Yamaha FPX-300

Mine is just a standard Yamaha FPX 300. You all know the specs. I chose it because I have fat fingers and wanted the wider fretboard. The finish and quality was superb.

It suits all my styles - picking, strumming and sometimes a bit of rock. Can't fault it.

Set up was a little high when I bought it. Also (being a wuss) I like to use the lightest gauge strings I can.

The finish was superb and has proved to be very durable.

Durability? Superb! I had a very bad experience with this guitar not long after I bought it. The shoulder strap on a case broke and it dropped onto a stone floor, hitting right on the strap button/plug socket.

It cracked the face, about 1" from the soundhole.

My luthier friend repaired it with braces, re-lacquered it, and it is as good as new. His comment was that he had never played one of these before (he's a pro) but if he found one for sale he'd buy it.

This guitar has flown with me thousands of miles, has suffered huge variations in temperature and humidity, and has stayed in tune throughout.

I cannot fault it. I cannot understand why it was discontinued.

No experience

This is a superb instrument. Reliable, strongly built, excellent sound. It is now on loan to a guy who gives it a hard life in professional gigs and it's doing fine!

I have friends who have spent at least three times what this Yammie cost and are from from satisfied.

You all know the spec. Really nice to look at.

Great Guitar sound, lends itself to finger picking but really you can play what you like.

Perfect for me ... plays like my Lowden with all the same detail.

Never had to use them yet

I have been playing for 26 years. I have played them all, but this is just a great guitar. Plugged it sounds just as good. I have searched for years to find such a versatile instrument. Great for studio and for stage. TOTAL BARGAIN

Made in th 90s. Solid cedar top.ovenkgal back and sides. It has electronics-but I have never used them, so I can't make a comment. The neck is really wide and comfortable. 1 7/8 nut makes it a dream to finger pick with

This guitar really rocks! Has a balenced sound that is good for any style of play, especially finger picking. Struming sounds grear too. Doesn't sound like a 000-ec martin, but has a rich, deep sound that rings for ever. For thre money you can't beat it!

Was really set up good from the factory with low action. Fit and finish is near perfect.

Seems to be holding up well during the time i've owned it. I don't play out, but would expect it to do well on the road. Tuners seem to weel made and the guitar rarely goes out of tune.

Never had to deal with YAMAHA - but i've heard they are nice people to deal with.

Didn't know a great sounding guitar like this could be had this cheap. If something happened to this guitar I would have to get a martin to get a better sounding and playing guitar.

I bought the fpx 300 in 2005 in Amsterdam for much to less money.When i tried this guitar in the store i wanted to have it staightaway and at home i was still surprised for the price i paid and the nice look.It was a demo whit some microscopic scratches on it. I have the steel strings.Its a pity i didnt bought it sooner.Perhaps i buy the nylon string also.

I played for hobby for more than 25 years all kinds of styles and many times i just quit playing , becouse the sound of gitars i played was making me tired.... this gitar the fpx masages my brain so the speak. All the notes on every fret sounds pure.Especialy when i play with a plectrum cords sounds like if you tuned out a 15 band equaliser.This was without amp.I have a Marshall 200 watts combo for my Stratocaster and after i played some times to get jused to this fpx iput it on the Marshall....Then i lost myself in that 1 out of 10 sesion. When i get the cusebombs i now it was sounding perfect.So how would you to describe sound.The point i make is that with amp. the sound , it is impresive...

The fpx was tuned in the store and 7 months later it is stil in tune.A very importand thing for profesionals.And i used inside outside from summer to winter and wat i say it is stil in tune.When i play on the lowest frets ill get in problems....But thats why it sounds so good...If they cute a piece out i never believe you will keep this rich sound. So that was a compomise i did not want to make but now i have to live with it. I didnt understand the whide neck ,It looked if they made from a spanish gitar a real one...Sometimes i get the fpx out of his case just to look at it.Then i put it back nowing it wil always look as good like this.Al my ather acoustic gitars are in litle pieces .I never want to hear them any more.

