Old Japanese Vs New Made in China (Yamaha Guitar) FG-180 vs LL6
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2019
- Sound comparison, old Red Label FG-180 (Nippon Gakki) Yamaha, VS new Made in China LL6 Yamaha.
Time stamp........
2:20 Basic open chords
4:40 Bar Chords
7:00 Power Chords (Iggy and the Stooges inspired)
9:20 hammer ons and pull offs (Led Zeppelin style)
11:40 Single note riff followed by octave style chords
14:20 Dropped D riff type stuff (Moby Dick style)
16:00 Open Chord Folk Style (John Lennon influenced)
19:00 Capo on 2nd fret, Aggressive open chord folk style
21:27 Quiet finger picking (In the style of L@wSu1T)
(Side note) I tried playing some of these songs in the "style" of, with slight variations so they don't get a copyright strike, but some of them got a copyright strike anyways. I'm quite honoured, this is my first copyright strike.
It's basically CZcams telling me I played a song so well, they recognized it. I'm basically a PRO!!!! Holy shit!!
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If you have any topics you'd like to see covered, leave a comment. I like making review videos on pretty much anything. It could be a concept, idea, something going on in the news, or even a tech product.
Now the good news is that since i’m a very small channel, i wont be making too many Tech Reviews, because for the most part, giant multi million dollar companies usually don’t send products out for review to channels that have under 100 subscribers.
Now why is this good? Well i can focus on making more abstract and interesting videos, based on whatever i find fascinating about the world we live in. Let me tell ya, we live on a very wild and dynamic planet, so there will always be plenty to talk about. ==========================
I get it. I have a newer model Yamaha FG-730s and Taylor 214ce. I recently bought a 1973 Yamaha FG-160 to restore and sell but ended up keeping it because I like it so much and find I want to play it more than my other 2. That 49 year old aged wood on the FG-160 has given it more character and tone than both my other acoustics and any others I’ve played. It’s also still in great shape for it’s age. These old Yamahas are special and built to last.
I have an FG-160-1, among many FGs, and I love it and it too gets my attention before some newer acquisitions. Love it.
About to buy a red label fg140 nippon gaki, pretty stoked. Amazing old guitars, undoubtedly holds up to Martins and Gibson from the same era
I bought a new FG140 red label in 1970, £25. Still going strong and sounds awesome!
Thats impressive ! I love all of the red label ones.
i have a Yamaha FG200 circa 1973, its 47 years old. the label is worn off. I scanned some internet FG180 labels. did some pixel editing to get the color right - I printed it on matte stickers. Stuck one of the Nippon Gakki FG180 red label on to my guitar soundhole and voila, I have a Yamaha FG180 red label... now all i gotta do is change to butter beans tuners, lol!!!
Your Nippon is gold man. New is fun and interesting but never as intriguing as the vintage stuff. My first guitar was a red label and it is still with me!! I play it every day. I have many but my fg-180 is absolutely my favorite guitar. Martin’s and Gibson’s aside.
LOYAL
gold indeed. Anyone who has one usually loves it. Plus its cool having a great guitar that doesn't cost 3000.
I have both an FGX5 and a Martin D16E. I usually play both at practice. Both sound great.
I love your comparison vid thanks. I have a 1974 FG 170 white label which is OM shaped, all plywood and made in Taiwan. A while ago I thought I should upgrade so got a used LS500. OM shaped again, mid 90's, made in the Japanese factory custom shop by the best luthiers, best materials. Looked beautiful, played nicely but didn't have the tone of the FG. It wasn't as loud or vibrant and didn't have the resonance either.
So the LS went and the FG stayed. Conventional wisdom would suggest my ears must be broken too!
Some would say you have a leakey ear, but I agree with you.
I dig them both. I would enjoy playing them.
That LL6 has tone for days. Lovely over tones and bottom end.
Nice playing 👍
Thank you very much Erin. Have a great day.
