Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Used For Sale (2024 Update)

I didn't have high hopes for a guitar in this price point, but it has had rave reviews so I ordered one. When I unboxed it after about 5 hours, the very first thing that I noticed was the build quality. The neck set is absolutely perfect and the guitar is very nicely playable right out of the box. The finish on this guitar is superb. It is a Plain Jane but it's pleasing to the eye as a solid, well built guitar. It tuned up well and I played a couple of sets on it, and after one retune, it sang out quite nicely. The only change I will make to this guitar is changing the nut and the bridge to bone, since the plastic polymer just doesn't sustain like this guitar is capable of doing. The additional 50 dollar investment is well worth it, I would be comfortable playing this guitar anywhere, it's well worth the money, and it's easy to see why the reviews have been so good on it.Taylor W.

When the guitar arrived, I was not disappointed. The "sandburst" finish was fantastic–satin on the body, matte on the neck, which made playing a breeze. The fret work has no issues. The only change I will make is to have a tech file the nut grooves so the action is easier on the first fret; this is not uncommon with new guitars from any manufacturer. Other than that, the guitar is ideal. The bass response makes my fillings rattle (in a good way) and this guitar is loud when I need it to be. An important factor is this FG800 comes with a solid top spruce–this can't be emphasized enough. With laminate tops, you might get lucky with a decent tone, but the odds will be against you. A solid top will bring you closer to the sound you want. I don't believe in "beginner" guitars, which is another term for paying less in case you don't want to play the guitar later. If you're a guitar player, you'll know what you want. The FG800 passes for a quality guitar that will last your lifetime and that of the person you might bequeath it to.Dave

I’m impressed by the build and sound quality of this acoustic guitar! Easy to tune and play. I used to play on a Taylor GS mini (Koa) but couldn’t bring it with me when I moved to the UK. I was thinking about buying the same model here but they’re quite expensive and paying for international shipping to bring mine from my home country wouldn’t be cheaper as well. That’s when I saw online reviews of this Yamaha FG800 and decided to give it a shot. PMT shopping experience was very smooth and the delivery was very fast – next day. Couldn’t be happier! Now I have something to play after 6 months after moving. And it’s a good quality guitar.Victor T.

I bought this guitar to check out a budget friendly offering from Yamaha. I have to say I was not disappointed! Excellent tone and volume, the top really resonates. The guitar was really well setup right out of the box. It needed about 3/4 of a clockwise truss rod adjustment, no prob. Other than that it didn't need any fret dressing whatsoever. That's really impressive for a Chinese guitar. Heck even one of my Mexican Martins needed fret dressing out of the box! Also intonation was spot on and this also is important in your guitar. Very impressed with this guitar, intermediate/advanced feel but priced at a beginner budget. You won't regret picking one up, I assure you!Big Bone Murphy

There is a point of quality when an instrument reaches when it stops being seen as "better or worse" but rather just a different flavor. This Yamaha has reached that point. You can play it alongside a guitar costing 5x more and it stands up well. Yamaha is also one of those rare companies with a long history of top quality across all kinds of products, and guitars are an area Yamaha knows well. This is just a beautiful guitar through and throughout. You can get beautiful uncompromisingly great studio recordings with this guitar. Hitting the low strings hard with strumming gives a nice deep and rich tone. Also, the hardware / tuners are nice.Scott

I've owned many acoustics over the years, MANY, and this Yamaha is one of the best sounding I've ever owned. Went to GC just to check out a few lower end acoustics to pick up for jamming on, and tried almost every one in the room. Picked this one up last just before I was ready to leave, and immediately was blown away by the sound and playability, brought a couple friends to listen and tell me which one they thought sounded the best, and hands down this won over all of them. It has the tone and warmth of a Martin D34, which I have owned a few, and it plays like a dream. The neck is so sliky smooth, easy to fly up and down with no effort. It has amazing sustain and beautiful tone, I fell in love with it and just couldn't put it down. I didn't expect a guitar of this price range to sound as good as it does, got it home and I couldn't put it down. Played for 4 hours straight, and even after trying to put it down to go to bed at 1am I found myself playing a for a few more minutes before I could actually go to sleep. Love this Yamaha more than any guitar I've bought in the last decade. The best thing about it is, It gave me the desire to pick up playing guitar again, after hardly touching any of my other guitars for almost a year it's the one I want to play more than all of them. Great guitar, wouldn't hesitate to buy another in a different color, if you want something that you won't be able to put down this baby has the sound and feel your looking for.Johnny D

