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Yamaha Red Label FS5 Acoustic Guitar - Natural

6-string Acoustic Guitar with a Solid Sitka Spruce Top, Solid Mahogany Back and Sides, African Mahogany Neck, and Ebony Fingerboard - Natural
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$1,449.99

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Yamaha Red Label FS5 Acoustic Guitar - Natural
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A Premium Concert Acoustic from Yamaha’s Retooled Red Label Series

With its sleek and comfortable Concert body style, the Yamaha Red Label FS5 artfully balances warmth and clarity, comfort and output. Don't let its size or price deceive you — the FS5 delivers a playing experience that holds its own against some industry heavyweights. Its body is built from a choice cocktail of solid tonewoods — dynamic Sitka spruce on warm, rich mahogany — with a top that has been visually and tonally optimized using Yamaha's A.R.E wood torrefaction process and Modified Scalloped bracing. Together, these yield a developed and mature tone that is sure to put a smile on any seasoned fingerstylist or flatpicker's face. A "V" headstock, an eye-catching semi-gloss finish, and a tone-enhancing bone nut and saddle round out this price-defying package. Step into a new era of Yamaha's celebrated FS guitars — experience for yourself the Red Label FS5 acoustic guitar from Sweetwater.

Captures the essence of Yamaha’s iconic Red Label guitars

Inspired by Yamaha’s iconic Nippon Gakki Red Label guitars from the 1960s, FS Red Label instruments call to mind the look and feel of the company’s very first steel-string acoustic guitars. These sought-after instruments are cherished for their one-of-a-kind sound and high-end Japanese craftsmanship. Teeming with beautiful vintage aesthetics, the FS Red Label series enables you to experience the very essence of these legendary instruments, thanks to Yamaha’s state-of-the-art wood conditioning techniques and true-to-life vintage sound. All FS Red Label guitars feature classic V-shaped headstocks with Yamaha’s tuning fork logos, solid tonewoods, updated scalloped bracing, and eye-catching semi-gloss finishes. The guitarists at Sweetwater are excited about the FS Red Label series — it more than lives up to the legendary instruments that inspired it.

Innovative construction yields a better guitar

The great tone and smooth playability of the Red Label FS5 is enhanced by Yamaha's A.R.E. (Acoustic Resonance Enhancement) wood torrefaction, which gives your guitar a broken-in and aged tone. By controlling the atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity, the molecular properties of the wood are manipulated to mirror those of a guitar that has been played for years. Each FS Red Label series guitar also features a modified and updated scalloped bracing pattern that exhibits a louder, more balanced tone.

Solid spruce top for great tone

The choice of top wood can powerfully affect the sound of an acoustic guitar. For the Red Label FS5, Yamaha chose a premium solid Sitka spruce top. Chosen as much for its look as its tone, the top has a well-rounded, articulate sound with excellent projection — and its tone is only made better by Yamaha's A.R.E. wood torrefaction process. The guitar's solid mahogany back and sides provide exceptional bass and powerful punch, and they simply look great.

Yamaha Red Label FS5 Acoustic Guitar Features:

  • Captures the essence of Yamaha’s iconic Nippon Gakki Red Label guitars from the 1960s
  • Solid Sitka spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides provide rich tone and projection
  • Solid mahogany back and sides provide exceptional bass and powerful punch
  • Sleek Concert body style balances warmth and clarity, comfort and output
  • A.R.E. process "ages" the wood molecules to match the tone of naturally aged guitars
  • Updated scalloped bracing pattern exhibits a louder, more balanced tone
  • Bone nut and saddle supply a loud, clear voice
  • Classic V-shaped headstock with Yamaha’s tuning fork logo
  • Yamaha open-gear tuners
  • Eye-catching semi-gloss finish

