Is The Yamaha FG9 Really A High End Guitar? | Blind Test With Yamaha, Bourgeois, & Gallagher Guitars
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
- Join John and Jeremy Chapman in this unbiased blind test featuring the Yamaha FG9, Bourgeois Vintage Heirloom, and the Gallagher G-70! We're going over each companies voicing styles, discussing which we prefer, and ultimately deciding in the new FG9 is truly on the same boutique level as other brands.
🌟No peeking during this Blind Test! Let us know in the comments if you guessed the guitars correctly and which you prefered out of the three!
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00:00 - Intro / How It Works
01:31 - What Are We Comparing Today?
02:49 - Each Has Iconic Tone
04:14 - The Blind Comparison
06:20 - What We Heard
08:22 - John's Favorite
11:05 - Does The FG9 Fit In?
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Incredible how all three sounded so very close. You have to hand it to Yamaha getting this guitar up to meet the highest level of great sound.
Well said!
I feel like a better way to do this is to patch in the same 10 second segments and edit them to play A.) 10 seconds B.) 10 seconds C.) 10 seconds. It’s hard to make a judgement when they are playing different things
thanks for the feedback!
No surprise here, I've never heard or played a bad Yamaha, don't know why people seem surprised. They've been making great guitars for years.
3 grand! You’d hope there is nothing to complain abou ..
Sold my Santa Cruz D and bought two Yamaha LL guitars in rosewood and mahogany I absolutely love them.
Yamaha has been making some incredible sounding acoustic guitars. Many people do not realize how many musicians use a Yamaha acoustic in the studio. The sound across the strings are always so well balanced and the Yamaha is very well made. I LOVE my Yamaha acoustic !!
I have 3 Yamahas and love all 3
The FG9 was easily the best sounding to me. Love the older Taiwanese made Red Label FG-180s and IMO the FG-850’s give folks the most band for their buck. That being said, if I’m paying 3k then I’m getting a Martin or Waterloo.
Liked the Gallagher the most, but honestly they would all be fantastic instruments to own!
When you said the Bourgeois had a torrefied top I started by listening for which guitar sounded most open and my guess was B which ended up being the Yamaha. Can’t imagine what the FG9 will sound like after a few years of playing in! Also I’m obsessed with the esthetic of the Yamaha guitar! Thanks for all the great videos!
I immediately gravitated to the yamaha. It had a beautiful voice and a nice chime and ring. As you continued, i heard a beautiful tone from the other guitars as well. Not much separated these imo..the Yamaha was slightly favoured
Actually liked "B" in the blind test; was happy to see it was the YAMAHA.
And, as is often said: the more it gets played, the more it will open up.
I agree and blindly l chose the same. When I bought an LL16M, I chose that one over many others 3x or 4x the price of the Yamaha. It's like magic.
I was preferring B in the blind test, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was the (cheapest of the three) new Yamaha. Well done yet again, Chapmans!
Thanks!
I got the Bourgeois, swapped the Yam and Gal. They all sounded great. I am a Gallagher devotée, and have come to accept the viewpoint that when dealing with high-end guitars like these, there isn't a "better," only a "different. Great video.
What do you think about Marton and Furch?
Very subtle differences but all sound great. I don’t know if I would feel the same after playing each , but the Yamaha was a little more pleasing to my ear.
Thank you
I went with A, B then C. I was a little surprised with my picks. How about a blind test between the affordable Yamaha Ll 16 and the FG 9?
We totally could!
