Yamaha FG5 GL Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar #683A

The Yamaha FG5 GL is the gloss-finish version of Yamaha's Red Label dreadnought, and it features a solid Sitka spruce top treated with Yamaha's Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E.) process over solid mahogany back and sides. The mahogany keeps the low end controlled and punchy, and the A.R.E. treatment gives the top a played-in openness right out of the case, which is a lot of guitar for the money.

Strummed hard, it has the midrange push and low-end weight of a dreadnought, and it holds up for flatpicking and bluegrass rhythm without losing note separation. The scalloped bracing adds volume and balance across the neck, and the ebony fingerboard and bridge keep the attack tight enough for fingerstyle too.

The appointments are classic, with black and cream binding and rosette, a wooden pickguard, open-gear chrome tuners and a gloss top over a satin neck, and it ships in a hardshell case. We would point it at a player who wants a dependable, full-voiced dreadnought as a first serious guitar or as a backup to something more expensive.

Serial #IMN683A. This listing is for the exact instrument in the photos above.