Yamaha FG700s review

Lets just begin with the basic specifications of the guitar -
a) The top of guitar is made up of sitika spruce which is a moderate quality coniferous wood that is extensively used in medium range guitars.
b) The guitar has a solid top (as opposed to laminated tops in lower end guitars) - something that produces better resonance sound but requires more care and protection from temperature and humidity.
c) Fingerboard made of rosewood is the best you should be expecting at this price range.
d) The guitar has diecast tuners. These are the basic easy to use tuners. Higher end guitars have tuners like Grovers or Schallers but Die cast tuners simplify things and do a pretty decent job for beginners.
e)The guitar has a good and durable body binding and that makes it a pretty beater guitar.
f) The pickguard prevents damage the polished surface of the FG700s soundboard
g) The guitar comes with a limited lifetime warranty

So that was about the basic product specification. Lets dig in deeper.

Ease of playing
The most important thing for a beginner or an intermediate level player is that his guitar should be easy to play on. Get this right - a poor choice of guitar could set a beginner back by several months (sometimes forever) and it could seriously hamper the progress for an intermediate level player. And this is why FG700S has been my top recommendation to initial phase learners. The action of the guitar (the space between the strings and the fretboard)is pretty low. And that makes a hell lot of difference in playing. The strumming position is pretty comfortable and the strings are relatively easy on fingers.

The negative of the FG700S is that it is a jumbo sized guitar and it cannot be used for teaching young children

Sound quality
Sound quality is a major plus for this guitar - it matches the quality of many USD1000 and above guitars. You pick up any guitar in this price range and you will generally find it to have a lopsided bass and treble balance. Not with this one. The intonation of the guitar is very close to perfect. The solid top renders a crisp but resonant tune. Another thing that is good is that even when new students strum the guitar wrongly the guitar does not sound that awful.

I own a Washburn D10S (which is a similar priced guitar that I had bought almost 7 years back ) but the sound quality of the Yamaha FG700S is much more balanced and warm. If you have been playing the electric guitar for sometime and are now switching to acoustic then I recommend the Washburn D10S only because its thin neck is easier for people accustomed to electric stuff. But for my students who are absolute beginners, I generally buy them FG700S over any other guitar because of the sheer balanced richness of its sound .

Value for money
FG700s is a real bang for buck deal. I recommend this guitar to students who have even higher budgets up to USD600. A few slight tweaks to this guitar and it starts playing like the guitars in the price range of USD500 to USD900 range. Gibson, Martin and other good brands of no offerings in this price range at Yamaha is perhaps the only one offering a good guitar in this range.

Craftsmanship
The makers of this guitar have paid adequate attention to details.(you will never find loose ends in the craftsmanship - no fret buzz, no unpolished frets and stuff like that). The body binding is pretty robust and that makes it a long lasting, beater guitar choice.

Looks
Looks are the last thing I look when choosing a beginner's guitar. And for Yamaha FG700s- I am pretty much OK with the looks - nothing good, nothing bad either. And its again a matter of personal choice.

Caveats
#1 - If you are serious about going long term with the guitar, never buy any guitar below this quality and price range. You may be tempted to pick up some low priced guitars of local brands or for that matter the Takamine S35 but pick them up only if you can really really not afford this.
While the Yamaha FG700S will last you a lifetime, the low end ones will make you feel the need for a upgrade in the first 6 months.

#2 - I maintained that guitars should be bought only after physically seeing them. But i later discovered that local stores sell the same branded guitars at a much higher price than what is available online. Now i have slightly changed my stance - If i buy a non branded or less than USD100 guitar I buy it only after physically seeing every thing about it. On the other hand If i buy any guitar that costs above USD100, I buy it online as I really do not have to bother about the quality which is standard for branded guitars and at the same time I really save a considerable amount of money. I usually buy all my branded guitars at Amazon.

#3- Once a student of mine had bought a Yamaha gig maker instead of the FG700S. They both look similar, have the same sticker of Yamaha and they sell at a litlle price difference . That was a major blunder as there is a hell lot of difference between the two. While FG700S is a good guitar the gigmaker is a horrible one.

Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar