Yamaha Red Label

[motskoman]

My first decent steel string was a new red label 1968 Yamaha FG-140. Really nice guitar for $99. Only problem was that my friend had a stellar 1964 D-28. After hearing his everything else sounded one dimensional. Traded it for a lousy bag of weed when I moved out of my dorm. What was i thinking?

[fd943]

You were't........that why you get high, right? 

[motskoman]

You were't........that why you get high, right? 

Probably.

[ibisimon]

  New guy. You eat the donuts, I just lost 50 pounds!

On the Acoustic Guitar Forum I go by Yamaha Junkie. I changed the name for here to protect the innocent. Plywood to me implies fillers. Yamaha was not attempting cheap, they were attempting a break through in strength. IMO they did that with many models. In the 60's Yamaha was having the same problem many manufacturers were having. Tops splitting. They started slicing the tops into 2 layers and regluingthe split back together with only a slight turn in the grain. The Yamaha lamination process was for strength, not economy. Any of the FG 240's and below number wise are pretty basic models. I would spend $200 on an FG180 before pondering anything else in the price range. The Holy Grail is the FG300. Brazilian Rosewood (Laminated) My guitar teacher, who's opinion on Acoustics I worship, wants my FG300 B A D!
I avoid Yamahas with Nato necks. Nato is a furniture grade Mahogany that I feel was the downfall of the great Yamahas.
I have owned a few "Yamadogs" No matter how nice the Natos look they implicate the rest of the guitar as gone cheap. Here is a valuable link to help you disect what the various models are made of. Note the materials are laminates unless marked "solid"
   http://www.yamaha.com/apps/guitararchives/guitarchive2.asp

I have found the old Yamahas hold tune fantastic
Here is my current Possie;
FG 300 - Fantastic sound, cool adjustable bridge. The pickguards hate modern glues. If you get one with a loose pickguard (most are) DO NOT USE anything stronger than Titebond on it to reatatch. Otherwise it will curl and mutate like a dying leaf My pickguard is toast. Victim of a knowitall Luthier (insert anger). I love my beat up 300 anyway
FG350W It's a Taiwan version (Tan label) of the 300. The neck needs attention from time to time. Great sound.
LA18 Wow Japan made in the 80's. Part of the handbuilt series. Incredible tuners. These are so underpriced for what they are in quality and sound. Read about the LA series at Yamaha's web site. They made some groundbreaking moves with the series.
N500 Looks like/ Sounds like an old Gibson. They were Japan market only. The tuners are Jade colored. One of the prettiest, but simple guitars they ever made. Great deep tones. I need to get the strings lowered on it.
Still on my list to aquire is a LA28 and a L53. So, if you find one of those, you can't have it, mine.

[sneaky]

a few pics of some of my old Yamaha Dynamics you know, in case somebody missed them the first 14 times I posted them. Guys at a Japanese site say my Dynamic #1 with a 4 digit serial dates to the early 50s while most with the white and red labels are from the early to mid 60s. Seems the light green labels came mid 60s and the Dynamics ended. The Dynamics are all solid wood and beautiful little guitars...won`t post pics of all 20 plus I own though.
Beautiful flame maple on the back of some of them. Others were stained dark brown so the flame can`t be seen but the #40s I have all have exquisite maple.

[sneaky]

This is my No. 45 from the first run of classicals...early/mid 60s...but they don`t have the wide flat necks that classicals now have...the necks on these is much rounder and as gorgeous as the Dynamics.

[Blue in VT]

Very intersting thread...can someone point me toward a referece that explains the various sizes ans shapes of these yamahas?  \
\
thanks

Blue

[drathbun]

I am starting a two-week luthier/guitar repair/setup course on Monday. My first project is to do a neck reset, refret, new bone saddle and nut on my 1968 Yamaha FG150. I will be doing a photojournal of the process.

Here is the old beater. I can't wait to play it after the reset!

[ibisimon]

I am starting a two-week luthier/guitar repair/setup course on Monday. My first project is to do a neck reset, refret, new bone saddle and nut on my 1968 Yamaha FG150. I will be doing a photojournal of the process.

Here is the old beater. I can't wait to play it after the reset!

I want that class!

[ibisimon]

This is my No. 45 from the first run of classicals...early/mid 60s...but they don`t have the wide flat necks that classicals now have...the necks on these is much rounder and as gorgeous as the Dynamics.

Hey you have too many! Leads on learning about sub 69' Yamahas is appriciated. And don't forget me when space gets tight.

