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  #1  
Old 12-05-2017, 10:45 AM
prettyrubish2 prettyrubish2 is offline
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Default Yamaha CG Guitars

Hi, at the moment I have a well used Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga, that is starting to develope mysterious buzzing sounds from only the good lord knows where.

I have the opportunity to acquire either a Yamaha CG100 (almost as new with new hard case), and or a Yamaha CG110 (over 30 years old and used for several recitals).

My question, when I do research on Yamaha guitars all I get is raving reports on their sound quality and build, but just how good are they?

Will they come close to my Caballero 11?

Is the neck thinner on the Yamaha's

Which Yamaha would be the better sounding of the two, the CG100 or the CG110?

Any help or suggestions with my decision here would be most appreciated.

Christopher.
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  #2  
Old 12-06-2017, 01:32 AM
prettyrubish2 prettyrubish2 is offline
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edit out edit out

Last edited by prettyrubish2; 12-06-2017 at 03:41 PM. Reason: what
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  #3  
Old 12-06-2017, 04:49 AM
Dogsnax Dogsnax is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prettyrubish2 View Post
From the many responses here it looks like the "Yamaha CG" series is not considered as a serious instrument.

I'll steer well clear then!
Hi,

Yamaha actually makes some classical guitars that are a great value - excellent beginner to intermediate level instruments. You asked some very specific technical questions and perhaps our forum participants haven't had the chance to play/compare the guitars. You might want to plug in the model numbers on youtube along with the word "review" and see what comes up. That's always my first research step! Again, Yamaha does make some very decent classical guitars. Good luck!
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  #4  
Old 12-06-2017, 09:02 AM
lfoo6952 lfoo6952 is offline
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Yamaha CG-100 and 110 are excellent beginner guitars.

I haven't played a Caballero, but I have compared Yamahas against many other brands when I helped my guitar student pick out a guitar last year, so I believe they will come close to your Caballero.

Don't know about the neck.

CG100 and CG110 are comparable in sound.
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  #5  
Old 12-06-2017, 10:02 AM
Carbonius Carbonius is offline
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rubbish deleted

Last edited by Carbonius; 12-13-2017 at 09:36 AM. Reason: rubbish deleted
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  #6  
Old 12-06-2017, 12:27 PM
Henning Henning is offline
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I have a CG170S since a couple of years ago, required second hand. Since I changed the plastics in the saddle to bone it sounds very decent to me. On the other hand I've mainly been fiddeling around with steel string acousics the last decades. I think considering the CG:s that they are something in between a very qualified school instrument and a professional instrument. The one in a higher quality, next "step up", has a fretboard in ebony. That's what you would expect for that price too.
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Old 12-06-2017, 01:59 PM
Todd Tipton Todd Tipton is offline
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I almost posted a response last night. However, I didn't post because I am not familiar with the Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga. So, I am going to write what I was going to and also share my thought process.

The first thing I did was look up the Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga and saw the price range. That made it more difficult to give a thoughtful response. Why?

Yamaha makes great student guitars. Period. For the price you pay, you get a lot more guitar. Period. There are many guitars that cost more that do not sound as good as a bottom of the line Yamaha. Is your Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga a better guitar? I don't know. I know that there are guitars that cost just as much or perhaps even more that do not sound as good as a bottom of the line Yamaha.

I know there are some very good and consistent factory made classical guitars for the price. Usually, the more expensive they are, the more time has been spend in fine tuning them, shaving a little wood here, sanding a little wood there, etc. I also admit that lutherie is not my area of expertise. No doubt, there are people in this forum far more qualified to get into the specifics of that labor intensive finagling of a factory made guitar to improve the sound.

I also know there are some very poor sounding factory made classical guitars. How much is truth and how much is myth? I don't know, but I will tell you what I have heard. Many of these poor sounding classical guitars are made with equipment and settings better suited for their heavier steel string counterparts. As a result, the wood is too heavy. The guitars do not project no matter WHAT finagling is done. To someone always amplifying, and never had the privilege of playing scores and scores of hand made steel string or classical guitars, it is hard to miss what you don't know exists.

And again, whether the heavier made factory problem is truth or myth, I have no idea. I'm sure there are people here who can set the record straight. So from that point, I will stick with what I know:

Many student classical guitars sound horrible. And they feel way too heavy when I go to pick them up. There are many student guitars that sound good for the price. Every single one of them feels "normal" when I go to pick them up. In a best situation, it is always advisable to play a guitar before purchasing. In a less than ideal situation, it has been my experience that Yamaha is a safe bet when one doesn't get a chance to play one.

If you purchase that Yamaha, I can guarantee you that you will have a great guitar for the price. I can guarantee you that you could easily spend two or three times as much and have an inferior guitar. Yamaha is very consistent with their products. What I still can't tell you is which guitar is better: the Yamaha or your Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga.

What I can do though is give some good general advice. I think of buying guitars like I bought speakers. I didn't care about the price. I listened to lots of high end speakers and marveled at the sound. Although I never wanted to invest that kind of money in speakers, the experience of hearing lots of high end speakers made me a far more informed listener and consumer when I settled on my consumer level book shelf JBLs...lol

Play as many high end guitars as you can. If you have the opportunity to go to a major city where lots of high end guitars set in a great mom and pop shop, take it. Are there guitar festivals, workshops or conventions where also lots of luthiers go to sell and demonstrate their guitars. Go. Become familiar with what the best guitars in the world sound like. Start figuring out what you like about some of them and what you don't like. Take your time. Your opinion will evolve.

