Yamaha CG172SF on sale online in US

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GuitarVlog

Posts: 441
Joined: Mar. 19 2009
From: San Francisco Bay Area

Yamaha CG172SF on sale online in US

For cash-strapped beginners looking for a decent starter guitar ...

Amazon.com is selling the new Yamaha CG172SF for $270.31 beginning today, December 25th. They have 14 in stock as of my posting. Shipping is free and you probably won't have to pay state sales taxes.

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-CG172SF-String-Flamenco-Guitar/dp/B004MDKTIY/ref=sr_1_6?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1324823864&sr=1-6

Note that this model now has a matte finish (the older CG171SF had a gloss poly finish). I have not yet played a CG172SF but Yamaha has been rather consistent in their overall quality.

That's a pretty good price. It's about what I purchased my CG171SF for years ago from a neighborhood dealer who gave me an extra discount.

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Upgraded Yamaha CG171SF
The Guitar Student Journal

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 25 2011 13:53:45

GuitarVlog

Posts: 441
Joined: Mar. 19 2009
From: San Francisco Bay Area

RE: Yamaha CG172SF on sale online in US (in reply to GuitarVlog)

And if you're looking for a classical guitar, they have both the CG162C and CG162S for sale too.

It would have been nicer if they had deals on the top-of-the-line CG192S and CG192C but they're all good guitars for the money.

_____________________________

Upgraded Yamaha CG171SF
The Guitar Student Journal

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 25 2011 14:05:21

rombsix

Posts: 7815
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Yamaha CG172SF on sale online in US (in reply to GuitarVlog)

quote:

Note that this model now has a matte finish (the older CG171SF had a gloss poly finish). I have not yet played a CG172SF but Yamaha has been rather consistent in their overall quality.

Check out the reviews on that link you provided. I hope this is not really the case, but only the opinion of these two people...

"This new CG172SF is not as good as the previous CG171SF. The previous CG171SF has better tone, wood, construction and finish. People may have different opinions."

"I'm very disappointed. Seven years ago I did buy a CG 171S (classical guitar) and the difference in quality is huge. The bridge is very slow and make this horrible sound in frets, they didn't care so much about the finish in the fretboard in the front and back sides, the head looks like and and sticker put it in (and it does). I hope can fix the sound with a higher bridge. There are some positive things; the volume that you can get, two pick ward, and finally what I think it is steel frets (long lasting). It is not a satisfaction guarantee guitar."

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Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 25 2011 23:34:40

GuitarVlog

Posts: 441
Joined: Mar. 19 2009
From: San Francisco Bay Area

RE: Yamaha CG172SF on sale online in US (in reply to rombsix)

Yes, I saw the 2nd and 3rd reviews. The second review was rather sparse. The third review read like it came from someone who didn't know how to evaluate a flamenco guitar or any guitar for that matter ("The bridge is very slow and make this horrible sound in frets ... the head looks like and and sticker put it in ... and finally what I think it is steel frets").

The 1st review was favorable and seemed to come from someone who knew how to evaluate a guitar.

I try examine the reviews on Amazon to determine if the author displays some degree of knowledge about the products. I've been a customer of Amazon almost since they began and I've found myself often disagreeing with reviews about products that I've purchased myself. Sometimes it is a matter of one buyer being luckier than the next. Sometimes it's just, in the whimsical parlance of my industry, "user error". The people who are most likely to purchase guitars in the $500-and-under range are usually beginners and not experienced players.

Having said all that, I'll repeat that haven't yet played a CG172SF. For all I know, The CG172SF could be a dud and the CG171SF was the last best entry-level flamenco guitar that Yamaha built (and I'm lucky to have mine).

Buyers in the US are covered by Amazon.com's return policy and Amazon will pay for the return shipping if the guitar is found to be "defective". I've already bought and returned three instruments from them so I don't feel that there's any risk. At $270, it's worth a try if someone needs an entry-level guitar.

_____________________________

Upgraded Yamaha CG171SF
The Guitar Student Journal

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 26 2011 3:22:53

LoveHate

Posts: 1
Joined: Jan. 16 2012

RE: Yamaha CG172SF on sale online in US (in reply to GuitarVlog)

I just picked up the Yamaha CG172SF at GC in Sherman Oaks (i.e. LA) and couldn't be happier with the purchase. I played over ten other guitars in their booth, some selling for over $1000 and nothing came close. Granted, a lot of what they stock is shlock, but even the Ramirez didn't sound quite as well balanced (and certainly not as well intonated) as the one I snagged. To echo the comment about an earlier post, either the buyers got a bad production unit or they simply don't know enough about guitars to realize that its rare for any guitar, right out of the box, to perfectly suit every guitar player. Obviously one's experience, expectations and anatomy play a big part in how a neck and the action feels and sounds. The manufacturers send out their instrument expecting players to modify or customize the unit to their individual tastes, so while a guitar's action may seem high to one player, for another it fits.

That said, what I look for first and foremost is intonation. I'm a recording artist, producer and engineer. I know that I can coax a good sound out of almost any box with the aid of great mics, mic preamps and eq. Having other tools available I can put almost any guitar in tune with software. But how it registers to the brain when notes are dead-on in tune cannot be fudged. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this guitar was in tune up to the 19th fret! That being a B on the high E string. LIkewise, even the G string was in tune all the way up to the 15th - very rare for a mass produced model. The tone is well balanced between the lower, mid and upper registers. I felt the highest register was the weakest, with 4-note jazz chords above the 10th a little thin. Can't have it all!

To boot, this is a looker. It has a lumescent yellow face and sides that are very appealing to the eye. The cypress sides and back are very light weight, I think the total weight is 6 pounds. Like the color, the tone is springy, lively, and the lower register bounces out with a tight articulation, even with cluster chords. I spent about an hour with it in the store and ran through several styles of music and technique, looking for faults and weaknesses. The classical pieces sounded clear and defined, a bit louder and brighter than a traditional classical, even with the stock strings. Pulling bossa nova and marche was a delight - even at quiet picking volume each note is distinctive. It was less forgiving with extended chords, perhaps reminding me that over time I will subconciously divine how to pluck and approach this particular instrument, just like all the others I own.

My normal modus operandi when buying is to play an axe, walk away for a day or so, come back and see if it has the same impression. I had played several Cordobas the last time I was in the store and actually came in thinking that I might buy one if I liked how they sounded this time. I guess the one I liked got sold so I decided to go through all of the models available. I picked up this one with a sigh as I was looking for a classical, something with projection. Instead of evaluating over days, though, this time I played and paid. That's how much of an impression it made. I'm sure there are players with more flamenco experience than I, I'm just a session guy, so their opinion may be more educated than mine, but with almost 50 years of professional experience, my personal recommendation would be to try it and if you like it then buy it. I have over 40 guitars and almost that many amps in my quiver and this one stays in the collection. Its so well worth the price I recommend it to anyone, whatever level your're at.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 17 2012 0:18:37