Yamaha FG9 M first impressions & NGD

[Railroad Bum]

From what I understand, Yamaha took the original FG design and tweaked it by millimeters. Then they built a bunch of test guitars to come up with the best design. The FG9 was the result. And they invested in the best materials they could find for the model, red spruce being the biggest difference from their other models.

All I can say about the FG9 is that if you like the sound of a good Yamaha dreadnought, this is a Superman version of that ideal, lol.

[thefsb]

Originally Posted by 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.

I have an LJ56 and FG9 M and they are substantially different. The FJ9 is crazy loud. And it has an even tone no matter how or what you play. The LJ56 is loud too but clearly less powerful and it has a more characteristic tone, a bit more "woody"? and less even as you play up and down scales.

Why did they create it? I like to imagine they wanted to see what they could do if they bring the SOTA R&D to building a dread. And I think they found the answer was: a lot.

[doctone]

My theory is that they created it just to show that they can do it. A guitar which seems to serve 1 purpose above all: dynamics (which is different from volume).

And for people like me who prefer sushi over burgers. And perhaps to make me crave...

[personatech]

Originally Posted by 12barBill

The guitar can play really loud and with authority and clarity when played fff and sfz. But also sounds great whence mf, p and ppp.



fff... sfz... mf... p... ppp... Would someone mind explaining to me what the heck that means?

Thanks for asking - I was about to do the same. As many a teacher has said in the past - "there's no such thing as a bad question."

[thefsb]

Originally Posted by doctone

My theory is that they created it just to show that they can do it. A guitar which seems to serve 1 purpose above all: dynamics (which is different from volume).

You can't have large dynamic range without volume too, which the FG9 has lots off. And when you combine that with the even tone you get not so much a technical show-piece as a practical musical tool.

At $4000 one expects everything to be just so in terms of fit and finish, play-ability etc. It is and there's no need for me to gush about these things. And one expects it to have an excellent tone. It does. So I focused my comments on the things that I found surprising, that I did not expect, that differentiate the guitar from other excellent instruments. If that led you to think I was saying it does only one thing well then I misled (sorry). In my opinion the combination of dynamic range, volume and even tone make it an unusually versatile instrument.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by thefsb

You can't have large dynamic range without volume too, which the FG9 has lots off. And when you combine that with the even tone you get not so much a technical show-piece as a practical musical tool.

At $4000 one expects everything to be just so in terms of fit and finish, play-ability etc. It is and there's no need for me to gush about these things. And one expects it to have an excellent tone. It does. So I focused my comments on the things that I found surprising, that I did not expect, that differentiate the guitar from other excellent instruments. If that led you to think I was saying it does only one thing well then I misled (sorry). In my opinion the combination of dynamic range, volume and even tone make it an unusually versatile instrument.

Can you compare the bass response of this model to something we might be familiar with? Say Collings, Martin, etc.?

[SRL]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Can you compare the bass response of this model to something we might be familiar with? Say Collings, Martin, etc.?

I played an FG-9M back to back with a bunch of other guitars recently. To my ear, it had the sound most similar to a really good Gibson, without the country twang — that is, the Yamaha had fatter trebles that most Gibsons I've played. It came close to a Gibson Songwriter I played, but not quite the same, the Yamaha sounded a bit better, like more time was spent on the voicing.

Conincidentally, this also how the current USA Breedlove and Bedells models are voiced, like a good Gibson without the twang. The Yamaha FG9m shared a lot with the $5000 adi/rosewood Bedell dread I played that day, but the Yamaha was more "open" sounding and louder with more bass, while the Bedell was more midrangy and controlled (felt like the adi top had some opening up to do).

The FG9m definitely didn't match up with the Taylor's I played, including some 800 and 900 series (the Yamaha had a bigger low end), and it was not like the Yamaha LL-16 which I played back to back with it (the LL was brighter and seemed to have a richer overtone mix, probably due to the Engelmann top and rosewood back/sides).

However, I did notice more similarities with the Taylor slope shoulders, like the 717 (sitka/mahog), which of course is known for having a "not really a Taylor, more of a Gibson" type of tone. I would say that this guitar maybe was the most similar to the Yamaha FG9m in terms of sound, but the Yamaha had noticeably fancier build quality, worthy of it's higher price tag.

