Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar  (Used)

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

My main player is a Epi Masterbilt with all solid woods. I went to my local GC to see if they had any Larrivee's (no) - so I just looked around the acoustic room for a while. I saw a vilolin sunburst version of this guitar and liked the unique coloration so I picked it up and played it. What a pleasant surprise. Setup well, and had excellent tone and volume. Sounded better than any other solid-top in the room (including the low end Martins). Great sustain and pleasnt tone. Yamahas are known for their consistancy of quality and this guitar was extremely well built and finished.I'm not in the market for anything other than an all solid wood guitar, but if I was - this is the guitar I would buy. Hands down.

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

Priced right. Plays very good. Some minor issues mentioned above. But I like it and will keep it. I've been playing over 45 years and was looking for a cheap guitar to throw in my van for travel and playing at the beach. Would I buy another one? Yes.
Tuners work good. Some problems on low E and G staying in tune. Nut could be better. Bridge good. Finish pretty. Not that great for fingerpicking folk. It's best for strumming with a pick. Nice smaller body.
Moderate to Above Average in quality. Better than most at this price. B and high E strings not very loud. Not a deep tone, sorta middle to trebly. A lot of string buzz on fretboard requiring truss adjustment. Guitar had not been properly setup. Had to replace the cheap strings. Should have had at least a soft case but came with none. Heavy cheap wood smell. Had to spray it with fragance.
Good bang for the buck. Better than average. Not a PRO guitar but more appropriate for beginner to intermediate player, or someonr who wants a travel guitar.

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

Outstanding guitar for the money. If you are not playing bluegrass style, I would probably vote for spending just a few more dollars more to get the FG730S with rosewood, or if economy is of primary importance, consider the FG700S.
This is impressive as a basic guitar. The Yamaha FG720s comes with Nato laminated back and sides. This is also called Eastern Mahogany. Since the back of the instrument primarily reflects the sound, the use of laminated wood is not necesssarily a bad thing. Hint: Look up Nato tone wood in Wikipedia. I was impressed to find that it is stronger and harder than "regular" mahogany. This is a benefit in the use of nato wood for the guitar neck.
Mahogany gives a more punchy sound (maple would possibly also be in that catagory, as it gives a very bright sound). If you want a bluegrass instrument, this would be a good choice.It carries through more of the fundamental of the note, rather than the very low and high frequencies.That is why I bought it. The low E is more punchy than on my expensive rosewood instruments. If you want lots of overtones, spend just a few bucks more, and buy the Yamaha FG730S, which has laminated rosewood on the back and sides. In that situation, if you want more punchiness, you could use the D'Andrea brass tone pins (but with new strings, it might sound metallic...)
Sound/tone quality:
As a bluegrass instrument, this is pleasing in sound, punchy, and projects well (good volume). When I record, I might use this instrument over my more expensive guitars (as another reviewer also stated), as it will come across with clarity and good note separation. Reverb can then be added to give a great sound in the final album.
Note: I played a Yamaha FG700s in the store, and to my memory, it sounded like this instrument. That lower model did have a flaw in the pick guard installation (part of it was lifted up at the proximal end), and I suspect that the FG720S has better tuners, but I can't verify that.
Incidentally, I had purchased this instrument in the 12 string version, and liked it so much I immediately went for this 6 string version.
Setup quality:
Unbelievably good for an instrument in this price range. I wouldn't touch the string height... it's perfect at the nut, and seems OK at the 12th fret.
Manufacturing quality:
Outstanding. If you really want something to sell you on a Yamaha instrument, go to YouTube, and check out the video of the Yamaha guitar factory. Their procedures and quality blow away the competition for any instrument in this price range. To compare, then go to the Ibanez factory video. You will immediately buy the Yamaha!
Yamaha does a good job of giving a lot of guitar for the money, and they are very humble when they evaluate their own instruments. Most companies over-sell their product, but Yamaha possibly under-sells theirs. In other words, you are getting a better instrument than they claim.

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

This was my first guitar ever but I wouldn't really call it a beginner guitar. I still play it everyday and love it. I can't find anything reall negative to say about it. It sounds exactly like an ideal acoustic guitar to me. Sounds better than the Martin's and Taylor's for four times the price and is better looking too. Stays in tune, has binding on the fretboard, and has a nice neck. For the price I don't think there is a better acoustic you can buy. I can see myself playing this think for the next 10-20 years

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

This is one awesome guitar, and I've played and owned many. All I can say, is if someone blind folded me and told me it was a Taylor, I would have believed them. Put it this way, It definitely sounds and plays better than a lot of acoustics that cost 5-7 times more than this baby. It kinda makes you sad when you pay some of the prices I've paid for guitars, only to find this little gem for "giveaway" prices...LOOOOOVE IT!!!!D <

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

This is my third Yamaha guitar. Slightly smaller folk body makes for a great finger picking guitar. Balanced tone. Flawless finish. Nice action out of the box. Very easy to play. Only changes have been installing earthwood extra light strings. I've not seen a better guitar anywhere near this price range, period!

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

I wanted a guitar that I could just leave out of the case, not worry if it picked up a scratch or two, and not have to live in a humidity controlled environment. I saw this online and decided to go to GC to check it out. Appearance - looks WAY better than the photos online. Quality - looks & feels like a guitar that cost 4x as much. Sound - sounds as good as any laminate sided guitar can imo. Overall - can't beat it for the price, period. I also love the concert size body..perfect for sitting around and playing...gives good all around balanced sound. The guitar is plenty loud as well. I couldn't be happier at this price point. Actually, this guitar could probably have cost me twice as much and I would still be very happy.

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

After reading many positive reviews, I decided to give this model a try. I wanted a small body acoustic to have laying around my living room, something I could just grab & strum or pick whenever I wanted to. I have owned a Martin D28 in the past, but always kept it in the case, so it didn't see much play action. This little Yamaha has a really decent sound for the smaller body. Workmanship/construction is quite good. Plays easy right out of the box. Good action & intonation too. The frets are a bit thin, and the rosewood fretboard isn't much to look at, but for the money, its a very good value.

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

I was at GC in Seattle and I was shopping around for a new acoustic. I played a lot of them but this one really stunned me. It felt like two long lost relatives were reunited when I picked it up. Very bright tone, good craftsmanship, not to mention awesome looks.

Comments about Yamaha FS720S Folk Acoustic Guitar:

I played this guitar at a local shop. I tried it because I was interested in a cheap acoustic that I could travel with and not worry about. I was also interested in a standard size, the long fret board and higher string tension of my dreadnaught is a bit hard on the fingers.This guitar was really a pleasure to play. Easy to play and sounds good for a cheap guitar. I would like to have one but resisting expansion of my collection. I have one electric, one acoustic (dreadnought) and a resonator. Before I bought my acoustic (about $900), I played a lot of guitars in the $200-$350 range. I wasn't really impressed until I played the more expensive one that I bought. If I had played this one I would have bought it.