Our article today is on the Yamaha FG830, and if you know your guitars, then you should already know what to expect.
The Yamaha FG guitar series was once the best selling guitar series in the world. In fact, the series is one of the oldest in the business and remains one of the most popular, even to this day.
Yamaha offers all kinds of quality guitars for all kinds of guitarists. And the Yamaha FG830 ranks as an entry level guitar, made with the beginner in mind.
But hey, don’t judge just yet, the Yamaha FG830 is pretty interesting. You can trust Yamaha on that one.
So, without further ado, let’s get to it…
(4.7 / 5)Contents
- A Worthy Upgrade To The Amazing Yamaha FG730
- A Closer Look At The Body And Neck Of The Yamaha FG830
- How Playable Is The Yamaha FG830?
- And The Sound Of The Yamaha FG830?
- What’s In The Box?
- Some Things To Note About The Yamaha FG830
- Who’s The Yamaha FG830 For?
- Pros Of The Yamaha FG830
- Cons Of The Yamaha FG830
- Yamaha FG830 Specs
- Conclusion
A Worthy Upgrade To The Amazing Yamaha FG730
If you loved the FG730, then you’re going to adore the FG830.
The guitar is a good old, comfy dreadnought body while the top is made of solid spruce.
In a move to improve on the already awesome FG730, the body now comes with scalloped bracing. This bracing helps give the guitar its amazing low-end response and improved projection.
So, feel free to use this bad boy for your live jams or your home recording sessions.
Now, one thing that has always stood the FG730 out from the pack, was its impeccable craftsmanship. As well as the clever way the tonewoods were combined, and of course its affordability.
Now, look how Yamaha one-up’s itself in each of these in the FG830.
In addition to the scalloped bracing that gives this guitar its punchy tone and projection, there’s more. The neck is much more tapered and slimmer. But that’s not all, it also comes with nicely rounded edges on the fingerboard.
All these features add up to make the guitar very comfy to hold while playing. This is very important for the FG830, which is considered an entry level guitar. For beginners, it’s important to keep things simple and comfy.
Moving on…
A Closer Look At The Body And Neck Of The Yamaha FG830
Even though this is an affordable guitar, you’ll see that, upon closer observation, the FG830 looks super high end.
Come on, check it out…
It features a solid Spruce top and a Rosewood back and the sides. We already mentioned the sweet neck – slim, comfy, and smooth. It also comes with pretty abalone inlay.
The FG830 barely weighs 6 pounds. And check out its dimensions, measuring in at 20.7 x 42.5 x 6.1 inches. So, it’s great to travel with.
Alright, moving on to the tuners…
The tuners are your regular die-cast machines that actually do a pretty good job at keeping this guitar in tune.
How Playable Is The Yamaha FG830?
The playability of a guitar and all fretted instruments, in general, is very important, especially for beginners. It can make all the difference between loving your instrument or hating it.
To ascertain playability, we have to check out the action of a guitar.
For the record, when we talk about the action in fretted instruments, we refer to that space that is found between the strings of the guitar and the neck.
Now, to play the guitar, you’d have to push through that space. So, naturally, too much space or too high an ‘action’ is always bad news. Same goes for too little space or too low an ‘action’.
High action cramps your fingers quickly and can tire you out as you practice. Low action, on the other hand, causes fret noise.
Now does the Yamaha Fg830 come with that ideal action we are looking for? Sure it does. We love the action of this guitar and we think any beginner would also love it.
And The Sound Of The Yamaha FG830?
Alright, now that we know the FG830 is a super affordable guitar. And we also know that this guitar doesn’t look cheap. But now, it’s time to show you, that its sound, will beat any expectation you might have, of an entry level guitar.
Well, firstly, it does sound like your average dreadnought. But the tone? It screams quality! Plus, it seriously projects that sound. And with the quality of overtones it produces, it’s easy to see how this guitar beats most of its peers.
Now how about the sustain?
A lot of guitar experts were skeptical about how this model would deliver on the sustain. But Yamaha showed them. This thing sustains beautifully.
Overall, the sonic impact you get from this fantastic guitar is a pleasant surprise for us. For something so competitively priced, this guitar gets an A plus!
What’s In The Box?
The Yamaha FG830 on review today is the value pack version. So, what’s inside the box?
In the value pack, you get…
- The Yamaha FG830 Acoustic Guitar.
- A-frame guitar stand that works for acoustic and electric guitars alike.
- Set of guitar picks.
- Guitar Strap.
- Clip-on Tuner.
- A polishing cloth to keep your guitar in mint condition.
- And finally, a well-padded hardshell guitar case to protect it.
Some Things To Note About The Yamaha FG830
So, here’s something you ought to know about the FG830. We have already gushed about the many pros of the FG830, but here’s something to bear in mind.
This guitar is a mass production guitar regardless of its many positives. This means, that you would need to do some work on it, right out of the box, in order to get the best performance out of it.
As far as the world of guitars is concerned, luthiers still beat machines pants down when it comes to setup and intonation.
So, be sure to book an appointment at your local guitar shop with a professional to have this baby properly set up. That is if you really want her to shine.
Who’s The Yamaha FG830 For?
This is an entry-level guitar value pack. So, it’s primarily for beginners. Everything a beginner needs, to start off on their guitar adventure, comes in the pack.
However, this baby is also great for seasoned players. If you’re an advanced player and you need a competitively priced guitar to just fool around on, you could consider this.
Lastly, it’s also great for the traveling guitarist. It’s lightweight and properly sized to facilitate that.
Pros Of The Yamaha FG830
- Fantastic sustain.
- Excellent low-end response.
- Great for beginners and advanced players in need of a spare practice guitar.
- Sounds great for the price.
- Good tuners and a solid spruce top.
- Durable dreadnought body.
Cons Of The Yamaha FG830
- It’s a dreadnought size so it could be a bit too large for some beginners.
- Doesn’t come with a cutaway which might be limiting for some players.
- Needs professional setup out of the box.
- The bridge isn’t exactly high quality.
Yamaha FG830 Specs
String Type: Steel.
Number of Strings: 6
Color/finish: natural/gloss.
Top Wood: Solid spruce.
Back/Sides: Rosewood.
Neck: Nato.
Fingerboard: Rosewood.
Scale Length: 25.5 inches.
Tuners: Die-cast chrome.
Number of Frets: 20
Nut/Saddle: Urea/Urea.
Conclusion
The Yamaha FG830 takes entry level guitar to a whole new level. How Yamaha engineers a beast out of, something so competitively priced is super impressive. And it’s even more amazing that this guitar still manages to look stunning as well.
It even comes in a variety of color options. You can find this awesome guitar in Black, Sunset Blue, Sunburst and Autumn Burst finishes.
Plus, for you left-handed peeps, Yamaha didn’t forget you. They also provide a left-hand version of this guitar.
All in all, this is a worthy upgrade to the Yamaha FG730. Beginner or a seasoned player, you need this guitar. It’s simply one of the best guitars for beginners… and advance players too. Period.