Yamaha FS800 Small Body Solid Top Acoustic Guitar, Natural

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

10/10

Sound is not expected, I think fender FA 135 CE Concert V2 or Orangewood Oliver Mahagony is better with this price range.

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!

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 been looking for a knock-around guitar that sounds good, and I finally found it! I've played guitar since I was a teenager and I have several very fine instruments that I just don't want to bring to the park or the seaside, or on a camping trip. This Yamaha is what I've been looking for: decent tone, easy to play, stays in tune, has good intonation on the mid and upper frets. In conclusion, you'll be hard pressed to find a better brand new guitar for $300. This is a good beginner to intermediate guitar, and perfect for the seasoned player who wants to be able to take it outdoors and not worry about damage.

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!

I will start off by saying I am new to the instrument. Did a lot of research as I was (as you likely are) in that rather awkward position of unwilling to spend a lot of money not knowing if I would just end up quitting, but also not wanting to purchase a guitar that was so horribly made I would be forced to upgrade within months if I did indeed stick with it. This is a very well made, well set up, respectable acoustic guitar that can be appreciated by long time players. It's the solidly built, dependable Honda Civic (or VW Golf if you're European) of acoustics. There are obviously much better out there (not anywhere close to this price range) but one will not be embarrassed pulling up to the 'traffic lights' with this. Forget about cheap, inferior 'starter' or 'learner' guitar packages. Those are 3/4 size and/or all laminate pieces of junk that sound horrible. They will pretty much ensure you rarely practice because they are so difficult to play. This is a full size guitar, a little thinner than a traditional Dreadnought with a tighter waist, making it more comfortable to manipulate. People that have played for 30 years prefer this Concert size, very versatile. It also has a solid wood top which makes a significant difference with superior tone. Being new to guitar, I did change the strings to 10s (lighter) to make it a little easier on my fretting hand. I believe it ships with 12s which are the standard and require more hand strength. In short, learning guitar is difficult enough without the added burden of a lesser quality instrument. Give yourself a better chance of succeeding with a very decent, reasonably priced tool.