I bought mine for a whopping $120 back in the mid 1980's and though I own 15 guitars today this is the one that I play consistently just because of it's tonal flavor and it's soft touch. It's good to see it getting some respect.
I was born in 94 and have always had this guitar in the house. It's been moved between continents, and all too rarely played. It was just sitting on a stand in the living room and my nieces were really interested in it, so I finally re-strung it. Backwards! So I re-re-restrung it, and now I've got the itch to start learning guitar again. Mine is, I think, in somewhat worse shape than yours. Has a chip out of the top of the head, and I've yet to give it a proper deep clean with lemon oil, just a dusting. But it still sounds beautiful, and I'm happy to be dusting it off!
Someone just gave me Yamaha G231 II that needed cleaning and new strings too. So the video was very helpful. Since this is my first Spanish style guitar I am not sure if the tuners are up to snuff, so I will take it to the repair shop to have them install new strings and tuners if needed.
Hi Bart! The tunes are fine from what I’ve experienced so far. Keep in mind the nylon strings take a while to settle. The more you play it the faster it will :)
@@DavidsMusicChannel yes. Its a bit higher than what I'm used to. Super excited about it. Got some new strings and will change them up tomorrow. Take care!
I have an old G-231 that I bought about 1980-81 new and have carried it with me all my life since then and still don’t know how to play it🙄. I was considering selling it, but after reading about it, maybe I will learn how to play in my senior years. I have not heard anything negative, but all positive things about this guitar. My biggest problem is short fingers and it has a wide neck, but maybe since I have had it so long, I should learn to play. I have someone that is going to look at it for me but I think it is in excellent shape, at least I hope. In the Caribbean it is possible it could have warped, but I kind of don’t think so. A friend played it for a few minutes yesterday and it sounded pretty good.
hi there! make sure the string action is low so it is easier to play. that makes a bigger difference than the neck width :) never too late to try! cheers!
Perhaps use a capo to shorten the fingerboard? This would make playing it easier , as the reach between notes becomes easier as the frets are closer together, lower down.
Bought one for $50 kinda my desk side strummer at work it’s been thru the gauntlet damage to top from strumming. Not even sure how they played it this much but adds character
Nice to have a few beaten up guitars in the collection, yeah it’s the character and the ease of playability rather than the cosmetics for the older guitars thought somehow I don’t like modern guitars beaten up 😀
Just found one of these at a 2nd hand store (40 minutes ago), bought it for $AU25. It's probably in worse condition as yours with scratches and dings, lots of dust and some stickers on it. Will need to give it a good clean, I would love to fill some of the scratches, the dings i'm okay with, gives it character. But it sounds good and so far keeping tune. So for a prac nylon guitar, I'm pretty happy to get it.
G24O ii has rosewood (laminate) sides and better tuners than G231ii. G260 is almost top of the G line and has sold top, real ebony fingerboard and jakaranda bridge, Although sides and bottom are rosewood laminate.
One can also use razor blade to scrape off the 'gunk' arouned the frets. I think a lot of people would be horrified to see someone using ball-end strings on a classical guitar! But, it's an interesting idaa. I think wrapping the strings around the wooden bridge is supposed to transfer as much sound/vibrations as possible to the top of the guitar as possible. I wonder if ball-end strings have a negative effect on both the sound and the sustain? Thanks for an interesting video.
I’ve heard of the blade but somehow never felt comfortable using it fearing I might scratch the fretboard. I can see the whole wrap around the bridge being better but you can’t beat the convenience of ball ends especially if it’s a guitar you might pick up once a year 😁👍 Thanks so much! Cheers!
Well, because it's so thin and sharp, you don't need to apply much pressure. You carefully pull it in the same direction as the wood grain.@@DavidsMusicChannel
Did all generations of G-231 have solid spruce top? I have one G-231I, manufactured in august 7 of 1979 (guitar nº527), but i don't know how to recognize if it is solid or laminated top. Great review btw!
good question :) there's not much information out there unfortunately. From what I found online it seems that they were solid spruce tops in the 70s. More importantly how does it sound?
@@DavidsMusicChannel It sounds good, warm and loud. It's interesting the balance between mohogany back and Spruce top, i feel a mixture of cozy and bright sounds. About the strings, first i tried d'addario pro arte, but it was a dull sound. Nowadays i use Augustine Regal/Blue High tension, It sounds a lot better and still comfortable to play. Anytime i will try the strings that you are using. I hope to see you playing more songs with this guitar!
@@mucio08 nothing too special about the strings I used. They’re not bright and more of a warm tone currently. I have one song that was planned on this guitar and will try and do it before end of this year if not sooner :)
@@JuanLopez-yf6hl indirect is always recommended if you have a good finish to protect, at least those are the guidelines. But usually for olde guitars I just spray direct carefully in moderation and that works as well.
