Yamaha FS5 GL

What defines the FS5 GL

The FS5 GL is the concert-body half of Yamaha's top Red Label pair, and it starts with the same top as the FG5: solid Sitka spruce put through Yamaha's A.R.E. (Acoustic Resonance Enhancement) treatment, which heats and pressure-treats the wood before assembly so it behaves like a top that has been played for decades. Under it sits scalloped bracing that frees the top to move, and around it solid mahogany back and sides that keep the low end controlled and the note separation clean. The result is a mature, woody voice with a quick attack, a dry fundamental bass, and a midrange that carries without getting harsh, which is more than most players expect from a body this size.

The neck is African mahogany with a satin finish, the fingerboard and bridge are ebony, and the nut and saddle are bone with ebony bridge pins, so very little string energy is lost on its way to the top. Scale length is 25 inches, the bone nut is 1-3/4 inches wide, and the fingerboard radius is 15-3/4 inches: enough spacing to isolate strings for fingerstyle without making barre chords a stretch. The gloss body sits over black-and-cream multi-ply binding, a wooden pickguard, and the vintage V-shaped headstock with open-gear chrome tuners. It is built in Japan and ships in a hardshell case.

How it compares to the FG5 GL

The FG5 GL is the same guitar as a dreadnought. Same woods, same bracing, same neck and hardware, same price. The dreadnought's larger box gives it more volume and more low-end weight, which matters if you strum with a pick, flatpick, or play rhythm next to a banjo or a mandolin. The FS5's smaller, shallower body trades some of that volume for a tighter bass and clearer separation between notes, and it sits closer to your chest and under your picking hand. If you play fingerstyle, record with a close microphone, sing over a quiet accompaniment, or find a dreadnought bulky when you sit down with it, the FS5 is the one to pick. Chris Alvarado's Driftwood Guitars video below cuts open an FG5; everything he shows inside it is inside the FS5 too.

Who it is for

Fingerstyle players who want an all-solid, Japan-built guitar without boutique pricing. Singer-songwriters who need a body that stays out of the way of the vocal. Recording players who want a guitar that sits in a mix without a lot of low-end cleanup. And anyone stepping up from an entry-level FS or FG who wants to hear what A.R.E. and scalloped bracing actually do.

Buying one here

Every FS5 GL on this page is a serialized, one-of-one listing, so the photos show the exact guitar you will receive. Each one passes our 23-Point Professional Inspection before it ships and is covered by the Dread-Not Guarantee: a 30-day in-home trial and a full year to trade it toward anything else in the store at up to 90% of the purchase price, pre-tax, less round-trip shipping. Not sure between the FS5 and the FG5? Call or book a virtual demo and we will play both for you.