Yamaha Jr1 Mini Folk Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

Although the guitar was a little smaller than expected, it has a lovely tone, easy action strings and my daughter is 9 and has only been learning a couple of months, is thrilled with it. My son, who is 21 and has played guitar for many years thinks it is great – good tone and would be a great, rather small guitar for travelling.jjmml-2008

Having benefited from Yamaha’s value for money I purchased the JR1 for my Grandson to learn on. I was surprised how close it was to my own guitar’s sound. I enjoyed playing it myself. I also bought a cheaper small guitar for my younger grandson. It did not compare. Small size. Good bright sound. Quality materials and finish.Tim E.

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

I bought this guitar for my 7 years old daughter recently. She loves it. The size is perfect for kids under 10 years old. The build quality is ok. The action is very low which is good for kids' finger but is not good for strumming. Overall it is a great choice for young beginner.Mike

My kids, ages 7-12, are enjoying this. The steel strings are a bit hard on their tender fingers, but you can always change them to nylon if you want. My only real complaint is that when you finger the frets, the pitch isn't always right. I am not a guitarist, but am a professional classical violist, so my ear is well trained. This instrument is fine for my kids who are just messing around on an appropriately sized guitar for the first time, but they won't be winning any competitions with it! I wouldn't expect that for the price! But I do feel like this guitar is a good value for the price. Recommend it for children and beginners. A shoulder strap is not included but would be nice.Viola Mom

First I just want to say Sam Ash did everything in their power to make things right so this review is no reflection on them only the guitar itself. First off this is a cool little guitar if Yamaha wouldn't have done such a bad job with it. Out of the box Intonation was off by a half step and sounded horrible. I had to compensate the saddle with a file and almost file off the whole saddle to the point of leaving just a small breakpoint towards the nut of the guitar. After that intonation was almost there but I could live with it. Strings were rusted so I had to replace strings right out of the box. Fretboard was the driest I had ever seen. It was like it was sitting in a 120 degree warehouse for 2 years. I oiled the fretboard and looks and feels great now. Nut is cut just short of the fret board on each side and leaves a little groove where the nut should have come all the way out to the ends of the fretboard. (Pretty Sad QC yamaha!) Doesn't affect playing just the looks of the guitar. If yamaha would have taken pride in this little guitar it would have been awesome out of the box. After 3 hours of work now have it playable and sounds really nice. I shouldn't have had to do all this work to a guitar. I have other cheaper Yamaha guitars FS650S that came to me in perfect playable shape and cost less so I know Yamaha can do a nice QC job on their cheaper guitars. Yamaha just didn't care about the quality that went into this great little guitar. Not everyone can do all the things I did to this guitar to make it playable so if you can't do what I did above you will hate this guitar. I do have pictures of the filing of the bridge and the nut being too small so if you think this is just a bad eggs review you can ask me for the pictures and I would be more than happy to send or post the bad workmanship.tdegnan

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

At first I was going to say it's a great guitar for the price, but that really doesn't do this thing justice. It's just a great guitar. It has a great sound, it feels good in your hands, it's easy to hold and to play. I can't fault this guitar at all. The action was a bit high out of the box, but the tech at Guitar Center gave it a great set-up and now it's very easy to play. I'm planning to give this one to my daughter, but I would happily keep this myself. I have only been playing guitar for a few weeks, but even I can make this thing sound good!Todd

There is a place in my project studio for FS800: 48 years ago I sold Yamaha Guitars and found them excellent. When the group "America" presented a acoustic sound (Horse with No Name; Ventura Highway; Tin Man . . . et al) the solid rhythms of Yamaha solid top guitars proved Ideal. Through the years I have experimented with various genres as a singer songwriter; now a days I have returned to folk and "heavy on" acoustic guitar sounds. To complement my more expensive guitars I needed something that could deliver the solid rhythms I fondly recall. Now the Yamaha FS800 excels for finger styles as well: I layer tracks this guitar is a breeze to play and its character naturally stands out in the mix. I cannot see a beginner or a more advanced guitarist going wrong with The Yamaha FS800. JHajarhill

