Vintage Acoustic Guitar

1974 Yamaha FG-360 D-Size Acoustic Guitar
***Hard to Find Yamaha Japan Made Nippon Gakki FG-360 Guitar !!!!***

***Coral Rosewood Back and Sides***

This is one of the vintage Yamaha guitars you may have read about. I hope in this auction to expand on some of the information you may have heard about these guitars, as well as to realistically explain some of the claims, of the famed Nippon Gakki labeled Yamaha’s.

Before I describe my guitar let me tell you it is not from an Estate Sale, nor is it being offered to you by an antique dealer as a thrift store find. This is from my personal collection of vintage guitars.

Hopefully I will answer all your questions whether you’re a beginner or a pro. If you’re a beginner print this auction and take it to someone you trust for verification.

Now about the instrument….

I purchased this instrument because, I have owned these guitars in the past, and they live up to the reputation. This reputation however, has spawned a ton of poor information, false claims and descriptions of “magical” perfect tone. It seems everyone claims the Rosewood models are all built out of Brazilian Rosewood, no matter the model number or year of manufacture. I hope to be a little clearer and realistic.

Here are the specifications:

This is a Japan Built Yamaha FG-360

Orig MSRP: $425
Year: 1974
D-Size
Spruce Top
Coral Rosewood Back, and 2-piece African Mahogany neck.
Bound Neck – Indian Rosewood fingerboard with top and side dot markers.
Rosewood Bridge with Rosewood Pearl Dot Pins
25 1/4” scale length, 1 5/16” at the nut
Tortoise Shell Pick Guard
Action at the 12th fret 3.3mm (8 Business Cards)
S/N: 40426

This information is all verifiable from Yamaha if you follow the link below by clicking on Yamaha History:

Yamaha History for additional information on the model

At the site CLICK on ACOUSTIC GUITARS
Then ENTER: fg360 with no dash or spaces.

The site indicates no US distribution, however depending on the music supply distributor, these guitars were available in the US and do wear English marked labels as further proof. They cost a little more wholesale and with limited distribution are fairly hard to find, though they do show up.

This model sheds all the glitz compared to the lower numbered FG-300 of the day. Where the FG-300 was tailored to impersonate a Gibson Hummingbird complete with the adjustable bridge, the FG-360 is a much more substantial feeling guitar with higher quality of wood. The back and sides are made of Coral Rosewood. This is the same wood used by Alvarez-Yairi much later on the great sounding DY-59 60th Anniversary Model. It’s an Asian Rosewood that displays some figuring compared to the straight grained Indian Rosewood you see all the time.

Volume is exceptional on this guitar. It is louder than my D-35 Martin when played back to back. The following points require that you know something of guitar construction, but I will try to explain and expand on the differences found in this guitar.

- The shape of the guitar appears quite standard. The size is a traditional D-size.
- The bracing pattern of the top is a hybrid resembling the forward shifted X used on some very old 1940’s acoustics.
- The top is pretty thin as are the top braces when examined by mirror, yet overall weight is not that light,
- Varying sized back braces. The front two are peaked top braces of about 3/8” width. The rear two are each an inch wide. Well braced very solid back.
- The guitar is internally lacquered. This is another trait shared by Yairi’s who subscribe that a light finish inside improves the reflectivity of the internals, promotes stability. You can see the finish as it covers the label.

Now let’s talk condition.

Cosmetic condition is not too bad for a 35+ year old instrument. There are plenty of pick marks, dings and belt buckle scratches, and a nice finish removing chip here and there. It has been used and you can see it, but it does appear just as in the photos. There is really no weather checking and the finish is as glossy as it gets. There are no cracks anywhere in the wood. The tuners have been changed. 5 original Yamaha tuners are included with this auction. When I bought it one tuner was missing and a makeshift tuner was in it’s place that had created a semi circular groove as near the tuner as shown in the picture of the back of the head. I installed replacement tuners properly. If you come across 1 more original Yamaha tuner you could restore it to original as I purposely installed slightly smaller tuners. The originals are larger and would cover up any marks made by the smaller tuners.

If you examine the pictures you will see exactly what it looks like. The board is clean and has been kept oiled. There is virtually no fret wear. The truss rod is free and with plenty of adjustment room should you ever need it. I set the action myself when I bought it, and it’s in the middle of the accepted range. For comparison just take 8 business cards, and insert them under the strings of any guitar at the 12th fret. On this one the strings would trap the cards and hold them in place. That’s an easy way to compare guitars. The action is about what these guitars came from the factory at and no further lowering is possible.

With all the marginal pictures and short write-ups on ebay I want you, the customer to be informed to the best of my ability. Please examine the 21 pictures, as they tell the story

I have been playing guitar for about 20 years and in my estimation this is a fantastic sounding instrument. Rather than take my word for it. I think it’s better you take your own.

Maybe you can play better than I can (that would be easy), or maybe worse, but I hope these clips illustrate that the instrument is very willing if you’re good enough. If you don’t have a high speed connection you may want to visit someone who does, this will take a while with dial up.

CLICK HERE for the Video Clip

CLICK HERE for the Audio Clip

Now that you’ve heard it I hope some of the tone comes through. The bass is fairly thundering so it put a little strain on the close mic, but overall presents a nice balanced tone, and is quite loud.

That’s about all I can say about it. It’s a hard to find instrument that will surely bring hours of enjoyment, and may quietly appreciate in value. I hope the information above will show that I am very aware of the instrument, its condition, and its place in the fine history of Yamaha guitars. If you want a guitar as described with no surprises, polished, and restrung you may have found your auction. Good Luck and Thank You for looking.

In any case, I Thank You very much for your time and I hope you enjoyed looking at this auction even if your not bidding! If you are: GOOD LUCK BIDDING!!!

Buyer is to pay $48.50 shipping I will ship well padded inside a very thick dedicated box for guitar shipping. It will be insulated and very safe. No case is included though I am currently trying to locate and inexpensive used case to ship the guitar in. I can safely ship either way but I prefer the guitar in a case. I make no money on your shipping and don’t buy from those that do. I accept PayPal

On Jan-04-12 at 20:32:44 PST, seller added the following information:

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