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Thoughts on the Yamaha LS line?

2.2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  Steadfastly  
#1 ·
Im fairly new to playing acoustic. I have an old Yamaha fg335ii from the early 80s, and I recently bought myself a Lowden S32c. I love the Lowden, but Id like a nicely made Dreadnought or OM style aswell. I really love Yamaha, and the idea of a Luthier-built Yamaha guitar really interests me more than Martin or Boucher, to name a couple. A friend has an LSX-500c that is amazing, but not quite what Im looking for. Any suggestions? Would prefer 80s or 90s to the new stuff. Nothing ridiculously priced, but id like to keep it to around $3-4k.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I have an L-25A Mastermade luthier model that is still in great playing condition since I bought it in 1978 for $1,200. I believe the LL,LJ and LS series replaced the L-25A and L-25AT models somewhere along the line.

The specs on mine is solid 3 piece back & sides Jacaranda(a.k.a.-Brazilian Rosewood terminology used by Yamaha back then), solid White Spruce top, Honduras Mahogany neck with Ebony fingerboard and bridge. Can't say enough good things about the Yamaha handmade guitars,... very solid with great tone. They record quite well too with a strong tight bass on the L-25A whereas the L-25AT with it's thinner top has a more trebly projection.

With the experience I have had with my Yamaha over the last 45 years I would say your investment in an LS series would be a positive one.

Also, I have seen the L-25A and L-25AT being sold between $2,000 & $3,000 on Reverb and other such websites.
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#4 ·
I love Yamaha GC classicals, but when it comes to steel-string AE I have stuck with Takamine all-solid woods models for over a decade. Their SBGs in either spruce/rosewood or spruce/mahogany are fantastic players, with a nicely shaped neck, marginally wider ebony fretboards, and the best natural sounding electronics available.
 
#5 ·
I would only buy the LS models if I wanted a very fine guitar. For the money and quality, they are hard to beat.
 
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