Review : Yamaha FG-830 & Plastic vs Bone Comparison
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- Опубліковано 25 вер 2024
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The back and sides are laminate, not solid.
You saved my time. Thanks
@@RK4musicsif you haven’t played an F800 series Yamaha, you should before you dismiss them. Many people, including me find their sound comparable to high-end guitars. They have scalloped x bracing that just does magic. They have narrow necks, so that can be a bit unusual at first.
@@ericrinehardt9373
My priority was the Yamaha FG830 and I selected CD60SCE because of budget. I thought FG830 was all solid and I was dying for this but this comment changed my mind and after a long tedious search of more than one month, I finally ordered the Fender CD60SCE Black.
This is my first Guitar and I still need a Guitar Case and other accessories. If my budget doesn't make excuses I must go for the Yamaha FG830.
BTW thanks for your opinion.
As with a number of other players who’ve posted comments, I bought the same guitar about three years ago after seeing various reviews. I thought for 300 GBP new at the time, it had to be worth buying. I wasn’t disappointed, for all the reasons Drew’s explained in the early part of the video. However, after playing it for a while, I decided to upgrade the plastic parts with bone. I’m not a guitar tech, however I’ve learned to do these upgrades over the years by trial and error. After doing the work and lowering the action, the difference in sound was great, again for the reasons quoted by Drew. I then decided that the guitar was worth gigging with, so set about identifying a good quality amplification system. I went for a LR Baggs M1A soundhole pickup. The thing which I found tricky was drilling a hole through the block at the bottom end of the guitar where the strap button goes. After watching a couple of UA-cam videos, I successfully drilled it and the jack socket from the pickup fits great. Sounded fabulous after plugging it into a Marshall AS50D acoustic amp. However, after a while I decided that I didn’t like the stock cream plastic pickup cover. It simply didn’t suit the tobacco sunburst finish. I found a company in Germany which made covers for the pickup in various types of wood with the LR Baggs logo engraved onto them. I bought a maple cover and dyed it black. Looks really good. You’d hardly notice it. All in all, this has turned out to be a great guitar which gets better with age. I love the thing, and play it considerably more than my Takamine EAN40c and Gibson J-45, possibly because there’s a bit of me in it! Many thanks for the video and the comments. It’s good to know that there are people out there who feel the same way I do about this beautiful instrument.
Let’s go ahead and sell me that J-45 then lol
I just received my Yamaha ft3 made in China and it is flawless. The action was perfect. It does have the plastic nut and doesn't seem to affect the tuning stability. I am now a big Yamaha fan.
Great Video. I got my FG830 two years ago and it sounds better than ever. The top has really opened up.
Been a fan of Yamaha's for a long time. I ran across a gently used FG-830 last week with a fitted hard case for $200. I jumped on it and dropped it off at my luthier and changed out the plastic for bone and ebony pins. The grain on the top in very tight and the sustain on it is amazing (about 25 seconds in a quiet room).
A very useful, informative video. The presenter is genuine and knowledgeable.
Thanks! Check out the rest of my channel and website if you want more :)
Plastic: 2:50
Bone upgrade: 15:09
If only he played the same song lol
@@Notinserviceijhere are your training wheels lil fella: 15:39
@@gnoogie Could just update your comment with the correct timestamp for the 1:1 comparison with the same song little fella
@@whitehh15 you bowl with bumpers i just know it LOOOOL
@@gnoogie LOOOL, kinda impressed you knew that. The bumpers really help
You are so right. I’ve carried out all of the mods you talk of, bone everything and lowered bridge, strings Ernie ball earthwood bronze. This guitar is the nuts and is my everyday player. It’s worth improving the scalloping a bit, but this is an awkward job so maybe too much for some. My guitar stays with me, though I might flog my Taylor and expensive Yamahas, why? It’s a beautiful workhorse that gives and gives. Thanks for your thoughts, nice to hear.
After reviewing this model and all the excellent reviews, I believe i'm Sold. Want this same color scheme 👍
Its a solid guitar. Id say one of the best I have seen at the price point.
Great job Drew. Well presented!
I love my FG830. It does have laminate Rosewood back and sides but really good.
Laminate would should still resonate sound right ?
@@ComicKish yes, but not as quite dynamic as solid Rosewood.
