YAMAHA FS800 Small Body Solid Top Acoustic Guitar, Natural, Concert

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.

I have played guitar for many years, and have played all levels of quality, so I can give you a pretty good assessment of this Yamaha. A lot of what I have to say will echo what many of the other reviews have mentioned. 1. The guitar is shipped in a basic cardboard box without much protection. The first guitar I received the box was damaged on the side, and the guitar was cracked all the way down the front and I had to return it and get a replacement sent. Fortunately the second guitar showed up flawless. 2. The fretboard inlays are very small and you really can’t see them when you are playing so you have to use the side dots instead. Some people said they put stickers or something on those frets and I can see why. I just made the adjustment of using the side dots, but it was annoying at first. 3. Some people have complained about the action being too high, but that is not the case for me. I found this guitar to be very playable right out of the box, however I did tweak the truss rod just to make sure it was right. The way I determine that is by putting a capo on the first fret and seeing if the strings buzz. I see no need to mess with the saddle or the nut. The action is plenty low, and it’s not a strain to fret. 4. Some people have complained that the strings that come with the guitar are terrible, but that must be just a personal preference because I don’t feel the need to change them right away. They are medium gauge which is fine for a strummer, but if you plan on doing bends you will want to go to light gauge strings. 5. The sound of this guitar is wonderful. It has a rich, full tone. The built in tuner is fantastic, along with the volume and tone controls for when you plug in. The guitar stays in tune very well. 6. I think the only negative thing I could possibly say is that the neck is a bit wide for me, but that’s just my personal preference. I strongly recommend this guitar for anyone from beginner to experienced who wants a good quality guitar without spending up to a Martin or Taylor.

Reviewing the FSX800C - natural finish (Concert size acoustic/electric guitar with nato body). <= I feel the need to post that info because Amazon might very well combine this product listing and review with a Yamaha piano, motorcycle, snowblower or whatever else they make. OVERALL: This is just a phenomenal value guitar at this pricepoint. Don't hesitate. PLAYABILITY: It was ok out of the box. But all new guitars need a basic set up. I repeat: *ALL* NEW GUITARS *NEED* A BASIC SET UP. Wood is a natural product that moves around under tension and with changes in temperature and humidity. Plus the builders at the factory cannot possibly know what the climate of your home is or what type of action and string gauge you prefer, right? Right. Anyway, I've done all my own work for years and this guitar did not need much. The frets were nicely leveled from the factory but I did need to polish them up. The truss rod definitely did need some tightening. As on almost all new guitars (even guitars costing far more), the nut slots were high so I filed them down. After those adjustment, the action was great (with no fret buzz) so I did not need to touch the saddle. Btw, it's hard to see from online photos, but the stock synthetic saddle does indeed have a little compensation carve for the B-string. So my reward for an hour or so of work is that It plays as well as any acoustic I've ever picked up. Also, I find the slightly shorter scale-length very comfortable. The neck is pretty much in the middle of the road as size goes. Neither narrow nor wide, not too fat or too skinny. It should be fine for a wide range of players, (Personally, I prefer a huge fat neck but that's not an option down at this end of the budget.) I LOVE the finish on the neck. The body has a typical gloss finish but the back of the neck is NOT grain-filled and has a satin finish so it feels a lot like playing on raw wood which is fantastic. TONE: I bought a Yamaha FG 340 dreadnought way back in 1990 (still have it) but I always wanted a smaller acoustic/electric. This guitar doesn't quite have the deep bass that you get from a larger dreadnought guitar but I find that it's plenty loud acoustically and has a punchy, crisp voice. Whatever they did with the scalloped-bracing seems to have worked. It's versatile for solo playing, sing-along strumming and it mixes well with other instruments. (I've always found dreadnoughts to have too much boom and sizzle.) ELECTRONICS: Built-in tuner is nice and simple. I've only briefly tried it plugged into a PA and the volume and EQ controls seem to work very well. The parametric mid control can really help shape your tone. LOOKS: Fit and finish are very good. The 800 is classy but understated (you definitely get more bling on the 820 or 830 but they're more spendy, of course). The fingerboard inlays are pretty small and not super-visible but the side-dots are fine. All in all, this guitar is definitely worth what they're asking for it.

I'm not a very experienced guitar player, so I can't guarantee you that this guitar will wow someone who is a true connoisseur. However, I did look carefully into the options and found this to be a well regarded instrument. Three days of extensive playing in, I can confirm that it sounds great. What's more, I was able to take it right out the box and play it without any further "set up" than it received at the factory. Sometime down the road I might look into what a luthier could do to make it even sweeter, but for the time being I'm pleased with the action and intonation. The guitar stays in tune, has no buzzing frets, and intones with reasonable accuracy all the way down the fretboard (sometimes plus or minus a few cents). It's affordable (comparatively), good looking, nice sounding, and high quality. I'm happy. Update: After owning the guitar for 8 months and playing it for hours every week, I have nothing but good things to say. It's got a great sound, a really comfortable size, and continues to stay in tune for multiple sessions. After several months of use I replaced the original strings and opted for a lighter gauge. The guitar kept its superb playability and the tone remained excellent (though changed slightly given the lighter strings). I can now add, after developing more experience with acoustic guitars, that the neck is quite comfortable to play. That will, of course, be a matter of taste, but as a newbie I found it very easy to use pretty much right away. No regrets: this is a great guitar.

the guitar was very good but it has a small dent. that's why I return it

Great beginner guitar for me 16yo daughter to start learning. It’s the smaller body, so she can hold it properly. It’s quality for her to keep a lifetime, but affordable enough to start on.

Great guitar for the $. Quality sound and durable. Bought for my nephew. Like the acoustic/electric capability and built in tuner.

Beautifully made! Price great for the quality. I love it! ❤️