I've got the black LL16D and would love to see this! @@AcousticShoppe
The LL16 will probably need a refret and fingerboard level to compare with the monster FG9....Japan builds are usually right. China ones, maybe 50% of the Yamaha's are decent...LL16 may sound good but unlevel high spots will effect tone and sustain in spots. It effects how well you can set it up. It effects how it can be capo'd in a huge way! Blue grass is capo music....got to be able to get a great capo on a fret...all frets to the 6th. don't just play them in open position. Capo them! That shows who the master builders really are! I've seen D-45's that play great but won't capo without buzzing (with a paige or shubb)....just saw a plek'd J45 Gibson that capo's horribly! That screams unperfect level. Don't let anyone fool you with their plek is marvelous babble. Plek is marvelous if they are experts at running the machine and using their heads. The fingerboards need CNC'd too! I do believe China is being told to use a CNC machine on their Yamaha builds these days. There are still some dogs being sold by them (A couple weeks ago, a LS6M was the worse guitar I've seen in years) but I just bought a FS800 last night that has the best neck I've seen in 30 years...sounds and plays incredible...not one high spot on the fingerboard....I paid 187.00 for it! But! I played 3....1 was average, 1 was a dog, 1 was great. Moral of the story. Don't buy online unless they will pay everything for a return.@@AcousticShoppe
I thought they were all three similar, but C was my favorite then B,then A . All sounded great!!
Same 🎉
Was that finer points, or finer pints, Jeremy?🤔 These are all impressive, 🙂
C was the loudest and brightest to me. A had punching lows but sounded kinda boxy to me. B was my favorite. It sounded the most full and balanced.
Really, I'm not surprised. The bourgeois is a monster
Quite remarkably to me I guessed all 3 correctly listening to this through my Kllipsch THX speaker system plugged into my laptop. It was a dead heat between A and B for me. That Yamaha is an extraordinary instrument.
C,A,B in that order. IMO.
They are all great sounding guitars but I believe C had the most vintage tone, which I prefer. It would be great to hear C against that old Martin hanging in your shop.
nicely done
Overall nice bass and mid to treble , A . Beautiful shimmer in the mids and treble , C . In the middle B .
Think I have similar ears to John, during the blind test I picked out my preferred tone as b. A and b seemed to be somewhat mid scooped with c probably more balanced with more mids and less low end
The FG9 R is a dream guitar for me, but as it currently stands I will just have to make do with my FG5 Red Label, which is a fantastic guitar in its own right and is 1/3 of the price. I especially love the Kumiki-style fret markers on the FG9.
I came here to say the same thing. Love my FG5 and continuously go back and forwards with my Furch Vintage 3 DSR. Would love to get an FG9 but I'd probably like to have both M and R. Financially not going to happen but I'm content with my FG5.
We recently moved into a cooperative, so I had to simplify. The guitar I'd been using for quite a few years was a Takamine EAN10C. I liked it a lot. But it was acoustic/electric so with it I had a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. amp, a mike, and a mike stand. I no longer needed all this. So what do I replace it with????
Years ago I had a Yamaha LD10 and I loved it. I think the best sound of any guitar I'd owned. I also had a Japanese made Yamaha piano that after 30 years sold for more than I had paid for it. So I replaced my Takamine with a Yamaha FG9 R. I love it!
I picked B
Great guitars great playing !!
Of interest - "FG9 | Tone Development Story" on the "Yamaha Guitars" channel. Note the tight communication referenced between Japan and the U.S during the development phase.
I like the A best.
This is definitely a great way to do the comparisons because as Jeremy said, it’s really hard if there’s too much space to really remember the tonal qualities.
Listening with closed headphones…
My preferences were the Gallagher and Yamaha.
The strumming is where it became noticeable as the Bourgeois sounded much thinner.
I can’t say I have a significant preference between A and B, both sounded full yet balanced with nice separation. The Yamaha probably edged out the Gallagher if I had to choose because of the lower end.
I’m listening more as a singer-songwriter and if I was performing solo with one of those guitars I would want that low end fullness so the Yamaha and Gallagher would suit my taste more.
In an instrumental ensemble I could see where the Bourgeois would probably cut through nicely.
Thanks for sharing as always, Scott! It's great to hear from your singer-songwriter perspective - makes us think a little more!
It is. But i think i would choose an LL-36 over it. Beautiful instrument...
I have always recommended Yammies I tried a J50, D28, Taylor 410, Larravie and the only one that came close to best which was a J45 was the Yamaha at almost a third of the price. Yammies are so good.
The Gallagher and Yamaha were very similar, the Bourgeois was much brighter which i don't prefer. Great comp!!! I did pick the Yamaha as my favorite as well.
I agree with John, also think the Yamaha ticked more of the boxes.Especially on the bottom, mid & top end was pretty much the same.
