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I received this e-mail from Scott Gagel on March 7, 2010:
Mr. Schryver,
I, too have a Yamaha FG-360. I bought mine at a music store in
Louisville
,
Kentucky
in June of 1974. I had been playing guitar for about 3 years at the time,
but this was the first good guitar I owned. It was made in December, 1973,
and it was a special hand-built run. At the music store, I had a choice
between the $375.00 FG-360 and a $410.00 Martin D-18, and I chose the Yamaha
because it sounded better. This may have been because Martin at this time
in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s were desperate for instrument wood,
because their instrument wood warehouse burned down in 1968, I believe.
But nevertheless, the FG-360 sounded better, so I bought it.
Much later, I also contacted Yamaha in
Japan
for any information about this guitar, and I found out essentially the same
information. Solid Sitka Spruce top, (which is unheard of today, because
of instrument wood shortages worldwide – they are all bookmatched tops now).
My FG-360 has a perfectly bookmatched Jacaranda Rosewood back, (also called
Kingswood – and it is a true South American Dalbergia), and Jacaranda sides
with high quality ebony fretboard and bridge, and a dead straight Honduran
Mahogany neck with old traditional white Yamaha bindings, b/w striped rosette,
neck bound by white plastic and Yamaha tuners. I immediately changed the
cheap Yamaha tuners to gold Schallers. Over the years, I’ve replaced the
saddle and nut with bone, (which really helped the tone and sustain). I
also did 2 neck resets through the years, to adjust the action downward a
little. Beginning in 1974, when I bought it, the FG-360 served as my
primary acoustic guitar on stage with the bands I was with until 1986 when I
“retired” from performing for money.
I still have it and play it and the tone has just gotten better and warmer
over the years, so that now, I wouldn’t trade it for anything because it
sounds so sweet, warm and clear. Over the years, I’ve owned a
Taylor
810, a Martin D-28, a Martin D-45, a Gibson Hummingbird and a vintage Garcia
Classical guitar made in
Spain
in 1959 plus several other good acoustics. But I’ve always used my
FG-360 on stage, because of it’s great tone, it’s incredible playability and
it’s big, loud, evenly balanced sound. It almost never required EQ
adjustments. It sounds equally good while strumming soft or loud,
fingerpicking, or playing acoustic leads or bluegrass with a flatpick. The
tone has always been a bit different from other dreadnoughts – what I mean is
I can always tell the FG-360 from other acoustics – and all in a good way.
I still own 9 guitars: 5 acoustic and 4 electric. I have amps of
different makes and powers. But when I sit down to write a song or just
sit down to play for my own pleasure, it’s usually the Yamaha FG-360 that I
pick up. I’ve played it so long, it just fits me like a glove and is one
of the very few guitars that I feel absolutely at home with it in my hands.
I pick it up and it just naturally goes to the right spot. As far as
looks: it has a few minor dings on the finish from being played for years
on stage, but is mostly in great condition. The
Sitka
top has darkened and “oranged-up” to look older and vintage, which it now
is. It is still a beautiful guitar with the nitrocellulose lacquer finish.
About 15 years ago, I stripped the nitrocellulose off the back of the neck,
because when your left hand gets moist from playing it tends to stick on
nitrocellulose and doesn’t slide as easily. I began treating the bare
Mahogany with Tung oil, twice a year, which makes the neck slicker than just
about anything. It makes it much easier slide my left hand up and down the
neck.
I will always keep this guitar until the day I die and leave it to my young
niece, and hopefully when she is old enough to understand the history of this
guitar and its greatness, she will become inspired to learn to play.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my FG-360 experiences with you.
Sincerely,
Scott Gagel
photorestorebygagel@mac.com
My thanks to Scott for sharing his story with us.
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