Yamaha FG5

97
review
YAMAHA FG5 & FGX3YAMAHA FG5 & FGX3
sEPtEMBEr 2019 Guitarist
What we have in the test area today are
two models from the reissued Red Label
range, a Japanese-built FG5 and an electro-
acoustic FGX3 from China. Cosmetically,
the two are virtually twins on first sight, but
there are a few subtle differences here and
there in terms of spec that would account
for the slight difference in price.
It’s interesting to note that, at first glance,
the word that springs into your mind here
is, obviously, ‘dreadnought’, but Yamaha
insists that this is not the case, preferring to
use its original term ‘Traditional Western’.
In fact, the company says: “Yamaha was
the first Japanese guitar brand to develop
an original body shape instead of simply
copying previous designs. The differences
are subtle, measured in just millimetres, but
the slightly wider body contributes to the
warm FG sound…”
So there you have it. In fact, we compared
the spec of the FG models here with
Martin’s standard dreadnought size and
Yamaha is correct in that, for instance, a
Martin has a slightly longer scale length
and a mite more body depth, whereas the
Yamaha has a smidge more body width and
the body is a whole 3.1mm shorter… and so
on. Vive la différence!
1. Yamaha’s understated
headstock bears only
its pitchfork logo,
the truss rod cover
reminding us of the
Red Label’s heritage
2. The Sitka tops of both
guitars have both
been ARE treated to
enhance tone
3. Olde world stylised
Gotoh open back tuners
help ramp up the FG
acoustics’ vintage vibe
4. An ebony bridge with
a bone saddle plus a
‘wood-style’ scratchplate
all add to the FG5’s
classic Traditional
Western look
We played the
FGX3 for far longer
than necessary for
this review out of
sheer enjoyment
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Video demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT450.rev_yamfg.indd 97 08/08/2019 14:26