@@ComicKish yes it does. Some say it doesn't, but I dissagree. I played the 820 and 830 side by side when I bought my 820, and prefered the sound of the 820. I already had an LL16 with solid rosewood back and sides, so the mahogany 820 was a nice change in tone. 830 is a very nice guitar though, for sure. I myself would love an FG850!
@@ComicKish it does . It is easy to test really, because FG800 with Nato back, FG820 with Mahogany back and FG830 with Rosewood back although all laminated , they all sound different .
But obviously laminated back can not resonate any where as much as full solid one, so the guitar sound less deep . Another cons is laminated is consider "dead" , it will stay the same not improve with age and playing like full solid wood
What strings are you using on this guitar and also did you do any other upgrades?
Always been a Yamaha fan. The FG830 sounds and looks so good I can't justify the $1130 I paid for my ll-ta. I wish they would make a good cutaway 830 without electronics, I would definitely buy one today. If they have one I'm not aware of it. I'm looking at a A5R now just to have a nice Yamaha cutaway.
I have an A3M and it's fabulous.
You can't go wrong with the A5 they're awesome. As for the chinese A1 or A3 honestly just get the A1 you can't notice the $500 dollar difference from the A3. I've had them all. THE A5'S FROM JAPAN ARE UNBEATABLE! Best neck of any guitar out today.
Wow - you paid $1130? Sweetwater and Guitar Center sell they for $339
Thanks for the great video! I have been playing for a few years, and I am a beginner. I purchased this exact guitar a couple of years ago, and it is the best acoustic that I have. I will certainly be getting the bone upgrade. This model gets nothing but great reviews, with many experts stating that it performs way above its price class. More towards the $700 to $800 range.
The "great reviews" are frequently presented by those that sell those instruments, so they stand to gain if they convince people to buy. Almost all reviews of less expensive guitars feature playing in the first position only where the volume and tone are better. Always play guitars before you buy to understand whether you like their sound and playability.
@@Dldmny a lot of the great reviews are from people, just like me, who own and love yamaha guitars. I personally have never played a bad one, although I agree that it is best to try before you buy. Of all the many brands available, I honestly believe that yamaha quality control is among the very best, and if circumstances forced me to, Id buy from a trusted dealer via the internet. It is prefered though to sit down and play a few to compare them.
@@Dldmnyhear hear. Unless it’s a Gretch Jim Dandy. Just get one, they’re fun.
Good review, thank you! Lots of excellent points. I'm a Yamaha fan, had or have 800s through A Series, Red Label and Luthier series. Very good to know all that about the 830! I'd always wondered if or how they were superior to the 800s.
I just ordered this exact guitar a couple hours ago before watching this video. I have a FG 335 II from 83 I believe and it sounds great. I'll be passing that doesn't to my brother.
Its a good choice.
Fantastic review! Thanks for this and Im sold
A great demo love your professional comments, you’ve got style. Would be good if you could edit the non bone and bone samples one after the other, to make it easier to hear the improvements. I’m a retired sound engineer and love the FG830. Thanks for the demo.
I want to do one sometime with the recording setup I have at home. The mic on this camera isn't the best. It's a testament to the difference it makes that you can hear it at all.
The plastic on Yamahas is the same plastic used in light switches. It's really had and durable... but no it's not expensive. The 800 series is laminated back and sides, not sold.
I believe its actually Urea rather than a cheaper type of plastic, as you used to get on guitars in the old days. last year I bought a transacoustic FG and swapped the saddle over to bone, but didn't like the sound so I swapped back. It was kind of muted and not as clear. I did find an improvement by swapping the bridge pins over to Tusq, but they needed shaving down to get a perfect fit. all the best from UK.
There’s definitely more control in the sound now with the bone. It seemed like it was a little bit more spread out before now. It seems more clear, concise sharper maybe.
Most guitars, even the cheap, will sound decent in the first position, but up on the neck at the 8th fret and beyond particularly the first, second, and third strings sound increasingly harsh because the top doesn't adequately respond to those high frequencies. On pricier guitars, the top plainly vibrates near the bridge, and the sound becomes less harsh. Sometimes it is possible to get the top to open up after time, but not always. Changing the nut and bridge saddle may make a difference in volume, but not the tone appreciably. I've fought those battles for many years.