Perfect couch and campfire guitar. Sustains and project very well with a surprisingly round warm sound. Gorgeous burst finish much nicer in person. String spacing is slightly narrower than standard, make note. Bridge saddle needed to be shaved down for lower action. Neck and frets were perfect otherwise. Tuning very stable. A set of 11-52 will be next string change. Love playing this thing, and exploring alternate tunings! It seems Yamaha's reputation is true.Greg

Really awesome guitar for beginners. The action was a bit high for me but it was easily adjustable. Been using this guitar to play in Central Park and it has great resonance and sound. Definitely a great quality acoustic guitar for someone starting out and doesn't want to break the bank. And the guys at Sam Ash were super helpful helping me pick it out!HUNTER

I'm a beggining player, and so I went into the store not knowing anything about guitars. I was instantly helped by an employee, and was drawn to this guitar. It is great quality and sounds wonderful. The kit is really useful and saved me some money. Defiently would recommend this guitar to beginner and novice players alike, and will defiently be coming back to this store!Christian

A very good starter pack. Through time, the the strap and soft guitar case will be upgraded to a strap of personal choice and a hard case for better protection during transport, but, they are fine for now. The guitar itself is of very good quality and could easily last a lifetime with proper care. The tuner is a necessary piece of equipment and the extra set of strings is a welcome idea. I believe this purchase represents the higher-end of an entry-level guitar package. One note about Guitar Center. We took the guitar to Guitar Center for tuning, fully expecting to pay a fee. Overall, the feeling of the store is that of the old style family owned business. It was refreshing. The staff won't steer you toward the "slower" moving stock like big-box stores are now doing. The kids were "blown-away" with the comprehensive array of instruments and of the staff encouraging them to "give it a whirl" even though they knew a sale wouldn't be made that day. We weren't charged for the tuning and we left with the staff encouraging us to "come back anytime". We plan to… In just an hour or so, Guitar Center established themselves as the retailer of choice for any further purchases of instruments or repairs. I believe we made a good choice selecting the Yamaha Starter Pack and with Guitar Center handling the transaction.Stan

I bought this for my friend that wants to learn how to play the guitar. I chose this for him because it's a nylon string so it wouldn't hurt his fingers which I noticed that most beginners easily gets frustrated when the steel strings hurts their fingers and then stops learning how to play the guitar. The guitar is well made and it looks like that it will last a long time of course with proper care. It's very light weight and compact so it's easy to maintain and store this guitar and also good for traveling.Rome

This Yamaha classical guitar is sold as a 'student' guitar but it's also a great travel size instrument. It's affordable, stays in tune, intonates well and has a great full body sound even though its a 3/4 size guitar. The nylon strings are easier on the fingers than steel strings and are great for someone just starting out. This one arrived with smooth fret ends and played perfectly right out of the box. Yamaha is one of best quality guitar brands, this one proves it.bascorulesright

This was my first time trying out Musiciansfriend. I must say I wish l had I known about them sooner. I bought a guitar for my daughter's lessons. The guitar came well protected in the box. The shipping was super fast and it arrived on time. The color of the guitar is gorgeous – my daughter loves it. The price too was very good compared to other sites. I also bought a case separately and the foot stool which I am happy with. I will definitely be shopping here for all our instrument needs. To top it all off. I received a purchase follow up call from the team at Musicianfriends. It's important to make sure your customers are happy with their purchase or address any questions or concerns.Noma N

For what it is – a very cheap, small, travel guitar, this is great. You'll need a strap as it doesn't sit high enough on your leg to be comfortable to play. Also – the action was high, but a bit of adjusting with a belt sander on the saddle and that came down well. The scale length is short, but plays OK – takes a bit of getting used to from my full-sized acoustics. Putting a capo on it and making chords further up the neck is tight, but OK. Sound is very good for a travel guitar of this size. This would be a great kids guitar or even for an adult beginner. I did put 11s on it – sounds a bit weaker, but is fine, and that's what I use on my other acoustics. I had a washburn rover before – this is better, though not as small, but worth the extra size, I think. I have a GS Mini, which is much better, but a good bit larger, and much more expensive. Tuner works good, haven't tried plugging it in yet. Bought this for the boat – seems pretty sturdy.Alexander

