Gibson LG-2 vs Iris OG vs Yammie FS vs ??

[ric4682]

Originally Posted by RomanS

I own an Iris OG (torrefied adi/mahogany), and I have played the current Gibson 50s LG2, and the Yamaha FS5, in stores a number of times (but never had the chance to compare either of those with the Iris).

If you want the dry, woody, thuddy Gibson tone, get the LG2 - it's the only one of these that has that in spades.

The FS5 is an excellent guitar; tonally it is much more in the Martin camp, nothing Gibson-ish at all about it; quite a lot of bass for such a small body; excellent build quality, the only two things I didn't like were the pickguard, and the very rough and very ORANGE finish.

My OG also isn't as dry sounding as the LG2. Harmonically it has a lot more going on on top, brighter than the LG2, but not in a jangly Taylor way; and it also has more/fuller bass than the Gibson (but not as much as a full-size dreadnought)- it's kinda halfway between a Martin and a Gibson tone; a lot of mids, too - this is a very "in your face" guitar that can cut through a dense mix; NOT a "lush/pretty" sounding guitar (thats a characteristic it shares with the LG2, and differentiates it from the FS5).
Excellent setup, almost too easy to play (as a Tele guy, I like my guitars to put up a bit of a fight...)
Also, whoever said it has a chunky neck - nope, not at all! It is of course thicker than those dreadful teeny tiny baby-size Martin MLO necks (ugh, I really hate those, in case you can't tell), but a comfortable mid-size profile at best, somewhere around .88 to .9" thick at the first fret, C shape, but not a lot of "shoulder ". It's actually in the thickness range of the 50s LG2, but the neck on my Eastman is noticeably thicker, and it's a far cry from a true chunky neck, like a 1" thick 50s U-shape Tele, or that on my Loar archtop.
The FS5 neck is slightly thinner, BTW, but not as anorexic as an MLO profile.

Awesome to find someone with first hand experience on the exact guitars I’m considering, thanks for taking the time to write this! This is further solidifying my lean towards the Iris. I do kind of prefer more bark that usually comes with hog back/sides since I play pretty light so the extra push in the mids helps me not get lost in the mix.

[davidd]

Originally Posted by ric4682

Is that the Japanese one? If so, how long have you had it?

Yes it is MIJ. I bought it used about 4 months ago. One day after I sold a Martin D18. I actually wish it was without the pickup system, but I got such a screaming deal I couldn't be too fussy. The longer I have played it the happier I am that I stumbled upon it. They are truly wonderful guitars.

I also was surprised when I put the Yamaha next to my 1990 Martin D16M. The color of the tops are very similar. The mahogany back and sides has some beautiful figure also.

[ric4682]

Originally Posted by Goat Mick

I'm a Gibson guy through and through (and also vertically challenged at 5'6") and I really like my LG2. I started with a Farida OT22W and it really made me want to get the real thing. I feel like the current 50's Reissue LG2 is a great bargain for an American made, solid wood guitar and mine just keeps getting better the more I play it. As you can see from my signature I have a lot more guitars than I need, but the one I'm really smitten with right now is my Taylor AD12e. It's a little smaller and thinner than my LG2 but it has that dry, woody kind of vintage sound that I love and it's a bit more bass heavy than my LG2.

I actually went and played that Taylor today and wasn’t immediately blown away by the sound, probably because the store had the loudest humidifier known to man running the whole time I was in there. But the more I played it the more I wanted to keep playing it and I took to it pretty quickly. It’s definitely a contender. I actually liked the Academy model of the same shape almost as much! Goes to show how consistent Taylors are.

Originally Posted by davidd

Yes it is MIJ. I bought it used about 4 months ago. One day after I sold a Martin D18. I actually wish it was without the pickup system, but I got such a screaming deal I couldn't be too fussy. The longer I have played it the happier I am that I stumbled upon it. They are truly wonderful guitars.

I also was surprised when I put the Yamaha next to my 1990 Martin D16M. The color of the tops are very similar. The mahogany back and sides has some beautiful figure also.

Glad you like it so much! I’ll have to see if I can find one to test out.

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by ric4682

I actually went and played that Taylor today and wasn’t immediately blown away by the sound, probably because the store had the loudest humidifier known to man running the whole time I was in there. But the more I played it the more I wanted to keep playing it and I took to it pretty quickly. It’s definitely a contender. I actually liked the Academy model of the same shape almost as much! Goes to show how consistent Taylors are.

LMAO!! I felt exactly the same way when I first tried mine, I was like "eh, ok" but it was so easy to play I kept playing it for a while. After about 10 minutes, I was ready to take it home and then the dang thing just kept on getting better after I got it home and played it more. Then I got a professional setup and now I don't want to play anything else.

[SalFromChatham]

I’ve owned the Gibson LG-2 50s Reissue, the American Eagle, and an Iris OG. My favorite is the American Eagle. Maybe because the neck…. Thinner.

The Iris really is a cross between the LG-2 and Martin. Looks awesome. Full sound. It is slightly bigger than the Gibson fyi. I loved the tone, but not the thick neck. I tried to…

[Rpt50]

Originally Posted by ric4682

Glad you like it so much! I’ll have to see if I can find one to test out.

You will never find an FS5 or FSX5 to test in real life. Same with an LS16 or 26, 36, or 56. It's incredibly frustrating that higher level Yamahas are never in stores. You would have to buy one from GC or Sam Ash (etc.), and then make use of the return policy if you don't like it.

[jt1]

I love my LGs:

[ric4682]

Originally Posted by Goat Mick

LMAO!! I felt exactly the same way when I first tried mine, I was like "eh, ok" but it was so easy to play I kept playing it for a while. After about 10 minutes, I was ready to take it home and then the dang thing just kept on getting better after I got it home and played it more. Then I got a professional setup and now I don't want to play anything else.

It’s on the short list for sure! One of my only hang ups is I don’t love the sound of the ES2 pickup system. I didn’t plug the guitar in and I haven’t played a Taylor that had haves’t in a while though so maybe my opinion has changed.

Originally Posted by SalFromChatham

I’ve owned the Gibson LG-2 50s Reissue, the American Eagle, and an Iris OG. My favorite is the American Eagle. Maybe because the neck…. Thinner.

The Iris really is a cross between the LG-2 and Martin. Looks awesome. Full sound. It is slightly bigger than the Gibson fyi. I loved the tone, but not the thick neck. I tried to…

Good to know! I’m not too picky about neck size/shape so it sounds like the Iris may be my best option for my goal: biggest tone in smallest package

[RomanS]

Again:
The Iris neck profile is NOT thick/chunky AT ALL - about .88" thickness at the first fret is their standard size, that's a comfortable midrange thickness, right on par with that of the 50s LG2.
It's a far cry from a "chunky" neck (which would mean something with a thickness of at least .95" - 1" at the first fret), and it feels thinner (because of less shoulder - though both brands claim they use C shapes) than most Eastman necks (which aren't really chunky, either, they are usually .9" - .93" at the first fret).

[ric4682]

Just want to do a little bump to see if there’s any other options I should look at?

I had a chance to try a Yamaha FSX3, but wasn’t blown away. I tried an AC3M that I was much more impressed with, but I just don’t love how they look. I know companies try to make their cheaper guitars look like their more expensive ones to increase the value, but then their expensive ones look like their cheaper ones.

I still haven’t had a chance to plug the Taylor AD12e in to see if I can get along with the ES2 system.

I’ve also been keeping an eye out for used Iris OGs, but they don’t seem to come up used very often.