Yamaha Fg-300 Red Label 6-strings Acoustic Guitar Made in 1970 Used

This “red label” FG-300 was probably built in ’69 or ’70. At the time, this was the fanciest Yamaha jumbo you could buy and it’s kitted-out with a nice hummingbird-style pickguard, cool inlay in the board, binding all over the place, and ply-rosewood back and sides. It also has a fully-adjustable bridge unit that’s light enough in weight to be useful — instead of sounding worse than the standard-saddle Yamahas from the time, it sounds just as good or better. I honestly think there’s something about metal bridge inserts on ply-top guitars that warms-up the tone for the better. I’ve been noticing that I’m drawn to the sound of the adjustable-bridge import guitars from the time because of that.

Anyhow, this one is in good shape and entirely original save one bridge pin. It has plenty of average usewear throughout but no dramatic wear and tear. Overall it feels friendly and lived-in.

Tone is big, full, wide, and round. The highs and upper-mids are a little scooped but it makes a great strummer or cowboy-chord backing-up guitar. A fellow was fingerpicking it in the shop the other day, though, and I thought it had a nice, sweet tone for that, too.

Work included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, pickguard reglue, string ramp additions at the bridge, minor cleaning, tuner servicing, and a setup. It plays bang-on with 3/32″ EA and 1/16″ DGBE action at the 12th fret, has a straight neck, and is strung with 54w, 40w, 30w, 22w, 16, 12 gauges at the moment.

Scale length: 25″

Nut width: 1 3/4″

String spacing at nut: 1 7/16″

String spacing at bridge: 2″

Body length: 19 3/4″

Lower bout width: 16 1/4″

Upper bout width: 11 1/2″

Side depth at endpin: 4 1/2″

Top wood: ply spruce

Back/sides wood: ply rosewood

Bracing type: x-braced, lightly-cut

Fretboard: rosewood

Bridge: rosewood

Neck feel: slim-to-medium C, ~16″ radius