I bought this guitar because I have chronic pain and am a small lady and found that even smaller acoustic guitars are too big and bulky and unplayable. I like to play high up on the neck so wanted a cutaway and occasionally perform so having an electro-acoustic version means it ticks all the boxes. When play acoustically it does sound really tinny, there's not getting away from that. It also tends to be unbalanced toward the neck end, so I need a strap to keep it in place. But it is much more playable for practice and I am almost managing to play bar chords again. Not chance on a normal size guitar. It has a full fret board just smaller but not too small.Michelle S.

I ordered this for my pastors wife who wanted to learn a new instrument. She is tiny ( less that 5 ' tall) and a full size guitar would not fit her body type. I was shocked when the guitar came in. The photos on line do not do the finish justice. I was even more shocked when I played it. Most student guitars in this price point have horrible action. The set up on this from the factory was great. It was very easy to play and the sound was extremely good for a thin body acoustic . Then we plugged it in. I could not believe the sound quality of the electronics in this guitar. On Sunday, I pulled out after church and let the music team take turns with it. Everyone that played it raved about every aspect of this little guitar. The instrument also came with a quality gig bag. The material was thick, padding was good, the zippers and hardware appeared to by sturdy. Even more importantly, she loved the guitar. I highly recommend that you consider this one for your beginner or intermediate guitar student. Both Children and small adults should be pleased with this one.Greg H.

I suspect that our review will be screened out because it is not positive, but if you really want to know we were very disappointed with the guitar. I’m addition to some quality concerns, the guitar reeked of fumes. I had hope to enroll our child in local classes that use the guitar but I could not, as responsible parent give my child an item that I could not be around with our lung pain and head-aces. After many, many weeks attempting to air the guitar out it still smelled just as awful and caused the same health concerns. When I reached out Loog sent me a letter stating that the fumes were an unfortunate quality control issue but they deemed them safe. I was horrified that a company manufacturing items for children would so easily disregard their health, as previously stated I could not be in the same space as the guitar for more than a few seconds with out lung pain and head-aces, nothing about that is okay.Heather B.

I purchased a Loog Mini for my 3-year old toddler. It is a darling guitar that is just what I was looking for…However, here are my issues with it: (1) Upon arrival, I noticed that there was a cosmetic blemish on it. I didn't want to bother with a return process, so I kept it. (2) A few weeks later, I noticed that one of the guitar strings had rusted. (3) As the Loog company is in the business of children's guitars, it should equally invest in a wider selection of children's guitar straps. It is impossible to find one to accommodate my child's size. (4) The flash cards are cute but not very helpful. More emphasis is placed on the illustrations, rather than on the musical notes. Additionally, I don't find the Loog application helpful in my child's learning so we have taken to YouTube to provide us a better understanding. Overall, the Loog Mini is a sweet instrument and I find no flaws in its design but I am minimally impressed with the learning aids provided/associated with it.Olga F.

I've been playing the guitar for about 20 years, and I've made it a habit to play to my 8 month old son every evening since he was born. His attention and focus towards the guitar was immediate, where he wants to hit the fretboard and pull on the strings as I play. I would hand him my acoustic as I played the electric and he would enjoy exploring it for a good 15 minutes. I came across the Loog a while back and decided to buy my son one so that he could continue to explore the guitar while decreasing my worries of him damaging my fairly nice acoustic. I'm impressed with its quality and durability, and I find myself picking it up to play fairly often too. Because it's only 3 strings, it's also helped my wife and sister, who have never played the guitar, feel less intimidated to try it out. They're using the flashcards and app to learn simple chords and songs. I'm excited for the day my son can imitate playing skills, and I believe that starting him off with a 3-stringed guitar will be a more rewarding play experience versus a 6 string.Jonathan S.

