#1
|
|||
|
|||
Yamaha FG-335 Dreadnought Owners Thread
I know alot of you own em even if you own more expensive guitars so i thought id give us FG335 yammy owners a place to discuss these guitars made from 1977-1981.
I wanna know if and what upgrades you've made to it such as maybe adding a bridge truss, shaving down the bridge & saddle, and stock saddle and/or upgrades. Would love to get this discussion started by saying i welcome all advice & opinions. Also i'm shure many have seen this article about breathing new life into a FG-335 but here it is for those whom haven't. Quote:
Please bring on the post ! LH =) |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
I have one FG335 and had 2. The old Mahogany neck really adds to the old woody tone. Never moded one though
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
thx for posting Kitchen Guitars,
lol i forgot to add i havent owned a guitar in 10 years but just bought a left-handed 1979 FG-335 w/case both in great shape for 150. i took some pics but they were so bad i refuse to post. now to try and tweak my camera and give her another shot |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
335 mods
Hi all,
I bought a FG335 a few months ago. It had a bellied top which made the action quite high. I installed the JLD bridge truss which did a good job of flattening the top behind the bridge but it only made a small difference in front of the bridge. The action was also improved slightly by installing the truss.. Next I shaved down the saddle and adjusted the neck relief so it was dead straight. The action is now about 3mm at the 12th fret which is pretty good I think. I could proably get it down a little more by shaving the bridge but I don't really think I could do this properly so I'll leave it as is. I also plan to change the plastic saddle for a bone one and replace the plastic bridge pins with eboby. It already sounds great but I'm sure it'll improve even more once I'm finished. I haven't experimented with the bridge truss tension to improve tone. It's wound pretty tight as it is to flatten the top and I'm not sure hown much more I could tighten it without doing damage! Anyway, it'dbe great to hear your thoughts on any of this. I hope this particular thread takes off as these really are fantastic guitars. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Bump! I'm about to do some mods to my fg335. I love this thing!
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
One of the better sounding older all laminates or what? Thanks. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Like most Yamahas, your FG335 will need a neck reset at some point, if it doesn't already--when you mention taking the saddle down, that makes me think this might be so. I've done many, many resets on these older Yamahas, and they are well worth the $ to have this done. I always convert them to bolt-ons, as well. I don't currently own an FG335, though I had one for several years-- this may change if things go the way I want, on an ebay auction... |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
I had one about a year ago. I did some mods to it but it really
needed a neck reset and wasn't willing to do it. So, I sold it. But it's a very cool guitar and probably worth investing money into it.... It's supposed to be the "copy" of the Martin D-35 but sounds nothing like it...... |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Quote:
It's great to finally see some action on this thread! JLS - when I originally installed the bridge truss I thought the guitar just had bellying behind the bridge but the whole of the top from the soundhole back was arched slightly (I didn't know too much about it all at the time - I'm not too much better now!). I suspect one of the braces has come unglued inside! I haven't had the time or inclination to look into this further. The guitar still plays well. I've backed off the truss tension and it's made no appreciable difference to the arching of the top but I don't think a neck reset is necessary yet! The problem of high action was solved by reducing the saddle height and doing some ramping on the bridge to maintain a decent string break angle over the saddle. As I say it plays well and I'm very happy with it. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
I love my FG335! No mods. Haven't ever even adjusted the truss rod. theguitar was a birthday present back in 81. The frets are a little worn now but it's still eminently playable and it sounds great, really nice and mellow. I currently have it tuned to an open D chord and am working up a version of Little Martha (amongst other things). Once done I'll record it and post it up here. Meanwhile there's old videos of me playing Vestapol and Pallet On Your Floor on the Yamaha at the link below along with a bit of flatpicking (a first stab at crosspicking) which gives an indication of what she sounds like.
Kind regards, Derek
__________________
Derek on You Tube My acoustics:
|
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Great sounding guitar... Now if Alfie could sing... |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Hey all.. I'm fairly new here. Cool to see a few threads here on the FG-335.. Ive had mine since the late 70s and its the only acoustic that I've never sold or traded. Right now the only acoustics I have are a Baby Taylor and the FG. Mine has never had anything major done to it but I have adjusted the neck a few times. For what ever reason I just love the way it plays and sounds and try as I might I have yet to really find another lasting player. My grandmother bought it for me one day, being afraid I would only play electric (must have really scared her! lol), so maybe that connection is part of it.
Ive always wondered if there were people out there still playing these guitars.. anybody have recordings done with them? I would love to hear what other ppl can get out of one.. |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
I was just given an old FG335 beater; without strings and a hole in the back. Looked pretty rough. I was going to use it as a cadaver to learn more about repair. Thought I'd string it with some almost new EJ-19s I had in the drawer out of curiosity. Wow! I was totally unprepared for the sound from this old veteran!
Last edited by DennisC; 07-15-2012 at 12:42 AM. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
I have a 100% original FG335. I have the original bill of sale. It is in perfect condition with the exception of a couple of small dings. I used to pull the bridge pins with pliers and have the marks to show for it. It has a little bit of a belly and I had it looked at by the local luthier who adjusted the truss rod and sanded the saddle. It is very playable and I still play it every day in the summer. I put it away for the winter in solid case with a humidifier. Thanks for this thread.
|
#15
|
|||
|
|||
I bought my lefty FG-335L new in 1980 for $220. I replaced the tuners with Grover Rotomatics, installed a Martin Thinline pup, changed to a bone nut and saddle and added ivory bridge pins. It sounded great when I bought it and sounds even better today. It has just a couple of scuff marks on it, otherwise it looks new.
Don |