Getting a guitar: Fender or Yamaha?

Q. I'm getting a guitar soon and did some research on some guitar brands. Googled some and narrowed the results down to two: Fender CD-60 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Black OR Yamaha CG101A Classical Guitar Natural?

Notice how the Fender is an acoustic and the Yamaha is a classical; I'm pretty sure that I can go with any

If you have one of those can you please review it? And if you can just give them both a rating of quality, features, value and an overall rating please, thanks! (Rate on 5 please -- meaning a maximum rating of 5) *NOTICE: I need the vote to be done in one day if possible, with at least 10 votes so ask your family or your music teacher! Thanks so much for the help!*

Answer
Low end Fender acoustics are not substandard. They consistently get good ratings from the pages of Guitar Player Magazine.

Here's the real difference you should consider when buying an acoustic guitar....

Does the guitar have a solid top? In your case, the Yamaha does, and the Fender doesn't.

Believe me...if the guitar has a solid top, it will be advertised as such. If it doesn't have a solid top, the description will merely say "spruce top, or laminated top"..etc.

Solid tops are preferable because they improve with age in tone, and even playability, and will last generations if well cared for. That's why we still see pre war Martins on the market.

Non-solid tops will not last as long and the resale value is negligible.

if you have your heart set on a steel string acoustic, I'd look into the following Fender. Yes, you'll have to save up a few more pennies, but the price paid will be worth it over the years, and you'll have a guitar that will still be around long after you're gone.

Read all the rave reviews on this guitar and decide for yourself, but remember....buy a solid top if you can afford it.
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-CD140SCE-AcousticElectric-Guitar?sku=517574

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What do you think of the Classical guitar Yamaha C 70?

guitar yamaha image

What do you guys think of the Classical guitar Yamaha C70? It's for about 147$. I'm a beginner and never had a guitar before.

Answer
I had this guitar for 5 years. It is a great choice. Its voice is really good and sweet. It has a really nice dynamic range! It’s easy for the left hand and doesn’t make a lot of buzzing when holding a barré.

Problem is, for a classical guitar the strings should be a little higher than this.

Anyway, you can never find anything as good for beginners!

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Which one could be the most expensive nylon string (classical) guitar by Yamaha?

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stuwart

I am planning to buy a nylon string guitar now as i am tired of those steel boxes. Which one could be the best sound guitar , although its goona be my dad to pay the bill but even then i would like you guys to rate guitars of Yamaha from 1 to 10 with prices and quality.

Answer
The GC41C goes for about $1600 on the streets.

... not to suggest that it's the best guitar out there by a long shot.

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Do you need to change guitar strings with same style?

guitar yamaha image

RISA

Ok. Absolute newbie to the guitar world. Just got my acoustic guitar (Yamaha FG700S) today and while I was trying to tune it, it broke a string. <-- Just learned afterwards that you aren't supposed to tune it too high ugh.

Anyways, the strings on my guitar aren't carried in my local guitar store. So I was wondering if I could just replace that one string I broke with a different brand one.

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Answer
Wow, NOT a stupid question at all! I've been playing guitar for years and I can never remember the "rules of the road".

You didn't say which string you broke, though I'm guessing it's the high E. You can buy single strings at your local guitar store for super cheap ($1, maybe less if you're lucky, maybe more if you're like me).

Don't go out and buy a whole new set, that's stupid and a waste of money. Do what you want when you're a good guitarist, but when you're starting out, all you need are the basic strings. And besides, the last two strings (B and high E) are basically the same across the board, minus gauge size and all that, but who cares about that (again, advanced stuff).

That totally sucks you broke a string. Very frustrating. In the meantime, just start picking away with a pick or finger-picking if you're keen on learning that.

If you take your guitar into the store, they should replace it for you for free, hopefully. Changing/replacing strings on your own is a bit tricky if you're brand new at it.

Good luck! And I have a similar guitar myself. You've got an amazing instrument in your hands. Just take your time and play. And btw, it'll hurt, getting callisuessuaiussd (sp) on your fingers, but give it time.

Edit: Now that I think about it, guitar shops are supposed to string, tune, and tweak your guitar for you right out of the box. Your guitar should be in tune. If you're already goin' nuts and trying to play along with Drop D songs or something, fine, but you should get yourself a tuner.

You can tune down. Never up. Never tune higher than E :)

And ask the guitar store to make sure they stretch the string too so you don't have to go back and re-tune it later on (aside from normal re-tuning every so often).

Oh, two more things... sorry for loadin' you up here. Get yourself a humidifier!! Something as simple as a sponge thingy that hangs inside the guitar (that's what I use). You HAVE to keep your nice Yamaha humidified. Trust me, you don't wanna see your $200 go down the gutter, I mean unless you're, like, loaded.

Two, you can learn soooo much on YouTube. Anything and everything. From pinch harmonics (whoah, slow down cowboy!) to chords to songs to whatever. If you have a song you listen to on your ipod that you wanna play, the secret magical word is "tab" and you can Google any song on earth with that word. Like, say, Bach Bourrée in E minor tab, or Metallica's "One" tab!

Whatever it is, the Internet is now your best friend. If you had another best friend irl, too bad!!

ok, good luck!

