Yamaha FS800 Review: The Best First Guitar for Beginners?

Several years ago, I was looking for an inexpensive acoustic guitar for a beginning student. I stumbled upon a Yamaha FS700S and was shocked by its quality, considering its price point. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with the brand.

Recently, I got my hands on a new FS800 model, and it did not disappoint. Read on to find out if the FS800 acoustic guitar is right for you.

Who Is It For?

The Yamaha FS800 is a good choice for beginner or intermediate players. It’s inexpensive but well-built and easy to play. It also sounds great and keeps in tune surprisingly well.

If you’re a seasoned pro with a collection of guitars, I believe the FS800 offers something for you, too.

The FS800 is affordable and makes a great secondary guitar to take camping or to the beach. You won’t have to worry about it as much as your prized, expensive models. Its smaller size also makes it a fine travel guitar.

If you’re an electric guitar player looking to branch out into acoustics, save your hard-earned money and give the FS800 a try.

Construction and Quality

The Yamaha FS800 is a smaller guitar with a Concert body style. It has a glossy finish on the body with a matte finish on the back of the neck.

This guitar has some impressive features for its price, like a solid spruce top and scalloped bracing. The scalloped bracing is an improvement over the older FS models. This bracing keeps things stable while allowing the guitar to be more responsive.

The back and sides of the body are constructed of laminated Nato and Okoume wood. The bridge and fingerboard are made of Walnut. I prefer a Rosewood fingerboard, but the Walnut looked and felt fine.

Yamaha uses basic die-cast tuners here, but they do a great job keeping the guitar in tune. The nut and saddle are made of urea, while the bridge pins are black ABS plastic.

The fit and finish are exceptional on this guitar. I can’t say enough good things about the quality and feel of the instrument. Here’s a quick overview of its dimensions.

• Scale: 25 inches
• Body Length: 19 9/16 inches
• Body Width: 14 15/16 inches
• Body Depth: 3 9/16 to 4 5/16 inches
• Nut Width: 1 11/16 inches

Sound and Playability

This guitar produces a lot of sound for its size. The volume is adequate for playing to a small group, even without a mic. The tone is really nice too. It has a bright, clear tone that sounds great while strumming chords or articulating individual notes.

I appreciate the matte finish on the back of the neck. My hands tend to sweat and stick to a glossier finish.

The size of this guitar makes it comfortable to play, whether you’re sitting or standing. Mine had rather high action at first, which is common on lower-priced guitars. You might prefer this, depending on the style of music you play.

I remedied the situation by sanding down the saddle. When in doubt, have your guitar set up at a reputable place by a luthier.

Potential Issues

Yamaha’s FS800 comes from the factory with nothing but a hex key for adjusting the truss rod. There’s no case or gig bag so you’ll need to invest in one to protect your instrument.

I advise picking up a hydration device as well. Keeping your guitar in the case with a hydration device will help prevent warping.

Some players find the string spacing to be too narrow, especially at the saddle. Yamaha lists the string spacing at 10 mm between strings, but measured across, it’s about 1 15/16 inches at the saddle and 1 11/16 inches at the nut.

This nearly straight string alignment might feel cramped if you’re transitioning from a guitar with wider spacing. For players with larger hands or those used to more traditional spacing, it could take some adjustment to get comfortable.

That said, many find they adapt over time, particularly if their playing style benefits from the tighter spacing.

If you have larger hands, this is something to be aware of. I have medium-sized hands and found it comfortable to play after spending some time with the instrument.

Alternatives To Consider

Yamaha FS800 vs FG800

The best alternatives to the FS800 also happen to be Yamaha guitars. While I’m familiar with a lot of guitars, I just don’t know of any other brand that makes something comparable to the FS800. At least not within its price range. The Yamaha FG800 is a good choice if you want something a bit bigger.

The FG800 is the same scale but has a Traditional Western body shape and a deeper sound chamber. It has more volume and a lower tone but is otherwise identical to the FS800 when it comes to materials and build quality.

Yamaha FS800 vs FS830

The FS830 shares the same body style and size as the FS800. You get an upgrade to the build materials for the Yamaha FS830, but this comes at an increased price.

Yamaha uses rosewood for the back and sides of the FS830. This model also features a rosewood fingerboard. The sound hole is surrounded by an abalone inlay with a black-and-white design.

The FS380 has a warmer tone that I assume comes from the difference in tone woods. If you want a more upscale version of the FS800, this is it. If you’re going for pure value, the FS800 might be a better choice.

The Final Verdict

I heartily recommend the Yamaha FS800 for new acoustic guitar players. This simple, well-built instrument is a fantastic option for anyone seeking their first guitar.

You just can’t beat the value that Yamaha offers with this model. This small-bodied guitar punches far above its weight in quality versus price. The volume and tone are outstanding.

As always, I recommend you try it out before you buy one, if possible. It’s always best to be sure an instrument feels right in your hands.

Watch this short video to see the Yamaha FS800 in action and hear its incredible sound firsthand!

Featured Image: diana_musik