Yamaha FG5

review
100
YAMAHA FG5 & FGX3
Guitarist sEPtEMBEr 2019
Verdict
The original red label Yamahas have become
sought after on the collector market
and, if these two reissues are anything to
go by, it’s easy to see why. Pitched in the
lower-mid price range, they would both
keep a beginner to semi-pro happy for years
as they are both eminently playable and
the Atmosfeel pickup system is top-class
for anyone wishing to venture out into the
nether regions of live performance, too. All
in all, they’re both good all-rounders that
will suit many tastes and playing styles, so
we’d like to say a hearty welcome back to
these iconic instruments and, who knows,
if you come across one, you might want to
have a red label day of your own.
PROS A good-sounding acoustic
with a powerful pickup system for
slick performance
CONS That action, like on the FG5,
could be set lower
PROS Well made, versatile, all-
solid woods acoustic pitched at
a satisfying price point
CONS The action could be set
slightly lower – but not by much
88
YAMAHA FGX3
PRICE: £975
ORIGIN: China
TYPE: Traditional Western
electro-acoustic
TOP: Sitka spruce with ARE treatment
BACK/SIDES: Mahogany
MAX RIM DEPTH: 118mm
MAX BODY WIDTH: 412mm
NECK: African mahogany
SCALE LENGTH: 634mm (24.96”)
TUNERS: Gotoh open gear
NUT/WIDTH: Urea/44mm
FINGERBOARD: Ebony, small dot
inlays, 400mm (15.75”) radius
FRETS: 20
BRIDGE/SPACING: Ebony/54mm
ELECTRICS: Atmosfeel 3-way pickup/
preamp system w/ Mic Blend, Bass EQ
and Master volume controls
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 4.85/2.2
OPTIONS: The acoustic FG3 model
costs £798
RANGE OPTIONS: See FG5
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISH: Semi gloss (as reviewed)
YAMAHA FG5
PRICE: £1,198 (inc case)
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Traditional Western acoustic
TOP: Sitka spruce with ARE treatment
BACK/SIDES: Mahogany
MAX RIM DEPTH: 118mm
MAX BODY WIDTH: 412mm
NECK: African mahogany
SCALE LENGTH: 634mm (24.96”)
TUNERS: Gotoh open gear
NUT/WIDTH: Bone/44mm
FINGERBOARD: Ebony, small dot
inlays, 400mm (15.75”) radius
FRETS: 20
BRIDGE/SPACING: Ebony/54mm
ELECTRICS: No
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2/4.4
OPTIONS: FGX5 (with Atmosfeel
pickup) costs £1,418
RANGE OPTIONS: Yamaha’s Red
Label Series includes the smaller
bodied FS5 (£1,197), FSX5 (£1,418),
FSX3, (£976) & FS3 (£798)
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISH: Semi-gloss (as reviewed)
7. The spec of both guitars
is very similar, the
principal difference
between the two is that
the FGX3 (pictured here)
is made in China and its
stablemate in Japan
8. A separate version of
this FG5 model, the
FGX5, is available with
Yamaha’s excellent
Atmosfeel pickup
system installed
7
8
Video demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT450.rev_yamfg.indd 100 08/08/2019 14:26