What am I missing about the FG800/820? Why do people love them?

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by jkilgour2000

I think they’re good for their price point. I bought an FS800 for the beach. I think I paid $169.

No, it doesn’t sound like a $1000 guitar. But it sounds much better than a $169 guitar.

+1. I bought one back in Jan or Feb to keep at the hotel (I worked on the road prior to covid). I paid about $175 new and it's a great guitar at that price point. It's what I was looking for and I was happy.

[CMGibson]

My Yamaha FG 730 sounded as good as any Guitar I have played. It was just to big for my aching shoulder.

[ataylor]

I’ve played a bunch of FG800s and a handful of the FG830s. All were at least this-is-a-really-solid-entry-level-guitar good, and at least half were shake-my-head-at-the-price-tag good.

[Pickcity]

The FG800 is a very good guitar for anyone on a budget. Way better than the budget guitars from past decades.

[Trawlerman]

I bought one “used” once believing the hype about value for the price point. Was not impressed at all. Sold it a few months later. The old adage really fit here “you get what you pay for”.

[Mirosh]

I played many guitars, some new, more used, for months, looking to replace my 1970s Yamaha FG200s which both needed neck resets. At a Guitar Center I played a used Eastman and several other guitars, up to about $1,000. I kept coming back to an FG800 that seemed as good as any and better than most, and ended up buying that one. I put on a bone and then a Tusq saddle, and replaced the factory tuners with some Grover 102-18Ns that fit right in. It's a good guitar and worth the upgrades.

[RXMoore]

The thing about the lower priced Yamaha guitars is, in my humble opinion, the price-to-quality ratio. Sure, they sound isn't the greatest, but the build quality is consistently high and they're pretty much problem-free, which isn't something you can say about a lot of guitars at the price point. I own a FSX700sc and it stays in tune well, plays well, and hasn't had any problems in 4+ years. You can always amplify it to compensate for the weak, thin sound. It's a good beginner or knock-about guitar, but, it doesn't sound just as good as my Martin.

[Beakybird]

Originally Posted by Mirosh

I played many guitars, some new, more used, for months, looking to replace my 1970s Yamaha FG200s which both needed neck resets. At a Guitar Center I played a used Eastman and several other guitars, up to about $1,000. I kept coming back to an FG800 that seemed as good as any and better than most, and ended up buying that one. I put on a bone and then a Tusq saddle, and replaced the factory tuners with some Grover 102-18Ns that fit right in. It's a good guitar and worth the upgrades.

This FS-TA I got is the bees knees. After a pro setup, it plays like butter. It weighs 4lb, 11 1/2 oz. with electronics, so it's not overbuilt. I'll try those upgrades.

[Birchtop]

It’s a “Yamaha” thang...



Seriously though, the FG/FS series are just great inexpensive guitars that play and sound well above their price point. And while most of them are decent coming off the assembly line, this is the one series that you can find that “diamond in the rough” if you dig deep enough.

Also, it’s amazing how the right set of strings and a decent setup can transform one of these “lowly” Yamaha’s.