Steve Rowley's Yamaha FG-360

I love your page about the Yamaha FG-360, and the comments and reports from other guys who also own them.  When I first got into 360s your pages were a great source of info.  I'm a luthier/tech and the first 360 I saw was a friend's who wanted a general set up.  In fact the guitar had been previously repaired, as his wife had taken a hammer to the top (don't ask..) and punched two holes in it.  The repair was done very well and certainly does not seem to affect the sound.  He has since called the guitar his "Hamaya".  Working on that guitar, I fell in love with it and decided I must get one. After about a year, a nice one came up on Ebay and I bought it, and it's great.  I also have a Martin D-35 and although tonally they sound different, it is a mere 'difference' that we are talking about.  One is not better than the other.  To me, it is every bit as good as the Martin.  It has gorgeous tonal qualities; deep bass and lower mids, sweet midrange and mellow highs.  Just one point, you report  that the "Yamaha official" you speak of said that the 360 has solid spruce top.  This is wrong, the top is laminated.  I am not saying that there are no 360s out there with solid tops, my knowledge does not go that far, but the spec is laminated for that model.  Also, you have to get a good strong magnifying glass in good light to examine the wood around the soundhole, otherwise a cursory examination may lead one to believe that it is solid wood.  This 'effect' of the laminate being solid can change all around the soundhole, you need to be diligent to get an accurate conclusion.  I dunno, Yamaha must have really researched laminates, because these old FGs sound amazing, I also have a 140 and that too is amazing for the money I paid for it.  They got it right, and forty years on, they sound even better.  

 

Best Regards,

Steve (Rugeley, England)