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Differences in vintage Yamaha acoustics


geek_usa

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There's tons of numbers...like the FG-75, FG-170, FG-331, etc...I'm primarily looking at older ones from the 70s and 80s...

 

does the higher number mean a better quality? Or does the first number in the series mean a particular wood or plant it was manufactured at? (i.e. FG-1.. Sitka Spruce, FG-3...Engleman... etc?)

 

Can anybody shed some light on this for me? Thanks!

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For 60's -70's Yamahas:

 

FG 300 Top of the heap

FG 180 (James Taylor still tours with one)

FG 160

FG 150 (kinda orchestra sized)

FG 140

FG 110

FG 75 (kinda parlor sized)

 

Having owned the top four, that's pretty much the pecking order although a really nice FG 150 has been known to outdo a mediocre FG 160.

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For 60's -70's Yamahas:


FG 300 Top of the heap

FG 180 (James Taylor still tours with one)

FG 160

FG 150 (kinda orchestra sized)

FG 140

FG 110

FG 75 (kinda parlor sized)


Having owned the top four, that's pretty much the pecking order although a really nice FG 150 has been known to outdo a mediocre FG 160.

 

 

FG 170--successor to the 150

FG 330, 331, very similar to the 150/170 series, late 70s/early 80s

SJ180--"small jumbo", a little larger than the above, early/mid 80s. The "heavy finish" Yamaha years...

 

A really nice FG150 can eat for lunch, guitars that went for 10x as much.

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There also three different label colors - red, green and (I think) beige or something like that, which had to do with where they were made. Yamahneck is quite an expert on them, a previous forumite, Babablowfish was also.

 

I happen to have a 1690 FG-150 which I've had since new and is a cherished old friend and sounds pretty darn good for a plywood cheapie. I also has an FG-230 12 string which represented everything that can be wrong with a 12'er. As was mentioned, often they need neck resets and they are not as easy to do as other models, one of my winter projects will be to reset my 150 (I'll take a few pics and document)

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according to info I got in Japan the first FGs made by Yamaha were produced in 1966 in their own factory...but there are other Yamahas out there that came before those only so far the data shows they are not FGs... and the first two models had a light green label, the 180 and the 150, you didn`t say what color the label is on your 150....well they look to be light green in the photos in my books, hard to say if they changed over the years. There are also black label FGs out there. Though I hate telling people what they meant to say I`ll assume you meant 1960 `cause if you have a 1690 Yamaha you have the only one...

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A really nice FG150 can eat for lunch, guitars that went for 10x as much.

 

No argument there. :thu:

 

That being said, FG 300's were the epitome of red label Yamahas from that era possessing both eye-candy(gorgeous diamond cut neck inlays with some very pretty bookmatched rosewood laminate split backs, and unreal playability with monster deep tone/sustain. They truly surpassed a LOT of solid wood guitars in their day.

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thats what I mean by who you ask...I`m still looking for an FG that sounds better to my ears than my old solid wood Yamaha Dynamics... they are made of beautifully flamed maple with Ezo spruce tops and mine go as far back as the early `50s from what I`ve read.

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I currently own exactly 30...Dynamics. Own 14 of their very early classical types...made before 1966...and have only one FG...a 170...got it because it was $50.00 at the time...sounds OK but not as good as my other ones to me. Still, if I could just find one of the 1000, 1500 or 2000 FG models I`d be real happy...find one for a reasonable price that is...they sell for thousands of dollars nowadays. Should`a been paying closer attention 15 years ago.

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  • 3 years later...
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Hi, I have a question about the neck resets. I have an old FG-170 that ended up with my dad at some point from my grandmother's house, despite the fact that neither my dad nor anyone else in my immediate family can play. I've finally decided to buckle down and learn, but having decided to do a bit of research on the guitar, I'm now concerned that it may need fixing or pieces need replacing. What are the signs that a guitar needs a neck reset? I had a friend change the strings (for the first time I'm pretty sure ever) last year, and to my untrained ears it seems to sound fine. Anything I should look for? Thanks!

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