Very good condition featuring Yamaha “jumbo” sized body, laminated rosewood back and sides, spruce top, natural finish, decorative soundhole rosette, multiple bindings on the top and back body edges, large original thick plastic three point pickguard with decorative floral pattern engravings, rosewood bridge with original metal adjustable saddle and decorative pearl inlays, set mahogany neck, bound rosewood fingerboard with small pearloid split parallelogram inlays starting at the first fret, bound Yamaha peghead shape with rosewood overlay and pearl Yamaha logo, aluminum truss rod cover with Yamaha and tuning fork logo, three per side Yamaha stamped sealed tuning machines, Made In Japan decal on the back of the peghead, one plastic strap button and a later non-original hard shell case.
This 52 year old Yamaha FG300 flattop guitar is in very good to excellent vintage cosmetic condition. This instrument does show some signs of play wear throughout including some very small dings and light pick scratches on the body of the guitar, some slight wear around the peghead edges and a number has been faintly etched into the back of the peghead above the Made In Japan decal (see photos). Overall this guitar is in very fine condition, it has been played over the years but appears to be very well cared for. The neck on this guitar has a comfortable, rounded yet very soft V profile that feels great in the hand. This neck is not overly chunky but not slim either - it feels just right and has a 1 11/16” nut width. The rosewood fingerboard is exceptionally clean and without any divots or sinking. The original frets are in fantastic condition showing only minor wear. This instrument has just been professionally set up and it plays wonderfully up and down the fingerboard with low action and great intonation. The top is very flat. The neck angle is optimal and the truss rod is fully functional. This old Yamaha guitar sounds incredibly good. This instrument has a very sweet, dry, balanced tone with plenty of volume and bark. This guitar would work well for fingerstyle pieces and makes a tremendous flatpicking guitar as well as strong and balanced rhythm instrument. These old Made In Japan, red labeled Yamaha guitars are tremendous and this example not only plays and sounds incredible but also has the coolest looking appointments of all the models, in my opinion. A true gem!
