Yamaha FG-400 Acoustic Guitar Review Published August 2, 2014 | Updated October 7, 2019
| Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars | ★★★★ |
Yamaha FG-400: A Great Sounding Entry Level Acoustic Guitar
You own a really great guitar if you own one of these. As an anonymous Musicians Enlightenment user says, “Put it this way. This guitar is almost everything like a nice old pair of Jeans. Rusty, cheap, rugged, but VERY comfortable. It feels like an old glove.”
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(Illustration: not actual FG-400, just one I really like!)
The Yamaha FG-400 was produced between 1989 and 1995, and you can find the modern day version of this guitar in the Yamaha FG-800.
My FG-400 has been played and beat on, and is still going strong. This versatile guitar has a rich, warm sound with coated strings and a bright, jangly sound with uncoated.
Check out the Yamaha FG-800 (the Yamaha FG-400’s younger brother!)
Vintage Tint $229 on Amazon
“Put it this way. This guitar is almost everything like a nice old pair of Jeans. Rusty, cheap, rugged, but VERY comfortable. It feels like an old glove.”
Anonymous Musicians Enlightenment User
Durable With A Well-Balanced Sound
My FG-400 stays in tune for a long time even with the drastic switches in humidity during the changing of seasons. I usually play with medium strings (see the Elixir Acoustic Phosphor Bronze Strings I use), and this guitar produces a well balanced sound throughout the strings. That being said, occasionally the low to mid range can get muddy when playing at louder volumes. I would suggest using medium or custom light strings on this guitar to balance out the sound of the dreadnought.
Check out the Yamaha FG-800 (the Yamaha FG-400’s younger brother!)
Vintage Tint $229 on Amazon
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This acoustic guitar is light yet durable, and its the kind of guitar that you can leave lying around and not have to worry about it. It would work well as an entry level guitar for a beginner player or as a guitar for strumming around the campfire. I’ve banged this guitar around a lot and it is still fully functional, and as it ages it even sounds a little better than it used to.
A Few Drawbacks
Despite being my trusted budget acoustic guitar for the reasons I’ve mentioned, the original action is a little too high for my liking. However, lowering the nut and bridge height and adjusting the action was as easy as a quick trip to my local music shop.
My plastic pin remover tool had a tough time getting 3 out of the 6 bridge pins out during a string change, causing me to resort to pliers. This minor inconvenience is caused by the bridge pin heads being too narrow, passing through my pin remover tool as I tried to remove them. To remedy this, you can purchase replacement bridge pins that have a wider head. That being said, the new Yamaha FG-800’s have bridge pins that are much easier to remove.
Check out the Yamaha FG-800 Vintage Tint for $229 on Amazon
TLDR: The Yamaha FG-400 Acoustic Guitar is a powerhouse entry level guitar, a true diamond in the rough.
Yamaha FG-400 Acoustic-Electric Guitar Frequently Asked Questions
Check out the Yamaha FG-800 (the Yamaha FG-400’s younger brother!)
Vintage Tint $229 on Amazon
If you’re looking for a well-made budget guitar then the Yamaha FG-400 may be a great option for you because of its no-fuss, durable construction and surprisingly pleasing sound.
This is a great guitar for the beginner guitarist because it is durable, inexpensive and still makes a great sound.
Unfortunately, the Yamaha discontinued the FG-400 in 1995 but it’s modern day equivalent is the Yamaha FG-800!
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Can’t find the Yamaha FG-400 online? Check out the Yamaha FG-800 or the Yamaha A1M Acoustic-Electric on Amazon
Yamaha FG-400 Specifications
Guitar Body: Mahogany
Number of Strings: 6
Top Wood: Spruce
Fretboard: Rosewood
Cutaway: No Cutaway
Yamaha FG-400 Acoustic Guitar Review
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Yamaha FG-400 Review Summary
The Yamaha FG-400 is a great beginner acoustic guitar at a great price- with a few drawbacks.
Yamaha FG-400 Specifications
Guitar Body: Mahogany
Top Wood: Spruce
Fretboard: Rosewood
Cutaway: No Cutaway
Put it this way. This guitar is almost everything like a nice old pair of Jeans. Rusty, cheap, rugged, but VERY comfortable. It feels like an old glove.
This. I’m going to quote this on the post because I couldn’t have said it better myself!
TENGO UNA YAMAHA FG 400 W , ALGUIEN SABE ALGO DE ESE TIPO
La Yamaha FG-400 es una guitarra realmente genial, gracias por compartir!
Yes – the action was too high but if set up to lower the action and equipped with light phosphor bronze strings my F400 is a thing of beauty that I often enjoy playing more than my $2000 Beneteau.
I’ve had that experience too, my Yamaha FG-400 holds up to many competitors! Even factory made guitars have unique personalities and you never know when you’ll find a diamond in the rough
I received an FG-400 for Christmas in 1989, overall it has a great tone and is very easy to play, I stick with medium strings because light gauge doesn’t really carry the volume that this guitar can produce. Very happy with it.
These guitars age well too! I play medium gauge now and I agree, it improves the tone and volume compared to lighter strings. Glad the guitar plays well for you!
I absolutely love this guitar! I bought for 40 bucks from a friend that had it for 16 years sitting in the case he didn’t know how to play.I cleaned her up and put some new strings on it.for the price this guitar is a steal.very durable,I knocked it off the wall.very little damage.this guitar can take a punch.buy one and enjoy it!
Definitelty a steal! Thank you for your story!!
Hey people, I just happened to stumble across a FG400 and brought it for 90 bucks,
I like the sound it’s pretty clear but the Actions not the best, So off to the Shop it goes.✌️
Hi Phill,
What a steal! Keep us posted as to how it turns out after the adjustment.
Alex, MusiciansEnlightenment.com
I bought a used one about a year ago for $55 with a hard case. The action on it was brutal (about 200 thou’ at the 12th fret). I just finished redoing it. Pulled all the frets, leveled the fretboard and put in some fall away, radiused the fretboard, put in all new frets, leveled, radiused and dressed. Made a bone saddle and a bone nut. Set the action at the nut and saddle to give me the playability I like. I truly believe that bone makes all the difference in the world when it comes to tone on an entry level guitar.
Yes, now it plays and sounds like a guitar worth many times more than what it cost. I have a friend that has been after me to get him a guitar so he can take it up. I think I’ll offer this one to him for $60 to get back most of the cost of the materials portion of the rework on it. Very nice entry level guitar for sure.
Wow! My action wasn’t that bad but I feel your pain. It’s nice to have the skills to do all of that!
Thank you for sharing your experience!