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • String Type: Steel
  • Number of Strings: 6
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Body Shape: Concert
  • Back & Sides Wood: Solid Mahogany
  • Top Wood: Solid Sitka Spruce
  • Finish: Semi-gloss
  • Color: Natural
  • Body Bracing: Modified Scalloping
  • Neck Wood: African Mahogany
  • Radius: 15.75"
  • Fingerboard Material: Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay: Dots
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Scale Length: 25"
  • Nut Width: 1.75"
  • Nut/Saddle Material: Bone/Bone
  • Bridge Material: Ebony
  • Tuning Machines: Yamaha Open-gear
  • Strings: Elixir Nanoweb 80/20
  • Case Included: Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: FS5

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Great acoustic

Superb guitar. I was trying to decide between this and a Martin 00-18 so I decided on the FS5. I made the right decision and saved some money too. The only thing the action was high and needed a setup, but I expected that. I took it to a luthier for the work and he was impressed with it. The frets are perfect, and the action is now set up low. He asks a couple of times what the price on this was and said this is a deal. He played it one more time before I took it home. I'll be keeping this.
Music background: since Jr. High school
Rated 5/5

Absolutely amazing!

Having owned dozens and dozens of high end Martins and Gibsons, I can tell you that this guitar is superior to any smaller body guitar that I've ever owned!
Build quality is exceptional, sustain is amazing, overtones like no other mahogany guitar I've played, and volume that is shocking. From day one I could feel this guitar just resonate in my hands.
Do yourself a favor and get one. You will not be disappointed!
Rated 5/5

I love mine... These WILL become collectible...

Not the pickguard though... I took it off. Looks much better, and sounds better too.plus, the Elixirs had to go, put a set of Martin Retros on it, much better.

Brighter then a Martin but, not like a Taylor... Warmer then a Taylor, not quite like a Martin.

Excellent fit and finish. Beautiful guitar, I love the finish. The tone is very much like a sweet old triple-0...
Rated 5/5

Exceptional Playability and Sound

I'm surprised no one else has reviewed this guitar yet. I stopped playing guitar in my early 30's. Flash forward 28 years and I decided to start playing again. My kids out of college and out of the house, I've got enough free time to play and enough money to spoil myself (and I might add I'm blessed with a very supportive and generous wife). In just the past 5 months I've bought a number of awesome guitars, several Taylors (GS Mini, 322e, 314), a Martin HD28, and this FS5. Other than the GS Mini, this one is by far the least expensive (I got a demo model). I love them all, but there is something about this Yamaha that causes me to pull it from its case far more often than the others. The understated elegance and incredible fit and finish has to be experienced first hand. Picking it up and cradling it in my lap, it just "feels right". The first time I ran a pick across the strings, I realized this was something really special. The sound out of this guitar is absolutely amazing especially for the size. The perfect combination of "bright" and "bass", with an abundance of mid-range. The sustain is incredible. It rings out like a bell long after I've played a note. The shape of the neck feels perfect in my hand and it seems effortless working my way up and down the fretboard. It works very will either fingerpicking, flatpicking, and/or strumming. Like I said, I love all my guitars, but if forced to pare down to just one, I'm pretty sure this would be it.

On another note, Sweetwater provides the absolute best customer experience I've ever had hands down. I'll give a shout out to my rep, Ben Rys, and he is fantastic, but really everyone I've interacted with at Sweetwater provides exceptional support (I actually drove from Southeast Michigan to the shop for my last couple purchases and had the opportunity to interact directly with the staff).
Rated 5/5

Nothing missing in this great guitarwby

I have purchased many guitars form Sweetwater and always read the reviews before my purchase as I have no guitars stores nearby. Everything that has been written in the reviews is spot on. Where can you buy a hand built all solid wood short scale (25") guitar for under $? Yamaha. The Base response from the low E string and sustain are outstanding!
The workmanship and quality of the components can compare, in my opinion, with guitars costing double the price. I own an expensive Martin and Taylor guitar and the quality, tone, and playability are equal in every way.

Thanks again to Ty Heimann, my sales engineer, for his ongoing assistance with all of my purchases at Sweetwater since 2015. I also want to thank Kobie Huff, the luthier who completed the setup and sting change (Elixir nanoweb 12's), the guitar was perfect right out of the case!

Ray from Miami
Music background: casual player mostly acoustic folk finger style
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