Yamaha FG800J Acoustic Guitar - Natural Reviews

If you are gigging or a pro, you will probably want a Taylor or Martin. But.. if you are playing by the fireside or on the porch, this is a no brainer. No electronics, doesn't need it. The action actually makes me want to play, it sounds really good for the price and I'm not afraid to scratch and dent it. I always wanted a good acoustic for just strumming, when I started,there were no good cheap fun guitars. This is worth the price, it plays well for the price, sounds good for the price and most important, will make you want to play and improve. Even if I get too good for it, will keep it as a fireside, camping, beach guitar as I won't worry about killing a guitar that only sounds a little better but costs a lot more.It is a great learner and a great beater guitar. Best $ I ever spent on music as it makes me want to play and improve my skills. It really does sound good for the price. Is it a $ guitar, no,but it is an awsome $ guitar. It is not under rated, just go online and look at the reviews. It is what it is and for the price, the best bang for the buck. Just have fun with it.

Great bank for the buck or starving musicians. It has a very balance sound right out of the box and is only sounding better with age! I highly recommend for beginners or anyone up through sky's the limit. It's that good. Yamaha kicked butt on this model!

Guitar arrived well packaged! Not a scratch or mark on it!looks great sitting in the stand. Has decent sound for an affordable guitar. I'm an older (67 yrs.) Player lear Ning the instrument in my retirement and this meets my needs. Would be great for anyone starting the journey of learning the guitar. Sweetwater is great to do business with! I purchased the bundle with the clip on tuner and stand and was ready to start playing in 15min.Go with Sweetwater for any of your musical needs, you'll be very happy!!

I will add to the accolades for the Yamaha FG800. Don't let the price fool you: this is a legitimately good guitar! It's lightly built, and the sound is lively and resonant with good volume and clarity for both picking and strumming. It just looks, feels, and sounds good. It's a way better instrument than I was expecting for $, and frankly it's better than many guitars that cost a lot more. No, it's not at the level of my high-end Martin, Collings or Santa Cruz acoustics, but it's no slouch, and oh, it's 1/20 the price of those other guitars! It's straight up fun to play. It's perfect as a starter guitar, a travel guitar, or as a guitar to leave out in the TV room or keep in DADGAD. At this price point, I have no criticisms. I highly recommend it.

Bought this for my grandson who just started taking lessons. The FG800j is slightly smaller scale than the FG800 and I thought it would be easier for him to play. I had Sweetwater set it up and it plays perfectly. Will anyone mistake it for a Martin or Taylor? Probably not. And someday, if he keeps playing, he'll undoubtedly want to upgrade. But these are great sounding guitars that are well made and something you can keep and enjoy for a lifetime. Thanks to David Winkert at Sweetwater for all his help.

I picked one these up at my local shop because it looked and sounded like my old Fender that I had recently and accidentally broken. Not all acoustics sounds the same but mine has a very enjoyable mellow and full bodied tone which I love. I've never been a fan of the tinny tone some acoustics can get. This guitar plays very smoothly and once again has great mellow tone perfect for folk/singer-songwriter type jams.

I have played a Yamaha guitar since 1969. I'm very happy I chose this FG800J to use when traveling and for my grand daughters to learn to play. It sounds great and plays as nicely as more expensive instruments.

Yamaha FG800J

Initial observations: Good tone, volume and sustain out of the box - even with cheap(?) 80/20 strings. The set-up was above average for a new factory guitar. Made in Indonesia. Rough frets, with slightly high fret(s) up near the 12th fret. Tuners acceptable. Very similar to Chinese FG800, but maybe not quite as well finished. The top is not a select piece of spruce, but has interesting character and is tinted like on an older guitar.

Modifications: Frets polished twice, bone saddle fitted, ebony bridge pins, nut re-glued (fell off), Elixir phosphor bronze nanoweb lights, action fully set up, tension put on truss rod (had correct relief but loose bolt). (All new inexpensive Yamahas I have bought came with loose truss rods).

Future Plans: Front strap button, touch up high fret(s), maybe level/crown/polish frets in a year or two, add pickup if needed.

Comparisons: Having access to two Taylor GA Builder's Editions, the lowly modified F800J is comparable in volume and sustain, and even sounds good. It lacks access to the upper frets obviously. The Taylors have a higher quality feel, and more smoothness and depth in tone, but cost 15 to 30+ times as much. I like the Yamaha's 25" scale length better, and am adapting to its closer string spacing while working on finger style pieces. The Taylor's have a bolt on neck that can be reset easily, and are made in the USA.

Conclusion: The FG800J was what I hoped it would be, after polishing the frets. I think most people would be happy with it after that, and having a decent tech set it up a little better. I paid $ + tax in Spring 2024. Sweetwater is always a pleasure to use, and Mike Winebrenner has always gone above and beyond to help me when needed.

A great basic guitar. I like the large fretboard radius, which makes for a flatter playing surface, and it also has a rosewood one which is hard to find on less expensive models. The solid spruce top is really nice and the guitar is not over-braced which allows the wood to resonate.