[sneaky]

the only site on old Yamahas I know of is in Japanese.  Heres an audio link to somebody playing a few Dynamics...

http://www.geocities.jp/mmasmcb/kyoku/original.html

a link to their museum and a good place to view the changes the Dynamic labels went through...

http://www.geocities.jp/mmasmcb/catalog.html

and finally I get a lot from the Japan Vintage series of books with two dedicated to acoustics...I mean...my wife translates stuff that I think looks important. A member here chatted with me about a couple that he has seen on e-bay so they are around overseas and my books say they exported the 30, 50 and 70 models...and those had some split top problems which led to experimenting with laminates and by the mid 60s they were ready for production with two light green lable models...but prior to those came the S series Dynamics...which do not say Dynamic on the headstock, only on the label and came in two models...S-50 and S-70...I have one of each but they don`t sound as good to me as the all solids. Thing with the Dynamics is...they were pre CNC so the necks on all of em feel slightly different and my three  #40s are for some reason heavier than the rest of the Dynamics...bracing maybe? They number of guys at the Japnese site may be small but growing and are almost fanatical in their hunt for old Yamahas. Another interesting note on the Dynamics is...they were designed with steel posts to accept steel or nylon strings, I have seen pics of the Dynamics strings Yamaha made for the guitars but have not seen them in oerson, and they`d more than likely be rusted out by now but I would like to know what gauge they were. I tried some steels on the first couple that I bought but find they sound a lot better with nylons, and tuning down half a step really brings out the bass... though the audio clips will show, they sound pretty darn good in standard tunung too.
I recently picked up three old Yairis too

[sneaky]

I am starting a two-week luthier/guitar repair/setup course on Monday. My first project is to do a neck reset, refret, new bone saddle and nut on my 1968 Yamaha FG150. I will be doing a photojournal of the process.

Here is the old beater. I can't wait to play it after the reset!

I really love the way that looks...naturally reliced. Couple of my old Yamahas are pretty beat up too but they sound and play great...plus putting the inevitable dings into them is so much less painful with a pre-dinged guitar. 

[ibisimon]

THANKS! I know where I'll be nosing for a while. I'll post photo's of my Yamaha's when I figure it out!

[ducktrapper]

My old 180 makes that look pristine. I usually tell people, that if they can find a new place to scratch it, go ahead! Looks like Willie might have owned it for a while. 

[drathbun]

My old 180 makes that look pristine. I usually tell people, that if they can find a new place to scratch it, go ahead! Looks like Willie might have owned it for a while. 

My wife calls it "the hippy guitar". :) I was thinking of selling it a while ago and she wouldn't have any part of it. She says she loves that guitar because it has so much history in it. I wanted to part with it because it is so difficult to play now with the high action. But once I have the neck reset, it should play beautifully. I'm going to do a refret while I'm at it but not going to level the fretboard if I can help it. Those finger divots are part of the "history".

[sneaky]

ibison...been meaning to ask you about the string break angle at the saddle of your Yamaha...my 170 has a real low break, almost flat,  and I`ve been watching a lot of em on the Jpanese web and most if not all  the old ones seem to have the same thing. I tried to mevove the saddle to replace it but...feels ike it may have been glued in there and I don`t want to force it...so it doesn`t get played much, but I really like it and want to play it.
Howz yourn?

[JohnM2001]

Just curious, re the little pearl dot on the Dynamic bridge, why is that there, and what does it cover up?   I once had an old beater (brand unknown) that had a dot like that, when the bridge eventually lifted, it seemed like there was some type of screw under that pearl dot, since the bridge would not come off, and the loose bridge pivoted around that dot when moved.  So, is it the same thing with the Dynamics, a screw under that dot, and why?

[C-10-4-me]

So then not all Red Labels are solid tops,is that correct? Does Yamaha say "solid top" anywhere on the label?

Ron

[sneaky]

I think an S after the model number indicates a solid top.
I always thought the dot on the Dynamic was decorative...it`s the same size as the dots on the neck and ties in nicely with those in my opinion... I`ve never heard of there being a screw under it nor are there any pics in my books of a screw there. The classicals from that same time do not have the dot, and I`ve seen other makers that had two dots spaced out on the bridge. I suppose I could ask the guys at the Dynamic webb site what they think, I`ll do that tonight. Sorry but I don`t want to pop one of the dots out to check, all my Dynamics have the dot, none have fallen out I`ve not yet seen any pics on the web of that.

[sneaky]

John...heres the pics of the Dynamic bracing that I mentioned. The guys at the Dynamic site say that Mr. ??...forget his name... who developed the Dynamics at Yamaha had the bracing patented...may be, never looked into it. There are pics in my books of the Dynamic string packages that Yamaha made specifically for the series...and evidently they were designed for steel or nylon which is why they had steel posts.