Had my FG9R for about a week now and it has subsequently put my D-28 Modern Deluxe in its case for the foreseeable future. This is, without question, the finest steel-string acoustic guitar Yamaha has made to date.
I have had my FG 9 M for about 6 months and it is a fabulous guitar. I also own a '94 HD-28 which has been my main guitar since I bought it new. I really love the HD-28 but wanted a mahogany D and almost bought a D-18. (also wonderful) But the Yamaha is really something special. In addition to the very high quality craftsmanship (yes, better than my Martin) it has a dynamic range I've not experienced. You can't over or underplay it. Makes it a very versatile instrument, equally suitable for fingerstyle or flatpicking. If you have the opportunity, play one; I think you will be surprised.
I have a mahogany. I prefer it to the rosewood. One point that needs to be stressed is these are not torrified and are absolutely getting better with age. I thought it would take ten years. But mine astounds me every time i pick it. I’ve had mine a year in August and bought it used.
I still have my FG Yamaha from 1973 . It’s 50 years old . Played it recently ata bluegrass jam and it punched a hole in the banjo. Seriously, it has great bass and projection .. completely swamps the ubqituous gs minis . Looks good after 50 years .. kept in case . I need to change the strings soon ….. 😊 half a century! To me they are just settling down …
Since your guitar has some age, would you think that perhaps lighter gauge strings should be put on so it doesn't do anything demanding of the guitar, or it's well enough to hold medium gauge strings?
it takes some driving to get the bass moving. I think the medium gauge strings with a hard pick seems good combination. You make a good point -therefore, I keep it in D standard tuning .- Capoed at 2nd fret. This allows a robust string gauge and lessens the tension. More importantly, this gives me a shorter scale length and allows me to play in F or Dm with good chord shapes. Seems to work well. @@stanleybroniszewsky8538
It's tough to tell how good a guitar sounds when listening on a pair of 4" speakers. But I've watched dozens of demonstrations using what I assume is the same recording equipment and these both stand out as the best sounding guitars that have been reviewed here. I've never owned a Yamaha, but I've always liked them. I might have to get one of these.
Massive disservice to yourself if you don’t in all likelihood. I have no doubt that these guitars are of similar consistent quality to my LL56. The average mass produced competing Martin will be a joke in comparison, yet the brand whores out there will still lap them up regardless. Yamaha know what they are doing. What a beautiful set of guitars with a simple clean design.
Coming from a maintenance perspective, the Yamaha is actually easier to work on. By that I mean truss rod adjustment. My two Yamahas (FG700 & FG830) along with my Sigma are easy to maintain whereas my Guild D240e, the rod isn't as easy to work with. Yamaha's approach to guitars reminds of the same mindset Leo Fender had when he started building guitars. And the shared approach is a great way to make quality guitars.
I'd really love to have an FG9. I'm not sure if it's because of the great quality for price or is it because I have a secret desire to annoy my bluegrass friends. I have a DW-10 that was purchased to be a beater guitar, and it is. but the quality to price on it is amazing. When I took it to a Luthier for a better setup he wanted to buy it from me because even he was impressed with the sound and playability. My first Yamaha was a silent violin. I told my wife it was for her (I like to practice first thing in the morning). I was so impressed with the fiddle (can I call it a fiddle?) I bought the silent guitar with steel strings. It is also amazing. I'm partial to Gibson and my collection of Kalamazoo branded instruments (Kalamazoo is just a hop skip and jump away from me) but there is no denying Yamaha quality. and why not, they've been making instruments nearly as long as Martin, and even longer than Gibson.
It should be noted that the FG9M is made with African Mahogany from the Khaya genus and not Honduran Mahogany from the Swietenia genus. I’m not certain how they differ tonally but would assume the Khaya costs less.
It doesn’t really look like a $4K “boutique” guitar…like if they’d have put a nice subtle FG pattern on the headstock. People would still know it’s Yamaha, but not think they’re looking at a piano.
I like the 510 tuners. I recently bought some Waverly and Schaller open gear tuners and sent them both back due to manufacturers defects. The Gotohs don’t seem to have that problem. Nice sounding guitars.
I really wish they had gone for a much more substantial V shaped neck. Those low profile necks don't fill up your hand and a neck with more mass seems to have a positive effect on tone.
