c.1978 Yamaha FG-345 Dreadnought Guitar




Well here's a good, practical guitar. One can say that about most Yamahas, though! This one came as part of a trade deal and I just gave it a fret level/dress, new set of 50w-11 strings, and a good setup. It plays like butter and has that simple, useable lower-end Yamaha sound. This is an all-laminate guitar (spruce over rosewood) so it's not going to win any prizes for superb tone but it sure does get you a good deal closer to decent tone compared to the vast majority of similarly-built guitars from the same time. I wouldn't be ashamed to record on it or bring it to shows. This one was made in Taiwan and the serial dates it to 78.



No cracks, no super wear and tear, though it does have a jack-hole drilled in the lower-bout side (pickup since removed). There are also scuffs and nicks and light scratches throughout but the guitar is structurally very happy. It's a standard dreadnought size.


Sealed tuners are a nice upgrade! Rosewood headstock veneer and truss cover.


Pearl diamonds dress up the rosewood board. The neck is mahogany and it has a sort of 60s Martin shape to it.



For whatever reason Yamaha dyed their rosewood bridges black to look like ebony. It's silly... but a lot of makers did that. I added string ramps for better back angle and intonated the saddle while I was at it.





The neck angle is good and the joint is tight.


Note the extraneous jack hole. Want to put a pickup in? Half the job's done.




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Comments

Unknown said…
I'VE got the same exact instrument. Although I'm not sure if it's a 77 or 78. I purchased it in 1980.as the second owner from casio music store in Wisconsin.Many have come and gone since. It's in dier need of a complete fret job.Im 100% confident that I could do it and would love to but I would end up oweing Stew Mac an arm,leg and a left nut.as I would not skimp on tools.cost prohibitive.
March 30, 2023 at 10:27 PM
Unknown said…
I'VE got the same exact instrument. Although I'm not sure if it's a 77 or 78. I purchased it in 1980.as the second owner from casio music store in Wisconsin.Many have come and gone since. It's in dier need of a complete fret job.Im 100% confident that I could do it and would love to but I would end up oweing Stew Mac an arm,leg and a left nut.as I would not skimp on tools.cost prohibitive.I will have to shop around for less expensive tools,the fretboard is also grooved out horribly deep from 40+years of excessive GCandD chords.Still a solid piece and a good flat pick strummer.I notice the intonation issues when travis picking upward on the scale it is becoming a bit disheartening .Hell, I'm in my mid 60s and pretty beat up myself I make a few undesirable noises too and have been in the shop 6 times for repairs over the past 2 years.It doesn't mean I have to lean up against the wall in a corner and be forgotten.Id like to think I am of some use yet
March 30, 2023 at 10:53 PM
Stephen said…
I bought one at the local consignment store. I’m beginning to think it’s going to be my grab and go guitar. A very well built guitar as far as I can tell. As for it being laminated, I can’t say one way or the other. It’s a beautiful instrument and has a sound that rivals my Alvarez PD 100 S and my Martin D35. All this being said, we all know that there are varying influences on the tonal qualities of any guitar, such as string age, humility, the string guage, brand,etc.
According to a chart that was posted on the Yamaha FG group, it doesn’t list this guitar as a laminated instrument. For the $$, you can’t beat a Yamaha.
March 20, 2024 at 9:35 AM
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