Yamaha LL16 ARE for first guitar? Bought online?

lycokayaker · #1 05-29-2020, 08:49 AM

Hey Gang

As the title say give me your insight, I am looking to learn the acoustic guitar as I'm stuck in the house. Im in NJ and don't see the ability to go back to regular life anytime soon. Learning the guitar has always been at the top of my list however fell short on time and now I am having more free time. Whats everyones thought on a Yamaha LL16 ARE for a first guitar? I wanted to try and buy a quality first guitar with solid wood all the way around and yet not break the bank. I know I have read countless times to always play the guitar before hand however thats not an option. Would I be making a mistake buying one online from a reputable dealer? I wouldn't know what to be listening for like I have seen some guys commenting on they got a dog of a guitar or one that sounds terrible. I am a huge DMB fan and love his style but know I won't be getting there anytime soon as well as john butler trio. Any and all advice is welcome!

Bill

rumble · #2 05-29-2020, 09:13 AM

Hey Bill. Excellent choice for a first acoustic all solid wood player. I’ve owned one and think its an excellent sounding ,playing guitar that will offer a solid quality acoustic for sometime in your learning .The neck profile is a medium 44mm ,1 3/4”type so it is unlike many of the 43mm ,1 11/16” nut profile.
Another great option would be Yamahas new FG5 Red label it has a more tapered pleasing profile and is a serious tone guitar. Mahogany VS Rosewood?

lycokayaker · #3 05-29-2020, 09:19 AM

Rumble.

I understood everything in the two sentences after that..... nothing. I am complete newbie to all of this. I have been trying to read up and understand. I was also considering the LJ series however didn't find a ton about them. The LL seems like a classic Dread and figure that would be a good starting point? Any advice on buying online etc? My game plan is to use Guitar Tricks or something as my learning source

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumble

Hey Bill. Excellent choice for a first acoustic all solid wood player. I’ve owned one and think its an excellent sounding ,playing guitar that will offer a solid quality acoustic for sometime in your learning .The neck profile is a medium 44mm ,1 3/4”type so it is unlike many of the 43mm ,1 11/16” nut profile.
Another great option would be Yamahas new FG5 Red label it has a more tapered pleasing profile and is a serious tone guitar. Mahogany VS Rosewood?

jswr450 · #4 05-29-2020, 09:26 AM

Excellent guitar, I don't think you can go wrong with a LL16. Make sure you get it setup (lower the action at nut), which will make it much easier to play.

LifesShort · #5 05-29-2020, 09:34 AM

The LL16 is a great guitar. You may also want to consider its little brother, the LS16. The LS16 is OM sized and will be more comfortable to play sitting down. The trade-off is that you lose some of that deep bass that you get from a dreadnaught.

Good luck and welcome to the forum. There's a wealth of good info here and plenty of people with plenty of opinion always willing to help. (I mean that in the nicest way possible.)

lycokayaker · #6 05-29-2020, 10:43 AM

Thanks I was also considering the LJ. Saw one for sale in the classifieds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifesShort

The LL16 is a great guitar. You may also want to consider its little brother, the LS16. The LS16 is OM sized and will be more comfortable to play sitting down. The trade-off is that you lose some of that deep bass that you get from a dreadnaught.

Good luck and welcome to the forum. There's a wealth of good info here and plenty of people with plenty of opinion always willing to help. (I mean that in the nicest way possible.)

L20A · #7 05-29-2020, 12:45 PM

I own the LL-16-12 which is the 12 string version of the LL-16 ARE.
I am very happy with the guitar.

I got mine from Sweetwater.
Great company to work with.

Proclaimer888 · #8 05-29-2020, 12:50 PM

Hear nothing but good things about the LL16....I am on the hunt for a used LS26 myself but some of these Yamaha's can be hard to find in my neck of the woods. Good luck with whatever you find and remember to have fun...looking is half of the fun!

