Yamaha classical guitars....your thoughts and experiences?

[crusty philtrum]

Hi everyone

I'm looking to find a reasonable classical guitar, and i don't have a great deal of $$$. Down here in Australia there have always been plenty of Yamaha classicals and even the entry-level student instruments are remarkably good value for money.

At the moment i have the opportunity to get a couple of different models (both second-hand), both $150 (Aust), both with hard cases. One is a G50 and the other is a G225. The G50 is likely from 1967-9, and from the ebay pics it looks a little worn but i'm not worried about that as long as it plays well and sounds good. The G225 appears to be in much better condition from the pic ...the Yamaha 'Guitarchive' says this model was built between 1977-81.

I've read the Harmony Central reviews on these, but of course that doesn't always help a great deal. The G225 seems to have the better ratings there.

Anyone familiar with either of these models? Any thoughts and opinions would be really helpful, as would opinions of other models. What i am mostly looking for is a guitar that really resonates, you know that way you can feel the entire guitar vibrating in your hands and against your body when you play ?....I don't really care much about the overall condition and appearance, as long as the guitar is solid and free of serious structural damage. It is only for home use, but i want something that is lively and toneful. (I don't play flamenco styles, just my own ham-fisted version of 'classical' and dark textural things based around keyboard/organ ideas and choral type things. I prefer dark and mellow rather than the snappy percussiveness of flamenco-orientated guitars).

Any input will be much appreciated. Cheers, neiL.

 

[Got_tone?]

Re: Yamaha classical guitars....your thoughts and experiences?

The yamahas that my school lends for practice are great entry level guitars (for classical stuff). I'm not sure what model they are but they get the job done and sound great.

What i am mostly looking for is a guitar that really resonates, you know that way you can feel the entire guitar vibrating in your hands and against your body when you play

The models you're looking at are all vintage, so they must sound pretty **** good right now.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Yamaha classical guitars....your thoughts and experiences?

The yamahas that my school lends for practice are great entry level guitars (for classical stuff). I'm not sure what model they are but they get the job done and sound great.

The models you're looking at are all vintage, so they must sound pretty **** good right now.

Yes, the C40 seems to be the entry-level student model. Good value for money but i want something a bit better.

The models i am looking at should indeed have good sound assuming the guitars are in reasonable condition...i can't find out whether they are sold woods or laminates. Unfortunately the G50 is about an hour drive to the south-east and the G225 is about two hours drive to the north-west. The G50 is on ebay and the G225 is on a 'trading post' style listing i stumbled across online. I rang the lady who owns it but she is due to have a baby any day now, so i have to wait for a week or two before i can take a drive up there to check it out.

 

[Got_tone?]

Re: Yamaha classical guitars....your thoughts and experiences?

Yeah they're probably gonna have a laminate.

 

[theboatcandream]

Re: Yamaha classical guitars....your thoughts and experiences?

Play before you buy. I haven't been impressed with Yamaha Classicals, but they probably have more expensive ones which I haven't played.

 

[beandip]

Re: Yamaha classical guitars....your thoughts and experiences?

The Mid to Higher end classicals from Yamaha are a good buy for the money, but in my opinion there are better out there in the same price range.

La Patrie for example. I've never played a bad one, and I've played quite a few. If you can, try and land a vintage Takamine/Martin classical. Those things are amazing.

Also, they're not highly regarded due to the bright orange tops, but 70's Alvarez classicals and nylon strings are amazing for the price you can get them at.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Yamaha classical guitars....your thoughts and experiences?

The Mid to Higher end classicals from Yamaha are a good buy for the money, but in my opinion there are better out there in the same price range.

La Patrie for example. I've never played a bad one, and I've played quite a few. If you can, try and land a vintage Takamine/Martin classical. Those things are amazing.

Also, they're not highly regarded due to the bright orange tops, but 70's Alvarez classicals and nylon strings are amazing for the price you can get them at.

La Patries seem to be available new here but nothing on the second-hand scene yet. Takamine is a brand i have in mind, but i haven't seen too many for sale s/h, and the old ones are known as being good so they are priced accordingly. (I used to know a woman who had a fantastic Takamine classical at her house, incredibly light and resonant (the guitar, i mean) but it was an obscure and rare model and so we were never able to determine it's value or organise a deal).

I haven't had much experience with the Alvarez's but i'm now looking around to see if there's any out there.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Yamaha classical guitars....your thoughts and experiences?

Believe it or not as the King of the Ham-fisted I actually have a Classical Guitar degree, don't remember what I did with it or why I even got one but I kind of remember the guitars. I used mostly Tak's and Yamaha's, I had a G-231 Yamaha that I loved. It wasn't all that high end but it had a great sound and was built solid as a truck. Mine was made in the late 70's as far as I can recall. Don't know about the G225 but if it is a similar vintage I can't imagine it would be too far off. Yamaha generally makes pretty decent stuff.