Michael Tetrault's Yamaha FG-360

I received a series of e-mails from Michael Tetrault on March 23, 2014. Here is his story:

Hi.

I'm writing to you to share my story about my newly acquired Yamaha FG 360 acoustic guitar.

Before I begin, I would like to say that I am impressed with your commitment in researching the history and significance of these wonderful instruments. Thanks for taking the time to discover all the interesting facts in regards to this topic.

Anyway, I first played a friend's FG 360 a few years back and was very impressed with the volume and tone of this model. This exposure led me on the path to finding one for myself.

For the past year or so, I have been monitoring E-Bay as well as local online classifieds to see if I could find one. They would pop up now and then, but often they were too far to have shipped to my native country (Canada) and I wanted to play the instrument before purchasing it.

About a month ago or so, I found one on Kijiji that was in my area (South-Western Ontario). The add was posted for an hour or so and I was fortunate enough to contact the seller and have him hold it for me.

I picked up the instrument today and WOW!!! My jaw dropped when I strummed that first G chord. The sound was powerful, the tone was warm; this thing really projected. I own a 1994 Taylor 710 and a 1936 Martin 0-17 and let me tell you, this instrument surpasses both in volume and equals them in tone. I can't believe that I paid $400 for this guitar and the tonal qualities match my more expensive instruments.

The previous owner purchased the guitar at a music store in Hamilton, ON Canada in 1974. He was the original owner. He had a pickup installed in the '90s and also changed the tuners at that time. The serial number reads: 41104478, which signifies it was made November 4th, 1974. The tan label reads YAMAHA FG-360, MADE IN TAIWAN. I saw on your web site that some FG-360s had the label ''Republic of China Made in Taiwan''. This one simply says ''Made in Taiwan''.

I am a bit confused about the woods used for this instrument. From the grain pattern, it appears to be walnut. However, I don't recall these guitars being built with this wood species. Typically, the woods used were coral rosewood, I believe. Any clarification about this would be appreciated.

I will send pics shortly.

Thanks again for your devotion to this wonderful instrument.

Mike Tetrault (Chatham, ON CANADA)

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On April 30, 2018, I again received an email from Michael. His story continues.

Hello.

I'm writing to you once again to share with you the great news....I purchased a second Yamaha FG 360 acoustic guitar yesterday!

This one is a Nippon Gakki NK model and has all the mojo my first one has. These instruments are just wonderful! It seems a bit lighter than my Taiwanese model I acquired in 2014, but the tone and volume are just as remarkable. This one is in near mint condition, with only a few minor scuff marks on it. It has a very cool dealer logo on the back of the headstock indicating it was sold in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

I found this guitar in London, Ontario and paid $375 for it.

Here are a few pictures of my new find:

Thanks again for your devotion to this fine vintage model.

Michael Tetrault

His second FG-360 is the 59th Japanese model we know of and number 92 overall. Also, regarding Michael's comment about the price ... we suspect that this is CDN which at this particular time would roughly equate to about $270 US, a very nice price.

Michael Tetrault