800

The Yamaha FS800 deserves all of its accolades. It's a great guitar. I consider myself on the low end of intermediate and I just love this guitar. I give it a five-star rating, but with the caveat that I needed to take it to my local guitar shop to have it professionally set-up and replaced the factory strings with Elixirs. It was playable, but the action was too high, and the neck needed some modest adjustments. But with those updates it sounds and plays amazing. While this is positioned as an entry-level guitar, it's a great guitar for anyone at any level. Your first guitar, a second guitar for an experienced player, etc. I love the slightly smaller size, the look. It's definitely a worthy investment. Guitar strings and guitar tone preferences are very personal. For me it took a few rounds of trying different strings to get the sound I like. I loved the guitar from the start, but my string choices led the guitar to sound a bit too twangy and boxy for my taste. Part of that is the function of a slightly smaller body. But I still wanted a bit more depth to the sound. After many experiments, I ended up using Martin Retro Monel Light guitar strings. They really make the guitar have a bit more depth to the sound but also lend a nice brightness. While my sound preference is personal and may not apply everyone, I wanted to share my string journey.

Thank you, Yamaha and Sam Ash for a great instrument at a reasonable price. I bought this guitar as a bang-around instrument. I own a very nice, twenty-year old 00-17 all mahogany Martin that I don't like taking to gigs or even out of its case on very dry, hot or cold days. At this price point I wasn't expecting much, but was I ever pleasantly surprised! The guitar is practically flawless. When I first unboxed it there was a bit of paste left on the body from the polishing process, but it easily wiped off. The finish around the base of the neck is not quite as smooth as the rest, but the frets are well filed and polished so that none are protuding. The set-up is great. The action is nice and low with no buzzing frets. This guitar projects sound nicely too. The solid spruce top is a HUGE plus, especially at this price. The guitar has a bright and full sound, which I anticipate will continue to improve with time. This guitar definitely is louder and brighter than my moody mahogany Martin. When it lacks the depth and warmth of my well-seasoned more costly guitar, it has it's own beautiful voice. It is perfect for finger picking but also sounds great with percussive playing as well. I love the size too. I'm so glad I found a solid top instrument at a great price that isn't a dreadnought. I'm a five-foot woman, and the concert size works very well for me. My twelve-year old picked it up and was also comfortable playing it. It would be a great beginner instrument, but even seasoned players can appreciate it. I'm certainly looking forward to dragging this little gem around with me!

EDIT: After I have set this guitar up (which involved mostly lowering the nut height, lowering the action overall and polishing the fret surfaces and ends) this guitar won me over. It just became mine. I put Eric Clapton strings on it which are slightly warmer and less bright and this guitar sings! I’m adding not one but two stars making it a perfect five! Original review: I've read a lot about how this guitar is a great value and a surprisingly good instrument at this price so maybe my expectations were too high, but I'm somewhat disappointed. First of all, the guitar arrived poorly set up. The action was extremely high due to, both, a very high nut and very high saddle. While updating the saddle I realize the original one was too thin: it fell out of the slot right away when I removed the strings. This caused it to lean forward in the slot, which affects the sound. It also affects intonation as it shortens the scale just a few micrometers (intonation was pretty good out of the box though but not perfect). After the saddle upgrade the intonation is perfect. I don't understand how it is possible that Yamaha does not care to install a saddle of a correct thickness, it does not cost more to simply install a matching saddle. The nut had a poorly cut slots, there was a lot of strings binding. The fret ends are quite sharp and not properly finished. The middle of the frets are very poorly polished: if you try to bend a note you will feel grinding. Very sloppy! I have no idea what Yamaha is bragging about when they say that the fretboard has "rolled edges" - no such thing. When changing the strings I inserted a small webcam into the sound hole to inspect the interior of the guitar. The bridge plate has lots of splinting and rough edges around the string holes, it's as if a 4-year-old drilled those wholes with a dull drill bit from a toy set (sad thing is that maybe it was ?). Lots of glue squeeze everywhere, bracing not being of correct length - don't look inside if you want to love this guitar! After the upgrades and a basic common sense setup the guitar is very easy to play. Not the most inspiring guitar to play as it does not have what one would call a character, but very playable. The sound is quite decent actually but lacking in bass response for sure. Also, in my sample, the low E string sounds thudy, as if made of rubber. I tried several strings and now have a good quality bone nut and saddle - unfortunately it has more to do with the resonance of the guitar and/or the neck's ability to transfer vibrations. It just sounds thudy with no sustain on anything other that open string. It is not a very nuanced guitar, does not respond to dynamics in playing well. However, somehow, I still like it. It is a very honest guitar. Very sincere. Does not pretend to be anything else that it is - an entry level guitar. It is not flashy, pretentious, fake. I still think that at $200 it is a great buy. Great as an everyday instrument that will not make me too precious about it, instead I will just play it without too much reverence towards it.

Fantastic. This guitar is only a bit smaller than the regular dreadnaughts, but it is just enough to make playing the guitar easier. The quality of the guitar is great. The action on the strings is low without experiencing any buzzing or ringing. The sound quality with the solid top is great. I would buy again though don't expect to need to do so!

Built is good. Strings needs to be changed. And setup the string height and you are good to rock.

Craftsmanship: Yamaha quality. I've owned a couple Yamaha guitars and this one is consistent with their brand. The FG800 appears to be much higher quality in materials and design than most of its competitors at lower price points. The head, tuning pegs, and fretboard are much nice than Epiphone DR-100. I wasn't sure about the Natural spruce colour for the top when I ordered it, but it looks great. The strings are good quality and setup are very nice. Medium. They remain in tune over long periods. Packaging: Packaged for shipment in a light, but highly-protected corrugated cardboard box with clear labels that it's a guitar. Surprised there was no damage but it arrived in perfect condition. This set does not include any accessories which may be useful for beginners. Great guitar to learn on, I could play this for several hours on end.

Ultimate guitar quality .. I have been playing guitar since last 20 years and this sound really great and sweet . Wood quality is also very good .

It came in time and in good condition