Yamaha JR1 3/4-size Dreadnought - Natural Reviews

This is definitely a small guitar, but for the size I'm impressed with the sound. It sounds fairly bright but the low end is obviously lacking a bit. It stays in tune just fine. Action feels good, too. Everyone is built differently, but I wouldn't recommend this for anyone over 5' tall for regular use (I'm 5'6" and it feels like a toy to me). It's perfect for my 4' tall kid, though.

I wanted a 1st guitar for my 8 year old grandson. I called Sweetwater and got hooked up with Zack. He helped me pick out the perfect guitar. I received the guitar in only a few days. Zack then followed up with a phone call to see if I was happy with my purchase. Wow, what service! I would enthusiastically recommend Sweetwater and Zack for your musical needs.

great quality, arrived earlier than expected & they even added free candy :)) very kind and trustworthy company

8 yr old loves it. Fits him perfectly. He is 57" tall.

I have taught guitar for 39 years. This guitar is among the best for the money I have played. A -its tunable B- it plays in tune up to at least the 7th fret. Which rarely happens in at this price. C. Its easy to play. Did I mention its tunable. E- good sound for the money. Whats not to like for a beginner guitar. I keep it in the studio to show parents what a guitar should sound like and not throw money at a guitar shaped object painted blue

I teach a middle school guitar class (9-12-yr-olds.) We needed 3/4 guitars that were dependable and sounded nice. These are perfect! We got the bundle with accessories.

These guitars sound great with medium or light strings. After the strings settle in, they hold a tune nicely, and have smooth and consistent tuners. For a small guitar, they sound uncharacteristically full. The sound is bright and chorusy. The lows are clear, mids sing nicely, highs are sparkly.

This is a solid and quality instrument for a first guitar. The smaller size and shorter scale make it perfect for younger students, smaller adults, or as a travel guitar for the experienced player. The gig bag included in the bundle is nicely lined, has a little padding, has decent zippers, but lacks a storage pocket.

If you don't need the medium picks, basic strap, or little tuner - buy this guitar-only and pick up a 3/4 size Gator gig bag!

All-in-all this is a great deal and Jared at Sweetwater was stellar in helping us make it happen!!

The instructor I have lined up for my granddaughter recommended this one as well as sending me the link for the site and I couldn't be more pleased. The service was awesome and the quality of the guitar & accessories is outstanding. Pricing was much better than other sites I had looked at also. 10/10 recommend.

I needed (wanted, really) a travel sized guitar that sounds reasonably good. The Yamaha JR1 3/4 sized guitar fits the bill on both counts. It's not much larger than a baritone ukulele - almost fits in the overhead compartment on a plane. It sounds "mellow," but not dull - very pleasant. Its dreadnaught style body adds a bit of bottom end for a fuller sound. The build quality seems to be par for a Yamaha instrument, meaning that it's darned-near perfect. The materials are above average quality for an inexpensive instrument, the fit and finish are excellent. The neck carve is comfortable and the action is surprisingly good but is easily adjustable to your personal preference. The "natural" finish on the top is a bit on the yellow/orange-ish side but is certainly not unattractive and the woodgrain shows through nicely. The guitar serves the purpose for which I intend to use it and it didn't cost very much. It's a winner. On the other hand, the included gig bag is not substantial. I bought a semi-rigid, "certified-fit" case from Sweetwater to complete the package. And kudos to Mitch Dazey, Sweetwater's premier sales engineer.

Bought this for my 9 year old grandson, he loves it! Nice looking little guitar, stays in tune well

Yamaha always nails it and this is the sweetest sounding acoustic I've played in a long time. Always stays in tune in between sessions which in itself is pretty remarkable. Money well spent. Sweetwater is an exceptional company no matter what I purchase from them and Connor Smith is the greatest sales engineer in the history of ever THANKS Connor!!

Got this guitar as a knock around go to the beach type guitar. Unbelievable sound for 3/4 size. High level quality considering the low cost. Very usable for little kids.

Being an adult, the scale length is a little short for me to perform "shredding tricks" with it but still it's a blast

I have a 9 year old who is on the smaller side and he is just learning guitar. His teacher recommended this specific one for him and this store. We are very happy with this guitar. It's much easier for him to handle and makes nice sound. Sweetwater shipped immediately and we received it a couple days. Great customer service. Highly recommend this guitar for a small beginner and from this store.

