Yamaha CG122MS Classical Guitar

Summary:A well-tuned solid spruce top compliments the excellent build quality of this Yamaha guitar. Although clearly second or third-choice materials were used, the resonance and sustain of this instrument allows the beginning student to experince the subtleties of tone that can be attained through proper technique. Compared to all-laminate construction guitars in a similar price range and higher-end solid-construction, I found the volume and clarity to be slightly muted (potentially due to irregularities in the top and the high porosity of the laminated nato side and back). This could cause a beginner some frustration when trying to perfect dynamic changes and makes it unattractive as a performance guitar past the first year or so of study. If selected as a high ... MoreSummary:A well-tuned solid spruce top compliments the excellent build quality of this Yamaha guitar. Although clearly second or third-choice materials were used, the resonance and sustain of this instrument allows the beginning student to experince the subtleties of tone that can be attained through proper technique. Compared to all-laminate construction guitars in a similar price range and higher-end solid-construction, I found the volume and clarity to be slightly muted (potentially due to irregularities in the top and the high porosity of the laminated nato side and back). This could cause a beginner some frustration when trying to perfect dynamic changes and makes it unattractive as a performance guitar past the first year or so of study. If selected as a high quality, cheap practice instrument, or as a beginners guitar, I don't think anyone would be dissapointed.Hardware:*Tuners: good quality with no excessive movement or "free-slip" when changing direction. They are snug and keep the tension where you set it at.*Strings: Mine came from MF with pre-stretched D'addarios. Pro'Arte normal tension, I think. They held tune over a few hours during the first few days, and only had normal loss of intonation associated with changes in temperature/stretching, etc. after that. *Fretboard/Neck and Bridge: Neck was straight with proper relief and there was around 3 mm height over the 12th fret. There was around 8-9 mm between the bass E and soundboard just below the sound hole. String movement was fine over the polymer-resin nut. The compensated resin saddle had about 1.5 mm over the bridge on the treble end, allowing action to be lowered another 3/4 mm if you like buzz. *Wood: The book-matched top had several small knots that were artfully arranged on either side of the strings just below the sound hole. Wood-grain was slightly wavy and fairly wide-spaced. This is clearly re-purposed "throw-away" wood. The top thickness does not seem unordinary and is about the same as a Rodriguez flamenco that I own. It may have been possible to get one with a better top, but at the price, the materials quality is what you would expect. The headstock, neck and tailpiece are each made out of three or so pieces of pressed, pourous Nato. Back and sides are laminate nato, while the finger board and bridge looks like decent quality rosewood. Sound:A good sounding guitar in this price range. Although knotting can give a guitar that "unique" look, it does little for the sound quality. In this instrument, the knotting and placement of the knots is probably why my guitar seems to have volume issues. But really it just sounds slightly muted over what you might expect. Despite top irregularities, this guitar still has nice sustain (even if it is somewhat muted). The solid wood top is tuned nicely to just a few cents south of a 440 Hz A by my ear, meaning its natural vibrational overtones quickly bring out the harmonics of unplucked strings. "Clarity" of sound is a bit more mellow than what I would expect for a spruce top. Intonation is very good up the fretboard, and the the 12th fretted note of each string is identical to its harmonic. Compensation on the G string is about as good as can be achieved. I'm not going to be starting a world tour with this guitar, but I *can* make music.Build Quality with the exception of a few hard to see bubbles in the satin finish, the quality of construction is very good, resulting in a very playable instrument. Setup was close to ideal out of the box for a classical guitar. I've had this instrument in my car all day on lesson day (+120 Deg F in there) for the past two months, and there is no cracking, warping or other problems, even when brining it from the car to the airconditioned studio. The top is still flat on both sided of the bridge.

Overall this is a good playing guitar, which is what I wanted for one of my graduating students. I previously purchased a lesser quality guitar at another guitar store, but returned it due to issues relating to it being "cheap". This guitar was awarded to a veteran for our program where we teach veterans how to play guitar. I only wish I had asked for the veterans discount, but forgot.

I play a lot of different types of guitars and just completed an album with my trusty old steel string. So I hung that up for awhile and went back to playing baroque 16th century music for a bit of a change. I was using the old beat up classical/nylon guitar that I've had for going on 45 years and after a month of that decided I loved this music enough to get better instrument. This Yamaha really fit the bill. It works really well for the baroque style, resonant, good intonation, beautiful finish. Solid wood top. I don't know how they even make them for this price. I think at my level of playing for this type of music it's good enough for performance, although if I got more serious of course I'd probably get something more pricey.