I have a Yamaha G231 that my mom bought me when I was a kid. I loaned it to my kid to play. It was in good shape but now the nut has cracked. I read "restoration" and came thinking maybe that would be addressed. I enjoyed the video but I have to keep looking for how to replace the nut
Hi mike you should be able to get a replacement nut quite easily. Just need to measure the string spacing and the nut width. Usually a bit of filing and adjusting is required so might be best to get some help
Bring it to a luthier. To anyone looking for a beginner guitar i say : buy a cheap yamaha and go directly to the luthier. Better off with 150$+50$ than 500$ without luthier...
I bought mine for a whopping $120 back in the mid 1980's and though I own 15 guitars today this is the one that I play consistently just because of it's tonal flavor and it's soft touch. It's good to see it getting some respect.
Has a very nice tone indeed. 👍
This is so inspiring to me. I have my father's Yamaha g-231 in similar shape to the one you restored. I look forward to getting mine ready for use....
Thanks for sharing, made my day :) go for it! You’ll be surprised by the joy you get once you get it playing well. 👍
I was born in 94 and have always had this guitar in the house. It's been moved between continents, and all too rarely played. It was just sitting on a stand in the living room and my nieces were really interested in it, so I finally re-strung it. Backwards! So I re-re-restrung it, and now I've got the itch to start learning guitar again. Mine is, I think, in somewhat worse shape than yours. Has a chip out of the top of the head, and I've yet to give it a proper deep clean with lemon oil, just a dusting. But it still sounds beautiful, and I'm happy to be dusting it off!
Thanks for sharing, a chip is no big deal, make sure you have the action decent cause they tend to be too high. They sound great otherwise
You're a guitar savior ,love how you did that job ,its seen you love the instrument 👏👏👏👏😍
Thanks Anton. Good musical instruments don't deserve to be thrown in a dumpster :) This guitar plays better than the first guitar I learnt on.
Someone just gave me Yamaha G231 II that needed cleaning and new strings too. So the video was very helpful. Since this is my first Spanish style guitar I am not sure if the tuners are up to snuff, so I will take it to the repair shop to have them install new strings and tuners if needed.
Hi Bart! The tunes are fine from what I’ve experienced so far. Keep in mind the nylon strings take a while to settle. The more you play it the faster it will :)
It cleaned up real nice! good job!
Thank you! I got another Yamaha classical that I feel is even better, thanks, that reminds me I need to make a video on that :)
I've had one since 1978 and it's still in great shape. It really stays in tune for months at a time unless there are dramatic weather changes.
Thanks for sharing, yeah an excellent guitar indeed
Nice, I have this guitar. Now 42, bought it at I guess 15 from family that found it a really good guitar himself.
Hi thanks for sharing. Yes it’s a surprisingly good guitar! I’m beginning to like it more than my other classical guitar
Hey nice video. Just got one today super nice condition. Its prestine for a 42 year old guitar. I'm the second owner. Yamaha!
Hey thanks for stopping by. Cool! Very good guitar indeed. You might need to lower the action a bit, at least that was in my case.
@@DavidsMusicChannel yes. Its a bit higher than what I'm used to. Super excited about it. Got some new strings and will change them up tomorrow. Take care!
Thank you. Enjoyed the video and explanation.
Glad you liked it! Thanks so much for sharing :)
I have an old G-231 that I bought about 1980-81 new and have carried it with me all my life since then and still don’t know how to play it🙄. I was considering selling it, but after reading about it, maybe I will learn how to play in my senior years. I have not heard anything negative, but all positive things about this guitar. My biggest problem is short fingers and it has a wide neck, but maybe since I have had it so long, I should learn to play. I have someone that is going to look at it for me but I think it is in excellent shape, at least I hope. In the Caribbean it is possible it could have warped, but I kind of don’t think so. A friend played it for a few minutes yesterday and it sounded pretty good.
hi there! make sure the string action is low so it is easier to play. that makes a bigger difference than the neck width :) never too late to try! cheers!
@@DavidsMusicChannel Thank you, I will have a friend help me with that.
Perhaps use a capo to shorten the fingerboard? This would make playing it easier , as the reach between notes becomes easier as the frets are closer together, lower down.
@@robertsparacin399 Thank you, I wish I had seen this prior to finally giving it away. Maybe at some point I will try getting another one.
Great job at bringing it back to life... The friend who have it to you....he's a saint!!!!
"gave", not "have"..
Lol! I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt !!
Bought one for $50 kinda my desk side strummer at work it’s been thru the gauntlet damage to top from strumming. Not even sure how they played it this much but adds character
Nice to have a few beaten up guitars in the collection, yeah it’s the character and the ease of playability rather than the cosmetics for the older guitars thought somehow I don’t like modern guitars beaten up 😀
I have a g240 i bought in 81. Can something be done about the many small scratches in the varnish?
I’ve not had success removing deep scratches but the light ones can sometimes be buffed out.
Just found one of these at a 2nd hand store (40 minutes ago), bought it for $AU25. It's probably in worse condition as yours with scratches and dings, lots of dust and some stickers on it. Will need to give it a good clean, I would love to fill some of the scratches, the dings i'm okay with, gives it character. But it sounds good and so far keeping tune. So for a prac nylon guitar, I'm pretty happy to get it.
That’s a steal! Good find! It has a very good tone. You might need to file down the bridge for lower action. Mine plays well now
Hello 👋🏻, do you know if are there a big difference between this guitar and the G-240ii or the G-260?