FIRST TIME USER VERY SIMP;E JUST GREAT

I purchased this 3/4 size guitar and its a perfect fit for my small hands. Great sound and a quality acoustic.

it is the perfect size for me and it docent take up very much space! very pleased with the guitar!!!

would recommend!!!!!!!!!!
signed, C Jones, 10 yrs

I have had this guitar lying around for a while but it works great for me because of small hands. It stays in tune pretty well and I love the small form factor because it just sits comfortably in my lap.

To be fair, I did an action job on the guitar and changed the strings to Martin long life (custom lighter gauge) immediately. Bought it for a pint sized grand daughter and she absolutely loves it. Sounds pretty good, but be realistic about a $100 - 3/4 size guitar. Plays very well and stays in tune, which was a big factor to me. I've tuned it once in a week. A very good buy for a kid in my opinion - doubt a grownup of any size would like it much.

I recently bought the Yamaha JR1 with advice from a Sweetwater Sales Engineer and after reading reviews from reputable sites on the web and YouTube. I am a beginning guitar player and I already had a Yamaha Small Body full length guitar which I found difficult to learn on due to having very small hands and fingers. The JR1 is a perfect fit for me although it would also be a nice smaller guitar for children or adults with "normal sized" hands who want a smaller scale guitar. It has a good tone and is well built, including details such as a pick guard that some much more expensive small guitars lack. I am very happy with the JR1 and the price is very reasonable, especially when you consider the quality you get for the money. My only quibble is that the bag that comes with the JR1 is of inadequate quality and does not offer necessary protection for such a nice guitar. I recommend the JR1 highly and am thankful to the Sweetwater Sales Engineer who introduced me to this product.

I've played for 30 years, but I'm rating this on what it is and the context of its owner. I have played this long enough to assess it before giving it as a gift. For an inexpensive, short scale first guitar for my 9 year old (and probably will be picked up in a few years by my 4 year old) this ticks all the boxes. It's solidly built, sounds pretty good, has decent projection, and if he mistreats it or breaks it I'm not out of a fortune. We get to spend some quality time together learning, too, and its his own guitar. He got this along with a pack of strings, some picks and a little Snark clip -on tuner. Altogether... not some firewood grade no - name junk. I'm very happy with it and would recommend it.

My son has been asking for a guitar for months now. I contacted a music teacher friend about what to get. He sent me an email with a link to your site. Talk about easy. I ordered what he recommended and in a matter of days it was at my door. My son hasn"t put it down since he opened it!

I could not have asked for anything better. The service given by Sweetwater and its representative Enn, and the Yamaha JR 1 met all my expectations and I would recomend to anyone. The best of all, my grandson was blown away with his surprised Christmas gift.

For what it's does, it's just about perfect. Built like a tank and to my ear sounds better than more expensive small guitars. Gave one to my son when he was 6. He took it everywhere with him. Now he's 20 and has played in bands, scored films, and guitars are a permanent part of his life.

3/4 Guitar bought for 9 year old daughter for Christmas. This is a great guitar for the $$$. If you are looking to start a youngster out with something easy to manage and play, this is it. I have only messed with it a little because it is for a Christmas present, but it has tested out great. Very easy to chord and frets are perfect for the smaller fingers. You will not be disappointed with this expenditure. Golden!

I arrived at Sweetwater looking for a 3/4 size guitar for my 9 yr. old son who had just started taking lessons. I originally found him a guitar at a thrift store which turned out to be JUNK. I didn't want to buy a First Act guitar because I wanted a little something better or I felt my son would quickly loose interest in learning to play. He's been talking about it since he was five. I went in hoping not having to spend an arm and a leg and thought the sales people would eventually talk me into getting the Little Martin or Baby Taylor but decided to give this Yamaha JR1 a try. To my surprise, Brian was very patient and even recommended this guitar over the others. In a couple years my son will be big enough to upgrade into a full size guitar, we figure we'd save the money now and get him the nicer more expensive one later. His teacher was impressed with the guitar and my son is really enjoying learning. To him, it has an expensive look and feel and since I didn't spend hundreds of dollars, I am less anxious about him ruining the guitar. I feel it will be a good learning experience for him in learning to play and taking care of "his" guitar so that when we do take the next step, we'll feel confident spending a little more.

