Yamaha FG9 M first impressions & NGD

[George Henry]

As a guitar tech my first suspect in single string issues was the string itself and I would immediate replace same . More times than not, problem solved.

Before news of the FG9 came out, I had ordered a new LL-26 from Sweetwater. They’re backordered until mid June. Now I’m wondering if I should reconsider and maybe go for the FG9 (which would cost $1600 more)

I’ve only played one LL-26. What appealed to me was its distinctive tonal character. Quite different from Martin. But I have several fine Martins.

[Railroad Bum]

I am going to check out an FG9 M today at my local guitar shop. It's WAY above my budget, but I am hearing that these models are some of the best acoustics that Yamaha has ever made. I will report back, lol.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by George Henry

As a guitar tech my first suspect in single string issues was the string itself and I would immediate replace same . More times than not, problem solved.

Before news of the FG9 came out, I had ordered a new LL-26 from Sweetwater. They’re backordered until mid June. Now I’m wondering if I should reconsider and maybe go for the FG9 (which would cost $1600 more)

I’ve only played one LL-26. What appealed to me was its distinctive tonal character. Quite different from Martin. But I have several fine Martins.

I think the tone of the Engelmann and (straight braces?), along with the slightly wider body shape is going to make for a different tone than the FG9, which sort of sounded like a boutique luthier made D-18. I love the sound of the higher end LL series. But I suspect the LL will not be as loud.

[Glennwillow]

Congratulations on the new Yamaha FG9 M.

I was curious about these guitars and so looked them up online. About $4100 new from a place like Sweetwater. Here is a video on the M and R versions of these guitars. They seem to be a little light on the bass end of the spectrum, but many people prefer that.



- Glenn

[YamahaGuy]

If the Adirondack woods for the tops are new to Yamaha, I can see why they haven't ARE treated it yet. They use already dried, old stock wood to ARE treat from what I thought.

[Railroad Bum]

I tried out an FG9 M at my local favorite guitar shop today, and that is a glorious guitar, balanced, loud, soulful, beautiful construction, and felt wonderful in my hands. I have not personally played a nicer Yamaha. They really knocked it out of the park with this one. If I had the money, I would have walked out of that store with the guitar. I have always loved Yamahas anyway, but this one truly appeals to me as a flatpicker/strummer. I am sure it would be great for fingerstyle as well, but I don't have those skills. Anyway, it's a beast.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by thefsb

Yeah, I believe it now because I verified the fix. I checked this morning using a microphone and ReaTune in Reaper, my DAW on the computer. If I am careful and the ambient noise is low it is by far my most accurate tuner.

The intonation is pretty much spot-on now. Yay!

But isn't that wild?! The strings on the guitar when it arrived yesterday were bright, pale-gold colored and feel like they are plastic-coated (Nanoweb? Daddario XSPB?), looked like new, and sounded correct to me. Far from crusty. (Of course because we can be sure the shop took care to ship the guitar with strings in good condition.) But the D string was a off by about 25 cents at the 15th fret!

All it would take to throw out the intonation would be a difference in the thickness of the nanoweb coating down the string length. The two halves of the string would then vibrate unequally and throw out the intonation. A small amount of damage, such as a string kink that's then pulled straight again under tension, will have the same effect.

[Retired1]

Re ARE treatment or any type of cooking, I've suspected that the economics of the treatment are that manufacturers could use fresher less seasoned wood and cook it and save some serious cash when doing quantity.

[thefsb]

Originally Posted by George Henry

As a guitar tech my first suspect in single string issues was the string itself and I would immediate replace same . More times than not, problem solved.

Before news of the FG9 came out, I had ordered a new LL-26 from Sweetwater. They’re backordered until mid June. Now I’m wondering if I should reconsider and maybe go for the FG9 (which would cost $1600 more)

I’ve only played one LL-26. What appealed to me was its distinctive tonal character. Quite different from Martin. But I have several fine Martins.

I am starting to consider finding a new home for my LJ56 when I play it back-to-back with the FG9.

[thefsb]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I was curious about these guitars and so looked them up online. About $4100 new from a place like Sweetwater. Here is a video on the M and R versions of these guitars. They seem to be a little light on the bass end of the spectrum, but many people prefer that.

Of all the acoustics I've played, it has the most bass. But it is very evenly balanced so the bass doesn't stand out. I'm not very experienced with Martin dreads but if you were to compare audio demos of a dread with a boomey bottom that's level matched with the FG9, I would expect the FG9 to sound relatively bass-light.

[thefsb]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

All it would take to throw out the intonation would be a difference in the thickness of the nanoweb coating down the string length. The two halves of the string would then vibrate unequally and throw out the intonation. A small amount of damage, such as a string kink that's then pulled straight again under tension, will have the same effect.

Good to know. I learned an important thing here with this guitar and that bum D string.

[7NationArmy]

The Kiso Suzuki Violin Company is one of the oldest guitar makers in Japan.

[SRL]

Originally Posted by Railroad Bum

I tried out an FG9 M at my local favorite guitar shop today, and that is a glorious guitar, balanced, loud, soulful, beautiful construction, and felt wonderful in my hands. I have not personally played a nicer Yamaha. They really knocked it out of the park with this one. If I had the money, I would have walked out of that store with the guitar. I have always loved Yamahas anyway, but this one truly appeals to me as a flatpicker/strummer. I am sure it would be great for fingerstyle as well, but I don't have those skills. Anyway, it's a beast.

I played an FG-9 Mahogany recently at a local shop and this was my experience. I think it can easily compete with any Collings, Bourgeois, etc that you throw at it.

It made me really question my recent purchase of a Martin D-42, until I got it in my hands again, anyway. A used FG-9 is on my wishlist list down the road when they aren't so new anymore.

[Wellington]

Why did they create the FG9? Is it braced differently than the LL? I know it has Adi instead of Engelmen. The LL36 or so appeals much more to me but I think it's cool they're offering more high end stuff.

[SRL]

Yeah the FG3, FG5, (sitka/sapele, 25" scale) are scalloped bracing, a stronger bass and mids, and sound kind of like a good modern Gibson Hummingbird or similar. The EQ is definitely tilted to the low side.

The FG-9 has an adi top and 25.5" scale, and to me sounded like a boutique builder's dread, as someone else suggested in this thread.

Whereas the LL-26, 36, and 56 are tapered straight bracing, 25.5" scale, and Engelmann spruce and rosewoodwith a more balanced and lush sound, I'm not sure it's similar to anything I've played exactly but beautiful-sounding guitars. Good frequency response from low to high, lots of overtones, probably due to the Engelmann which is a fairly soft wood more similar to western redcedar than to sitka/adi in my opinion.

If you're shopping for a really nice dread under $1000, the FG3 and LL-16 are hard to beat, just very different takes on the dread concept.

LL series tapered bracing



FG series scalloped bracing (left side)