I have the FG-140 red label. I also have 3 other acoustic guitars
( Peavy / Takamini / Fender all in the 400 dollar range )
I will never get rid of the FG-140. Lots of reasons why but but the #1 reason is its tone. It records well and anyone who plays it cant put it down. Funny, I bought my FG-140 back in 1973 used for 30 bucks. I considerer that my best guitar deal till this day.
As for your video, thanks for sharing. I agree that the Old Yamaha has a much more pleasing sound than the LL6. But that LL6 is still a great guitar.
Those old Yamahas record incredibly well !
I use Martin Retro light strings on my LL6 - nickel coated - gives me the tone of an older guitar - love 'em
Sounds like the fg180 is set up with an higher action, and that lets the bass strings breathe a lot more.
Then the strings on the 180 are very old, and its laminate soundboard naturally muffles the highs, compared to the solid, straight braced spruce on the ll6 which makes for a brighter, yet clearer sound.
I'd try to raise the action a little bit on the ll6 and see if you like the sound better. That will certainly give it stronger bass and warmer sound with less buzzing when you strum hard.
Both good. What happened to the editing for better comparison?
To me the LL6 sounds better, brighter,more clear....but it’s all a matter of taste anyway
Old YAMAHA is an all laminate. LL6 is a top solid. The LL model has a solid top, which gives it a clearer sound. Yamaha guitars made in China undergo strict quality control. from 🇯🇵🙇🏻♂️
My LL16 Dr is a handcrafted in Japan work of freaking art and tone..My street master Martin had been getting dusty for about 9 months
They sound quite similar. But the old FG180 has a warmer tone. They would both sound better tuned either a 1/2 step or a full step down.
Can I seek your opinion - Martin drsgt Vs Yamaha fg5? Both are solid wood guitars n priced close to each other, which would you recommend? Thank you in advance :)
I would love to give you an answer, and i might have played those 2 guitars before, i usually play around with lots of random guitars when i go into a guitar shop, but most of the time unless a guitar really stands out to me, i don't really remember the specific models.
Have you played them yourself, or did you just research good guitars for the price?
As cliche as it sounds, buy the one that sounds best to you, and feels the most comfortable to play.
Even if 9 out of 10 people tell you to buy the Yamaha, if the Martin sounds better to your ears, buy the Martin.
Thankyou for this comparison. I like the FG180 best. But maybe thats because i own a Yamaha Fg350w, which sounds as good as my higher end guitars, and is all laminated woods, and made in Taiwan, I think in the 70s.
Those old Yamaha acoustics, I've always liked them. I also have an FG-325 that's made in Taiwan probably in the 70's. I like that one alot also. Especially for recording, because it's not too boomy, and smaller in size.
The LL6 has no tone. NO mids either. The FG 180 has tone mids and character and I would defo always go back to that guitar too. PLus the age of it helps they are about 48 years old and guitars better with age.
I think nippon gakki just means made in japan in japanese. Yamaha still makes some models in japan. Their highest end models which cost several thousand dollars they make in japan.
Newer strings sound “ Jangly” ??? On new guitar ?? Let me know, I’m interested.
I prefer the ll6 sound it's more equilibrate the fg have too many bass sound. But it's only my opinion nice review😉👍
hey sir yamaha fg130 still good?
G'day firstly let me start by saying that I am not a guitarist's bum but I do love to play
I got my fg375s when I was 17 in now 63 and still can't play for shyt but still love to
Over time and anytime I've ventured out into public I've never missed having someone comment on how nice the guitar sounds
Good around tone and sounds and good volume rich clear clean
Both sound like guitars for me!
I think they both sound good, but different. I have four LL series guitars and had a few red labels, including an FG180, FG 160 and Fg75
Action sounds a little low on the LL6 maybe?
I have an FG400a which sounds very like my FG180 that I sold.
I like them both, but I do like the FG-180 better. I have two of them, one mint, the other back from the wars. One of mine is the prom queen, and the other is the angry old dowager. Just got the latter but I plan to fix it up to approach its former glory. I'm curious how many times you've almost fallen and broken your neck coming in or going out that door.
Sounds like the older one had dead strings. But yeah, definitely warmer than the newer one. I've got an FG300 from the early 70s and it is the most full, loud, and well balanced acoustic I've ever played. Has been in my family for some time as well.