I'm a big fan of small cheap instruments. Fun little campfire toys, or something to throw on the couch without any repercussions. My friend bought a similarly sized Martin for 3-4x the price and this beginner's Yamaha sounds way bigger and more like a "real guitar" than his. While it is made in an economical overseas factory, there were no sharp frets or buzzy spots on the neck. The wood felt nice and hydrated and felt properly smooth in all the spots it mattered (neck, fingerboard, etc.)
What I don't like are as follows; the finish is a little too orange, the Sweetwater pictures are pretty accurate and representative of the color, the strings that ship with it are a little too bright, I haven't changed them out because they still work and the small body will only sound so dark; and lastly, the bridge pins are a little to smooth, the low E slipped out and had to sand the plastic pin to create a rougher surface for it to grab onto the wood. The latter might be a rare occurrence but something to think about if buying for someone with less experience.
I would recommend it to everyone but the those with large hands, though I would include myself in that group and find it okay.

I like the smaller size guitars. Perfect in bed, on a couch, in a boar or to wander into the woods. Very versatile sizing.

The tone on this unit is much more brighter than my Martin. So its nice to switch once in a while sonically.

I liked the quality and price enough that I did buy one for my teenager as well.

I recently purchased the Yamaha JR1 3/4 Dreadnought for my 9 year old daughter. It's pretty impressive how well made it is for the low price Yamaha and Sweetwater sell them for.

It has good sound and is about as loud as a full sized, steel string acoustic. Sure it sounds a bit ukulele'ish, but only if you really are looking hard for something negative. It fit my daughter's hand size just fine. It keeps in tune pretty well. You'll still need to tune it if you play often, but not every 10 minutes like many inexpensive guitars.

I had to adjust the truss rod to get rid of some fret-buzz, but that's pretty expectable and acceptable with any acoustic guitar and humidity changes.

Bought this 3/4 Yamaha for a young aspiring student player

Did not get a chance to play or hear it before I ordered without playing

It came in time and fit the 9 year old girl perfectly

The action and sound is much better than the one she was playing

Great option
Great price
Great possibility for a happy young musician

I bought this guitar for my 8 yr. old grand daughter and it was the perfect size. It is well made, stays in tune, and has a pretty good sound considering the size. I enjoy playing it as well.

I do recommend that you view this guitar being played on youtube so that you have an idea of what to expect sound wise, it's not going to sound like a full size. None the less a great starter guitar for a young person

Seems like a nice instrument for the money Yamaha usually has a good product. Can't say enough about my sales engineer, Jason sain

Objectively, it isn't well-constructed, the strings aren't nice, the tone is shallow and harsh, and it needs to be tuned every few days. That said, it's as good as you'll ever find at this price point. My kids are using it to strum around on and decide if they like it enough to start learning to play. If they do, then I think it will give them years of learning. While it could be better, it's good for what it is.

Yamaha guitars are my favorite! I've had a Martin and I sold it because my 1970 Yamaha Red Lable sounded better. I bought this as travel guitar and it's perfect for the car, camping, or the park. Also not a bad guitar for children or anyone w smaller hands. The tone of the guitar is amazing considering price and size. I suggest new strings and set up but it's playable out of the box.

Purchased this as a gift for my 6 year old grandson. He's been wanting to learn guitar, and I wanted him to have something "real" to learn on without costing a bunch - and fitting his small size. He's had it a few weeks now, and is making progress.

I have always loved Yamaha guitars. I think they play really well and sound very balanced. I've never had an intonation problem with a Yamaha guitar. This one is no exception. This is advertised as a beginner guitar but as a 3/4 size guitar I think it makes a good parlor guitar and the playability is amazing. The small size makes it easy to throw in the van for a family camping trip. I hope to keep this guitar for decades. That leads me to the only problem I have with it is that I just can't believe they could not bring themselves to put a solid spruce top on this wonderful instrument. I would have paid another $100 for it if they had. And my top would have been aging since I bought it and in 10 years from now it would have really sweetened. When I get more aggressive on the attack, the laminated top just can't project like a piece of solid wood. I can hear the response getting swallowed by particle board. If they offered this in solid top I'd rebuy it. that's how much I love it. So this is a positive review.

