1976 Yamaha FG-160-1 Acoustic Guitar

Vintage folk guitar, Black Label era, made in Taiwan 

Looks like I've settled on a few brands on my quest for affordable vintage acoustic tone: Carlos, Takamine and Yamaha. This is the 2nd FG-160 that I've had in the last year and this one is a better player by a mile.

Like that other 160, this one is not in museum-quality condition, with a fair amount of nicks scattered along the face, back and sides of the body. But, all of the flaws are cosmetic, the guitar is still rock-solid, no breaks or cracks and all of the tuners are in good working order.

Whoever had this before set the action pretty low, but that suits me just fine. I set it up with Martin SP Custom Light strings last night and cleaned it up a little bit. Even with the smaller gauge strings, the low-end is still nice and warm. All of these FGs have been players, the next Japanese model that comes my way will be staying...

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.

1982 Carlos Model No. 207 Acoustic Guitar

Vintage folk-style acoustic guitar, another beautiful guitar that was sitting in a closet for about a decade

The younger cousin of the Carlos folk guitar that was featured here a little while back, this one looks and sounds a little better, with the cream colored binding and natural wood grains on the back really making it pop.

On top of the fact that it looks great, this one also plays about as nice as any acoustic guitar ever will. I set it up with a set of D'Addario Acoustic Light strings and they really sing resonating off of the stock brass nut and saddle.

The body is not only thinner than a regular dreadnought, but the width and height are also smaller scale, making this one the same size as a standard classical. These Carlos guitars have a cult following of sorts in the collector's market and I guess you can count me among the faithful.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.

1981 Carlos Model No. 209 Acoustic Folk Guitar

Made in Korea and in absolutely immaculate condition for a 30+ year-old acoustic guitar  

Another bonafide classic from the old Carlos company, right up there with the Model No. 249 as the best of the bunch.
Like it's younger dreadnought cousin, this beauty features a brass nut and saddle, giving this classic killer tone.

Not exactly sure that this is a Model No. 209, as the label inside the sound hole has been ripped out, but from what information I've been able to track down, it's the most likely fit.
It plays real nice and easy, just had a set of D'Addario XLs put on, but this one would probably benefit from a heavier gauge.

Thank you for looking. More high-resolution pictures here.