Yea even with new strings, it's definitely a darker Warmer sounding guitar. The LL6 apparently is specifically voiced that way to stand out in a live band situation. I like them both for different things.
Live in WA state and last year I bought a used pristine Tobacco Sunburst LL6SB. I think it was built in 2012, and the owner must have never played it, or only finger-picked because it looks brand new. He was leaving town and wanted to get rid of it so I only paid $140 for it. I didn’t know anything about the guitar but when I Google it I found out new these guitars were like $600. I look for decent deals and just enjoy buying guitars and then selling them for a small profit, so what do you think I should sell this one for?
I saw a used one at my local guitar store for 450 Canadian dollars.
@@1ReviewADay Thank you for your input.
It sounds like the FG-180 has been set up for low action and the tone is suffering and there is some buzz when strings make contact with upper frets. The LL6 is newer so the action is at factory spec . with a good break angle as the strings go over the saddle. The low end of the LL6 sounds really beautiful. The FG-180 might sound better with heavier strings or a higher saddle setup but the action would suffer. Both guitars sound good when strummed lightly playing first inversion chords near the nut with some open strings. The LL6 is clearly the winning to me but it's also supposed to be a higher end guitar. The FG-180 was not a higher end guitar even when new. I have a early 70s red label FG-180 and it sounds like yours, maybe better with week old D'Addario EJ-16s. 😉
Dude the new one has a unique ressonance, i can hear a little bit of gain from it because of it ressonance. So i like the new one more than the old one
It resonates even more now. I replaced the plastic saddle with a bone. It sustains notes for a very long time. It's a nice guitar. Also very cute picture with you and your kid, all the best.
Ya, night and day difference. You just like the subtlety of the FG-180 is all. Comes down to user preference and taste, IMO Yamaha is a much brighter Guitar.
Though most eastern made guitars I've heard have a bright quality to them in comparison to something like a Taylor which is (usually) more dark sounding; I think guitar A had notably more pleasant tone for my tastes; and was much less buzzy.
I was thinking maybe I just like my old one more. Cause I'm used to the sound. I wanted to hear what they sound like side by side. After watching the video. I think I like my old guitar better also. But. Also, I changed the strings of the new guitar and I think those strings are too bright. I usually use standard Phosphor bronze, but I tried these new aluminum strings. Not only do they sound too bright, but the don't slide very well either. Your finger gets stuck on them.
@@1ReviewADay I'm not a fan of aluminum strings either. I'm extremely acidic-skinned, so personally I use Elixir brand coated strings as they play the best and degrade the slowest for me personally, maybe check into them if you're ever in your local music store.^^
Yea, i've tried almost every type of string imaginable in the past 20 years. Aluminium ones were one of the few i haven't tried yet. I saw them on Amazon, and i decided to order a pair out of curiosity.
The best sounding acoustic guitar strings i've ever used are John Pearse. But the tension on them is so high. I actually put a pair of 13's on this other acoustic guitar i have, and the bridge actually started coming unglued and lifting off. I still haven't fixed it yet, i've been meaning to for quite a while.
It could be a coincidence and the glue was drying underneath the bridge, and it was gonna come off anyways, but the fact that it happened when i put on John Pearse 13's doesn't surprise me.
As far as elixirs go, thats the strings the guitar originally came with, and it's probably what i'm gonna go back to putting on it. It sounded much better then.
Ironically the problem you have with Aluminium strings, is the problem i have with elixir strings, where i notice that anytime i use them, the coating peels off fast, and starts to feather away.
Although i think its my strumming that does it, not so much the acidic nature of my skin, cause it usually only happens around the area i strum and pick.
Great comparison. L6 sounds better to me Taiwan or China ? They've switched. May I say unique delivery. Excellent.
what is the best or fit strings for yamaha acoustic guitar? i have a f335 yamaha acoustic
It's all personal preference. Even i sometimes switch, to change things up. The best fit is the ones that sound and feel best to you. It's very different for everyone. If you want something easier to play, try 11's, if you want a nice balance overall try 12's, and if you want a thick meaty tone try 13's.