I would give Gallagher a little better on the low end. Was really surprised, with what I was hearing. Thanks for the great video.
Thanks so much for watching!
I liked the Yamaha the best, followed by the Gallagher, and then the Bourgeois.
Wow, I liked the Gallagher G-70, and Bourgeois Vintage Heirloom best. I've heard a Yamaha FG-9 on another channel and loved what I heard. I thought that guitar C was the FG-9 and the Gallagher guitar B. Would I buy a Yamaha FG-9? Yes, absolutely. Would I buy a Gallagher or a Bourgeois? Yes, if I'm ever able to afford either. I purchased a laminate Yamaha used for $100.00 and love it compared to my solid wood instruments.
Thanks for sharing!
I am a yamaha fan I have 4. I was expecting c to be the yamaha. But all 3 were great sounds. How did they play? Any easier?
All three sounded fantastic. If you are going to do another comparison could you throw in a Collings D2H or a D3? As we all know, we guitar players can be a bit fickle, so, how do you think the Yamaha will hold it's resale value?
First of all, John can move his head amazingly fast, like the Flash! I'm lisyening on good, but not studio quality speakers. I've never played two guitars, even the same model, that sound exactly the same, but I hear very little difference between these three.
The FG9 comes stock with Elixir LIGHT 80/20s, the Bourgeois and Gallaghers with MEDIUMs. Did you string all of the guitars with the same strings (i.e. Mediums on the FG9)?
I agree with John's assessment - more resonant lows in the Gallagher, tighter bass in the Bourgie, and the FG9 in the middle.
Good test, guys.
They should all have the same strings yes, mediums, we try to keep that the same for comparisons.
FG9 all the way!
I could instantly hear the terrified top of the bourgeois. It sounded a lot more open. The Gallagher had a brighter mid range but the Yamaha sounded very closed. It didn't sound bad by no means, just sounded like it needs more time to really cone into its own. Favorite is the bourgeois.
I loved them all but b was my favorite which was the Yamaha!!
I'd like one of each; it's just the money !!!!!!
They are all lovely. I think even the Red labels and the ll26 and up would stack against most other high end guitars as well.
Great comparison! But I’m wondering that you do not comment on the strings. If guitars sound so close nearby, like these three, the effect of different strings, and even string age are not neglectable.
I admit that this is hard to be taken into account in such a comparison test. In my view, there are actually two possibilities to do it. Either use the original builders selected string brand, which are three days on the guitar, or use the same strings on all guitars, again after three days. There are arguments for both ways, while I prefer the second.
I realized right away which was the Gallagher, it had a true blue grass tone. Liked the other two also. I have two Dreadnought, does Yamaha have a really great OM?
LS16 and FS5 are both killer OM guitar for just around 1k USD mark
I hope they do the OM version of this guitar, aka FS9😂
The FS9 has been confirmed - hopefully we'll see them at NAMM in a couple of weeks!
To reiterate the other comment, we agree the FS shape is closest to Yamaha's "OM"/smaller body size. The FS equivalent in honestly any FG series is absolutely on par with their FG versions, just with a smaller body sund and feel. For example the FS5 or the LS16!
I honestly chose Guitar B - The Yamaha. I thought A and B sounded similar, and C was quite different. More highs (high-mids?) on the Bourgeois. But almost too much. The Yamaha won, to my ears.
now do the same with the FG5 Red Label, i'm not saying its on par with the FG9 but i would love to know how it stacks up or if it doesn't in the same situation
We're filming some comparisons soon with the FG5!
Do you guys have any inside info on a potential Yamaha "FS9" coming this year? Cheers!!!
We saw them at the Fretboard Summit 2023, in this video we play one of the models at around the 3:30 mark: ua-cam.com/video/5bhpeGwSeNw/v-deo.html
We expect that we'll see much much more at NAMM in a couple of weeks!
@@AcousticShoppe I wish I was going to Winter NAMM this year, but Anaheim is a long trip for me. I’ll have to stick with Summer NAMM in Nashville. Let us know what’s new and intriguing this year when you get back.
My preferences were the Bourgois and the Yamaha. I picked guitar B....the reveal said it was the Yamaha so based on sound, I would spend the money on the old Yammie!
