Yamaha FG800 Acoustic Guitar Review (Hands-On & In-Depth)

One of the hardest things that beginner guitar players face is that a lot of the beginner guitars on the market aren’t all that good. You may end up being frustrated with some of the beginner packages.

Yamaha is a company that makes excellent beginner guitars. I’ve played many of these instruments as a teacher because my students used to play them. This Yamaha FG800 review looks at one guitar you should consider.

A beginner guitar needs to be comfortable for the student. It should have a decent tone, be easy to tune up, and instill confidence in the new student. Yamaha is a company that produces some of the better beginner instruments.

Yamaha FG800 Review: About the Yamaha FG800

The Yamaha FG800 is a beginner dreadnought guitar. It has a whole tone, easy-playing neck, and you can get it for a moderate price.

It’s the perfect instrument for a beginner guitar player.

Body

The top of the guitar is made with solid spruce, which produces a rich and warm tone. The back and sides are okoume, which further enhances the sound of this guitar. The body has a smooth gloss finish.

Neck

You get 20 frets on the nato wood neck. The radius is 15.74″, and it’s got a 25.5″ scale length. So the neck is comfortable no matter what position you play in.

Pickup

The guitar doesn’t come with a pickup, but it’s easy to install a soundhole pickup or have a guitar technician put one under the saddle for you. This will allow you to record with the guitar or play it live.

Other Parts

It comes standard with regular tuning machines, an acoustic style pickguard, and a walnut bridge. You can also use a phone app with this guitar to access enhanced features such as lessons or a tuner.

Pros & Cons

Yamaha FG800 Review: My Experience with the Yamaha FG800

I’ve always been impressed with Yamaha guitars. They are excellent beginner instruments, and the FG 800 is no exception. I had a chance to play one of these recently, and I was impressed with the tone.

For any beginner, mainly an older student, this is the ideal dreadnought. It’s not the best option for a smaller student because of its size, but for the older child or young adult, this is a great guitar.

I found it easy to play chords on the guitar. It’s not a struggle like you can have with some beginner guitars. Once I turned it up, it held its tone without too much adjustment.

The Sound

You get a nice full tone with this instrument. It’s perfect for playing chords, soloing, or fingerpicking. It’s well suited to multiple guitar styles. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting a decent sound out of this beginner guitar.

When I was jamming with my friend, his Yamaha FG 800 was able to keep up in terms of tone with my more expensive acoustic. My guitar was a little bit louder, but he still had a decent tone.

A lot of beginner guitars aren’t able to do this. They have a weak tone no matter what you’re playing on them. This dreadnought doesn’t have this sort of tone, so it’s a better instrument than a lot of beginner guitars.

The Body

The body of the guitar is made of solid wood. The spruce top gives it a good tone. I didn’t find any imperfections in the instrument. The bridge, tuning pegs, and other components were solid.

It’s an excellent bargain for its price.

The Neck

The neck on the guitar is smooth. It’s easy to play in every position. However, since this is a full-size dreadnought, the neck probably isn’t the best for younger beginners. They might struggle to play chords on the larger neck.

The Phone App

One of the unique features of this guitar is that there is a phone app that comes with it. All you need to do is register your guitar, and you get a tuner, basic lessons, articles, videos, and other great content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions that consumers have about the Yamaha FG800. I want you to be informed before you make that final purchasing decision.

Is the FG800 a Good Deal?

The Yamaha FG800 is an exceptional deal because it’s a full-featured dreadnought. It has an excellent tone and playability for its price. You can get this guitar for just over $200, which is a good bargain.

Many lower-cost dreadnought guitar kits may sound like a good deal, but the guitar is often poorly made. This leads to frustration as a player. This guitar has the sound that you want, which will inspire you as a beginner.

How Can I Make My Guitar Sound Better?

This guitar has an average sound. Most beginner guitars sound decent, but they don’t have the same tone as an expensive instrument. To improve the sound of your guitar, make sure you always use new strings.

Another thing you can do is to take it to a guitar technician to have it set up correctly. Lower-cost instruments may need a bit of a setup until they play better.

What Are the Advantages of the FG800 Yamaha Acoustic Guitar?

The main advantage to this guitar is that it’s low-cost, yet it has a decent quality tone for a beginner guitar. This instrument also comes with a phone app that has a lot of excellent features, such as a guitar tuner and lessons.

What Are the Disadvantages of the FG800 Yamaha Acoustic Guitar?

The main disadvantage to this guitar is that it lacks the professional sound that some players may want. For a beginner, you probably won’t notice much difference, but some experienced players might not like the tone.

Another disadvantage is that it doesn’t ship with a hardshell guitar case. You’ll have to pick one of these up on your own to protect your instrument.

What Does the Phone App Do?

You can use the phone app once you’ve registered your guitar. This gives you access to a guitar tuner, lessons, articles, videos, tricks, and other helpful information for the beginner guitar player.

Does It Have a Pickup?

This is a beginner guitar, and it doesn’t ship with a pickup. There are plenty of them available on the market, such as a soundhole pickup, which is easy to install. Pickups can also be installed under the saddle at your local guitar store.

Yamaha FG800 Warranty

Please check with Yamaha or your local music store where you purchased this instrument to determine your warranty. This may be different depending on where you purchased the guitar from.

Where to Buy the Yamaha FG800 Acoustic Guitar

Here is where you can pick up your new Yamaha acoustic guitar. Probably the best place to buy this instrument is online as you have a wide selection, and you have the ability to order at any time.

Amazon

I prefer to do a lot of my shopping at Amazon. They have a wide selection of musical instruments, including Yamaha guitars. They ship products quickly, have good customer service, and you can leave reviews.

Order Online

Sweetwater and Guitarcenter are two other excellent locations to pick up musical instruments online. Both of them have a very good selection, good customer service, and fast shipping times.

Your Local Store

You may also want to check out your local music store to see if they have any Yamaha guitars in stock. Since these are beginner guitars, many music stores have them available, so it’s worth it to have a look.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading my Yamaha FG 800 review. This is an excellent beginner guitar. It has a good tone for the money since it’s a full-size dreadnought. It’s great for older students that want a good acoustic sound.

Please share, like, and leave comments on this article. I look forward to speaking to you about Yamaha guitars or musical instruments in general. Enjoy your new Yamaha guitar.