Yamaha G85A

Nippon Gakki G-85A made in Japan in 1970. 19 frets, two pice spruce top, Nato neck, sides and back, rosewood fingerboard.

Absolutely amazing, best classical I've ever heard or played. Bright and percussive as a flamenco guitar but with very powerful bases and incredible ringing sustain. 11 out of 10 if it were possible!

Savarez Alliance composite strings, normal or high tension really make it sing.

Fantastic action, the best I've ever played on any classical helped by a neck that's very different from all later Yamahas. The neck is conventionally wide and flat but much shallower and less chunky that other guitars. Played a G-100A which has the same feel and a similar sound. Both guitars are physically much lighter than the models that followed which perhaps contributes to their incredible sound.

The finish? Well it's covered in dings and scratches and came with a broken saddle but still is in one piece with no cracks and a straight neck. Had to replace the tuners which were totally knackered.

Indestructible AFAIK... Finish doesn't matter when it sounds like this, the tuners were cheap and finished so replaced.

Only searched the Yamaha guitar archive to find out what it was made of. Can't really ask Yamaha for support on a 38 year old guitar!

Fantastic bargain, bought a Yamaha G-100A online for a friend which really impressed me so when I saw this on eBay jumped at the occasion. I've played the G-228 and more recent Yamahas and own a G-235 but they are heavily built in comparison and lack the soul and power of this guitar.

Totally in love with it, the best guitar of any type I've ever played. If it were lost or stolen I would be heartbroken and doubt very much it I could ever replace it.

Best feature without doubt is the sound and the ultra playable neck, would not sell it for GBP 5,000 (no joke).

This is one fine classical guitar, which I've had for many years and will never part with. The sound is in a word, incredible. Great tone and resonance make this my favorite guitar. I've enjoyed playing it on a daily basis for many years and it sounds far better than the $500 classical I purchased on a whim.

Apparently, this model is now considered collectible, which doesn't surprise me at all. The Taiwan mdoels are extremely well made and can stand up to much playing. If and when I find another one, I'll definitely scoop it up

Great sound!

Set up was fine form the moment I picked it up, no adjustments ever in the over twenty years I've had it.

I've played many, many shows with this guitar, no compliants at all, just standing ovations!

Never needed any customer support. I did call Yamaha a fe years back and they said the response to this model was very favorable.

I'd be very sad if I lost this guitar!

Made in Taiwan but better in every way than a lot of Nippon Gakkais I've owned.

Great full sound. The sustain is amazing.

A nicely built guitar that's as durable as a tank.

This is a great little guitar. It sounds better than anything I've heard in the music stores for less than $500

I'm not sure where or when it was made as it does not say in the guitar. Its a classical so it only has like 14 frets till the body. Laminate top. Being that i know nothing about the wood type i can only say it feels ok.

I do a ot of fingure picking. It has a rich/full sound that i love... but at different times it has different sounds... i dont know why. But if i dont play it for a week and then pick it up again it has a richer sound but if i play and play then it will have much sharper sound......

it seems fine

This is the most reliable guitar ever... I have dropped a ten pound weight on it while it was leaning against the wall and although it has a mark where the weight hit, it still sounds good...i have beat this guitar being that it was the guitar i learned to play on i have had for 6 years... I have used it live but i only finger picked .. i dont think it can handle much else live.

never checked

Ive been playing for 6 years..If it were stolen or lost i would definitely buy another. I love that it has lasted. I chose this one because at the time i knew absolutely nothing about guitars... but looking back im glad i got it.

I've used a Yamaha G85A Classical guitar for a couple of months now. I am impressed with the depth and the warmth of the tone. The action was a little high, so I shaved the bridge (which was slightly concave) to slightly rounded to match the neck which is also very slightly rounded. It didn't seem to affect the tone, and now I can play bars up the neck much more easily. It's been in and out of a hot car and air conditioning and hasn't affected the bridge or any of the glueing, but it does affect the tuning.

With it's problems (which are few), what impresses me most is the well-rounded full sound. If you get one of these, you must do the drop-D tuning and play it over the sound hole so you can get the full resonance of the bottom string.

To answer the above questions as best as I can:
-- It was made in Japan, not sure what year.
-- Wide neck-- 19 frets
-- Satin finish-- Top Laminated Spruce Top-- Sides and back is mahogany
-- $5 Fat Sound cardboard case

I've been playing guitar for 41 years. I also own a National ResoLectric Guitar (which I won in the first National Slide Guitar Festival in Brevard, NC), a 20-year old Fender Strat, Electric/Acoustic Ovation Legend, an Epiphone fretless bass, and a number of Hohner Blues Harps.

Anything I wish I had? Yes. I wish I had all of the guitars I've traded away over the years.

This classical guitar was made in 1970 in Japan. It has a laminated spruce top. The neck is wide which is not unusual for classic guitars. Looks like it has a decaled rosetta with the similar colored pattern on the bridge.

It has a nice pleasant sound, but there is a little buzzing from the middle and/or bass strings occassionally. I had Black Diamond nylon strings on it at first and I rarely used a pick when playing it because I never really liked the sound when using a pick. They just sounded too thin for my liking with the pick. I eventually changed to D'Addario J27 nylon strings which made a difference. It sounds decent using a pick to strum with now and it does have a loud sound. I'm probably not the best judge of how this guitar sounds since it is really only one of a few classical guitars that I have heard. I was suprised just how nice it sounded when I taped this guitar. It had a nice full sound. Really seemed to sing out. And I know this sounds silly, but I just like the size of classical guitars. They are not real large and they are light weight.

The action was a bit high so I sanded the saddle down a bit which helped some.

The finish has held up well as has the rest of the guitar. The guitar seems solid and will last probably forever.

NA

I've been playing about 2 years now and own a Takamine EG332SC acoustic/electric guitar, Yamaha FG411s, and this Yamaha G85A classical guitar. I bought this guitar site unseen and thought it was going to be a G65A which was listed from the Music-Go-Round store. I've found and purchased a few guitars by looking at Music-Go-Round's internet site and then calling to order from one of their stores. They are very honest and really tell me what they think about the guitar they are selling. Apparently they got their 6's and 8's ,mixed up this time. It really didn't matter though since the price was very reasonable and I really just wanted to see what a classical guitar was like. The G85A is not a stupendous sounding or looking guitar but it is a workable usuable classical guitar to start off with. If I ever become anything like "accomplished" I will look for a solid top used, vintage Yamaha guitar to replace this one with. It would be nice to see some other reviews sent in on this model. I'm curious to see what other guitar players think about it. In conclusion, I'm really enjoying owning and playing this guitar.