USED Yamaha Late 60's Red Label FG-180 Acoustic
Vintage 6 String acoustic guitar made in Japan featuring Spruce top and Mahogany Back and Sides.
The "Holy Grail" of Vintage Japanese acoustic guitars - the Famed Red Labels.
Truth be told, the very first FG acoustic guitars has Green Labels, from 1966, but were made for Japan only 0- not for export.
They then switched to the Red Label and, until 1971, were made at Nippon Gakki Japan.
In 1971 they switched to their brand new factory in Tawain.
The FG-180 was part of the Dreadnought line, that they called "Jumbo" and featured the Yamaha Jumbo Bracing.
Contrary to popular opinion, and belief, these are NOT solid wood guitars... not even Solid Top.
(Yes - the new Yamaha Red Labels ARE solid wood)
Yamaha constructed these with a "ply" method, different than todays ply construction.
Doing so, combined with the Yamaha Bracing, make believe that they are in fact Solid Top (if not completely solid) guitars - because they sound so darn good!!
From the cosmetic appointments, this FG-180 would be roughly late 60's, possibly early 1970...
-3mm extra small dot markers, and they're position
-shape of the pickguard
-truss rod cover.
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So, why is this guitar not twice the price (?) as most Vintage MIJ Red Label Japanese Yamaha Acoustic are typically priced at??
Cosmetically, this guitar is in excellent condition - especially for it's age (let's say 54)
It, however, has suffered what is seen a lot with these older acoustics.
Realistically, it needs a neck reset. The neck angle has gone over the years (the years of probably sitting in a closet with strings up to tension) and the saddle is as los as it can go. As seen in the pictures.
As is, open "cowboy chords" are fine but as you get up the neck, the action gets higher and the intonation gets further out.
As is, it could be a fantastic little acoustic that you would use capo's at the 5th or 7th fret. Sounds great!
But...l if you want to use this as a full, versatile acoustic guitar, it would need the neck to be reset. The price is reflective of this.
Features a Ply spruce top, Ply Mahogany back and sides, Mahogany neck and rosewood finger board.
Otherwise, it's pretty darn cool!
And, it features a vintage Hi Note store sticker on the back of the headstock!! If you know, you know.