Hi! I haven’t tried those guitars as yet so can’t really comment. Cheers
@@DavidsMusicChannel Thank You 👋🏻!
G24O ii has rosewood (laminate) sides and better tuners than G231ii. G260 is almost top of the G line and has sold top, real ebony fingerboard and jakaranda bridge, Although sides and bottom are rosewood laminate.
Would the Yamaha g231 ii make a good beginner's guitar? I saw one for sale the other day online. Love the video you did restoring yours.
Thanks so much. Oh yes for sure, it’s a great sounding guitar. Good luck!
This guitar is laminate all around wa built from 1980 till 1985. It a great beginner to early intermediate student guitar
Thanks for sharing. Is there a way to check if an acoustic guitar is laminate?
@@DavidsMusicChannel yes . Look at the soundhole and you will see the layers on the lids edge.
@@catalinorojas6417 thanks . I couldn’t tell on mine
I have a couple of old Yamaha G-xxx classical guitars, also a 231 II. The top is solid. Mine is clearly bookmatched.
One can also use razor blade to scrape off the 'gunk' arouned the frets. I think a lot of people would be horrified to see someone using ball-end strings on a classical guitar! But, it's an interesting idaa. I think wrapping the strings around the wooden bridge is supposed to transfer as much sound/vibrations as possible to the top of the guitar as possible. I wonder if ball-end strings have a negative effect on both the sound and the sustain? Thanks for an interesting video.
I’ve heard of the blade but somehow never felt comfortable using it fearing I might scratch the fretboard. I can see the whole wrap around the bridge being better but you can’t beat the convenience of ball ends especially if it’s a guitar you might pick up once a year 😁👍 Thanks so much! Cheers!
Well, because it's so thin and sharp, you don't need to apply much pressure. You carefully pull it in the same direction as the wood grain.@@DavidsMusicChannel
@@michaelk5507 I'm going to give it a try for sure. thanks!
Just wondering what type of finish is on these guitars I have one and want to restore it, thanks.
Hi! I haven’t found enough info on these guitars. How bad is your finish? In my case I just used guitar polish to clean it up
Did all generations of G-231 have solid spruce top? I have one G-231I, manufactured in august 7 of 1979 (guitar nº527), but i don't know how to recognize if it is solid or laminated top. Great review btw!
good question :) there's not much information out there unfortunately. From what I found online it seems that they were solid spruce tops in the 70s. More importantly how does it sound?
@@DavidsMusicChannel It sounds good, warm and loud. It's interesting the balance between mohogany back and Spruce top, i feel a mixture of cozy and bright sounds. About the strings, first i tried d'addario pro arte, but it was a dull sound. Nowadays i use Augustine Regal/Blue High tension, It sounds a lot better and still comfortable to play. Anytime i will try the strings that you are using. I hope to see you playing more songs with this guitar!
@@mucio08 nothing too special about the strings I used. They’re not bright and more of a warm tone currently. I have one song that was planned on this guitar and will try and do it before end of this year if not sooner :)
@@mucio08 In case you didn’t see this one ua-cam.com/video/CVp-Cil7cK0/v-deo.html
Great question. I have one and was thinking the same thing. I think it's laminate but can't find more on it. If you know please share thanks
We have one in near perfect condition. Any idea of it’ value?
Hi. Around a 100$
What did u use instead of polish?
Hi, maybe I wasn’t clear? Basically I used guitar polish directly on the guitar instead of indirect on the cloth
@@DavidsMusicChannel thank you for clarifying.
When to use direct or indirect?
@@JuanLopez-yf6hl indirect is always recommended if you have a good finish to protect, at least those are the guidelines. But usually for olde guitars I just spray direct carefully in moderation and that works as well.
@@DavidsMusicChannel thank you so much!
@@JuanLopez-yf6hl you’re welcome!
I have a Yamaha G231 that my mom bought me when I was a kid. I loaned it to my kid to play. It was in good shape but now the nut has cracked. I read "restoration" and came thinking maybe that would be addressed. I enjoyed the video but I have to keep looking for how to replace the nut
Hi mike you should be able to get a replacement nut quite easily. Just need to measure the string spacing and the nut width. Usually a bit of filing and adjusting is required so might be best to get some help
Is it solid top
I’m not sure but one of my viewers said it was laminate
Hi I have the same guitar G-231 since 1986 its great but the action is high
Hi! Yeah I think they all came with high action. I filed my bridge down and it’s much better now.
Bring it to a luthier. To anyone looking for a beginner guitar i say : buy a cheap yamaha and go directly to the luthier. Better off with 150$+50$ than 500$ without luthier...
Nice! Do you know what the post hole spacing is for the tuning pegs?
Hi I have no idea :) But I’d say it’s on the wider side?
Yes,,, 'sordin strings' I rather like that pharase.
lol yeah they were filthy and all split in threads
I would NOT call this a restoration. You just cleaned and restrung. The guitar was only dusty.
Fair enough 👍
Restauration imply glue or file, allen key, tuner change, saddle swap...