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.

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.

This Yamaha instrument is well made. Especially for the price point of just under $200.00. I have purchased many Yamaha acoustics over the years and this guitar will not disappoint. No cosmetic flaws on this instrument, with a nice finish and worth checking out. I have been playing for over 40 years and am now retired, and I rate this guitar at 9.5 out of ten. Perfect for my finger style playing. Very full sounding board and visually appealing. Truss adjustment was made to tighten the action a bit to my personal preferred. The frets could use some polishing, as do most of acoustics at this price. I had purchased an identical instrument not too long ago and it also was a gem right out of the box, and decided to keep only one. Very comparable to an Ibanez Artwood instrument. I highly rate this Yamaha and it is definitely worth a look👍CHRISTOPHER

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

Really awesome guitar for beginners. The action was a bit high for me but it was easily adjustable. Been using this guitar to play in Central Park and it has great resonance and sound. Definitely a great quality acoustic guitar for someone starting out and doesn't want to break the bank. And the guys at Sam Ash were super helpful helping me pick it out!HUNTER

I'm a beggining player, and so I went into the store not knowing anything about guitars. I was instantly helped by an employee, and was drawn to this guitar. It is great quality and sounds wonderful. The kit is really useful and saved me some money. Defiently would recommend this guitar to beginner and novice players alike, and will defiently be coming back to this store!Christian

A very good starter pack. Through time, the the strap and soft guitar case will be upgraded to a strap of personal choice and a hard case for better protection during transport, but, they are fine for now. The guitar itself is of very good quality and could easily last a lifetime with proper care. The tuner is a necessary piece of equipment and the extra set of strings is a welcome idea. I believe this purchase represents the higher-end of an entry-level guitar package. One note about Guitar Center. We took the guitar to Guitar Center for tuning, fully expecting to pay a fee. Overall, the feeling of the store is that of the old style family owned business. It was refreshing. The staff won't steer you toward the "slower" moving stock like big-box stores are now doing. The kids were "blown-away" with the comprehensive array of instruments and of the staff encouraging them to "give it a whirl" even though they knew a sale wouldn't be made that day. We weren't charged for the tuning and we left with the staff encouraging us to "come back anytime". We plan to… In just an hour or so, Guitar Center established themselves as the retailer of choice for any further purchases of instruments or repairs. I believe we made a good choice selecting the Yamaha Starter Pack and with Guitar Center handling the transaction.Stan

At first I was going to say it's a great guitar for the price, but that really doesn't do this thing justice. It's just a great guitar. It has a great sound, it feels good in your hands, it's easy to hold and to play. I can't fault this guitar at all. The action was a bit high out of the box, but the tech at Guitar Center gave it a great set-up and now it's very easy to play. I'm planning to give this one to my daughter, but I would happily keep this myself. I have only been playing guitar for a few weeks, but even I can make this thing sound good!Todd

There is a place in my project studio for FS800: 48 years ago I sold Yamaha Guitars and found them excellent. When the group "America" presented a acoustic sound (Horse with No Name; Ventura Highway; Tin Man . . . et al) the solid rhythms of Yamaha solid top guitars proved Ideal. Through the years I have experimented with various genres as a singer songwriter; now a days I have returned to folk and "heavy on" acoustic guitar sounds. To complement my more expensive guitars I needed something that could deliver the solid rhythms I fondly recall. Now the Yamaha FS800 excels for finger styles as well: I layer tracks this guitar is a breeze to play and its character naturally stands out in the mix. I cannot see a beginner or a more advanced guitarist going wrong with The Yamaha FS800. JHajarhill