As far as brand, that's really again personal preference.
@@1ReviewADay what is the gauge of the strings on your yamaha acoustic on this video?
Both guitars were using 12's
I bought an fG-160 tan label Nippon Gaki from a man in England for around 250 euro, he couldn't play anymore and had it new since 1972!
i really dont know if there is much of a difference between all the older fg's from japan whether red label or not because they look all the same and are all laminate.
However it is the way Yamaha made the Laminate, they used proper tonewoods in it thats why theyre so good especially after time.
Anyway I had to bring the action down, sanded down saddle and bridge to got it pretty good, I also refretted it. I play in sessions here in Ireland in pubs
ive seen Taylors and martins all sorts of expensive guitars and it seems to cut through them all, it rings like a bell, its loud when strummed hard and has great tone,
I will never sell it and its my go to guitar, but I would love to see is there any difference between a 160 and a 180 i wouldnt say much. I picked up an ll6 in a shop one day and
I must say it sounded fantastic, unfortunatley didnt have the money to buy, but I remember it being a really beautiful sounding guitar....
There seems to be this perception that an all laminate guitar sounds bad, but not the yamahas, I have played all solid guitars very expensive but to me they sound a bit duller
and muffled compared to the old fg... Its subjective maybe, or else I just haven't played enough expensive ones.
Great story! All of the older FG's I've tried sound great.
Maybe the LL6 for lead play in a band so that those crisp highs cut through, but otherwise the 180 all the way, it has much better lows and overall balance, not so tinny like the LL6. Also, you play great.
I bought the LL6 specifically for a band situation. But I don't have a band, so sometimes I just play it and pretend I'm in a band.
I thought it had no bass to it the LL6, but it actually does !!
It's designed to be played in a band situation, so it doesn't get drowned out by other instruments, so the bass isn't very low and droning, but its there. I've also use a Tusq Saddle, and now recently a bone saddle, and i find the bone one to sound the best on the guitar. The bass is more clear and projects better now, since i've been using the bone saddle.
I think in my original video i still had the plastic saddle, and in this video, i might have been using the TUSQ saddle, which is why maybe it sounds different.
But i think now the guitar sounds even better with the bone saddle.
Although i've basically ruined the guitar, cause it had some slight buzzing on the low E string, that was driving me crazy, cause i can't stand fret buzz, so i started shaving down the frets to eliminate the buzz, and i kept shaving down lower and lower, and lower, and it still wasn't getting rid of the buzz.
In fact 80% of acoustic guitars i try in stores, usually have some fret buzz, it seems like a miracle to find a guitar with zero fret buzz.
I think the newer Yamaha sounds brighter and dynamic.
They stopped producing the nippon gaki in 1972 and moved production to Tiwan I believe. I have a FG150 made in June of 72 in Tiwan
Higher model guitars continue to be produced in Japan (not sure if Nippon Gakki). But... they produced some same-model guitars in Japan and Taiwan concurrently. I have a s50a from Japan and one from Taiwan. A fg-75 from Japan (sold), and FG-75-1 from Taiwan (not technically the same model). Incidentally, that FG-75-1 is the only Yamaha I ever saw with a bowed neck.
I guess the comparision was using the same brand & guage strings on both then it'll be more accurate.
LL6 is much brighter, but not in a good way. The FG has a lovely mellow balanced sound
Nippon Gakki is sexy yeah! hehehe!
Had a fg180 red label Nippon Gaki since 1969-70. It needs some attention but way better than a ll6 & others.. I have tried a shed load of modern guitars & very few sub £1000 guitars come close to the tone of the fg. I expect some will say I am biased because of sentimental reasons. However, this is far from the truth & always has been. Wish I could find another..Note: Recording wise = fg every time. Other experienced acoustic guitarists have played it and noticed the tone.and agree..
I agree JOHN!!! I go to the Guitar store close my to my place all the time, and they have every brand of guitar you could imagine. I play the 1000 dollar guitars and i usually still like the FG 180 more.
