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Yamaha FS5 ??

General Acoustic & Electro/Acoustic Guitar Forum covering all brands other than Yamaha or Yamaha guitars without a dedicated forum.

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Neastguy2021
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Yamaha FS5 ??

Unread post by Neastguy2021 »

Hello.. Ive been interested in an FS5.. impossible to find right now.. but I was wonder those of you who have one.. how do you like it.. is it easy to play sitting on a couch.. and if you have ever played a Martin 00-18 .. how does it compare in quality and tone? thanks...
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Saul Ukraine
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Re: Yamaha FS5 ??

Unread post by Saul »

Welcome to the forums Neastguy2021 :)

I have not tried the FS5 myself but I would certainly like to get my hands on one (Y)

From what I have seen so far it looks to be a beautiful guitar, in a very understated sort of way.

Being the smaller FS body shape as opposed to the almost dreadnaught size of the FG and having played the FS/TA I would say it would be very easy to hold whilst sitting on a couch.

As for comparisons with the Martin 00-18? Well, they certainly don't compare on price! The Martin is well over double the price of the Yamaha.

It is difficult to say much about the tone as I have only heard both these guitars via YouTube and of course, that is never the best way to judge any instrument. Taking everything into consideration though, I would probably lean toward the FS5. That isn't out of any brand bias but simply because I think it is better value for money.
Yamaha_FS5_Red_Label.png
The FS5 does seem to be in short supply at the moment. I can only see a couple in stock at dealers here in the UK.
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SKYWALKER Wales
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Re: Yamaha FS5 ??

Unread post by SKYWALKER »

It looks like the FS 5 has a Dreadnaught-ish body shape with a wide waist ,so it should sit fairly high on the knee when you're playing sitting and offer more likelihood of being comfortably without a foot-rest . ( The key is in buying the right sofa !😅😂😂)

The online shop Alfasoni in Barcelona have the FS 5 NA in stock for 1'099 € .

I can ask them if they can offer payment method and shipping to the U.K. ( if that's were you are !)

There's never harm in asking ! ( And as the Catalans also want independent national status, they should start practicing their trade ties now ! 😅😂😂) .
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YamahoggieFS5
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Yamaha FS5 Strings

Unread post by YamahoggieFS5 »

Hello everyone,

New to the forum and fairly new to guitar as well. I started playing just over a year ago and still enjoying it daily, but, really still in my beginner stage.

My first guitar is the FG800 which I still own, but, I wanted to upgrade to my forever guitar and after trying several, something about the feel of the FS5 and its sound kept pulling me back. Long story short, I now have the FS5 beside my FG800 and couldn't be happier. Everyone seems to describe the FS5 as a warn sound which is probably what I am hearing that I like so much.

The reason I am on here is two fold, one, to say hello, but, to also ask those of you who may own one, what do you do for strings? I have settled on the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze 11's on my FG800. When the Elixirs are due for a change on the FS5 I will give the AB's a try too, but, wondering what else someone may have tried that they really love using. I do stick with 11's as 12's are just a little to heavy for me in the end. I also just bought a set of Martin Retro's to try out one day. If the sound isn't what I like from either, I'd possibly go back to the Elixirs that came with the guitar.

Thoughts?
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YamahoggieFS5
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Re: Yamaha FS5 ??

Unread post by YamahoggieFS5 »

I was really hoping for some input from some very experienced players who own this guitar, but, it's been pretty quiet.

Nonetheless, I really love the sound of the guitar with the Elixirs on it. One thing I did notice is that within about 4-5 weeks, the coating was worn off on a couple of the strings already. I stuck with the Elixirs another 3 weeks and changed them out for the Martin Retros. Immediately the feel was quite different. The best was to describe it is that I "feel" the steel string whereas the Elixirs have a "softer" feel to them. One thing that seemed to strike me is I don't recall hearing as much squeak switching between chords with the Elixirs. Maybe it's just me. I'll have to pay more attention next time. The Retros don't seem as "warm" of a sound to me, but, I feel the sound of the guitar is louder now. For now, my preference is the Elixirs for feel and sound and the only negative is the coating wearing off so soon.
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Saul Ukraine
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Re: Yamaha FS5 ??

Unread post by Saul »

It has probably been quiet because very few of us own the FS5. That makes it difficult to give any definitive opinions or recommendations?

I can definitely say though, that strings can make a good guitar sound bad and a mediocre guitar sound better. The Elixir's are great. I use them a lot but it is important to note that even though they are coated, you should really wipe them down at least every few days or more if you play a lot. The sweat and oils from your fingers will have an effect on all strings, no matter what they are coated with.

I always use Fast Fret. There are other string cleaners/treatment products out there but I have used it for years and it works really well. Also great for bringing your fretboard to life (don't ever use on maple!).
Fast-Fret.png
Fast-Fret.png (212.13 KiB) Viewed 2270 times
I also use this handy little string cleaner which you can find under several different brand names. They all do the same job though.
string_cleaner.png
string_cleaner.png (413.9 KiB) Viewed 2270 times
Those two things will keep your strings as new as the day you put them on your guitar :)

As for the type/brand of string to use. I have recently started trying D'Addario XS and I find them to be just as good if not better than the Elixir Nanoweb. However a word of caution. Only ever buy D'Addario from a reputable dealer. It is one of the most pirated string brands out there! Elixir also suffers from a similar problem but not to such a great extent.

I will at some point get to a guitar store and check out the FS5 but until all this covid thing is sorted I tend to stay as far away from people as I can so, it may be some time.
Saul
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YamahoggieFS5
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Re: Yamaha FS5 ??

Unread post by YamahoggieFS5 »

Hi Saul,

Thank you for the feedback! I've gotten used to giving the strings and neck a quick wipe after playing. Nothing serious, just a casual wipe up and down once. My hands aren't sweaty but must certainly leave a little oil behind each time. I may explore your suggestions. The little wipe is a good idea to get behind the strings too which I am sure I don't get there.

If you have the opportunity, I suggest you take it and give the FG5/FS5 a try. Something about the finish and the sound just does something for me. The tricky part is ever finding one in stock!

Cheers,

Sanders
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Saul Ukraine
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Re: Yamaha FS5 ??

Unread post by Saul »

I have been checking around but there are no guitar stores anywhere near me with the FS5 in stock. In any case, Covid is on the increase again here so I will be staying away from crowds for a while yet. Hopefully, once things settle we can get back up to Yamaha HQ and try the FS5 there as well as many of their other guitars 😀
Saul
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