Perfect couch and campfire guitar. Sustains and project very well with a surprisingly round warm sound. Gorgeous burst finish much nicer in person. String spacing is slightly narrower than standard, make note. Bridge saddle needed to be shaved down for lower action. Neck and frets were perfect otherwise. Tuning very stable. A set of 11-52 will be next string change. Love playing this thing, and exploring alternate tunings! It seems Yamaha's reputation is true.Greg

This is my second GL1 that I've bought. I use them for serendipitous practice time, keeping one at my desk at work and one in my car so I can play during moments of downtime, during kids baseball practice, when stuck in traffic, etc. It's rugged & stands up to bumps, scrapes & temperature changes fine – although I bring my car one inside in extreme heat or cold. Plus, at the price, it's not a big loss if it gets flattened or stolen. I've also started using it as a travel guitar instead of my Córdoba Mini. Although I'm careful putting my instruments in the overhead, fellow passengers think nothing about smashing other's stuff in order to fit the suitcase they should have checked. Despite being rugged it has a fairly nice tone & I have received many compliments on its sound, although to be fair I replaced the three highest strings with Aquila Nylgut tenor ukulele strings. For the price the action and playability are surprisingly nice and consistent across instruments I tried out before buying the one that was just a little bit better. No, it's not a top of the line instrument for playing out, but for something fun and convenient to pick up when you have a bit of time, it's perfect.Chas

This guitalele is my first-choice instrument, and this is my second time buying it. Yes, I have two, one I left with my family so I don't have to travel with it overseas (although it is pretty perfect for travelling if you ask me) and now I have one at home. I've played it for 8 years, two of my friends also have added it to their instrument collection. It's quite a unique instrument: it's so light and small, I can play, sing and dance with it all at the same time. I am a small person, that's important to me, and it was the first thing that drew my attention to a guitalele. It's range is comparable to a guitar. I learned playing on it, and I couldn't ask for a better and gentler instrument to help me transition to acoustic and electric guitars. After many years this is my number one instrument to noodle on, play with friends and record with. It is better to hear the sound of it on a video, rather than me trying to explain sound here, which I highly recommend. It grows on you very fast.Iryna

Yamaha is known for making quality instruments. I bought this for a child who was captivated by my guitar playing. She loved this. I have been instructing her to learn on this Yamaha and am encouraged by her persistence. She watched me play it, and couldn’t wait to strum it. Its is perfect for a child, but I was able to make sing! You pick it up and feels like a quality instrument should. It stays in tune, it looks beautiful and I could not be more happy with purchase! I was concerned that the action would be too high, and let me tell you, you have nothing to worry about! And at this price you honestly cannot go wrong! An adult can stick this in their backpack and play it at the beach or on a camping trip and everyone will sing along! Its that nice! If you have seen Yamaha acoustic guitars and played them you know this company does not out its name on junk. This is REAL!Tonyrr669

Overall: So, I have owned this guitar for several months now. It is without a doubt a very good sounding guitar, it's up there with my Gibson's and Martins. Strumming or finger picking it just sounds amazing. I did not love the string spacing, so I replaced the nut with a bit wider spacing for my style of playing. The whole point about me taking the plunge on this guitar was that it was all solid woods, ebony fingerboard and bridge, and one of Yamahas absolute best acoustics available. I have no regrets buying this guitar at all. My friends are amazed at the beauty and sound of this very well-built guitar. The electronics do a good job plugged into the PA for playing live, and it will amaze you how good it sounds unplugged all by itself. I never thought I would buy anything but Martin or Gibson's…. this changed my mind completely. if you're thinking about one of these just buy one!! My honest opinion is the price will go up on these as the solid woods and craftsmanship are stunning.Michael

I’ve had my A3M for three years now. I still look at mahogany wood grain in awe. This guitar has a nice rounded tone that can compete with Taylor and Martin guitars made from mahogany. Plugged into an acoustic amp sounds even better. I notice the price point has increased $100 (not sure of due to inflation) which shows that it is a respected instrument. I spent months spinning around for a acoustic guitar and I was truly pleased with the Yamaha A3M. I think it can keep up with Martin and Taylor on stage as a reliable gig machine.bryan nuñez