Whit this fpx from yamaha i wil have enough confidence to play becouse one of the strongest points is that it stays in tune.

I will never sell it or trade it in.If you want to spend money people are oven friendly and that was what they were , only this time i get something for my money..

#360 GBP. I've had this guitar for about a year. It seems quite heavy for an electro. The physical description corresponds to all the other reviews. As I am used to a Spanish-bodied instrument the size of the Yamaha, combined with the 14th fret-to-body neck, makes it much less comfortable to use than my previous instrument.

I find that it produces a toppy, penetrating acoustic sound, but very loud. Via the pickup, the sound was a tremendous disappointment after my previous guitar which had a Schaller Western pickup, but this might be just what piezos are like. Initially the string whistle was so loud that I had to use the mid control purely to knock it back.

The factory set-up was a bit on the "safe" side, and I was able to mill off about 0.7mm off the bridge saddle without producing any buzzing. Contrary to a few early reviews, I thought the board finish excellent. But in common with the same reviews, I had to manufacture a replacement nut, whose supplied form rendered the wide board pointless. There was no suggestion of any twist on the neck, or bellying on the soundboard (perhaps the reviewer who noticed this had been supplied with a fan-braced body?) The finish was exemplary.

One of the better characteristics is stability. It rarely goes far off tune and seems of tank-like construction. The matt finish on the back of the neck, though, polishes after a few weeks' use.

I am pretty ambivalent about the guitar and rather wished I had spent more, say on a Takamine or Lowden.

you've got al the details below. Just to say the wide fretboard is really nice and encourages more precise fingerpicking and less strummy style playing. Looks really cool minimalist style with a richly coloured spruce body this is one of those guitars I like to just look at! The mic transducer mix gives a superbly realistic acoustic sound and i use this for studio recording.

As I say the elctrics sound great. transfer the acoustic sound onto recorded medium perfectly. Acoustically projects the sound surprisingly well considering its small size

Set up very well , got it new no complaints at all

Looks fairly solid. Acoustics can never take the kicking an electric will cope with

Don''t know never tried or had reason to. Thats how I like it!

Been playing since 1972. Currently have a Casio MG510 midi/electric and various synths and effects. Would hate to lose this guitar its just right for me. I think this guitar is superb, I've had many guitars over the years - giannini, fender (quite a few) shaftesbury, w.e.m bespoke etc. Also worked in a guitar shop and just occasionally i come across a guitar i love. This goes in with the anniversary strat the plexiglass and the Gianini as one of my all time faves.

Attention All: I am the person who submitted as Anonymous (accidently, nice boy...not too bright.) Any confusion about the materials used in this beautiful guitar can be cleared up by refering to the Yamaha-Europe website

http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe/english_master/10_musical_instruments/
30_guitars_basses_amps/10_acoustic_guitars_western/10_acoustic_guitars_western/
30_fpx_guitars/FPX300/index.html


Copy and paste that in your browser, all materials questions answered.

After a year, I still have no complaints about this guitar, except maybe that I don't have another one...

There seems to be some confusion on the timbers used in this guitar. The top is solid cedar, the back and sides are a solid tone wood mahogany substitute often used by yamaha.
The pickups are a below bridge ceramic and an internal mic. The 2 can be blended as required. Mine didn't come with the soundhole plug. I must chase the dealer up on that.
The nut width is a bit smaller than a typical classic. The string fit on mine is perfect on 010s or 012s but nylon will not fit. The guitar is easy to play even at this nut width.
The body size and style is something that UK readers may recognise from long ago. It's a parlour guitar ie. slightly smaller than a dreadnought.

