Yamaha FG800 for recording?

GeorgeYekcnir

New member
Hey there. Im looking for a good acoustic for recording. I am on a bit of a budget and I was looking into a few different guitars and I came across the Yamaha FG800. Any thoughts on this guitar for home recording? How does the tone and frequency's translate to audio? How does it sound in a mix? Any input/ other recommendations are appreciated.
 
Sounds okay to me. It might be a little boomy, but that could very well be due to mic placement and not the guitar. Looks like the mic is pointed towards the sound hole; maybe too much.



I've heard low end acoustic guitars sound good. The key has more to do with mic placement and the player than the instrument. Granted, if the instrument sounds like crap to your ears, it's going to sound like crap to the mic. If you played the guitar and you like the way it sounds, you should be able to capture a good recording with the right mic and proper technique. The trick to a good capture is mic placement, so experiment a lot until you find a position that works. The most common starting point is around the 12th fret and angled towards the sound hole a lot, a little, some, not at all.
 
I used to own one but returned it. It was tinny and thin sounding in-person. The nut was insanely high, so you'll have to invest in a setup, too.
For recording the thin sound could be a good thing if the mix is dense.

The price seems good until you factor in it has no case, so you'll have to buy that if you don't want the geometry of the guitar changing with weather, and then the nut/setup. If you buy from a shop that will do a setup you can cut that part out and maybe make it worth it. IMO save for a better guitar.
 
I was playing an FG800 in the sound room of my local Guitar Center last night. The action was way high for me and I didn't like the sound. Coulda been used strings - they felt and looked a little old. Then I played the FGX800C (unplugged), which sounded like it had new strings. That had good action and better sound - for my ears. Lowering the action 1 or 2 mm would be better. A little tinny, but still..

The acoustic/electrics have a brighter sound over their full-bodied brothers. That difference fluxuates from guitar to guitar, so I try all of them.

Also, on the FGX's tuner, I had to tune each string sharp to sound right to me. I have an old Korg tuner that sounds good when tuned right on.
 
I was playing an FG800 in the sound room of my local Guitar Center last night. The action was way high for me and I didn't like the sound. Coulda been used strings - they felt and looked a little old. Then I played the FGX800C (unplugged), which sounded like it had new strings. That had good action and better sound - for my ears. Lowering the action 1 or 2 mm would be better. A little tinny, but still..

Yep, the FG800s (all FGs) are tinny and always have some of the highest action you'll find on an acoustic.
They actually sound better with dead strings b/c they lose some of the tinny tone. I was really disappointed in the FG800 I bought. It got great reviews so I thought I could use it as a beater, but it wasn't even good for that. The tone was just too unpleasant. No depth to it and thin. Action way too high and considering having a luthier lower it is like 1/3 the cost of the guitar it made no sense to bring it to a shop.
 
Yep, the FG800s (all FGs) are tinny and always have some of the highest action you'll find on an acoustic.

That's a shame! I bought really old fg180 this week and it's anything but tinny.
Those older guitars get some rep but I guess the newer ones aren't holding up?
 
That's a shame! I bought really old fg180 this week and it's anything but tinny.
Those older guitars get some rep but I guess the newer ones aren't holding up?

My first guitar was an FG-400, which I still own. I bought an FG-800 as a beater to replace it. I wound up liking the FG-400 more even tho the FG800 has the spruce top. Both have super high action. You'd have to be a luthier or own a file set and know how to use it to get these playable. The money to bring it to a luthier isn't worth it due to the low cost and tone of the guitar. They'd be great beaters if the action was reasonable from the factory. Like 3 weeks after playing the strings get grimy and the guitar actually sounds better like that. New strings on an FG are sooo tinny and thin. I'm not convinced they can handle medium gauges, either, without collapsing the bridge. Many don't even have functional truss rods. I'm not sure if the 800 does, but the 400 has a piece of metal but you can't really adjust it. I'm not sure why it's even in there. I tried to turn mine and it just rotates non stop. I read online they were all known to have non-functional and/or poor truss rods. I actually like the feel of the FG400. I heard good things about those old ones you mention, too (assuming you mean the red labels from Japan?). I never played one.
 
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