I bought this guitar from a local shop strictly as a worship instrument for Sunday mornings. It absolutely destroyed every other guitar at the music shop +/- 500 in either direction. I still hold that it is likely the best guitar in its price range for the quality of its construction and sound quality. There is virtually not a single flaw this instrument possesses… But can we talk about the electronics? The guitar is super odd… I mean, if you are odd too, it is probably your dream guitar. It has a poor-man's tone wood amp build in. When you turn it on, it runs 90's sounding special effects out the soundhole, which is pretty cool. Here is the problem, the controls are super minimal. So minimal that you can't tell whether this bad boy is on or off. We found out the hard way that when this guitar is plugged in, the battery is always draining, even when the sound system is off. This is not atypical, but it gets weirder. The guitar won't turn off when plugged in, but sometimes needs to be turned on (?) when the batteries are dying. There is no indicator to tell you when it is running low on power, so you might find out on stage halfway through Glorious Day. There is actually no indicator for anything electric on this guitar, except for a sliding piece of plastic that sits under the dials that might be useful if it didn't look like you were supposed to cut it out and throw it away. The whole control setup is just annoying and unnecessarily vague. Long story short, with an electronics upgrade, this guitar would be unbeatable. It has more power than it deserves, almost like the guys a Yamaha are professionally sound-profiling the tops, which is something you would expect only on guitars above the 2000 range.Benjo

Where to start with this… Out of the box, once tuned the guitar feels like a quality product. The fitted Elixir strings (I'm guessing a 0.12 brass or bronze set) give the guitar a very bright, clear tone, exactly what I wanted. It is a bright sounding instrument, so others may want to experiment with other string sets. The action is good and low, although compared to the guitar I was playing the fretboard is very flat, not much of a camber at all, a minor complaint which may not apply to everyone and I got used to it quickly. The neck itself is comfortable with a slightly matte finish which I find aids playability, somehow. The design is conservative with small inlays and a transparent scratchplate; I may replace the scratchplate with something more interesting one day but not while it's so new. All in all, a great, solid instrument for its price bracket. Oh yeah, it's also got this on board soucery which applies reverb and chorus through the body of the guitar. These effects are awesome but their real benefit is to make you want to play for longer, simply because you sound better. These effects also apply to the line out; this is also a fully-fledged electro-acoustic. The only drawback here is that the preamp lacks any kind of equaliser, but who cares about that when any amp or sound desk has these functions? That all makes this guitar an all-rounder. A solid acoustic instrument with on board tricks for busking or practicing (your buddies will be jealous if you're having an unplugged jam on the beach, too) as well as being the electro-acoustic you want if you're gigging. I swear, I am not being paid by Yamaha. Check it out on YouTube – some great demos of this guitar on there.Adam W.

Every time I pick this guitar up, I get more joy out of than the last time I picked it up. As others have noted: this guitar sounds amazing even without the transacoustic sound effects! IMO, it sounded better than much more expensive Taylors! So, yeah, not only does this guitar "sound great," but it's price is absolutely reasonable too! What's even more amazing: reviewers who pick this guitar up, on YouTube, seem to gush over it! I'm so happy to have one!Michael

I went into the local music store expecting to buy a Taylor 114 or Taylor 214 also. I picked up the 214 and it just wasn't the guitar for me. I picked up a fender 140 c e and it had no Bass to it at all hardly. Didn't like some of the other readers here I stumbled across another guitar thinking it was a fender and it sounded beautiful. To my surprise it was a Yamaha fgx800c. Never considered buying a Yamaha but it sounded as deep and Rich as I could have wanted. Just goes to show you when you listen with your ears and not with the name brand and price tag you get the same response many of the reviewers here got. You will need to add another strap button to the neck because it only comes with one. For the money this is Bar None the best guitar I think that is made. I went out of my way to write this review so somebody out there searching for a good acoustic guitar who leads worship at church as I do and in youth groups would not miss out on this deal!AndrewSGI