For me, there's something about the tone and the sound thats sort of dark and moody, that always makes me wana play it.
I had this really nice "expensive" acoustic years ago, and i paid too much for it, and what i realized is, i could never write any music with it, it sounded too poppy and happy, and nothing sounded right for what i like to play.
I think in the end i guess its all a matter of what sound you enjoy.
Second thought I take that back it the fg180 that has my ear now
To my ear, the LL6 just sounds livelier.
It's definitely a lively guitar, it was voiced for being able to stand out in a live band situation.
Honest comment
The good news is you can get a non red label FG´s much cheaper and they were made equally as well, just in Taiwan not Japan.
The ll6 is brighter and more articulate.
Actually.. for some strange reason, its a known fact that the FG-140 was the best sounding of the 60's Nippon Gakki Red Label line .. Why ? Known one seems to know the answer ... You would suspect they used the same wood species and bracing so they should all sound the same,, but NO the FGF-140 has a unique beautiful tone with crispy highs , loud mids, and deep bottom end..
The LL6 is rosewood, LL6M Mahogany…. I’m assuming this LL6 is rosewood. That is most of the sound difference I “think” I hear.
The Yamaha Fg 180 🤔. Difficult to forget his first great love !
Old is gold
🤠
The LL6 is better sound ..much powerful ..Try Elixir 12-53 PB
The guitar originally came with Elixir 12-53, but not PB, they were 80/20 . I recently put on the PB version, and i gotta say, i think the original 80/20 sounded better for the guitar, i'll probably switch to 80/20 next time.
@@1ReviewADay Elixir's PB have fuller sound .trust me
I have a suggestion for what to play: anything by Tyler Childers. #eatinbigtime
Who the hell is that???
Now I would just keep both of them
I think people who own the older Yamaha guitars are trying to convince themselves that their guitar sounds better but to me it sounds boxy and dull. The ll6 sounds bright and clear. Way much more note definition
The ll6 best sound hands down
Ll6 all the way.
Yamaha would do well to move production back to Japan imo.
But it will be more expensive, bro
They have Japanese made acoustics and electrics in their Hamamatsu location.
On this particular mic, no contest, the LL6. The FG180 sounds all paper here. But I know better in person.
Im think about buying a ll16 . There 1000 dollarz in canada .
Soon as you played the first chord on the ll6, i would’nt bother with the 180 🤷🏻♂️
ll6 wins easy..more sustain..fuller sound...
The sustain on the LL6 is pretty great, especially now since i switched to a bone saddle. It rings forever.
You don't even seem to know what guitars you are really comparing... The L (short for luxury) series is their top tier models. All solid wood.
The 180 as far as on paper doesn't stand up the the L series guitar.
But there is nothing like a played in, seasoned guitar. It's deff a subjective thing
In my opinion the L series is far !ore superior sounding. Much more crisp and with definition. The Fg is loud but nowhere near as focused as the L. AT ALL. you cool though
Are these old red labels ALL solid wood? Or layered laminate like today's FG.
The one he's playing is an LL6 which is only solid top. The one that is all solid wood is the LL16. I actually prefer the fg800 and fg830 over the LL6 since the LL6 lacks so much bass and volume. Every time I play an LL6 in a guitar store they always sound dead and the FG series and LL16 sound so much better.
I know why from the size of the scale.
I have 2 old FG red labels and an LL11, and have come to the same conclusion as watching this video..
The LL's just sound more alive.
With that being said, I do play the Red Labels more often.
The LL16 is a really loud guitar, and also the sustain is incredible. As far as sound, the LL6 sounds nice on every song, and has a generally great sound, but those old red label guitars, just have such a dark and unique sound.
I would play my old red label more, but the frets are almost completely worn from years and years of playing. The frets have been shaved and crowned so many times , there's almost nothing left.
So needless to say, I usually play the LL6 more often, and use the red label for recording.
Its not your ears "Yoroshii desu" sounds better than Tīng qǐlái bùcuò)
stick with the warmer FG
LL6 sounds better by a mile. not even close
Red label is older...sounds better