I agree hell I got a ll16m and I played a fg9 mahogany model with broken in strings and in comparison I definitely prefer the tone of my ll16m for its sweet articulation. Resonance was pretty much on par with each other. The ll series has a sweeter tone very similar to well made Alvarez yairi acoustics and some larrivee acoustics I’ve played. My ll16m especially a year later after playing it hours everyday has great depth and complexity with sweet nuance sparkly highs. Very punchy with incredible focus and clarity. It’s so smooth for strumming and decent finger picker. I got lucky and scored mine for 509 new but is definitely well worth the 799 it goes for normally. Honestly I think the shop mistaken this for a ll6m laminated back and side model and didn’t realize it. It has incredible growl as well and definitely full sounding at this point. The tone it produces makes for an extremely versatile acoustic and has plenty bottom end without being boomy which for me is always a good thing. There’s a reason Yamaha created this body shape using englemann spruce tops and chose non scalloped bracing. They were definitely going for a very specific kind of tone and they nailed it
Does Jeremy have any surprises? Or did his mustache counter them? Like the sound/ voice of each. However, I 'll stick with the guitars I have so far. Thanks, John and Jeremy.
@@AcousticShoppe Well, I fell in love with your harmony's and musicianship. I can't remember where I saw you guys, but it was three times. I think once it was in Kalamazoo at the Radisson for a GLAMA Great Lakes Acoustic Music Association event. Another was at a park, sorry can't remember.
Has anyone had the chance to compare it to a D28? Wonder how they compare as the are around the same price. Also how does the M compare with the R? Sadly I live in the middle of nowhere so would never be able to play them in person.
The FS9 has actually been announced and should be out this year, we saw them at the Fretboard Summit last year: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5bhpeGwSeNw.html We'll also take pre-orders as soon as they're available!
I own an Alvarez MD 60 EBG, and i recently tried thisy yamaha FG9, ok, the craftmenship is oustanding, sound is very balanced, for a very experienced ears, but honestly, it is not 5 times better than my outstanding sounding Alvarez, never in this world that this FG9 is 5 to 6 times better sounding that my Alvarez! I paid 900$ for it, when the Yamaha FG9 is between 5500- 5900$! I would dare anyone to do a blind test between those 2 guitars( like JP CORMIER does so frequently) and you would be surprised how many people wouldn't be able to tell wich is which! Conclusion: i you don't care to spend this much money, the FG9 is indeed a spectaculor guitar, but you can have an oustanding and good sounding guitar for much much less!
John says he has limited playing time with the LL36 but would probably still prefer the FG9 for the body size. The FG9 is just all around, a really hard guitar to beat. We'll go even more in depth in some upcoming reviews and comparisons - stay tuned!
We honestly haven't played those models enough to form a proper opinion since we have only just became a Yamaha dealer. That said we are definitely looking forward to checking them all out and doing comparisons!
Yamaha heavily touts it's 5 piece neck, claiming it is more rigid, requiring fewer adjustments, where is it on the FG9? They also heavily tout their A.R.E. treated tops, does the FG9 include this feature? Why is no one talking about the FG9's removable neck, this seems like a huge deal considering a lot of older Yamaha acoustic need a neck reset. Has the removable neck helped eliminate Yamaha's famous 14th fret hump, mine has that condition, along with a little "Belly Up" and cave in where the fretboard is glued onto the body at the "sound hole" end of the fretboard.
First.. hard to beat a Gibson J45 for tonal balance.. or a good Martin ..Collings too.. Yamaha makes a fine guitar but most are way too bright sounding.. don’t think these fall into a $4000 range… for that price there are way better options… I actually thought the fg830 was a pretty darn good Yamaha for the $.. good sound , nice playing… also some of the Yamahas are put together with epoxy which makes a neck reset near impossible without some detruction of wood and is the finish nitro?..can’t did any info that?
@@demolitionwilliams7419 love it! Can't say enough about the quality of the build, wood, neck joint, fret etc everything is perfect, a lot of bass and high, its a real loud cannon!
ha-gotcha! as much as y'all are superior in knowledge in the realm of stringed instruments, don't test me and my 30+ years experience on print design quality! john-get on eastman about their lame labels! eastman is just a label away from being perfect! love you guys tons!@@AcousticShoppe
Clueless, good luck with those mass produced inconsistent quality Martins. They’re just a name more than anything else these days…Despite their legacy…
@@banjobones8075 I don’t doubt it. There are many incredible ones out there. Sounds like you got one. That’s the difference. Mass produced guitars like that are not consistent is all.
In today's market the Martin's are not of the quality they once were. Now these new Yamaha guitars have been improved to compete with any mass produced Martin.
Here's my checklist: Do you make over 100k a year? Do you have any kids? Is your mortgage paid off? If you leave money in your pocket for too long, does it burn little holes in your pantaloons? Do you still have all of your kidneys? I am of course, kidding, because you can buy this guitar and still probably keep all your kidneys and lungs.