Sounds alot better after the upgrade 🎹🎙🎶🎵🎸
I agree.
Oops forgot to add...great video. Shame people on UA-cam always ask questions about things they can figure out for themselves if they would actually watch and pay attention to the videos.
Dont think we didnt catch that greenday in there 😁 fg830 prob the best guitar under $1,000 which is saying a lot for a 300$ guitar
Yeah I just had a 365s yahama that I have had for 43 years done with bone and it sounds assume. I am thinking of getting my APX600 done next. Like you I love the sustain and harmonics I might try bell brass pegs to see if increase the presence of the guitar acoustically. 🤩👍
I think you might find the brass pegs add sustain but adversely effect attack.
@@DrewsGuitarShop HI a got a set of bells brass pegs to give them a try but I am waiting till I need to restring it.
great video, nice work
Hi. The plastic that Yamaha use is call "Urea". Is a very hard plastic with a hight density and sounds very good.
Not really. If you swapped for bone you wouldn't make that ridiculous statement.
And you ridicule others because you have and are an absolute legend with swapping urea saddles with bone
@@placeballsonchin You evidently havent played one. Not a ridiculous statement just his opinion.
I agree. I have three Yamahas including two LL16s and find the urea to be quite good. However, I think its fine for people to replace them if they want. Quite a personal thing. Im contemplating replacing the bridge pins with ebony.
Drew. It's happened more than once where I ordered new bridge pins (looking to go away from the plastic) for my Yamaha FG 800 only to discover they come arrive too big in circumference. I'm not inclined to drill out the bridge holes confident that there must be a manufacturer of pins who makes the proper sized pins for such a popular series of guitar?
:D Both Freight Train (fingerstyle) and Ziggy Stardust (strumming) are songs I play when trying out guitars. Funny to hear them both here.
Thank you for the excellent video! Already swapped the saddle out for bone and the difference is stunning. Woody and earthy.
I was wondering if you could please recommend a set of bone bridge pins that would fit the FG-830 without having to sand them down? Thanks!
You don’t sand the pins, you fit them by reaming the holes. Sometimes you have to do some fill work if the pins are too narrow.
@@DrewsGuitarShop Thanks for the reply. So they don't make bone bridge pins that are the same specs as the Yamaha ones?
@@imaguandaloops Pins aren't really available in "specs" only different tapers. Most after market bone ones are over sized and require reaming.
I'm going to have a set of Taylor ebony bridge pins put into my fgx830 c. I have no idea if the guy who will install them will have to do any sanding or not. Good luck.
@@joshuahendrickson4854 See my comment above
Hey so what would your comparison be of this to a recording king 328? Both I’ve seen heavily compared to a Martin d28!
The original saddle didn’t fit in the slot tight. The pins are too tight. The nut fell off. Replace everything with tusq and reduce the action and tighten the tuners. Now you've got a great guitar.
I have done this but I only do the saddle and I use deer antler and I can hear a difference every time but if I just do the nut by itself I do not hear a difference at all ! I have 5 accoustic guitars and the only one that has a deer antler nut is my Martin D 18 and it was done when I bought it ! I harly play the Martin anymore because I got a Norman B 20 on the curb and fixed the bridge and did a setup and made a deer antler saddle and that is the guitar I prefer now ! Who da thought that would happen ? It is hard to find a guitar that sounds as good as a Martin and if I would have got the Norman first I doubt I would have bought the Martin ! One thing about the Norman it was a demo guitar and it was the salesman sample so it was probably chosen from the pile ! I have had about 15 Yamahas over the years and I kept my FG 75 red label 3/4 size and it makes a good picker ! What I really need is a good used guitar that has had all the bad chords and notes played out of it ! LOL
what about the solid and laminated, half of the historical recordings are laminated guitars and they sound fantastic! and they are sturdy too.
Great video. I just purchased an FG830 Autumn Burst that has an upgraded nut and saddle, and bridge pins to bone. Guitar looks stunning. Should be getting it in a couple days. Can’t wait and am happy to see how much improvement there is with the bone upgrade. Great playing also. Sounds awesome.
I wait for FG830 Autumn burst , just ordered last month.
Last year I was looking for an inexpensive but good sounding guitar, after months of playing dozens of different instruments in music stores I came across a Yamaha fg830.