Bought a Fender guitar to practice with an acoustic guitar (I own 5 guitars total classical, electric, and travel guitars). The bottom bridge came unglued after ten days of taking it home, so I wanted something different and better built. I wanted to stay in the $800 or less budget, so I headed to Guitar Center; I played with over 30 guitars for over two hours (including Taylors and the mini travel Martin's). I stumbled on this Yamaha which had the most clear rich sound! I was very impressed with the quality of the electronics; particularly the tuner! I took it home and plugged it up to my amp, and once again, I was very impressed with the guitar's capabilities! I highly recommend this guitar even when it never crossed my mind to own a Yamaha.Tavo

I'm backing up a woman who writes, plays a Taylor, and sings like an angel. We play at some venues that are crowded with lots of other musicians running around on and back stage. I had been playing a $3600 Martin HD-18V and was somewhat nervous about it getting damaged or stepped on. So I set out to find reasonably priced guitar with good sound. I hit all the local music stores in the Atlanta area and played just about everything on the market for under $1000. NOTHING came close to the Yamaha FSX800 and FGX800 series as far as consistency, quality, playability, or PRICE. To get a Martin or Taylor that sounded and played this good, one would have to spend at least 700, and more like $1000 to get a comparable guitar. One that that really stood out to me as I spent 2 days of test driving acoustics all over Atlanta was the incredible consistency in the Yamaha guitars. Even in their models that were under $200. So with the intention of having a nice sounding a playable "insurance policy" substitute for my Martin, I ended up with a great sounding guitar that I really enjoy. And, if it were to be stolen or demolished, I now know that I could get a replacement for it that would be as good. While it's not quite the guitar that my expensive Martin is, it really lacks nothing. It's sounds good and plays good. It's fun to play and is incredibly loud. The electronics (when plugged in) actually sounds as good or better than my music partners $2K Taylor. Strongly recommend anyone looking for a good quality acoustic guitar to check out Yamaha. These guys have really nailed it.Very Yahama-pleased

Im a nylon fingerstyle player, but not essentially a classical player, although I can play some classical pieces albeit badly. At first impression this is a good intermediate classical guitar. With 52mm nut width, at 12th fret neck join and 19 frets in total. So a standard classical Guitar. In fact it is basically a CG 162 with copied tonewood amp technology built in. That's where the criticism of price comes in. You are basically paying 500 pounds for a three hundred pound Guitar. But that was okay for me as I figured that if I bought the CG 162 and then bought the additional tonewood amp the cost would exceed the 500 price point. So I opted for the CGTA instead saved 50 quid and everything is integrated and less fiddly than fitting in a tonewood amp. This Guitar is perfect for me, and just what I wanted. It makes me play more and gives me my ambient tone without the hassle of turning on and plugging into my amp and useing pedals. It will never replace my very expensive Taylor nylon string guitar. Or my pedal board and acoustic amp. But I practice on this every time I walk past it. I dont have any problems switching from a 48mm nut width of a hybrid nylon to the 52mm nut width of a classical guitar. But bear this in mind as you may not like the flatter wider finger board of the standard classical Guitar. The instant ambient sound inspires me to keep playing it over my other guitars as we humans are lazy and choose the road with least resistance and picking up this and pressing a button is far easier than getting out my pedal board and amp. But I would never perform with this. I even take it out in my garden and get a sound I would never have dreamed of getting before. I can take it room to room and still have my ambient tone on tap at the press of a button So yes overpriced for what it is..but .. perfect for me and just what I was looking for.Kerry T.