You may never buy a top of the line guitar. But, like when I bought my affordable JBLs, you will be a happy consumer when you decide to spend more money. It doesn't matter if you decide to spend $300, $1,000, or even beyond $10,000 someday. You will be able to sit in a room full of $500 guitars and find the best guitar for you. And in the meantime, you can play a good student Yamaha.
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Old 12-06-2017, 03:24 PM
prettyrubish2 prettyrubish2 is offline
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Thanks for that Carbonius, its always good to hear from a fantasy forum web master, luckily for me I've had a whopping 36 hours to make my decision!

Last edited by prettyrubish2; 12-07-2017 at 02:11 AM. Reason: typo
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  #9  
Old 12-06-2017, 03:37 PM
prettyrubish2 prettyrubish2 is offline
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Much obliged Doctor Tipton, that's quite an endorsement for the Yamaha CG series, thanks to your very eloquent analysis of these instruments, I have decided to go with the CG110.
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  #10  
Old 12-11-2017, 04:54 AM
jazzguy jazzguy is offline
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Agree with Todd says - especially the part about playing more expensive, very good sounding guitars. Then you get a base line of what is "good" to your ears. Then try to get as close as possible with a less expensive guitar. You may be surprised of how close you might get.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd Tipton View Post
I almost posted a response last night. However, I didn't post because I am not familiar with the Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga. So, I am going to write what I was going to and also share my thought process.

The first thing I did was look up the Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga and saw the price range. That made it more difficult to give a thoughtful response. Why?

Yamaha makes great student guitars. Period. For the price you pay, you get a lot more guitar. Period. There are many guitars that cost more that do not sound as good as a bottom of the line Yamaha. Is your Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga a better guitar? I don't know. I know that there are guitars that cost just as much or perhaps even more that do not sound as good as a bottom of the line Yamaha.

I know there are some very good and consistent factory made classical guitars for the price. Usually, the more expensive they are, the more time has been spend in fine tuning them, shaving a little wood here, sanding a little wood there, etc. I also admit that lutherie is not my area of expertise. No doubt, there are people in this forum far more qualified to get into the specifics of that labor intensive finagling of a factory made guitar to improve the sound.

I also know there are some very poor sounding factory made classical guitars. How much is truth and how much is myth? I don't know, but I will tell you what I have heard. Many of these poor sounding classical guitars are made with equipment and settings better suited for their heavier steel string counterparts. As a result, the wood is too heavy. The guitars do not project no matter WHAT finagling is done. To someone always amplifying, and never had the privilege of playing scores and scores of hand made steel string or classical guitars, it is hard to miss what you don't know exists.

And again, whether the heavier made factory problem is truth or myth, I have no idea. I'm sure there are people here who can set the record straight. So from that point, I will stick with what I know:

Many student classical guitars sound horrible. And they feel way too heavy when I go to pick them up. There are many student guitars that sound good for the price. Every single one of them feels "normal" when I go to pick them up. In a best situation, it is always advisable to play a guitar before purchasing. In a less than ideal situation, it has been my experience that Yamaha is a safe bet when one doesn't get a chance to play one.

If you purchase that Yamaha, I can guarantee you that you will have a great guitar for the price. I can guarantee you that you could easily spend two or three times as much and have an inferior guitar. Yamaha is very consistent with their products. What I still can't tell you is which guitar is better: the Yamaha or your Manuel Rodriguez, Caballero 11 Bubinga.

What I can do though is give some good general advice. I think of buying guitars like I bought speakers. I didn't care about the price. I listened to lots of high end speakers and marveled at the sound. Although I never wanted to invest that kind of money in speakers, the experience of hearing lots of high end speakers made me a far more informed listener and consumer when I settled on my consumer level book shelf JBLs...lol

Play as many high end guitars as you can. If you have the opportunity to go to a major city where lots of high end guitars set in a great mom and pop shop, take it. Are there guitar festivals, workshops or conventions where also lots of luthiers go to sell and demonstrate their guitars. Go. Become familiar with what the best guitars in the world sound like. Start figuring out what you like about some of them and what you don't like. Take your time. Your opinion will evolve.

You may never buy a top of the line guitar. But, like when I bought my affordable JBLs, you will be a happy consumer when you decide to spend more money. It doesn't matter if you decide to spend $300, $1,000, or even beyond $10,000 someday. You will be able to sit in a room full of $500 guitars and find the best guitar for you. And in the meantime, you can play a good student Yamaha.
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  #11  
Old 12-11-2017, 01:37 PM
Todd Tipton Todd Tipton is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzguy View Post
especially the part about playing more expensive, very good sounding guitars. Then you get a base line of what is "good" to your ears. Then try to get as close as possible with a less expensive guitar. You may be surprised of how close you might get.
I've heard it said that choosing a guitar is like choosing a spouse. It took me a while to really understand what that means. I think it is common for many students and players to feel they aren't qualified to make a sound purchase. Of course a rank beginner will need some good guidance, but beyond that, trust your ears. Play lots of guitars and trust your instincts about what you like and don't like. No one but YOU can pick a better guitar. I really believe that.
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