Members ToddAbe Posted May 5, 2008 Members Share Posted May 5, 2008 I just picked up a Yahama FG-340T at a garage sale for 20 bucks. The guitar looks pretty good and has a pretty sweet tone, it's a little beat up but nothing terrible and for 20 bucks...ya know. I just cannot find any information on this model and was wondering if someone knew anything about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jd-drafter Posted May 5, 2008 Members Share Posted May 5, 2008 per the goog... http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar.php?ID=7304 http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Yamaha/FG-340/10/1 http://www.guitarists.net/forum/view_bb.php?forum=4&thread=51025 HTH... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members babablowfish Posted May 5, 2008 Members Share Posted May 5, 2008 The FG-34OT should be an excellent guitar. It is all laminate - spruce top, mahogany back and sides made from 1981-1985. The "T" signifies a tinted top. I believe the FG-340T had a 2 piece back whereas the earlier FG-340 had a 3 piece back. If the basic construction is the same as the FG-340 (besides the back) then with a bone saddle and some brass bridge pins you should have a hell of a guitar. I play an FG-340 and it is truly great IMHO. Here are the reviews on the FG-340 on HC: http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Yamaha/FG-340/10/1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kimona Posted May 5, 2008 Members Share Posted May 5, 2008 Don't know much about it, except that it's a laminate and probably from the early 70's. Don't think it has much resale value even in good condition, but I bet it has nice tone. It's a great garage sale find! Put a few bucks and a few hours into it, and you just may have a very decent bang-about guitar. I bought a Washburn for $10 at a moving sale. I polished out most of the scratches, cleaned and oiled the fingerboard, changed the saddle, nut, bridge pins, and strings... and now I've got a pretty nice guitar with deep, mellow tone that I actualy play a fair bit, and take with me everywhere without any worries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members babablowfish Posted May 5, 2008 Members Share Posted May 5, 2008 Don't know much about it, except that it's a laminate and probably from the early 70's. Don't think it has much resale value even in good condition, ... Actually, it is from the early 80's and in good condition they generally go for around $250-$300 on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ToddAbe Posted May 6, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 6, 2008 cool, thanks guys I appreciate the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kimona Posted May 6, 2008 Members Share Posted May 6, 2008 Here you go: FG345: 1977-1981, Spruce laminate top, Rosewood back and sides, Mahogany neck, Indian Rosewood fingerboard. MSRP was $260 new. Everything I could find indicates it's a guitar with very nice tone. I found reference to "blue book value" at $35 in good condition; that doesn't sound right. But, as posted above, they may sell for as much as $200-$300. That sounds better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members babablowfish Posted May 6, 2008 Members Share Posted May 6, 2008 Here you go: FG345: 1977-1981, Spruce laminate top, Rosewood back and sides, Mahogany neck, Indian Rosewood fingerboard. MSRP was $260 new. Everything I could find indicates it's a guitar with very nice tone. I found reference to "blue book value" at $35 in good condition; that doesn't sound right. But, as posted above, they may sell for as much as $200-$300. That sounds better. The FG-340 and the FG-345 were two different models. The FG-340 and the FG-345 were made at the same time. The FG-340T was made after the FG-340 and I am assuming (I could be entirely wrong on this) it was based on the same design. The FG-340 and the FG-340T both had Mahogany back and sides. The FG-345 had Rosewood back and sides. I do not know what other differences there were or if that was the only one. I do know that the FG-340 gets extraordinarily great reviews - including from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kimona Posted May 6, 2008 Members Share Posted May 6, 2008 I read somewhere in my search that the "T" in FG345T just referred to the finish colour. Could that be right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members babablowfish Posted May 6, 2008 Members Share Posted May 6, 2008 I read somewhere in my search that the "T" in FG345T just referred to the finish colour. Could that be right? Yes, the T simply refers to the tinted top. However the FG-340 and the FG-340T are different in more than this regard in that the first has a 3 piece back and the latter has a 2 piece back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chum Posted June 4, 2020 Members Share Posted June 4, 2020 12-year-old thread but I'll add my two cents. I own both a 340T and a 345ii. Both are examples of outstanding craftsmanship - they sound great and have wonderful playability and durability - impressive since they are both in their late-30s. Both have a bound body, neck and headstock. The 340T has a beautiful tea-colored tint on the spruce top. It has the older tuners covered by dust caps on the back of the headstock and cone-shaped covers on the front of it. Its back and sides are mahogany and don't appear to have been stained. The 345ii is natural and has closed tuners that are secured to the front of the headstock by nuts. Its back and sides are rosewood and have not been stained, so you can see the natural beauty of the grain. My 340T has a two-piece back but a grain pattern on it that mirrors the distinctive three-piece back of its fraternal twin, the FG-340. I struggle to believe this is a coincidence. The 340T and 345ii have the same shape of black pickguards, but on the 345ii the pickguard has a slightly uneven hammered look to it as opposed to the 340T's smooth surface. The 345ii has diamond-shaped fret markers while the 340T's are dots. I haven't weighed them but the 340T is clearly heavier. It's the heaviest of all the Yamaha acoustics I own. It's a true bulletproof tank. Want great sound, playability and durability in a laminate guitar that you won't have to baby like a solid-top? Then you can't go wrong with either the 340T or 345ii. My two cents. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarms100 Posted July 7, 2022 Members Share Posted July 7, 2022 On 6/4/2020 at 9:15 AM, Chum said: 12-year-old thread but I'll add my two cents. I own both a 340T and a 345ii. Both are examples of outstanding craftsmanship - they sound great and have wonderful playability and durability - impressive since they are both in their late-30s. Both have a bound body, neck and headstock. The 340T has a beautiful tea-colored tint on the spruce top. It has the older tuners covered by dust caps on the back of the headstock and cone-shaped covers on the front of it. Its back and sides are mahogany and don't appear to have been stained. The 345ii is natural and has closed tuners that are secured to the front of the headstock by nuts. Its back and sides are rosewood and have not been stained, so you can see the natural beauty of the grain. My 340T has a two-piece back but a grain pattern on it that mirrors the distinctive three-piece back of its fraternal twin, the FG-340. I struggle to believe this is a coincidence. The 340T and 345ii have the same shape of black pickguards, but on the 345ii the pickguard has a slightly uneven hammered look to it as opposed to the 340T's smooth surface. The 345ii has diamond-shaped fret markers while the 340T's are dots. I haven't weighed them but the 340T is clearly heavier. It's the heaviest of all the Yamaha acoustics I own. It's a true bulletproof tank. Want great sound, playability and durability in a laminate guitar that you won't have to baby like a solid-top? Then you can't go wrong with either the 340T or 345ii. My two cents. Ditto for this 2-year-old response to a 12-year-old thread. Great sound, “bulletproof” structure and mechanics. I’ve had mine for 40 years. I’ve hardly touched it and it feels and sounds great. Lately the sound and intonation are are slipping a bit. I’m trying to figure out who to trust to care for this dear old friend. I’m in NJ but will travel. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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