Get Back! He's Got A Guitar!
Written: Jul 26 '00 (Updated Aug 08 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing value at an affordable price
Cons: Deadly in the hands of the untalented
The Bottom Line: Beginner guitar players have a huge choice of instruments. Yamaha models should always be considered.
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| sweeper's Full Review: Yamaha F310 Jumbo |
Back in high school, girls paid attention to you if you were either:
a.) devilishly handsome, sported one of those leather and felt "letter" jackets, and drove anything convertible or
b.) sinister, wore dark glasses, ragged jeans and a leather vest and was on the verge of anorexia, road a motorcycle and talked a lot about Led Zeppelin.
Naturally, I was neither. But I did my best in attracting women of the opposite sex by creating my own category c.) camouflaged acne to the best of my ability, walked the length of a school hallway without tripping, NOT wearing the clothing my parents bought me from Sears, and playing the guitar. (Hint for you guys just starting out: go for a or b.)
I "learned" to play on acoustic guitars I borrowed from a variety of sources including a no-namer with an oddly warped neck from my church to a classic and totally unaffordable Gibson Hummingbird whose sweet sounds still reverberate in my head. The sweet sounds, however, never happened when I was playing it. Since then, I've owned a slough of acoustic guitars with my last one being the Yamaha Jumbo, an affordable full-sized, nicely made instrument. By the way, I think "Oddly Warped Necks" would be an excellent name for a rock group.
If only Doris Hill could hear me today picking out the first licks in "Stairway to Heaven" she'd still think I was a pizza-faced geek. But enough about me. My Yamaha is an economy-priced guitar whose market is the beginner strummer or for those, like me, who never mastered the guitar but keeps one around the house to entertain my deaf guests, nieces and nephews who don't know better, or as a mindless distraction when my local telephone company disconnects me from the internet because of some so-called "late payment." The guitar suits my "style" which means strumming or Travis picking through Bob Dylan; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, especially Neil Young, lots of Neil Young; Jimmy Buffet; and any other song that doesn't require "commitment" to practice and learn. No Al DeMeola for these fumble fingers. Those who actually know how to play wonder if I'm really serious when I'm playing or if I'm actually suffering some medical condition.
When I gave guitar lessons (it was either that or bagging groceries), I always recommended the Yamaha brand for those buying their first guitar. Indeed, many of the grade-school students bought or had Yamaha 3/4 and 7/8 scale models. I've lost track of most of those budding musicians but at least one, and I'm not making this up, went on to perform at the most recent Woodstock music festival. However, I'm sure she performed something other than "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore". To this day, Yamaha's most affordable guitars continue to be a good value for the beginner.
Yamaha builds a decent beginner guitar, my own being one of them. Last year when a group of neighbors realized we all play, we decided to "jam". Never was such random noise considered "Blues in D". The only thing we had in common other than a severe lack of talent was three of us had Yamaha acoustics. Two were purchased at a club warehouse store and mine at an actual guitar retailer. We inspected each other's instruments and discovered that while the models differed slightly, all had identical worm gear tuning mechanisms and what appeared to be identically made necks. Box style differed slightly but construction was similar. I figure this mass production and interchangeable parts are what allows Yamaha's high quality at affordable prices. Thanks Eli Whitney!
My own Yamaha has a relatively thin neck allowing me to get through the toughest parts of "Puff, The Magic Dragon" without excessive strain on my not too large hands and fingers. The frets have shown little wear in comparison with equally priced guitars I've owned. Likewise, the 20 fret rosewood fingerboard has held up nicely. The guitar holds its tuning well but, as if it would help, I tune it whenever I intend to play. A pitch pipe gets me in the ball park and relative pitch tuning finishes the job. The box material is natural spruce on top with mahogany sides. Nothing special. The varnish finish has remained "hard", a quality that affects the sound in a good way.
Medium gauge strings work best on this model. Thinner strings, while easier to play, make a thinner and weaker sound. Thicker strings don't improve the sound and I tend to eschew them believing they put a strain on the necks of economy guitars.
The sound is more than adequate for learning and for living room groups where a more-talented-than-me musician would perform. This model is by no means intended for use in real performances by accomplished players. It doesn't assert itself like a solid back Gibson nor does it have the flat response and "throat" of an upper end model that costs ten times as much.
Beginners looking for an affordable yet quality guitar and those like me who occasionally enjoy torturing their spouses or their dogs with Neil Young's "Harvest Moon", will find great value in this instrument.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sweeper
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Member: David Burckhard
Location: San Jose, CA
Reviews written: 109
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