Yamaha LL16 Review

[mmmaak]

Originally Posted by taylormadeguita

I have a Yamaha FG441S. Solid spruce top, Ovangkol back and sides, mahogany neck, rosewood bridge and fingerboard.
It will be 11 years old in June 2008, and it still plays beautifully. Its condition is as it was when i bought it, and it has matured so well. It cost me 256 GBP in 1997, and I have played it constantly. The woods are excellent quality, and I have replaced the plastic nut and saddle with bone. Also, the bridge pins are now solid brass. I haven't even had a fret job on this guitar after all this time and hundreds of hours of playing. These guitars are "Workhorse" instruments, they respond to your playing style and the volume they can produce is very loud. I have had it professionally set up a few times, and it plays like any high-end, overpriced instrument. I will try to post some photo's soon, I look this guitar to bits. Good luck with any Yamaha you buy, they are fantastic value for money.

Hi taylormadeguita!
Nice to hear from another Yamaha fan
May I know how you managed to play a guitar for 11 years without needing a fret job? I'm assuming you don't do a lot of bending and capo-ing? I'm pretty heavy on both, and the wear on my frets is making me worry about a fret job in the near future. Perhaps they're using poorer quality China steel nowadays....hmmmmmmm.

Looking forward to your photos

[Buck62]

I played the LL16 already and I just didn't remember exactly what the neck was like except that it has the 1-3/4" nut width that I need because I have pretty large hands (paired with my size 13-EEE feet! ).

I recall it playing quite easily and I didn't have any issues witht the neck, so I doubt the V profile will bother me at all.

Thanx for the replies!

[mmmaak]

Originally Posted by Buck62

I played the LL16 already and I just didn't remember exactly what the neck was like except that it has the 1-3/4" nut width that I need because I have pretty large hands (paired with my size 13-EEE feet! ).

I recall it playing quite easily and I didn't have any issues witht the neck, so I doubt the V profile will bother me at all.

Thanx for the replies!

I have size 8 feet, so you can imagine how small my hands are (no crude references to other parts of the anatomy please ). For me, the biggest obstacle was getting used to the 1 3/4" nut. The extra space is great for fingerstyle and those with big fingers.

[Buck62]

Originally Posted by mmmaak

May I know how you managed to play a guitar for 11 years without needing a fret job?

I don't find that unusual.

I've had my FG-335II for about 27 years and I just had the frets redone for the first time a couple of weeks ago... and they weren't even that bad!

I love my old FG.

It sounds just like a vintage Martin now.

[mmmaak]

Originally Posted by Buck62

I've had my FG-335II for about 27 years and I just had the frets redone for the first time a couple of weeks ago... and they weren't even that bad!

Now that's unusual by any standard, I would think
I'll ask you the same thing as the previous poster....do you bend/vibrato/etc. and capo a lot? If so, I just can't imagine frets not wearing out after so long, unless they're made of high-strength carbon steel

Originally Posted by Buck62

I love my old FG.

It sounds just like a vintage Martin now.

Would love to play that FG of yours

[Buck62]

Originally Posted by mmmaak

Now that's unusual by any standard, I would think

do you bend/vibrato/etc. and capo a lot? If so, I just can't imagine frets not wearing out after so long, unless they're made of high-strength carbon steel

I've mostly played my electrics until 9 or 10 years ago. Since then I've played the FG quite regularly, but I've mostly been a strummer and flatpicker and I didn't bend notes a whole lot. That's been changing lately, as I've been doing more and more finger-picking and bending in the past couple of years. Maybe that's why the frets finally started to go.

Originally Posted by mmmaak

Would love to play that FG of yours

Thanx!

Anytime you're in Chicago, just drop on by!

It's only about 20 hours by air, right?

[Geewiz]

Originally Posted by Buck62

I'm about to pull the trigger on Monday and order an LL16.

Just a quick question...

I know it's a 1-3/4" nut width, but is the neck itself a thin profile or a little thicker like my old FG-335?

I played the LL16 a while ago and I forgot if it has the same neck as my FG.

