PRICE: $300 New with case KEY FEATURES: Rosewood back, sides and fretboard Engelmann Spruce top CUSTOMIZATION? D'Addario .013-0.56 strings SOUND SAMPLE: Cover, Led Zeppelin's Bron-Y-Aur Stomp(687 KB) HIGHS: Great tone for singer-songwriters. Holds Tune very well LOWS: Sometimes has trouble “cutting through” a live mix SHORT TAKE: Unmatched tone and sustain in this price range!
Although the Yamaha FG-04 costs under $300 new, it has the tone and playability of a guitar in the $700-$1000 price range. Talk about “bang for your buck!”
If you find an FG-04 in a music shop, grab it and strum a chord. Immediately, you'll notice a bright, full-bodied tone with sustain to spare. One would expect this from a Spruce/Rosewood acoustic: A powerful sound with more treble than midrange. This is an ideal setup for singer-songwriter “open mic warriors," as the guitar's tone leaves lots of room for a voice. Beware larger band settings, though; drums and bass may crowd the Yamaha's frequency range.
The FG-04 features an uncommonly large fretboard radius. I couldn't find it documented anywhere, but I would guess the radius to be 10 or 11” (similar to many strat-style electric guitars). This means that playing lead passages and bending notes is much easier than on most acoustics; you will also be able to set the truss rod for low action without compromising sustain much. In general, a larger fretboard radius makes for more difficult rhythm playing, but the Yamaha is well-suited for many musical settings. In particular, the guitar handles bluesy, bend-heavy solos and fingerstyle playing well.
I've owned this guitar for nearly three years, and it looks and sounds as good as ever. Granted, the former doesn't say much, given this guitar's bland styling (at least the mother-of-pearl headstock inlay looks nice), but form follows function. This acoustic holds tune relentlessly and intonates perfectly, even in open tunings. Check out the Yamaha FG-04's sound sample, which was played in Open G.
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