Yamaha CG142SH Classical - Natural Reviews

I'll start by saying that from my own experience, Yamaha does a wonderful job with their classical guitars. The build quality always seems to be very good and very consistent, even in this less expensive CG line. I own two slightly more expensive Cordoba classical guitars which I also love but the CG142SH came on my radar because of the advertised easy playability with lower action. This guitar came as advertised. The easy playability is indeed present, helped along by the equipped normal tension strings and lower action factory setup. The guitar projects and sustains very nicely, although it's not as loud as my Cordoba C5. The intonation is spot on and there isn't a buzz to be found anywhere along the neck. I really appreciate having the solid Spruce top. The Nato wood, while not as beautiful as mahogany or rosewood, is nonetheless perfectly appealing and acceptable for the back and sides. Something that does impress me is the even and dark shading of the Rosewood fretboard and bridge. I was also very happy to discover that the solid spruce top on my guitar has more of an amber shading, which looks dramatically different from the more yellow shading that I've seen in the online images. Overall, I think beginner to early intermediate guitarists would be very happy with the lovely Yamaha CG142SH.

First off, I do not play classical guitar. I have, however, played guitar for over 18 years. I'm 30 years old. I've owned Rickenbackers, PRS', multiple Gibsons, a slew of Fenders,Ibanez's, and a couple of Jacksons. I only state that first part to show what I know of build quality. For the money, this is one of the best acoustic instruments I've played. The Frets are smooth and it stays in tune. The details in the binding are top notch. Out of the box the intonation was spot on. The action was higher than what I was used to but a classical is much different beast than any acoustic. Overall it is an amazing acoustic instrument. Highly recommend to anyone who is about to start or cross over to the classical/flemenco world.

Amazed at the quality of this guitar. Really great tone, volume and classic playability for sure. I have played steel string acoustic guitar for more than 50 years and have decide to dive into the world of classical guitar. I have tried guitars in the 700-900 range that are no better than this. I also am happy to have a true classical guitar that is full sized and has the correct classical string spacing and not just a nylon string guitar for ease of fingering. My guitar instructor who is a trained classical guitarist plays this guitar for practice sessions and lessons. Recently he played this guitar in concert. He and I are just amazed at what you get for the price. Highly recommend this guitar. Can't go wrong. The guys at sweet water were awesome and answered all of my questions with obvious guitar playing experience.

The serial number on this guitar is HQN 290625. I haven't been able to accurately date it despite looking on GOOGLE for a source for numbers. I bought it over 15 years ago but not sure when, perhaps 2005. It says it was made in China. I am very pleased with the quality of this guitar. The sound is rich and to my ears could be a guitar costing over $. I had a passive pickup put in it and use it to play at open mics and other venues. I don't think you can beat the price on this guitar. Yamaha has more expensive CG models but unless you are a professional why spend the extra money when this one is quite good for what it's made to do. I often get comments on its sound when the audience has been listening to steel string acoustics and then I play the nylon string classical. Huge difference. I also own a D-10e Martin I bought at Sweetwater and trade off between the two while gigging. I give it ten for holding up all these years and the aged improved sound coming out of it. You won't regret buying it.