You get a 3/4 size acoustic guitar, of course, for the size. I already had the Yamaha APX500III which is a truly magnificent price-point instrument. The thinlne body moves you away from the bloat of a regular size dreadnought. All of the features of the larger brother are implemented in the APX Thinline 3/4: built-in tuner, volume and tone controls. The reason I wanted a comparable guitar in 3/4 size was to have it in my office nearby, ready to pick up at a moment's notice and for that it serves me perfectly. You can sit in an executive swivel chair and play this guitar comfortably. Do not delude yourself into thinking the big sound of the bigger thinline will transfer to the smaller guitar when play unamplified. When amplified the difference is slight. So now I have what I wanted – a quality price point smaller guitar that sits on a stand in easy reach for those moments when you need to reach out and find a way to explore a musical idea, run some scales, etc. Perfect solution!Jerry

Although I bought this guitar online from PMT (excellent service) I also posted a detailed review on Amazon UK where I also counselled against paying the stupid prices being charged by some of their affiliates. The PMT price was excellent. There were a few negatives with my guitar, all of which I was able to cure or tweak: the action was ridiculously high and until I altered the battery holder, the pickup and tuner wouldn't work. However, they were hopefully one-off problems. The guitar has far better tone that you might expect from an all-laminate guitar, especially if you play above the soundhole or at the end of the fretboard at around the 17th fret. Played with a hard pick it can sound a bit 'thin' but played with fingers or with a less aggressive 'attack' it has a really sweet sound. I am 75 with normally sized adult hands and do not find any problems with the fretting or scale length. Having made the adjustments, it's become my go-to acoustic guitar . . . and as I also have a GS Mini, that it is praise indeed. If you buy this guitar, I'd suggest changing the strings although the generic type which are fitted are OK. I changed them whilst shaving the saddle and fitted D'Addario 10's. This guitar is ideal for adult 'noodling' + a beginner of any age + a travel guitar. It has proved to be an excellent buy . . . for more detail, check out my review on Amazon UK but I doubt you'll find a better price or service than PMT.Alan S.

Funny thing about this world is that, a perfectly shaped, and sized acoustic guitar with modern electric pick-up and built-in tuner. The maker gives you a gigs bag, which is not much thicker than double bags from your local grocery store. And you must become religiously pious and pray that every time you go out of the door, that free gigs bag is gonna protect your $200 investment. I ended up purchased in extra, a Gator Hardshell case, GWE-acou 3/4. The case is still big, so I use some swimming noodles to pad up and cradle the guitar in full protection. The plush liner inside the hardshell case can be peeled up, so I can tuck in the noodles to form a snug fit. I also purchased an Amplifier, for practices and maybe buskering later. My setup of the case is not flight luggage safe, so if you are a frequent flyer, better ask nicely if you can give it to the cabin member to stow in the closet for you. I am personally happy with the sound range and volume, very little difference when compared with a full-sized guitar. The human comfort is better under your right elbow. The deal I got comes with a tuner, but the guitar already has a built-in unit running on 2 AA batteries. The free stand is ok.djadtoys

A great guitar for a beginner. The action is good, the intonation is good, and it has a good sound that will keep beginning guitar players playing. Because of the price, it is also good for more experienced guitar players to use as your not afraid of what happens to it guitar.alyd7618

As a beginner, I like the feel, the sound and the look. I have since purchased a Classic CG122MCH from Skip's Music, Elk Grove, CA. I need to register. It's very nice as well!Slammer

This was my beginner guitar and it was decent enough. A humidifier is very important if you want to keep this guitar in good shape. The action tends to slip up around the 12 fret after a while, which is very annoying especially when you're trying to play blues. If you're REALLY into Dylan, this guitar is an ok choice to start with but for anybody else, I highly suggest you get either an electric starter kit or just another company. Yamaha is great at making a lot of things but if you're serious you should buy from a company that knows guitars and nothing more, nothing less.Monterey Purple