I got this for my 6 year old daughter for Christmas. First she wanted an electric guitar, but then she saw a singer at a party and wanted a 'Cowgirl Guitar.' For some reason she loves country music.

This was the best thing I found for a guitar of its size. I looked at some small body guitars like an Epiphone OO and a Gretsch Jim Dandy. But those were just smaller full sized adult guitars. This one had a small body and a short scale neck. It is still big for a 6 year old, but she loves it. She loves to hold it and sing and pose and 'play' it in her cowgirl boots and pink paisley strap. I figure this is a part of the learning process - developing an affection for your instrument and understanding that music is fun.

From my perspective as an adult with lots of acoustic guitars at various price points - it is a pretty good little guitar. It is well made for the price, sounds pretty big for the size, and holds tuning pretty well. In fact, it has cool vintage button head tuners (my fav) and not cheapo tuners like you might expect. A small guitar is only ever going to sound so big (I like dreadnoughts and jumbos), but I don't hear a real meaningful difference between this Yamaha and my father in law's old Baby Taylor. And those cost three times the price.

If my daughter doesn't take to it - this can be a little travel guitar for me, and if she does take to it, when she grows out of it, it can be our travel guitar.

Is a nice little guitar at a nice little price, and it comes with a decent soft case. It's a good buy. I have a 19 year old Yamaha Classical I got for a song in college and I always thought it sounded like it cost three times the price. All the major brands have had to up their game lately, but I always thought Yamaha's punched WAY above their weight class.

The pic is her on Christmas morning. She is wearing half Christmas pajamas and weird black bell bottoms her Gi-Gi got her for Christmas. We are a motley crew of old hippies and eccentric weirdos.

The Yamaha JR1 falls right in line with the Yamaha tradition of building quality and function for a reasonable price. The fretboard is just perfect for youngster's smaller hands and is light enough to make it easily carried and played by younger players (or old plunkers like me). I was pleased to find a neck strap button already installed. I replaced the original strings with a set of Stringjoy Super Light Natural Bronze Strings and that fully woke up the tone of this fine beginner instrument. This guitar would not only be a great guitar to start on, but one to own and cherish for many years.

I have several Yamaha guitars and they are all good quality guitars for a low price $$ and this one is no exception. I had a Baby Taylor and I like this guitar better . So if your looking for a Small guitar that's fun to play stay's in tune and sounds good then BUY THIS GUITAR!! its the perfect size to take along with you or to just noodle on at home. You won't be disappointed its possible the best 3/4 size acoustic guitar on the market!

Pros: This is a great first guitar for little kids. The size is perfect for my daughter, who is eight years old. Sounds great too for a laminate top, and even after changing the strings to extra light.

Cons: The bridge plate underneath the top is a splintered mess. Because of this, be careful when changing your strings. Make sure the ball at end of your strings is sitting properly, otherwise it will not keep its tune.

Well built- great price- good for students in grade school

For the price, and most parents being a bit nervous about buying for their child , this is a good call

I bought this on a whim for my daughter. She's too young to hold and play it properly. Even though it says 3/4 scale, I compared it to several other 3/4 scale guitars in their showroom and this was slightly smaller, which is why I ended up getting it. Taking it home, out of the box set-up is horrible. I straightened the neck and the intonation and playability improved. The saddle still needs sanded down, and it needs new strings because the factory ones feel rough. But I've taken it out a few times myself. It's a good campfire guitar.

This guitar was OK. I was looking for a guitar for smaller hands. The quality was far inferior to the FS800 I had, which at the time didn't cost that much more. Returned the JR1, and spent a bit more and bought the Yamaha CSF1 instead.

I bought this guitar for my grand daughter who is 9 years old. I know that I shouldn't expect much from an entry level 3/4 size guitar but was very disappointed with the sound.

The guitar sounds like a Uke or cheap Carnival Prize guitar. I played a 3/4 size Martin and it sounded like an actual guitar.

The finish on the top was very good, Yamaha uses a lower quality rosewood for the finger board. You could see that there had been glue where the neck meets the body because the finish not take like the rest of the neck.

Bottom line - You get what you pay for