I'm learning to play the guitar so I can only compare it with other's. I wanted a steel stringed wide necked guitar with a truss rod. Takamine do one as do gibson. The fpx sounds a lot better than the takamine when played without an amp. A heck of a lot. It doesn't need an amp. On the amp the takamine was incredible but I suspect that the fpx is capable of more variety. The size of the guitar gives good balanced tones when it's played in the living room. The sound is warm and not too bassy. Good bronze strings brighten it up some what too and it can easily take 012 guage strings played as hard as you like without the tone breaking up. There is very little of the drone during sustain produced by jumbo's etc. My sound rating is for living room use without an amp. I'm still mucking about with the sound with an amp - I'm impressed.

This is as usual from yamaha a neatly made guitar. The string fit in the nut is exactly to the book but nylon strings will not fit the steel stringed guitar. The machine heads allow easy accurate tuning. The action is a touch high for a steel stringed acoustic but I lowered mine slightly with the truss rod - there is ample scope for that as the string clearances at the nut end are adequate so I just adjusted the relief to about 010 /015. What I'm left with is something that is probabley perfect for finger picking. It's fine for strumming etc too. About 0.100 at the 12th fret. I allways adjust the neck relief when I change string guages and check it now and again as well. Wood setles slowly and I think that this is a must do. Since I have adjusted it the guitar holds it's tune well.

The fretboard is stained rosewood. Mine shows some discolouration under the strings. The guitar looks good in black but a straight rosewood finish would be more durable. I practice with it about 1/2 hour every day and have had it for just under 2 months. The discolouration is only really noticable with the strings off in a well lit room. It's a shame they didn't use ebony but then there is the cost. Everything else is well made.

I own 2 electrics and a 12string. I'm learning to play but I do have a reasonable ear. I also own a boss gs10 effects unit and fender and trace amps.
This guitar needs to be rated on price especially if one wants a wide necked steel string guitar. I want to get into finger picking at some point.
The takamine I looked at was discounted at #650 without a pickup amp this would have added another #150 to that. I believe the gibson equivalent is well over #1000. Even at the full #500 retail price this guitar represents excellent value for money and the pickup arrangement gives it more flexability. It will give a true clasical tones or the more usual electro acoustic tones and probabley many other sound colourations too. I also think it sounds good off the amp especially in a domestic situation. I would be lost without it. I like the neck and appreciate the extra string spacing. My instructer is thinking of buying one too. He likes the tone and the neck. He has been playing for 40years, he likes fast necks.
PS
Please excuse my spelling - too many years of use of a spell checker and software authering.

Amber stained solid spruce top with very dark rosewood fingerboard (looks like ebony)with abalone inlay around the soundhole. Fretmarkers on the side but not the face of the fretboard. Dark rosewood bridge with two abalone dots. Body is rosewood with a nice blonde maple strip down the middle of the back. Tuning keys are side mounted classical style but much nicer looking than the usual harp style. And there's a nice understated YAMAHA inlay made of abalone in the headstock. Built in Piezo pickup in the bridge and a flexible stem condenser mike inside the body with separate controls provide a wide range of sound control. The cable jack is in the rear strap peg.

I've been playing primarily fingerstyle music but also play classical and blues. I have several guitars and this is one of the best sounding and most versatile. The guitar is strung with light gauge strings but still the sound is very warm with a nice ring. I've played it against several more expensive guitars and except for Taylors, which cost at least 3 times as much, this yamaha has sounded the best.

The action was a little too high, but easily fixed by sanding down the bridge. There's a couple very very small spots where the fretboard stain runs onto the top just above the soundhole. The ends of the frets were a little sharp at first but they've smoothed after playing for awhile; the higher frets still need a little work. After about a year, the nut came unglued and fell off the guitar when changing the stings. It was simple to glue the nut back on. Nice bookmatched top with prominent and attractive grain. The rosewood back and sides show very attractive woodgrain and are evenly bookmatched.