I didn’t hesitate to buy it , people were coming over to me and asking what I was playing. It’s a terrific guitar. Definitely want to upgrade the nut and saddle to bone 👍
I too have a FG-830 and love it. I've also been considering replacing these items but not sure if it would be worth all the work. BTW - is there a specific radii that you used?
Whatever matched the fretboard.
I'd love to send my guitars to you .
I can see and sense your appreciation to doing great work.... not cutting corners , etc.
However , you are clear across the country .
All are in this price range of the 830 , so they have an aversion to flying 😊 ( cost ) .
Otherwise i would .
All of my guitars are all beat to hell dings scratches dents scrapes gouges and more rode hard put away wet. I’ve got every guitar under the sun. And the 80s Washburn and a 70s ventura seem to hold there own .the best ones I have beat up but still play good.
P.s. none of my guitars are pretty just players
Hiya, Seems weak in the bass. The mid and treble are drowning it out. Could be to bright, maybe? A common problem with inexpensive acoustics, sadly. I talk from personal experience, from my music/pawn store saga in the early 80's. I learned the secret when I found my Yamaha FG 365 Sii. Lookin' around, I could see others knew the secret too, but we we're all stayin mum about it, keeping it on the down low. We don't talk about it, 'cause we don't want the price to go up. But for affordable acoustic's, it's Yamaha, their FG line of dreadnauts, is the secret. Shhhhh...
Seth Rogan appears to be a man of many talents.
Yamaha has so much to them they can make cheap guitars with high quality cause they are not losing as much as a smaller company.
It's wild to me that they have the brand on so many things. Especially when I see their logo on stuff that isn't guitars. Their logo is literally three tuning forks. I guess you use those for things other than music, but I mean...
My wife purchased a Yamaha FG720S for me in 2007. It's still hard to believe it was under 300 bucks. I am currently looking at either purchasing the FG830 OR 850. I know the 850 is mahogany. Should I spend a bit more for the 850 model?
Correction: The 850 is solid rosewood back and sides. Seems to sound significantly better.
@@JJTeam-yr6tb I ended up purchasing the 850
@McKindo64 Yessir. Happy w/ your choice?
@@JJTeam-yr6tb
The FG850 is all mahogany: solid top and laminted back and sides.
Sorry dude, the 850 is all-mahogony, its the 830 thats rosewood @@JJTeam-yr6tb
Great video, just can´t decide between this or the all mahogany version.
All mahogany is gonna sound very different.
As a guy who’s played guitar for a lot of years, the difference is night and day.
Would like to have heard u play with a pick. N did u change bridge pins?? Fantastic guitar.
Yup, you can see they are different in the before and after
great video 👍
Curious to know, what is the material of the headstock, underneath the tuners? Is it solid wood or MDF? Not technically the neck...
I'm pretty sure its mahogany on this guitar, but I might be remembering wrong. MDF wouldn't be used in this instance because it doesn't have the strength.
@@DrewsGuitarShop
The neck is Nato.
solid back and sides.....are sure of that ?
I have an FG-830; it recently has an intonation issue with the 2nd string. Could be because of the 11-47 lighter strings
Could be. It's a factor in compensation.
The back n sides aren’t solid wood. They’re laminated.
Freight Train
3:04 Plastic
16:00 Bone
2:51 Plastic
15:40 Bone
Great job of playing that guitar, I'm curious how much it costs to do the upgrade work you did ? Also, what guitar do you recommend for a complete beginner ?
Thanks Scott
For complete beginners and kids I highly recommend Gibson Custom EDS-1275 Guitar.
I would recomend the yamaha FG800, FG820, OR FG830 for beginners. Beginners are more likely to persevere and flourish with a quality guitar and those FGs are very easy to play when set up well. Value for money.
@@dratonbalat3423 ,Thanks for the help.
The bone nut sounds deeper, clean, and hollow.
The problem of fg8xx guitars is proper strings. Orifinal one fits it very well but it is hard to find. Elixir also is good but bass becomes more metalic without depth and noising first string is annoying untill you get used to it or not)))
Factory fitted strings on the Fg´s are Elixir Nanoweb 12´s
@@paulneedham9885 nope - yamaha own strings from factory
@@vs_830they are not. The other guy is correct.
