Yamaha FG740?

[angesradieux]

So I'm looking into getting a second guitar. I bought my first because I'm going to school in Tennessee, I couldn't bring my piano with me. I missed having an instrument, guitars are nice and portable and pretty easy to sing with, so I bought one to bring to Tennessee. Problem is I can't bring it home with me for the winter break because it would be too much of a hassle worrying about flying with it. I'm already bringing my cat with me, and having to worry about getting through security with the cat, making sure the guitar isn't getting banged up, keeping track of my luggage, etc. is all just too much stress. The guitar's staying behind, but I think I might miss having one over the break. So, I'm thinking about getting a second guitar, and this way I have one at school and one to play over the breaks. And then over the summer when I drive home instead of flying, I'll have two guitars and a piano, and I'll just get incredibly spoiled.

 

Anyway, the guitar I've got my eye on is the Yamaha FG740SFM. The guitar I have now is a Yamaha FG720S in Ocean Blue Burst. I like it a lot. It sounds nice, it's pretty easy to play, and it didn't break the bank. I've been thinking of getting something similar to have at home, partly because I trust the brand and partly because I'd like to have two comparable instruments. I've found a few listings for the FG740SFM at a price that's pretty comparable to what I paid for the FG720. And honestly, I just love the look of the flame maple on the back. I think it's just a lovely instrument. And maybe it also reminds me a bit of a cello, which I want in the worst way but can't afford at the moment. (I may be an aspiring instrument hoarder... I also nearly talked myself into buying a violin.) But, all of the listings are online. I went into the Guitar Center near me, hoping that they might have one for me to try out, but no such luck. I don't think the music store back home has one, either. When I asked, they mentioned the FG800 line. Those are great, but the price difference between a new FG830 or 840 and the FG740 is just too much. I'm looking at spending somewhere in the ballpark of $200, which is right around what I've seen the FG740 going for. I know it's a pretty low budget for a guitar, but it's the best I can do on my sad student budget. And I lucked out and got my FG720 for under $200 and it's been great, so I'm hoping I can get lucky again and pick up something I'll have fun playing without making my bank account too sad.

 

But, if I go for the FG740, it looks like I'd have to order it online and buy it without getting a chance to play it, which makes me a little nervous.

 

What do you guys think? Anyone have one? Anyone have experience buying one online?

[DeepEnd]

I doubt you could go wrong buying the FG740SFM sight unseen but I'm a believer in supporting local independent shops. You mentioned "the music store back home" and that they don't carry the FG740SFM. I'm not surprised since it's apparently discontinued. Other than the FG800 series, what else do they have? While Yamaha makes a very good guitar they're not the only game in town. Alvarez, Epiphone, Recording King and Takamine all come to mind. For that matter, since you're in school I wouldn't be surprised if there were a pawn shop somewhere near. I normally don't recommend a used guitar to a beginner but one might be the best option for you.

[FretFiend.]

There are likely still some Yamaha FG7xx series guitars still in stock at some stores, but Yamaha has discontinued the series. The FG8xx line has replaced them. The FG8xx series has a lot of internal design differences and their tonal qualities reflect that.

 

The only differences between any of the FG7xx guitars are the paper-thin veneers over the laminated meranti wood on the back and sides, some bling, and the price. You might notice some minor tonal difference between any two FG7xx series guitars, say an FG700 and an FG740, but that would just be due to minor inconsistencies in the spruce tops, or the meranti in the back and sides.

[angesradieux]

Thanks for the advice. I decided I'd try to support a local business instead of Amazon, so I ended up with an fg800. I'm not in love with it, and I'm not entirely sure whether I want to keep it or return it. The options were basically this Yamaha or a pretty cheaply made Ibanez, so I felt kind of shoe-horned into this one. But the more I look at it, the more I find it just incredibly visually unappealing. It kind of made me realize I just really love my fg720, and this is just kind of bland in comparison. Maybe I'm not being fair. I've only had it for a couple hours so far, so maybe it'll grow on me. And maybe if I change the strings to elixirs, like I did with my 720, it'll really start to sing. Jury's still out, I guess. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. I'm just kind of ambivalent.

 

But maybe that's not the worst thing, since I bought this to have to practice on when I'm home for the breaks, so most of the year I'll be playing the 720. And maybe it really will grow on me. I also haven't really had a chance to sing with it yet. I guess I'll change the strings and see what I think after playing it for a couple days.

 

In all fairness to the guitar, I'm also running on less than an hour of sleep, had to deal with TSA and all the other nonsense that accompanies flying, and just finished writing a paper before taking it out of the box. So there's also a chance I'm just tired and cranky and my opinion will change when I'm more rested and relaxed.

[DeepEnd]

Best of luck with your FG800. I hope you learn to love it. If not, I'm sure you'll find "the one." Some Ibanez acoustics are pretty cheap but there are others that are pretty decent. You need to get into the Artwood line for those though. I own one and it's as good as anything out there near its price.