They’re like 5700$ lol
@DH-og5yr
Yeah....the Bourgeois is $9100 CAD. The Yamaha competes extremely well in price and tone!
Yamaha makes a great guitar. It’s ambitious of them to release a $4,100 model in 2023/24 when the market is softer than a grape. If I’m shelling out $4K plus…its definitely not a Yamaha
Ambitious?? ROFL…Pro Musicians who are planning on recording choose the Yamahas. They have been for over 30 years, now.
More money doesn’t equal better sound or quality.
@@_CYB0RG_you may be right. For the consumer $4k is a hard pill to swallow when you can get one of their other models that will get you most the way their for under a grand.
@@_CYB0RG_did you pick one up?
@@SamVecchio I love my Yamaha acoustic, so I don’t feel the need to go drop $4100 on a new one. I bought mine back around 1987 and I really can’t tell much if any drastic tonal differences in the one I gave $500 for and the FG9
I suspect there was a larger difference in person. I can sing better with Guitar C, so that would be my choice. Guitar B sounds pretty good. Guitar A sounds like a Gallagher. Now, where does the TAS Eastman 10th Anniversary sound/fit?
In the blind test, for my liking, I actually picked the FG9 first myself, the Gallagher second, and the Bourgeois last. I have to admit I was very surprised I picked the Yamaha first. I have owned a few Yamaha's, I have one now. Just cant see that sound coming from one, LOL. EE
Oh…and you don’t have to spend $4100 to get an amazing sounding Yamaha. I gave right around $500 for my Yamaha acoustic, but that was 1987 or 1988. It has stood the test of time. Rosewood body, Sitka spruce soundboard…it sounds fantastic…😃
Gallaghar best
As a blind listener, it would be nice if you actually announced a, B, and C at the end.
Thanks for the feedback, we absolutely can add that on future comparisons. If no one has mentioned it on other comments, A was the Gallagher, B was the Yamaha, and C was the Bourgeois.
@@AcousticShoppe thank you for acknowledging the comment and the reply. Love the videos, especially blindfold comparisons. I love doing this when I go to guitar stores, and as a lower level intermediate flatpicker, it amazes me sometimes at the sound of some of the more affordable guitars.
I have a Yamaha LL36 ARE. I played the FG9 at NAMM, and for me the LL 36 sounded better
My picks ... A, C then B. Gallagher, to my ears, was the winner for my taste in sound. The Yamaha sounded thin to me.
Exactly how I had it
Thin? That’s something I have never heard anyone say about a Yamaha…
I honestly knew these guitars. The Gallagher might work in a recording situation, but not my choice. The Yamaha was very good, especially for the price. The Bougious (or whatever) was a delight. If money was not a consideration, I would buy "c", but "b" would be okay with me and it is amazing.
I know a great IPA for y'all, Martins City "Hardway"
I will send you some if you replace the $30 tuners I bought from you October 20th. It is in two pieces and barely used. It fellas apart turning its on.
Y'all have a resonator I was interested in...but there is always Sweetwater, and they stand behind what they sell.
Hi, John, I'm sorry to hear you may have some faulty tuners. Please give our sales team a call or email at your convenience and we can find a solution for you. I'll share this information as well with Corey on our sales team and he may reach out to you if we have your information on file, we'll make this right. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!
Phone: 417-720-1223 or Email: info@theacousticshoppe.com
Let's see if you can tell the difference blind folded!!!!!!
Did you even play the guitars?
I picked C to be loudest and most defined. Which ended up being the Bourgeois. I gave the Yamaha at the second spot. Gallagher 3rd. Makes sense Gallagher I find are not the best boutique guitar yet. David Mathis will get there eventually.
They all sounded great with subtle differences (thru phones). Yamaha missed the mark, though, by not redesigning the headstock and logo. Most people won’t be able to distinguish the “9 “ from their less expensive lines (also very good instruments over decades).
A redesign for this series totally could've set this model apart even more fors sure!
Guitar c
just get an 820 .. they sound better than all these guitars at a 20th the cost
B and C were close. A had more high end , therefore less balanced. My ranking: C, B, A.