Edit 2: Ugh, if you want to play higher than E, you need to get a capo. I bought one, $20, get the nice one that's with a screw, don't do the spring-loaded one, and you'll play anything and everything with that, no joke. Simon and Garfunkel, Kingston Trio, folk music, even non-folk guitarists use it. All it does is pushes your chords up by however many frets. (Chord positions with your hand remain the same.)

I'm done!

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How do you strum an acoustic guitar properly?

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thatguy170

Hi,
I just bought an acoustic guitar (Yamaha F310) , but it sounds too deep when I strum it. I have watched tutorials on the internet and all the guitars sound softer in tone, which makes it sound nicer. I have tuned the guitar correctly using a tuner, so that can't be the problem. Also, I use a plastic plectrum and strum using the very tip. Any suggestions? Thanks :)

Answer
Try a lighter pick. They come in different thicknesses, try one marked "light" or "thin" or something in the range of 0.018-0.025" (0.45-0.65mm).

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What do you think of the Classical guitar Yamaha C 70?

guitar yamaha image

What do you guys think of the Classical guitar Yamaha C70? It's for about 147$. I'm a beginner and never had a guitar before.

Answer
I had this guitar for 5 years. It is a great choice. Its voice is really good and sweet. It has a really nice dynamic range! It’s easy for the left hand and doesn’t make a lot of buzzing when holding a barré.

Problem is, for a classical guitar the strings should be a little higher than this.

Anyway, you can never find anything as good for beginners!

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How do I make my electric guitar sound like metallica?

guitar yamaha image

Kat

Ok so I have a black and white electric guitar ( yamaha ) and I have have an amp thats a Johnson Rep Tone 15. Well whenever I hook my guitar up to the amp it just sounds like an acoustic guitar with a bunch of reverb. I want my guitar to sound more like metallica or megadeth. Please, someone help me!!!! 10 points!!

Answer
You need a distortion pedal

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Does Guitar Center do maintenance on acoustic guitars?

guitar yamaha image

abcdefghij

My acoustic guitar, a Yamaha F-335, isn't in bad condition at all. The strings are really far from the fretboard though and I don't know how to fix it. I could still play it but it makes more difficult than usual (barring frets, buzzing, etc.) Can someone tell me if Guitar Center does maintenance or does anyone know of somewhere where I could get it fixed?

Answer
Hello there,

Sounds like your guitar just needs a set up. Any guitar professional can do it. If you live near a music store that sells guitars, take it there and ask them to do a set up.

Good luck,

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Do you need to change guitar strings with same style?

guitar yamaha image

RISA

Ok. Absolute newbie to the guitar world. Just got my acoustic guitar (Yamaha FG700S) today and while I was trying to tune it, it broke a string. <-- Just learned afterwards that you aren't supposed to tune it too high ugh.

Anyways, the strings on my guitar aren't carried in my local guitar store. So I was wondering if I could just replace that one string I broke with a different brand one.

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Answer
Wow, NOT a stupid question at all! I've been playing guitar for years and I can never remember the "rules of the road".

You didn't say which string you broke, though I'm guessing it's the high E. You can buy single strings at your local guitar store for super cheap ($1, maybe less if you're lucky, maybe more if you're like me).

Don't go out and buy a whole new set, that's stupid and a waste of money. Do what you want when you're a good guitarist, but when you're starting out, all you need are the basic strings. And besides, the last two strings (B and high E) are basically the same across the board, minus gauge size and all that, but who cares about that (again, advanced stuff).

That totally sucks you broke a string. Very frustrating. In the meantime, just start picking away with a pick or finger-picking if you're keen on learning that.

If you take your guitar into the store, they should replace it for you for free, hopefully. Changing/replacing strings on your own is a bit tricky if you're brand new at it.

Good luck! And I have a similar guitar myself. You've got an amazing instrument in your hands. Just take your time and play. And btw, it'll hurt, getting callisuessuaiussd (sp) on your fingers, but give it time.

Edit: Now that I think about it, guitar shops are supposed to string, tune, and tweak your guitar for you right out of the box. Your guitar should be in tune. If you're already goin' nuts and trying to play along with Drop D songs or something, fine, but you should get yourself a tuner.

You can tune down. Never up. Never tune higher than E :)

And ask the guitar store to make sure they stretch the string too so you don't have to go back and re-tune it later on (aside from normal re-tuning every so often).

Oh, two more things... sorry for loadin' you up here. Get yourself a humidifier!! Something as simple as a sponge thingy that hangs inside the guitar (that's what I use). You HAVE to keep your nice Yamaha humidified. Trust me, you don't wanna see your $200 go down the gutter, I mean unless you're, like, loaded.

Two, you can learn soooo much on YouTube. Anything and everything. From pinch harmonics (whoah, slow down cowboy!) to chords to songs to whatever. If you have a song you listen to on your ipod that you wanna play, the secret magical word is "tab" and you can Google any song on earth with that word. Like, say, Bach Bourrée in E minor tab, or Metallica's "One" tab!

Whatever it is, the Internet is now your best friend. If you had another best friend irl, too bad!!

ok, good luck!

Edit 2: Ugh, if you want to play higher than E, you need to get a capo. I bought one, $20, get the nice one that's with a screw, don't do the spring-loaded one, and you'll play anything and everything with that, no joke. Simon and Garfunkel, Kingston Trio, folk music, even non-folk guitarists use it. All it does is pushes your chords up by however many frets. (Chord positions with your hand remain the same.)

I'm done!

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