 years. If I lost it I would take another if one turned up.

The claim that these have solid tops is correct and even better, the back and sides are solid too. Here is what Yamaha says about the first generation (1978-1981) FG-512:

The FG-512 I guitars
made during that period (1978-1981) had the following features:

The back and sides are constructed of solid Brazilian Rosewood. The two-piece back is
accented with a vertical inlay stripe of southwestern art influence and is bound with
tri-layered black and white binding.

The top is a solid single-piece unit constructed of Sitka Spruce with abalone inlay
surrounding the soundhole rosette. The top is bound with the same layered black
and white binding as the back.

The 20-fret neck is constructed of Honduran Mahogany and is fully bound with
co-layered black and white binding material. The nut is white bone with a 1-7/8? width.
The neck contains a single truss-rod which is adjustable by removing the adjustment
plate located on the headstock.

The fretboard is East Indian Rosewood with silver fretwire and is inlaid with
diamond-shaped Mother-of-Pearl position markers and small, dot-shaped side position
markers.

The headstock is the open-slotted classical type, with Schaller, classical worm-gear
type, chrome-plated, with white buttons. The tuner ratio is 14:1. The driven gear
is brass.

The bridge is also constructed of East Indian Rosewood.

The guitar is strongly braced, with a semi-gloss finish.

Excellent clarity. Great bass and treble.

Not a Martin but an awesome guitar

I have owned it for over 20 years and it has only gotten better.

I have never had to contact them.

I bought this guitar new in 1979. I still have all of the paperwork including an original ad for this guitar. As far as the wood used in this guitar goes, I'll quote Yamaha: "Spruce top,quarter sawn. The best wood for guitar tops, cut the best possible way. A two-piece Indian rosewood back with marquetry inlay, and Indian rosewood sides." "Quarter sawn" is a term that only applies to SOLID tops. You will never see "quarter sawn laminated" in any guitar description. Also, Martin did not "stop using Brazilian rosewood in the 70's". You can still buy Martins with Brazilian rosewood if you have cubic dollars. It is a CITES-listed endangered species but is still available.

Excellent projection, strong bass without drowning out the treble range. I play a lot of Steve Howe's "Travis-picked" pieces (meaning using a pick and fingerpicking simultaneously) and this guitar has the clarity needed for this style.

Great fit and finish. Action is among the best I've seen in a 12 string. The neck is still absolutely straight after 25 years without ever being adjusted.

I've had it for 25 years and it looks new and sounds better than new.

No experience with them. None needed.

Great guitar for a reasonable price that has appreciated over the years. Nice examples sell for nearly 150% of their original price.

Contrary to previous reviews this guitar does not have a solid top. It is laminated Spruce, the sides and back are laminated Jacaranda which is a cheap version of Brazilian Rosewood (Martin stopped using BR in the early 70's because of it's expense you don't think a mass produced Yamaha would have it did you??). This was the then top of the 12 string line (with the 312 and 412SB below it), introduced in 1977 and running to 1981 when new model numbering came in and any old ones kept were given a '2' suffix and a solid headstock. For anyone wanting to know; Prior to 1977 Yamahas were all laminate except for some Luthier models which had 4 digits (FG-1000 etc) and are extremely rare. An 'S' in the model denoted Sunburst finish. In 1977 solid tops were introduced (FG-750S) and 'SB' was then used for Sunburst and 'S' for solid top. If it's after 1977 and it ain't got an 'S' it's a laminate top FG or CJ. I hope this clears up the confusion created by the mammoth post by Jonh Gibson lower down.