My daughter plays classical guitar in chamber group and needed amplification to be heard along violins and other loud strings. She also didn't want a cutaway. I went down to mid-town Guitar Center, we tried two, and are happy with the purchase. This was a perfect price point. The next amplified classical acoustic without cutaway was over 1k USD. Also great sound without any amp or onboard preamp. Bright solid sound.Kian T

Let me tell y'all what it is! Lol. I am really into this classical nylon guitar; it is the best nylon guitar I've had in years. Over 20 years ago, I had bought a nylon guitar in Mexico. It was totaled, eventually. But, I've been meaning to get a classic Spanish nylon ever since. This particular model was a gift from my beautiful soon-to-be-wifey! She hit the nail on the head with this axe (she too is a musician). This model, I am really interested in pima, finger style and Huapango, and other Latin variations. My fingers have missed this kind of a fretboard; since I am used to my electric guitars (Ibanez, PRS, Epi.) A most excellent purchase, I strongly recommend it. I love the wood on it. Lol. December 2020.T.A.

I mostly play for my own amusement, but I've been at it for about 40 years. The FS5/FSX5 is a well built, nice looking, and easy playing guitar. Setup was about perfect out of the box… I might take it down just a touch at the bridge, but it was definitely in the ballpark. The neck feels comfortable, and I have had no issues with buzzes or rattles anywhere on the neck. Tuners are smooth and accurate. Out of the box, the guitar sounds very full and open, with good balance between the strings. The sustain and volume are also both pretty good. The guitar responds pretty well to dynamics, and you can dig in a bit before it starts to hit the ceiling. I've played some that have a little more dynamic range, but the FSX5 hangs. Offers pretty good clarity for fingerstyle, and I have no problem bringing out the notes I want to emphasize. I am really happy with how it sounds with strummed chords…rich, yet clear and punchy. The aesthetics are low-key, but still classy and elegant. The A.R.E aged top under the satin finish is a lovely warm orange-gold, and the simple black binding with smaller white inner bands frames it nicely. The ebony pickguard is a nice touch.. much richer look than simple plastic. The electronics get the job done. I like about an 80% mic blend, and a bit of a bass cut. I run it through a Fishman Platinum EQ and Preamp… and would recommend a good preamp to get the most out of this pickup system… you can dial in a good tone without one, but you'll get the best results with a preamp. Overall, I think Yamaha made some great decisions with this guitar. Although some of the basic fab work is done in China, the finishing touches fall under the auspices of the Japanese craftsman. They used quality materials for the build (bone nut and saddle, ebony bridge), but otherwise kept the "bling" to a minimum, and concentrated on delivering quality in the sound and feel. This is a players guitar, and the price is right for what it is.Vognell

I purchased this guitar for my 11 year old daughter. I wanted to find a quality instrument that is smaller in size, easy to play, and stays in tune. I have owned other Yamaha guitars before, and they are a great guitar for the price. The Yamaha FG JR1 did not disappoint! The guitar is easy to play, stays in tune and it sounds pretty good for a small guitar. The strings do feel a little heavy for a beginner. I would definitely recommend changing the strings to a lighter gauge for a beginning player. I recommend the Ernie Ball Earthwood Silk and Steel Extra Soft 10-50. They’re a great string for tender young fingers.Jimmy

I bought the Yamaha JR2 for my daughter as a Christmas present and I was surprised. I didn't expect it to be that good because of its price but WOW!!! The resonance is unbelievable given that it's not made from solid wood and the neck is so comfortable, perfect for kids who are learning. This is my third guitar from Better Music and they never disappoint me. The guitars are well set up and the packaging is unbelievable every time. It just shows how much they value their customers and that's why I keep coming back. I don't usually leave reviews but I appreciate what these guys are doing. Keep up the good work!Marvin B.

I bought this on the 7th birthday of one of my twin girl. I was on a tight budget of around $100 and then I thought to speak to one of the representatives at SamAsh. After having a talk with him I was convinced to get a good guitar to start even though I have to stretch my budget. Since my family is a newbie in musical instruments i am happy that my girl is interested in learning music. She is very happy and we are thinking to take her to few lessons. It's well-made and offers a good tone. Great buy!!Preeti