I don't play live so I can't comment on how much abuse a guitar should have to take if played in a live setting. Since the guitar doesn't have a pickguard, it is more likely to show scratches if you use a pick or very hard strumming. I believe the lack of a pickguard improves the sound by letting the top vibrate more freely. I've owned this guitar for a couple years now and except for the nut falling off it has held up very well. The finish shows not sign of checking or cloudiness and the back of the neck and fretboard still look like new. The pickup, mike and controls all work like new. The guitar stays in tune well so no complaints about the tuning pegs either.

Never needed to contact the company.

I've been playing off and on for over 15 years. Since I got this guitar I've been playing a lot more than I did before. Right now I own too many guitars (more than 10), including a Washburn resonator, Tacoma acoustic, Yamaha classical, and a couple Washburn and Yamaha electrics. I'm over 6'4" and the guitar's wider neck and somewhat smaller body make it very easy to play cleanly and comfortable to hold. If I lost this guitar I would definitely replace it with another one. For the price this is a very nicely appointed and great sounding guitar.

Features include cedar top (no wonder the spruce looked different, huh?), ovankgol back and sides (sure looks like rosewood to me, though), rosewood fingerboard (looks like ebony to me...doesn't look at all like rosewood), very wide (1 7/8") neck (normal is 1 11/16"), small size (000 or grand concert), slot head with post horizontal tuners, piezo/microphone pickup system, no pickguard...pickup system earns this guitar a high feature score. I do wonder is the specs on this relatively modest run of a now discontinued instrument might not have varied from lot to lot....as I said, the back and sides look like rosewood and the fingerboard is almost certainly NOT rosewood. Another thing...the bridge is nylon string style, the strings pull through from back to front, rather than down into the guitar with pegs to hold them down. I believe that the combination of wide nech, slot head, string through bridge, odd nut spacing (see below), and size suggest that this guitar was designed as a nylon/steel string crossover. I know thay had a nylon string variant of this guitar available. I suspect that there was little difference between them. To some extent it's a compromise.

Sounds surprisingly good acoustically, considering its' small size and modest price tag, and the electronics are REALLY good for amplified applications. Very silent and flexible electronics. A lot of variation available...controls include four sliders, two knobs and a button. Doesn't lend itself to banging out straight rythym chords, don't even consider this intrument to play the eagles' greatest hits...better suited to articulated playing.

Set up was OK. The tuning pegs seem a little cheesy. I'm planning to replace/upgrade them. As the other reviewers have noted, the nut is really odd. The neck is very wide, but the string placement doesn't capitalize on that width. There is far too much space on the outside of the low and high E strings. I believe this to be the result of using nylon string nut spacing on a steel string guitar (nylon E and B strings are very much wider than their steel counterparts, .27 for a typical high E)). Frets are beautiful...overall appearance on the instrument is really outstanding, very classy and restrained. Lovely shape.

I question the wisdom of the string through bridge on a steel string, it looks like a potentially weak point, and may be the culprit in the problem one of the previous reviewers had with this guitar...but so far, so good, and Yamahas are very well built in my experience.

Called Yamaha with some questions...they called back and were responsive.

If you noticed the price I paid and you have any familiarity with this instrument, you know I got a really fantastic deal on this guitar. Yamaha discontinued these guitars and some of the internet houses are blowing them out at basically half the normal retail price (one third of the list). At this price I can unequivocally recommend this axe as a great bargain. I have tons of guitars, including a Yamaha semi-hollow electric that I use as a gigging workhorse, despite owning both Gibsons and Fenders. Yamaha makes quality products. I have several acoustic guitars as well, including a Taylor (Grand Concert size) that has almost the exact same size and features as the Yamaha, except it cost FOUR times as much. On balance, the Taylor's probably better...a little better. Probably. Taylor plays slicker, but this ;itt;e Yamaha actually has more projection. It's really a very nice instrument, IF you are interested in a wide flat neck. I'm not actually a figer picker, but I've been moving toward wider necks for improved note articulation, both in my playing and in the sound. Once you overcome the initial adjustment, you play more accurately and precisely with more room.