I must express my gratitude toward Yamaha. This company is providing quality guitars for budget minded consumers. Enjoying countless hours of fun on my basic FG800. Looking forward to checking out the FGX line up soon.
@@daniel7385 Went to the Songsmith from Simon and Patrick to complement the FG800. There are so many good guitars on the market right now but not necessarily in stock.
Had an FSX3 now for a month, picked one up from a shop in Paris that had an exclusive on them very early. Highly recommended, beautiful tone, amazing pick up system and all solid body for under €1000. Tried other guitars like the C114 in the same price range and the fsx3 was head and shoulders above the rest. Must be straight in as one of the top guitars in this price range
Alamo Music Center perfectly, it sounds just nice, it’s not a boomer it’s quite a delicate sound but the neck hasn’t moved a millimetre in all these years and plays great.
I have one as well, and it’s my favorite acoustic guitar! The only one that competes is my friend’s Gibson J-50 (from 1956). My FG-140 (from ‘69) records incredibly well! (Especially using an Austrian Audio OC-818 set to cardioid or a Neumann U67). Highly recommend!
Hey Chris, thanks for yet another fine review. I'm eagerly waiting for my pre-ordered FS-5 to come in. One thing that isn't mentioned enough in the comments on your videos is how well you play. You make all of the guitars you review sound very good. A talented player, playing great guitars.
@@ImGriffinP I can't speak about the FS3 because I've never played one, but I love my FS5. I also have a Martin D-15m, so it seems we have similar tastes. Hard to compare the two guitars since they sound very different because of the materials used. The baked top of the FS5, with the mahogany back and sides really gives it a dry, vintage tone (which I prefer). But it is a spruce top, so the mids and highs are crisper than they are on the all mahogany Martins. The FS5 is louder than you might expect from a guitar this size, especially strumming. Personally, I love them both because I like having different "flavours" to choose from. In terms of playability, be aware that, even though the specs on the Yamaha state a 1 3/4 nut, the string spacing is actually a bit more snug than my other guitars with that nut width. The difference is slight, but it's there. The Martin has a 1 11/16" nut, but the spacing on both of these guitars feels very similar. Also, though the Martin has a standard scale length and the Yamaha is a short scale 24.9", I found the string tension to feel quite snappy and tight on the Yamaha, surprisingly so. I prefer a bit more give in the strings (I play fingerstyle), so I had that fixed with a proper set up. Fit and finish on both guitars is top notch. These Japanese built Yamahas are very well built. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the Martin 15 series, but they are very lightly built with pretty thin tops. My luthier (a Martin dealer) even believes they're a little too thin, given how many he's seen come back with issues of bellying caused by humidity. So if you choose the Martin, make sure you stay on top of your humidity levels. That's not a criticism of the Martin, because the thin topped mahogany resonates very well, but it is something to be aware of. I'm not sure how much this helps. With these 2 guitars, it's obviously best to find a shop that has both so you can A and B them and find the one you prefer. Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions.
I bought an FGX3. The bass response shocked me. Be aware that this guitar comes with a high action on the bridge and nut so, will need to be set up. Having said that, it's one of the best guitars I've ever played.
I really wish when people make that statement, they would list some of the other guitars they played. Otherwise the statement is meaningless. If you only played a $200 Fender vs a 3k Taylor.
I have. APX700ii, and a red label is on my list (FSX3). I tend to somewhat disagree with it being underrated, Yamaha makes when heck of a guitar and I think most people would agree with statement, just might not want to admit that there are better and at a third of the price of gibson or martin
You can order a Yamaha Bone Nut and Bridge for the FGX5 that will fit the FGX3 directly from Yamaha, as well as the ebony pins, and wood pick guard, all for about $75 shipped.
HOLY S*%# that one Beautiful sounding pickup! What the hell? And the guitar sounds glorious. Well aged. I thought the preamp almost looked like the fishman Aura system. Damn. What a line of guitars by Yamaha
Greetings! How’s the fret board? Is it flat like the old FGs or circular? I have an FG 180 and it has a flat fret board and fat neck which makes it quite uncomfortable to play. Nonetheless, it’s a great instrument.
"Spacing's a little wider on the 5 than the 3..."? The specs show the same 44mm nut width for both series? Could a recut nut fix this (I prefer wider)? BTW, I recently did have the opportunity to play an FS5 for a few minutes - wow! Just wow!!!
Brought home an fgx3 today after playing more than 20 others. This guitar completely blew away everything else. Played 20+ guitars priced $500 to $1200. This one was the clear winner. Nothing else came close. Even the more expensive Yamaha models and Martins etc. did not have the tonal character and sustain this one presented, and it somehow made my barre chords easier to play and better sounding. No idea how they do that, but no complaints. Yamaha in my opinion consistently delivers incredible quality at every price point, whether it’s guitars or pianos.
@@daniel7385 absolutely. Great for strumming. I sometimes strum pretty aggressively and it feels like it’s designed for that. Great all around guitar. Always worth playing at the shop before buying, though.
3:12 you say the back and sides are laminate Mahogany but on musicians friend it reads "The FSX3 Red Label's solid mahogany back and sides". Which is correct?
Thanks for the review. Would have been helpful if you told us what you were adjusting and how much as you did it. Also, why were you adjusting the knob during the "mic" section? Has no impact on what we are hearing.
