Yamaha FGX Red Label (current models)

rb1591 · #1 06-17-2022, 05:07 AM

Is anyone using an Yamaha FGX5 or FGX3 for regular gigging. I'm interested in your actual on-the-gig experience. Like so many on this forum, I've been through many, many varieties on after-market pick-ups/signal chains, and I still come away frustrated for the most part. So I'm ready to try one of the better built-in models from Yamaha, Takamine, Maton, etc.

By way of musical context, I finger pick, strum and everything in between. Generally, I'm playing restaurant/bars in a singing duo … usually not loud.

Thanks for your thoughts.

YamahaGuy · #2 06-17-2022, 08:42 AM

Maybe I need to play it more. Lately, my FGX5 has been making some weird noises mid-gig. It's really annoying. Especially in church services.

It acts like a cable is bad or a battery is dead. Aside from that, I have no complaints.

Several other guitars get the nod over my FGX5 though. Cole Clark FL1E-BM is one.

rb1591 · #3 06-17-2022, 12:10 PM

Yamaha Guy,
Funny thing I just realized – I asked this question several months ago and you responded. Thanks then and thanks now. Appreciate the update also. (That's what happens when old guys get on a forum.)

Sounds like the Atmos Feel is a very good system, but not that much better than the usual suspects. Since this may be my last stage guitar purchase, I'm want something that really is better … or just be satisfied with what I've got.

Difficult to make these decisions when you live in an area that has no guitar shops that carry such products. I'm at the mercy of YouTube and my own imagination which are not necessarily great resources.

YamahaGuy · #4 06-17-2022, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rb1591

Yamaha Guy,
Funny thing I just realized – I asked this question several months ago and you responded. Thanks then and thanks now. Appreciate the update also. (That's what happens when old guys get on a forum.)

Sounds like the Atmos Feel is a very good system, but not that much better than the usual suspects. Since this may be my last stage guitar purchase, I'm want something that really is better … or just be satisfied with what I've got.

Difficult to make these decisions when you live in an area that has no guitar shops that carry such products. I'm at the mercy of YouTube and my own imagination which are not necessarily great resources.

Always glad to reply. I bought my FGX5 sight unseen. Most of my guitars that way in fact.

I did, however drive to Sweetwater to audition my Takamine P5DC. I'm glad I did. I've added the body sensor to it and it is in the top 5 of my guitars plugged in tone-wise. The neck profile takes some getting used to and the guitar is fairly heavy. Also, it takes 4 AA batteries which isn't a deal breaker but I do worry about them going dead mid-gig.

The FGX5 has a light that comes on to warn you when it's two AA batteries are about to die.

Without question, the Cole Clark system will not disappoint. There again, I bought mine sight unseen and the neck profile is very different than I'm used to.

rb1591 · #5 06-17-2022, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YamahaGuy

Always glad to reply. I bought my FGX5 sight unseen. Most of my guitars that way in fact.

I did, however drive to Sweetwater to audition my Takamine P5DC. I'm glad I did. I've added the body sensor to it and it is in the top 5 of my guitars plugged in tone-wise. The neck profile takes some getting used to and the guitar is fairly heavy. Also, it takes 4 AA batteries which isn't a deal breaker but I do worry about them going dead mid-gig.

The FGX5 has a light that comes on to warn you when it's two AA batteries are about to die.

Without question, the Cole Clark system will not disappoint. There again, I bought mine sight unseen and the neck profile is very different than I'm used to.

The Tak pro series is another one I'm considering. I'm a little leery of the Cole Clark because never heard a demo of it acoustically that excited me.

Yeah, I'm mostly concerned about the stage sound, but the acoustic sound is not unimportant. My preference is one guitar for stage and home.

Can you tell me a little more about the Takamine compared to the CC? Did the body sensor add anything significant?

YamahaGuy · #6 06-17-2022, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rb1591

The Tak pro series is another one I'm considering. I'm a little leery of the Cole Clark because never heard a demo of it acoustically that excited me.

Yeah, I'm mostly concerned about the stage sound, but the acoustic sound is not unimportant. My preference is one guitar for stage and home.

Can you tell me a little more about the Takamine compared to the CC? Did the body sensor add anything significant?

The CC allows you to dial in more body sensor and more mic (there is an actual mic in it). Any and all changes make it sound more natural plugged in. I don't think it sounds bad unplugged.

