1974 Yamaha FG-200 Acoustic Guitar

An update on this 40-year old gem from the FG series, made in Taiwan

About a year and a half ago, this beauty was found about 20 miles away from me and the private owner that was selling it said that it had been sitting around for years. It had been through alot, with all sorts of dings, chips and scratches along the sides, back and face of the guitar. The original tuning keys had also had some casualties.

The first time new strings went on this guitar, the end of another tuning key snapped off, so it was time for replacements. The solution was a chrome set of Grover tuners. The screw holes matched the original set, so it was an obvious choice. The slots didn't really line up though, so new holes were made slightly to the side. The headstock does look a bit off, but its not an eyesore.

This guitar also brings about another cool story. All of these guitars have photos that are posted on Facebook and people from all over the world stop in to either talk about these guitars or ask questions that they may have. One fellow in Pennsylvania saw the photos and commented that he had broken one of his tuning machines years ago and could never find another one. Since the originals had been replaced on this one, he sent in his address and we were able to make his guitar complete again.

Thanks for looking, more (updated) high-resolution photos here.

1974 Yamaha FG-200 Acoustic Guitar

Vintage dreadnought, made in Taiwan, a little beat up, but still a great player 

Though not as nice as the first FG-200 that I picked up last year, this one sounds and plays beautifully, even if it has more than a couple of cosmetic flaws. One tuning key is a little off-center and another has been replaced completely, but at least a Grover was used as the replacement.

There are too many dings and scratches to count along the body and face, but nothing too deep and none of them effect the structure at all. Someone also installed a strap holder at some point, but they did a fairly good job of it.

One thing that caught my eye was that the tuners say "Made in Japan", but the guitar was clearly built in Taiwan, as stated on the label. This must have been one of the first batches made over there, with some of the parts being imported from Nippon Gakki. It has a sweet low-end tone, like the other four vintage FG series guitars that I've been lucky enough to find. I installed a set of Martin SP Light strings and will definitely show this one some love in the coming weeks.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.