He played each guitar once. During the mic part, the mix you hear is just the condenser mic. During the line input, you are hearing the same piece played, but not via the mic, just through the pickups. It seems that each one started with the dial on full pickup and gradually went to full mic. Not sure about the EQ sweep.
It's plug in all the time he is not using the Mic on the stand at all. It is the Mic that in the guitar 3 way pickup system he is simply using just the condenser and just the under saddle and adjusting the levels and possibly blending the two. It is amazing that it sounds almost as good as if he was using the Mic on the Mic stand. That's how insanely good it is.
The L series looks better imo specially the LJ16 with its classic body shape. But then I also like the looks of A series. I just bought a used 2014 taylor 324ce and I'm already looking at other guitars. I guess it's true what they say that you can never have enough guitars.
You say the string spacing is narrower on the FSX-3 compared to the FSX-5. On the Yamaha website the specs say they are both the same at 11mm. Which is correct?
All Red Label models have 44mm nut width and 11mm string spacing (55mm from E to E string) at the bridge ..no difference between 3 and 5 and no difference between FG and FS.. I think Yamaha knows what the specs of their guitars are. so the guy in the video is wrong
I think they even have 55,17mm string spacing to be precise ..even more than Martin‘s 000 guitars I think ..they „only“ have 54,77mm. but both stated as 11mm between every two strings ..so especially the FS would be a great choice for fingerstyle
Fgs are the model to own if u want a yamaha... i agree, owned n played a few in my life but honestly im a fan of of Alvarez yairi if you want a fine japanese acoustic, but the fg is great
I have a Yamaha FG340 in black. Does anyone know how many black FG340 were produced? Has Yamaha ever produced custom guitars? I have over 25 years experience as lead vocalist/writer/rhythm guitar player and I've had and played too many guitars both electric and acoustic to count, but this black FG340 has the very best tone I've ever heard for acoustic. Yamaha has always been a mystery for me as to why they don't promote their superior high quality guitars. As for electrics, the Yamaha SG series are a superior guitar as well. I've owned and played many Yamaha acoustics, and I've never found a single sub par guitar. Yamaha has been building awesome guitars for decades and are very much under appreciated. My first quality acoustic was a Yamaha FG365 which I got when I was about 13 years old. I stupidly traded it for an electric and have seriously regretted it ever since I grew the hell up and realized what a tar-hole I was letting that guitar go! Right now I have six acoustics - a Yamaha classical - I can't recall what model it is - the black Yamaha FG340 - a Cort solid spruce top 3/4 Earth series - an Ovation 1917 - an Epiphone AJ 100 - and I just bought (two nights ago) a brand new Seagull Maritime SW with Fishman electronics which is another awesome guitar! I also have a full hollow Epiphone Casino which is my hands down favorite guitar in my collection. The Casino can be played acoustically and has a pretty solid rich tone for an electric. I'm a huge Beatles and Wings fan, and if anyone isn't familiar with Casino tones and versatility consider this - the opening salvo from the first metal riff in musical history from the Beatles "Revolution" is done on a Casino, which the three loved and used pretty much on all their recordings post 1964 when they bought their Casinos. You can also hear many great blues and jazz music where the full hollow body Casino is also perfectly suited to. Throw on a set of Da'ddario silver or nickel strings and you'll have your Beatles tone! If you're playing up and down the neck, or pulling out a lot of stretches buy Daddario flat wound and you'll cut right back on string squeal...unless you enjoy that kinky stuff! OH! BOOM! The Yamaha FG340 has a rich mid tone that I love and prefer. Whereas the Seagull has a bright, rich tone leaning toward the high treble tone, and I bought this specifically to balance my recordings. The FG340 is still my favorite. So, I've done a TON of research and can't find any info on this rare black FG340, so if anyone can give me any info I would be greatly thankful! Jack ~'()'~
I did. I saw a FGX3 in the local store and the finish was unevenly cloudy. To be honest, I thought it got damaged from some sort of an alcohol based cleaning product used for COVID-19 disinfection.
I have an FSX5 as well as a Martin D15M. It is not quite the same as the FS is concert size and the Martin a dreadnaught. Also Martin is a mahogany top compared to the spruce on the Yamaha and it is handmade while the Martin is mass produced. I have played 00015 Martins however. Between the FSX5 and 00015 Martin I would likely choose the Yamaha. The D15M however is a rich sounding and quite a beautiful guitar however it is fussy and is easily affected by weather and humidity and needs setup often to be optimal. Winter is hard on it. Let's say it is a delicate instrument. Of course the direct comparison is the FGX5 and the D15M and I have only played the FG3. I would give the edge from that experience to D15M but it would be close. I think you need yourself to sit down side by side and test it out.
@@TWC6724 Thanks, I have the same problem. Even the Eastman, I have to drive an hour to find a store that sells just a few. I really like Eastman from the reviews Ive watched.
I played the tylor 314ce The Martin gpc11e And the Yamaha fsx 3 today I Wendt with Yamaha fsx3 outstanding same playabillity as the Taylor but bettet sound. Martin not even close
I went to play a fsx3 yesterday in GC. It sounded like plastic ..absolutely terrible, lifeless. And the frets were so small that playing solos on it was impossible.
The early guitars this is based on were crappy and not well liked. Easily the worst guitar I have ever owned, over my lifetime. Tonality was OK but the neck warped so It became unplayable, because no Truss rod. Low quality compared to more recent CNC built offerings, and I gave it away, even though I was a money poor Teenager.