I'm gettin' old!

Hey there Buckaroo,
I bought a LL-16 about a month ago (just love it) up at Interstate Music just outside of Milwaukee (AKA Cascio). Not a long trip from Woodstock. I measured the neck at the first fret (0.847") and at the fifth fret (0.883"). I don't find it to be as much of a V neck as some older Masterbilt guitars (see picture insert) sorry about the image quality, just used my phone.

[Buck62]

Originally Posted by Geewiz

Hey there Buckaroo,
I bought a LL-16 about a month ago (just love it) up at Interstate Music just outside of Milwaukee (AKA Cascio). Not a long trip from Woodstock. I measured the neck at the first fret (0.847") and at the fifth fret (0.883"). I don't find it to be as much of a V neck as some older Masterbilt guitars (see picture insert) sorry about the image quality, just used my phone.

Cool... thanx!

It's all starting to come back to me now.

[taylormadeguita]

MMMAAK, I have only ever flatpicked on this guitar, so maybe that would explain the longetivity of the frets. Then again, I have tried a few "newer" built yams and they don't seem to have the same weight, and presence as my trusty FG, and some of them were quite pricey instruments. At the end of the day, they didn't inspire me, sound wise, but everyone is different I Suppose.

Alan.

[mmmaak]

Originally Posted by taylormadeguita

MMMAAK, I have only ever flatpicked on this guitar, so maybe that would explain the longetivity of the frets. Then again, I have tried a few "newer" built yams and they don't seem to have the same weight, and presence as my trusty FG, and some of them were quite pricey instruments. At the end of the day, they didn't inspire me, sound wise, but everyone is different I Suppose.

Alan.

Hi Alan. Are you comparing the newer Yamahas to you FG after 11 years of "maturing" or when brand new? That could explain some the difference that you hear. Then again, it could just be that older Yamahas were superior

[JimLin]

I've been very impressed with the quality and tone of Yamahas ... I've been obsessed with Martins, Gibsons and Santa Cruz for the past decade+ (wow I feel old!), but recently checked out a Yamaha 12 string at a local GC and I was VERY impressed.

My first decent acoustic was a Yamaha FG-110 (early 1970's) ... I regretted trading it as soon as the deal was done many years ago. That little guitar had a great tone. Anyway ... Congrats on your new guitar! Very nice review and interesting discussion. I find it really interesting to get opinions from around the globe ... Nice!

[mmmaak]

Originally Posted by JimLin

My first decent acoustic was a Yamaha FG-110 (early 1970's) ... I regretted trading it as soon as the deal was done many years ago. That little guitar had a great tone. Anyway ... Congrats on your new guitar! Very nice review and interesting discussion. I find it really interesting to get opinions from around the globe ... Nice!

Thanks, Jim!

Likewise, it's nice to hear positive opinions about Yamahas from people in the US since you guys have access to the best instruments anywhere in the world. So a vote of confidence from you is probably more objective and carries more weight than any review I could write. My definition of a good guitar would undoubtedly fall short of those who have truly played "the best"

[taylormadeguita]

Here is a video I did to try out my daughters new D.camera. This shows how versatile Yamaha Acoustics can be, I think, and shows the sound they can produce. This is my trusty '97 FG441S in action!!!

Find it at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYsbkvl-hi0

Regards,

Alan Ford

[Buck62]

I ordered my LL16 yesterday.

I should get it on Friday, according to the tracking link.

I am sooooo excited!

[mmmaak]

Originally Posted by Buck62

I ordered my LL16 yesterday.

I should get it on Friday, according to the tracking link.

I am sooooo excited!

I'm excited for you too!

One thing to consider, though. Having looked at quite a few models from the Yamaha L-series, I noticed that the EIR woodgrain is pretty inconsistent among individual guitars. I was lucky to get a good looking one, but some were downright ugly (though the sound is probably unaffected).

So, since I'm assuming you ordered the guitar before actually seeing that particular instrument, I hope your wood grain turns out nice!