Birchtop · #9 05-29-2020, 01:10 PM

The LL16 is an awesome guitar! I love mine

Birchtop · #10 05-29-2020, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proclaimer888

Hear nothing but good things about the LL16....I am on the hunt for a used LS26 myself but some of these Yamaha's can be hard to find in my neck of the woods. Good luck with whatever you find and remember to have fun...looking is half of the fun!

I thought about getting the LL26 series Yamaha, but I understand they use the same poly type finish as the LL16. I know it’s a Japanese hand-build, but for what the LL26 costs they they should come with a nitro finish like the LL36 and up models do, IMHO.

There’s a reason the LL36 and up use a nitro finish

RP · #11 05-29-2020, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birchtop

The LL16 is an awesome guitar! :

There's a lot of love here for Yamaha acoustics, and the LL16 is an excellent choice...

Martin_F · #12 05-29-2020, 01:31 PM

I have never played the Yamaha LL16, but I know the FG5 is a very nice Yamaha. FG5 is a bit more expensive than the ll16, but it is made in Japan and top-notch quality. I absolutely love my FS5, but it has a little smaller concert body. The FG5 is the dreadnaught-like shape with the deeper bass.

If you like fingerstyle guitar, the FS5 is a great choice. For strumming and for that classic sound, the FG5 is an amazing guitar.

If price is a consideration, the FG3 and FS3 are made in China equivalent guitars. I have never played them though.

As far as buying online is concerned, the Yamaha's are very consistent in quality, for the most part. I doubt you will run into a "bad" guitar. I ordered my FS5 online and it had a blemish that was corrected with a new guitar. But, I don't expect that to happen all that often. Any guitar maker can ship out mistakes every now and then. Plus that, I am very picky and the blemish might not have been considered a big deal for some.

Most people around here are very happy with LL-16's from what I have read. The FG-5 is going to have a little more classic vintage tone. But, both are beautiful sounding. Plenty of examples on youtube of the guitars. If you search FG-5 vs Martin you will come up with a good video comparing the Yamaha to a Martin. Both are great, but the Yamaha is less than half price.

All this being said, I don't want to confuse the issue for you. The LL-16 is a great starter guitar. It will play nice, sound nice and last you for as long as you play the guitar. Not to say that you won't want another guitar eventually, but it won't be because the guitar sounds bad. It will just be because you want a different sound. This post was just to give you another Yamaha option that would be very suitable as well.

Martin

Br1ck · #13 05-29-2020, 01:49 PM

I've never bought anything with the Yamaha brand on it that wasn't good, either electronic gear or instruments. Plug in your price point, and they deliver quality for the cost regardless of it being $200 or $1000.

JBCROTTY · #14 05-29-2020, 02:02 PM

Hi Bill -

The LL16 is a great guitar - I really dig mine. Its a good choice - that being said, my recommendation is as follows....

Save your cash for an initial guitar. Grab a Yamaha FG800 - it will be a third of the cost of the LL16 (new) and is a fantastic guitar to learn on and play for a long time.

The reason I suggest conserving cash as you start is simply because as you learn and improve, your ear and tastes will change. What you like, what sound you are looking for, what tone you are seeking, what woods you prefer...all of that will morph and evolve. Why spend unnecessary money until you have a better idea what you like and what sounds good to you?

Best thing I ever dig when jumping back into playing was get a FG700S (the pre-FG800 equivalent) and was patient figuring out what sounded good to me. Even then, I've bought and sold a few guitars as I refine what I'm looking for. I never over-bought - I bought used, affordable, and only spent larger dollars once I had a solid idea of what worked for me.

Spending the additional $400 bucks on the LL16 will not improve your chances of sticking with guitar. The number of people who stick with guitar is a very small fraction of those who try it.

The FG800 is a great guitar and if you enjoy the hobby and find yourself sucked in like many of us, you will have plenty of time to trade up, buy other guitars, and generally piss away your money on gear you don't need like everyone else on here.