The Tak has an endless preamp which let's you dial in/out frequencies for feedback resistance. The Cooltube adds a girthy tone to the midrange. Only blending in the body sensor makes it sound more natural plugged in. Unplugged it sounds good but feels slightly overbuilt. If not for the body sensor, I don't think I'd be happy with it plugged in.

Rick Jones · #7 06-17-2022, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rb1591

The Tak pro series is another one I'm considering. I'm a little leery of the Cole Clark because never heard a demo of it acoustically that excited me.

Yeah, I'm mostly concerned about the stage sound, but the acoustic sound is not unimportant. My preference is one guitar for stage and home.

Can you tell me a little more about the Takamine compared to the CC? Did the body sensor add anything significant?

I have a Takamine TNV360SC (MIJ) with the cooltube preamp and a fishman SBT into it's aux (which has it's own volume knob on the barndoor).

I also have a Cole Clarke FL3 (an early one with the Face Brace sensor) that's Spruce over Australian Blackwood.

Unplugged the Tak is honestly amazing, no matter what anyone says I think these Japanese ones are very very good acoustically. Mine is, for sure. I used it on this recording straight into the mics, no pickup:
'Eden' from 2010

The Cole Clarke unplugged is kind of uninspiring. It sounds ok, but there's not a lot of sustain or overtones and it doesn't make me want to play it much. It does have good low end punch, but it's not lively enough for me, especially fingerpicked.

Plugged in the Cole Clarke sounds remarkably better than it does unplugged... weirdly some of the 'air' I hear isn't even there in the unplugged tone. It also has a ton of headroom and you've got to lay right into it to get that piezo transient sound happening. I can run the face-brace sensor at 90% on the slider and LOUD, and it won't feed back.

The Tak plugged in is also amazing. I dial the SBT in the aux up for percussive songs but otherwise back it off to about 10% or it can feed back if you get beamed by the right(wrong) frequencies in the monitor. It sounds big and warm and again you can play it quite hard before the quack hits, but not as much as with the Cole.

If you want a great guitar for both, the Tak is a better option. My Cole is literally just used for festival type gigs outdoors now because it doesn't seem to mind weather changes and I know the soundman will like the signal he's getting.

Incidentally, my two Avalons are my preferred gigging guitars, as they both run magnetic/SBT combos: Sunrise and K&K (with an internal MiSi endjack preamp on the latter) on the L32, and Fishman's Powertap Earth on the A32. I prefer these to the Tak or Cole Clarke, pugged or otherwise, mostly for the response and clarity string-to-string.

lowrider · #8 06-18-2022, 07:32 AM

It seems that the Atmosfeel pickup system isn't turning out to be all it was thought to be when it's in the real world.

If you have a Yamaha FGX or FSX, would you order it again with the pickup or without and add an aftermarket pickup?

Petty1818 · #9 06-18-2022, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowrider

It seems that the Atmosfeel pickup system isn't turning out to be all it was thought to be when it's in the real world.

If you have a Yamaha FGX or FSX, would you order it again with the pickup or without and add an aftermarket pickup?

That's your take away from one person having some weird noises with their Atmosfeel pickup? I don't know, this is a very small thread with only one user of the pickup actually posting. I wouldn't use it as a gauge for how the Atmosfeel is performing in a live setting. Yamaha don't put out crappy products, but unfortunately sometimes we just get unlucky and get the one pickup that has issues.

lowrider · #10 06-18-2022, 08:17 AM

No, it's not from one person's post. It's from what I've seen from several sources saying that they preferred the simpler Yamaha PU with just a UST.

I've never seen or played a guitar with the Atmosfeel, but what I'm seeing online is less than glowing personal reviews after ownership, so I am starting to wonder about it.

I've been posting for a while that I want to try one of these and if I like it I plan of buying it. But now I'm starting to wonder if I should just get a FG-5 and put my own pickup in it.

Do you own an FGX? What do you think of it?

SpruceTop · #11 06-18-2022, 02:07 PM

I just purchased a new Yamaha FGX5 but I've only had it for a couple of weeks with no weird noises emanating from the Atmosfeel System. Look soon for my review of the guitar and some sound-file demos.

rb1591 · #12 06-18-2022, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

I just purchased a new Yamaha FGX5 but I've only had it for a couple of weeks with no weird noises emanating from the Atmosfeel System. Look soon for my review of the guitar and some sound-file demos.

Great, looking forward to that. BTW, today I watched the best acoustic demo of the FGx3 that I’ve seen. Just posted on YouTube by Guitar Gallery in South Africa. Acoustically, I was very impressed. No Atmosfeel demo.