YAMAHA FGC-TA Concert Cutaway Transacoustic Guitar

You won’t find a solid rosewood guitar in this price point. Arrived set up perfectly. The built in effects and speaker are a very cool idea. Can’t recommend enough.

Muy bonita, muy buena acustica, buenos materiales, la recomiendo mucho

I have several acoustics, a 20yr old Takamine cedar top which has aged up, a brand new Ibanez acoustic artwood, and now this Yamaha. The way that wood ages does change the sound and it’s hard to describe and not that easy to notice without an a and b comparison, but the first notes I played on the Yamaha, I was struck by how clear they rang out. The torrefaction aging they are doing to the wood isn’t snake oil, and it has an easy to hear change on the tone.

The upper mid range of the guitar for instance is louder, and there seem to be more overtones. If you could imagine starting with a soft, wet wood, how it would tend to muffle the treble freqencies because it’s not very stiff, and then imagine you somehow made that wood as stiff as carbon fiber, and then played it, how much brighter it would sound, it’s something like that. The notes sound very clear, and project very well. It actually ‘sounds good’. Like play an A chord and someone can tell it’s an expensive guitar just from that. It just has that sound.

The electronics are also great. I wish it had a built in tuner like my Ibanez but the magic wizardry that is the built in chorus and reverb is pretty incredible. It takes 2 AA batteries from down by the TRS jack, and I haven’t had to change them yet after about 20 hours of playing. The chorus especially gives you a 12string sound on a 6 string.

The plugged in sound is better than my Ibanez, but still sounds like a piezo. It’s okay for using an amp but if you’re recording guitar, you’re still better off using a microphone pointed at the 12th fret.

Now the action……is great. It’s the easiest acoustic action I’ve ever used. It’s not as easy to play as an electric, but you won’t struggle with it even if you don’t play acoustic. It’s nothing like my Takamine which is a finger destroyer. The neck also has that knurling down both sides to kind of protect your hand from fret sprouting and such so that even wrapping your thumb around the neck you have nothing grinding on your hand on either side moving up and down the neck. Very smooth, and a matt neck finish so it’s not grabby.

The tuners are very fast, which is usually a sign of quality. It takes very little movement to tune up or down and once the strings stretch out, it stays in tune. It also does not affect tune very much if you’re pulling on the neck or pushing on it which is a good sign. I did not have to adjust the action to get a buzz free experience. The action as a whole is a little higher than I’d like, but you won’t get any string buzz with it set like that.

My fit and finish is flawless. No scuffs, dings, flaws, from the factory. The guitar uses thick top wood which is much thicker than my Ibanez or Takamine. The guitar also weighs more than my other 2 acoustics and it feels solid.

I expect this guitar to last a lifetime.

I own both the LL-TA and LS-TA. Here are my thoughts on them.

Pros:
– The Transacoustic technology is not a gimmick. The added chorus makes the guitar sound like a 12 string. Reverb makes everything better.
– If you turn off the Transacoustic electronics, it functions as an amazing acoustic. The guitar is worth the price even without it. The electronic are stealthily placed into the deep pockets of the guitar so it doesn’t look like a cyborg’s instrument.
– Has all the premium features that you’d have to pay Taylor $4000 to get: neck binding, body binding, full (and beautiful) gloss finish, abalone inlay on fretboard and soundhole, rosewood back, etc…
– The LS-TA’s body shape is very comfortable to play with. LL-TA’s dreadnought is a bit bulky but is louder.
– Being heavy guitars has both pros and cons. The pros of high body weight is the guitar won’t have neck dives.
– Good feeling satin neck
– Without the electronics, the guitar sounds solid – not as much low ends as J45, not as bright as Taylors – exactly somewhere in the middle. Very reliable sound.

Cons:
– They are quite heavy – not sure if because of the wood choice or the added electronics.
– The fretwork is not the best – consistent looking, but lots of sharp ends. Expect to spend a little bit at the tech to round out those frets.
– The tuners are acceptable, but could be better.
– The two skunk stripes on the back of these guitars are a little bit weird to look at – but purely cosmetic.
– Did not come with a strap pin.
– Action is a tad high, but still acceptable.
– The “Made in China” tag might throw some off.
– Battery lasts for about 2 weeks of regular playing.

In conclusion, all these cons are justified by the fact that these guitar are extremely underpriced, undervalued and underrated. These cons can for the most part be fixed by a technician, or safely ignored. These are the ultimate campfire guitars – a piece of innovation that I hope other brands will pick up and apply on their guitars. This is among the top 5 best deals in the guitar world. Get one if you have the cash before their values get corrected.

Buena construcción, materiales de primera, el acabado impecable.
En cuanto al sonido, tiene un volumen impresionante, bajos potentes y agudos cristalinos. El perfil del cuello es fantástico.
El sistema Transacoustic es una maravilla, aunque no es necesario para disfrutar esta gran guitarra. Ya llevo muchos meses con ella y ni una falla. Solo ojo, el precio a veces lo inflan demasiado, comparenlo con el precio en dólares para no pagar demás.