It's impossible to say, because we have to depend on the equipment at their end and the sound system on ours, but to my ear, the Yamaha sounded best. Of course for $4000, it's something I will never buy :-)
A sounded the best to me.
Thanks for sharing!
Congrats to Yamaha for making a £3000 guitar that sounds good, I think.
A,b,c in that order
All great ones!!! But...FG9 is slightly better...and the most affordable one...I wish I had the money to purchase it!!!
B airy but not dry
FG9 is the best guitar Yamaha has ever built
Every time I do a blind test, I get bit by a seeing-eye dog.
I listened on somewhat quality Sony full ear headphones loudly and I couldn't pick a favorite I've resigned myself to realizing I don't know what I'm listening for.
They all sound awesome to me.
But I do know one thing IPAs stink and they taste like piss....
Let's just stick with guitars guys 😂😂😂😂
IPA slander 😂😂 It's okay only Jeremy really likes those.
@@AcousticShoppe somebody must... that's all they sell anymore... At least we agree on guitars!
Yablabla…..Odd looking pick guard and headstock design-IMHO…How come you don’t carry Taylor guitars?
We don't carry Taylor because there are other dealers in our area that already carry that brand, Taylor as well as other brands, don't exactly want to oversaturate the region. We do try to get Taylors in from time to time for Comparisons and Reviews - do you recommend any or have any you want to see?
Wondering if there’s an Eastman equivalent to Taylor 814ce Builders Edition. If so would be great to hear a comparison! Thanks😊
@@Tommy-Art-Strong Looking at the specs, the closest would be the AC722CE or AC822CE. Unfortunately Eastman does not have a Grand Auditorium sized guitar with Adirondack Spruce. The 722 has Sitka Spruce whereas the 822 has Engelmann Spruce. Both also do have quite different inlays. The inlays on the 722 are closer to the Taylor. The tuners on the 822 are a closer match to the Taylor, so it could kinda go either way between those models.
Here's some videos we have currently made for reference. This one is a full review of Eastman's Grand Auditorium Series Guitars: ua-cam.com/video/Oq4cXWQCndI/v-deo.html
We also have done a Taylor vs Eastman comparison before, which was the AC922 vs the PS-14CE: ua-cam.com/video/sllsmdD0Zn4/v-deo.html
Well here we go stir up the hornets nest that Yamaha sounds thin like a cheap Taylor. The LL16 sounds as good at a way lower price.
The Gallager was my top pick of the 3.
I love Dana's guitars but this one sounded a bit off to me.
Why would I ever spend 41hundred on a a Yamaha!
A Yamaha!
Known for super great sounding AFFORDABLE guitars.....next you will have a Washburn costing 3grand trying to compete with these boutique builders.
Please, Martin and Taylor already mass produce 5 to 9 thousand guitars that are iconic.
I may change my mind if I can ever get my hands on one here in Central Texas.
Somehow I think I would rather drop 8 or 9 grand on a guitar that would become an heirloom piece.
Hmm I wonder why the vast majority of recording professional musicians use Yamaha and nothing else when recording acoustic. They must have a thing for “thin sounding cheap guitars.” Or maybe they just use what sounds the best, instead of buying a name that they feel has some sort of ‘exclusivity’ to it.
Most of those Yamaha guitars used in recording aren't solid wood, but solid top with layered backs and sides.
I have been in and around the music business for more than 50 years and I can tell younthat Martin D-18s, Gibson J45s, GuildD-40s are used 20 tomes more often than Yamaha guitars.
It all depends on what sound the producer is going for.
After the BS comment about having to spend 4.5k to get a 'pro' level guitar, I don't watch these jokers, anyone.
$2800 for a D18 plus $1700 worth of strings. 😊
@@G_Demolished 🤣🤣🤣
Sorry you got that perception, that quote does not line with our thoughts. We're definitely not saying you need to spend 4.5k to get a 'pro" level guitar. We're just clarifying that at that price point it should be considered a pro level instrument. Professionals can play with a $300 guitar honestly. I believe that quote is being taking a little bit too literally, we would never tell someone they aren't a pro just because of what they play.
For me you are switching too fast.
Yamaha was the darkness, dullest.