@@tacorama they do for LL and higher guitars. FG have yamaha own strings FS50BT
@@vs_830 FG and FS do not have Yamaha strings
Adirondack spruce has wider grain pattern. The best.
Is this the Tobacco Brown Sunburst. Looks great.
Would you recommend tusq or bone and why?
Use bone. Tusq will make it sound tin like
How to tune fg830 guitar Can you malé video pls?
It's tuned just like any other guitar. EADGBE with A being A440.
@@DrewsGuitarShop I don't understand it, A440, can you please explain
@@branomusuka9683
Try Google.
Or Justin Guitar
Is your shop beside the Harley shop cause I keep hearing Harleys go by?
I'm near a beachside road, so maybe that's what you hear.
It’s laminated back and sides.
how much would the avg charge of putting bone saddle and nut? and thanks
got it thanks
Keep at mf Purell on ya
So if I buy one of these through GC or Sweetwater etc, where can I get these mods done?
You can do it yourself.... It's as easy as changing strings.
Nothing wrong with the stock nut and saddle... picking distance in-between the bridge and sound hole is the biggest difference in tone besides different types of strings.
Contact a qualified repair shop.
Sweetwater will do the work prior to shipping. For a nominal fee...
Thanks for the review, but back and sides are laminate bro
So, try keeping a martin solid wood in tune when gigging..solid wood is best for studio, not for gigs..there to finicky to enviroment...
I've got a question.How much difference do pins make?thanks
to 99.9% of people, nothing. Maybe a bit more sustain. You might notice but no audience will.
A bit more treble, a bit more sustain. Its a very minor difference in tone, and the saddle is a much bigger deal in that regard. The big advantage to harder pins is longevity and stability over time.
2:51 plastic
15:40 bone
What's the height of the saddle on that guitar? Do you think height of the saddle makes a big difference in tone?
This is a different topic than is covered in this video. Saddle height is determined by the setup.
All Yamaha's I have checked come with a very high action for some reason. Even their flagship (9) Series. My 830 was at .130" on the 6th string at fret 12 new out of the box. I replaced & sanded the saddle to .080". Plays so much better and comfortable.
I assume you replaced the saddle?
Thats what the video is about. I did the nut, saddle and pins.
Help! Is it better than a big baby taylor?
Yes!! I have a BT2 and it’s a complete POS. Won’t stay in tune. I got it brand new and have to take it to a luthier just to make it playable
Still thinking between FSX830C & AC3R..
Honestly the A1 sounds just as good as the A3. You won't notice a difference unless you try the Japanese made A5 series. Those are by far the best.
Ofcourse you go for the Ac3R
Not a huge difference...
02:51 vs 15:40
Thank you for posting the times!
I’m new at this. So, I don’t know if it is me or my FG830. Maybe it is the combination of both. Here is the problem.
When I lift my finger off the string that I just played, it rings out another note like an echo! It is so much more obvious and pronounced on the low notes like the E, A, D strings, and still there, but not as much annoying and loud on the high strings.
From time to time, we have high humidity in this state, but nothing over the top! My hands are not wet or sweaty! They are dry and clean. When I got this Yamaha FG830, I was told that it was a low action guitar. And I just measured the string height on the high and the low E at the 12th fret. From what I can see, the high “e” is at .090 (2.25 millimeter) and the low “E” is at .120 (3 millimeter).
Is the problem I’m having normal? Does it happen to every acoustic guitar and you solve this problem by palm-muting as soon as you lift your finger off the string?
So did it get better or still having the problem?
Your action is a bit high, but I don’t think that’s what’s causing what you’re talking about. When you play some notes, you can get sympathetic vibration on unplayed strings.
When you buy a new guitar you should have it professionally set up. They can help you with any problems following that.
hmmm...is that the right model...fg-830 doesnt come in that color...is it the fsx 830c instead
FSX....C are electric (X) cutaway (C). He definitely has the Fg830 TBS
I'm just reading you what's on the label in the guitar. Just as a note, the little letters and things that come after dashes in model numbers tend to be modifiers to a given model. Say you have a WTF-D20, so thats a WTF brand, dreadnaught model # 20. Your WTF-D20-e would be that same guitar with a pickup.
Souds heaps better
You're not a good guitar player? Really?Sound pretty good to me Pally!
Well, thanks! :)
Sounds like a box