Honestly, when I left the store I was questioning my recent purchase of a Martin D42 Modern Deluxe ($5k used price) but when I got home and played it, they really aren't the same. The D-42 MD has a similar EQ spectrum (strong bass) and volume (big dread sound) and sweetness of sound (attention paid during the voicing process) but the Martin has just a massive amount of overtones and lushness, that echoey complexity of rosewood and more of a bluegrassy quality to the notes somehow. I don't think I could rank the FG-9M as better than the D-42 MD or vice versa: both are amazing guitars but different experiences. I haven't played a ton of Martin-adjacent guitars like Collings or Bourgeois so I don't have a lot to say there.

Overall, my view is that the FG9m is in that top class of guitars where the voicing is just dialed, everything you play on it sounds great, build quality is superb. Tempting to buy (definitely my favorite at the store) but my one personal policy on guitars is not to buy new, so I'll have to wait til a used one comes up.

[thefsb]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Can you compare the bass response of this model to something we might be familiar with? Say Collings, Martin, etc.?

I cannot. Sorry.

[thefsb]

Originally Posted by SRL

Honestly, when I left the store I was questioning my recent purchase of a Martin D42 Modern Deluxe ($5k used price) but when I got home and played it, they really aren't the same. The D-42 MD has a similar EQ spectrum (strong bass) and volume (big dread sound) and sweetness of sound (attention paid during the voicing process) but the Martin has just a massive amount of overtones and lushness, that echoey complexity of rosewood and more of a bluegrassy quality to the notes somehow. I don't think I could rank the FG-9M as better than the D-42 MD or vice versa: both are amazing guitars but different experiences.

When I play the FG9 M back to back with the LJ56 the quality of sound is very different. What you wrote about the FG9 M sounds right to me. The LJ56 has less bass power but is more insistent elsewhere. It has a more pronounced individual tonal character: some notes and overtones being more emphasized or muted than the FG9 M. I imagine this is measurable with the FG9 M showing a smoother tap test response. I should do the test and share the graphs here.

I've a suspicion that the FG9 M might be rather fussy about strings.

On my LJ56 I like D'Addario EJ19 Bluegrass PB set (12-56) but those sound too metallic on the FG9 M. Even when I try to pluck for a round sonorous baritone sound I felt I was listening to too much steel and not enough wood.

Now I have Thomastik-Infeld AC112 Plectrum (12-59) Medium Light and I like them a lot more. The tension is a bit higher than EJ19 but they are easier to fret.

[BluesKing777]

Anyone know if there are plans for a small concert size...F S 9?

BluesKing777.

[Jim Comeaux]

I have two Yamahas and I have found that at least on the two that I have experience with, string selection is critical. My LL-16 is currently engaged in a selection/testing experiment along with my D-18. I have only just started this string trial, so I don’t have any results yet and it is going to take 6 or 8 months to get through all of the perturbations, but when I strapped on a set of Elixer phosphor bronze 13-56 to my LL-16, it suddenly came awake and started growling and screaming at everything. I’m serious, it’s like it’s a whole new guitar and I LOVE IT! The FG-830 is quite content with Martin’s standard 12-54, 80/20’s. Oh yeah, and the D-18 agrees with the LL-16. I am not a bit afraid to put medium gauge strings on the FG-830, structurally I’m sure that it can handle it, but it just doesn’t have the muscle to handle that heavy a gauge string.

[bluefish]

In talking with the Yamaha folks at the Fretboard summit. They mentioned that the FS9 should be coming out this next year and that they were also possibly looking at redesigning/tweaking the Japanese L series.

[iCGM]

I haven’t had the pleasure of playing an FG9, but I do know that they are getting their Adirondack tops from Boucher. AAAA tops. So their tops are going to be stellar.

Hoping to try one soon, no cash for one and realized dreads just aren’t my thing… but I’d definitely consider an FS9 down the road.

[thefsb]

Yesterday, after owning it for 10 months, I traded my FG9 M for an LS36. Here's my video from the day before I did that.

Youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjP_I9sX5w

Or embedded

[Railroad Bum]

I loved your video and how you were completely honest about the FG9 being an incredible instrument but not exactly right for how you play. It's meant to be a bluegrass monster, and it is that in spades. It's big and powerful and super loud, and I kind of play that way, so it appeals to me (I just can't afford it, lol).

I can also certainly see how something like the LJ36 would be about perfect for your playing style. I hope you can bond with it, and I don't think that will be much of a problem, as I have played some 26, 36, and 56 models over the years--whew!

Thanks for taking the time to make an in-depth video on the FG9. I believe it would be extremely helpful to anyone considering buying one themselves--Tim