Ever fancied an acoustic to play on snowy evenings? We’ve all been there.
You see a friend rocking his guitar at a campfire. He makes these weird shapes on the fretboard of the beautiful instrument and somehow manages to make beautiful sounds.
Enchanted, you decide to learn the acoustic guitar and desperately look for one to buy.
Sadly, there are thousands of guitar models and to somebody new to the craft, it can get very daunting to decide on one.
In this Yamaha FG830 Review, we take a look at why guitarists favor this instrument. Let’s get on with it!
Table of Contents
Overview of Yamaha FG830
Yamaha FG830 Acoustic Guitar
What We Like
- Beautiful rosewood frets
- Solid construction materials
- Versatile in use
- Great value on a budget
Our Verdict
The Yamaha FG 830 is a perfect instrument for you if you’re looking for a mid-range acoustic guitar that looks nice and has awesome playability.
The Spruce/ Rosewood dreadnought acoustic is a great investment in your guitar journey and you’ll have a lot of fun learning on this.
Yamaha – The Brand
As a maker of quality instruments, amps and effects, Yamaha has a solid standing in the guitar community. The brand is also proud of innovative products in the music industry including pianos, xylophones, and a wide variety of professional-grade equipment.
It’s no surprise that Yamaha guitars are quality-made from the best materials and are built to last. The FG 700 was a legendary guitar in terms of both price and value, and as a result, it was one of the most selling guitars in the history of guitars.
The Yamaha FG 830 is also an affordable yet quality guitar with top-of-the-line features that compare with those of the more expensive models.
Aesthetics
The dreadnought body looks quite nice on the rosewood frets. The headstock has a classic Yamaha logo.
Unlike electric guitars that have pickups to produce sound, acoustic guitars do not usually have pickups unless they are meant to be amplified through an acoustic amp. As such, they have a sound chamber with a soundhole decorated on the outside.
The beauty of fine lines and the gorgeous natural finish is something that I really like about this.
The frets do not have flashy inlays but do have dot inlays on the top and sides so you don’t have to look at the frets when playing. This comes in very handy when playing live.
A lovely cream binding runs across the guitar which gives a vintage feel to the guitar.
As an upgrade to the best-selling FG700, the FG830 reflects on the legendary value of its predecessor.
The guitar comes in an Autumn or Tobacco sunburst, so you can choose which one you’d like. Personally, I like the Tobacco sunburst more.
Tuning
As with the FG700, this acoustic guitar has standard die-cast tuning machines that do the job of holding strings in tune well.
The acoustic guitar comes out of the box with nice strings but you can get a better sound if you swap them out for your favorite set of strings. Personally, I would go for inexpensive Martin Light ones but you can go for any you like.
As for the intonation, the FG 830 comes set up out of the box with spot-on frets.
If you don’t play higher frets much, you won’t need to look into the intonation side of guitars. But if you regularly play acoustic lead lines in the upper registers, well-intonated frets will make a huge difference.
Neck
The Yamaha FG 830 has a Nato neck which is basically just pieces of wood glued together. It still does the job well, so there isn’t anything bad about that.
Some guitarists shy away from Nato wood thinking anything but mahogany is trash. I find that mindset annoying as there are many instruments that are affordable only because the manufacturer opted to go for cheaper materials. It’s actually great for guys like us with a limited budget looking for decent instruments.
I really like the rosewood fingerwood. It looks beautiful and feels great when playing, so it’s great.
There are dot inlays on the side of the neck which makes playing without looking at the frets very easy.
The slim neck profile also makes playing barres very easy, and the full-scale neck is suitable for all genres as it has nearly four-octave ranges.
Body
The construction material is a surprise on this!
Solid Rosewood has been used to make both back and sides, and solid spruce for the top. It sounds just like something from the 70s- thanks to the wonderful choice of materials.
The gloss finish on the wood brings out the wood patterns to life.
The classic dreadnought body looks great but if you’ve never played one of these, you will need some time to adjust to how these feel on your lap.
The saddle is made out of plastic but the bridge is made from rosewood. As such, the bridge is durable and won’t come off easily.
If there’s one thing I don’t like about this guitar, it’s that it doesn’t have anchor points for straps to hold on to. I like playing with a strap on, so I would look into installing anchors on this guitar anyway.
The Yamaha FX 830 has an elegant pickguard typical of classic dreadnoughts. I prefer to replace pickguards with custom ones but I like this pickguard very much.
The tobacco sunburst finish looks classy!
How It Sounds?
The Yamaha FG830 is a fully acoustic guitar meaning that it doesn’t have a built-in preamp or a place to hook up your cables. This makes the tone as pure as it gets and you can hear the beautiful resonance when you play it.
If you listen closely, you can hear a beautiful undertone even when strumming along to a beat.
This guitar has been constructed with scalloped bracing so that it has a warm sound with smooth mids and crisp highs. The sound quality is awesome- thanks to the Solid Spruce Sitka top.
It sounds great for anything from slow country ballads to fingerstyle to dirty blues. You can even use it on stage if you play around with the mic positions.
Who it’s for
You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy the subtleties of a quality acoustic guitar.
It doesn’t cost much, and for just above 300$, having a quality piece of instrument is no joke. The inexpensive aspect and excellent playability make it an ideal guitar for taking on trips and just stashing in the back seat of your car.
The Yamaha FG 830 is intended for both professionals and beginners alike. Beginners will have a great time learning on this, and professionals can use it for practicing as well as doing on-the-fly acoustic gigs, often paired with portable mini amplifiers.
It’s also a great gift item for your friends and family, and anybody would love to have it.
Score
Bottom Line
Made out of excellent materials with exceptional attention to detail, the Yamaha FG 830 offers a fantastic sound with crisp highs and robust mids.
A satin finish on the slim neck makes gliding across the frets very easy. You won’t have to worry about comfort or playability with this guitar.
The Yamaha FG 830 offers a solid value for a low price and will fit your musical needs perfectly.
Considering Other Beginner Acoustic Guitars
While the Yamaha FG830 offers exceptional value for new players seeking a pure acoustic experience, it's worth exploring the diverse landscape of beginner-friendly instruments. Many aspiring musicians might also consider an electro-acoustic model, which provides the flexibility to amplify their sound for performances or practice with effects. For instance, the Yamaha FX370C electro-acoustic guitar presents a compelling alternative, offering a blend of traditional acoustic tone with modern amplification capabilities, making it a popular choice for those looking for versatility right from the start of their guitar journey.
FAQ
1. Can you use a strap with Yamaha FG 830?
Sadly, you cannot strap the FG 830 as there are no anchor points. If you would want one, you can always put inexpensive strap buttons yourself.
2. Can I put a pickup on this to hook up to an amp?
Yes, you certainly can put a piezo on this but it kind of defeats the purpose of having a fully acoustic guitar. If you still want to amplify it, you can get piezo pickups for cheap and install them near the soundhole.
You’ll want to use an acoustic amp with the piezo as an amp meant for electric guitar probably won’t pick up all the characteristics of the rich acoustic tone. For those interested in dedicated electric guitar practice, especially for quiet sessions, a headphone guitar amplifier offers a versatile and portable solution.