Introduction
Yamaha is one of the most respected and renowned acoustic guitar manufacturers, with a proven track record for quality and innovation spanning decades. The Yamaha CG122MS classical guitar continues this tradition, offering students and beginners an affordable nylon-string guitar built to Yamaha’s high standards.
The CG122MS model features a solid Engelmann spruce top, which is an upgrade from laminate tops found on most guitars in this price range. This solid wood top gives the guitar a beautifully balanced and resonant tone, perfect for classical and fingerstyle playing. The back and sides are made from nato wood – an economical alternative to rosewood or mahogany.
Overall, the CG122MS provides exceptional value by including high-end features like a solid top on a beginner classical guitar. Its quality tonewoods and construction allow the rich voice of nylon strings to shine through, even at this accessible price point. This makes it an ideal choice for new classical guitarists looking for an instrument that will grow with them over years of playing.
Construction
The Yamaha CG122MS is a full-size classical guitar, with traditional dimensions that provide the comfortable playing feel and fret access expected from the classical style. It measures 48 inches long, with a nut width of 2 1/8 inches and a body depth of 3 5/8 inches. Despite the large body size, the CG122MS remains lightweight and balanced for playing comfort.
The top of the guitar is solid Engelmann spruce, which provides warmth, clarity and balanced tone. Engelmann spruce is known for its resonance and responsiveness, allowing the guitar’s voice to open up and improve over time. The back and sides are made from nato wood, providing an affordable yet durable and tonally pleasing compliment to the spruce top.
The fingerboard and bridge are rosewood, which gives crisp note definition and bright tone. Rosewood is a traditional fingerboard wood valued for its hardness and sustain. The matte finish on the CG122MS has an attractive, understated look, while also protecting the woods from wear and scratches. Overall the materials and construction quality are impressive for an entry-level classical guitar.
Hardware
The Yamaha CG122MS is equipped with quality hardware to provide stable tuning, playability, and tone.
The guitar features Yamaha’s own die-cast chrome tuning machines. These sealed gear tuners are precise and help keep the CG122MS in tune. They are smooth to turn and durable.
The nut and saddle are both made from urea, which is a synthetic material commonly used on classical and nylon string guitars. Urea has similar tonal qualities to bone and ebony while being an affordable material. The urea nut has a proper width and shaping for classical guitar playing technique. The saddle transfers the strings’ vibrations well.
Overall the hardware components on the Yamaha CG122MS are designed to offer quality performance while keeping the price accessible. The tuners, nut and saddle all contribute to this being a reliable and playable instrument even for beginner and student classical guitarists.
Neck
The Yamaha CG122MS features a traditional classical guitar neck profile that is optimized for comfort and playability. The neck has a rounded C-shape that comfortably fills the palm of the hand, providing a natural feel.
The nut width on the CG122MS is 52mm, which is the standard width found on most full-size classical guitars. This allows ample room for the fingers to move around and utilize proper classical technique. Players with smaller hands may find the wider nut width more challenging at first, but it enables the proper finger placement and technique as you progress.
The playability from the neck shape and width is quite comfortable overall. The rounded edges and smooth satin finish allow your hand to easily glide up and down the neck. The action is set low and comfortable right out of the box, making it very beginner friendly. More advanced players may want to tweak the action slightly to their preferences, but the CG122MS provides an ideal starting point.
With its traditional neck dimensions and excellent playability, the CG122MS excels at providing a great platform for beginning classical guitarists to build proper technique. The width and shape align with what you would find on more expensive classical guitars, allowing room to grow into the instrument.
Body
The body of the Yamaha CG122MS classical guitar features quality tonewoods for a great sound. The top is solid Engelmann spruce, which gives the guitar a balanced, warm, and resonant tone. Spruce is a popular top wood choice for classical guitars due to its responsive sound that improves with age.
The back and sides are made of nato wood, also known as Eastern mahogany. Nato is a durable, affordable alternative to mahogany with a focused midrange. While not a premium tonewood, it still provides good tonal support and resonance.
The CG122MS uses traditional fan bracing, which gives the guitar’s top a strong, stable platform to generate volume and sustain. The bracing pattern and solid spruce work together to allow the top to vibrate freely. Overall, the tonewood combination produces a rich classical guitar voice.
Electronics
The Yamaha CG122MS does not come equipped with any onboard electronics or pickup system. As an acoustic nylon string classical guitar, it produces its sound solely from the vibration of the strings into the body of the guitar.
While some players may desire electronics for amplification purposes, the lack of them helps keep costs down for a guitar aimed at beginners and students. Those wishing to amplify the CG122MS can use a microphone or soundhole pickup. But for practice and unamplified playing, the all-acoustic design provides warm, balanced tone without needing any electronics.
This allows beginners to focus on core techniques and skills without the complications of pickups, preamps, EQs, and cables. The Yamaha produces plenty of volume for small rooms and practice spaces. Players who stick with classical guitar long-term can eventually upgrade to a model with electronics if needed for performances or recording. But the acoustic-only CG122MS is an ideal way to start learning nylon string guitar.
Sound
The Yamaha CG122MS produces a beautifully balanced and warm classical guitar tone, thanks in large part to its solid Engelmann spruce top. Spruce is prized as a top wood for its resonance and responsiveness, lending the guitar a very musical and organic sound. The solid spruce construction allows the top to vibrate and compress freely, resulting in excellent volume and projection for this price range.
The nylon strings also contribute to the warm, rounded tone. They have a mellower quality compared to steel strings, making the guitar very pleasant sounding to the ear. The warmth is nicely balanced out by the crispness and clarity from the rosewood fingerboard and bridge. The CG122MS is capable of both rich bass notes and bright, ringing treble tones.
Overall, the guitar’s tone is versatile enough to handle classical repertoire as well as Latin styles like flamenco and bossa nova. The solid spruce top provides enough volume and dynamics to prevent the sound from getting too muddy or indistinct when playing complex fingerstyle arrangements. The Yamaha CG122MS punches well above its class thanks to smart tonewood choices.
Playability
The playability of the Yamaha CG122MS is one of its standout features, especially considering its affordable price point. The nylon strings have a nice low tension that is very easy on the fingers, perfect for beginner classical guitarists. The action is set low and comfortable right out of the box, with no sharp fret ends.
The wider classical neck and nut width allow for proper classical hand position and technique. The strings have plenty of room between them for fingerpicking styles. The neck is finished with a smooth satin feel that promotes fast, fluid playing across the rosewood fingerboard.
Overall, the Yamaha CG122MS has stellar playability right away, without the need for a professional setup. The low string tension and action coupled with the ergonomic neck profile and finish make this classical guitar a joy to play for long practice sessions. Even as a beginner’s instrument, it offers smooth playability comparable to much more expensive classical guitars once properly set up.
Accessories
The Yamaha CG122MS comes with some useful accessories right out of the box. It includes a lightweight nylon gig bag to protect the guitar when transporting it around. While functional, the included gig bag doesn’t offer as much protection as a hardshell case.
For players wanting maximum protection, investing in a hardshell case is highly recommended. The Yamaha GC1M hardshell case is custom designed to fit this model perfectly. It’s lightweight, durable, and features plush interior lining to prevent any scratches or damage. Other high quality hardshell options are available from brands like Cordoba and Gator.
Some other worthwhile accessories to consider for your new classical guitar:
- Guitar stand – safely displays the guitar when not playing
- Extra strings sets – it’s good to keep extras on hand
- Electronic tuner – will make tuning faster and easier
- Footstool – proper classical technique requires an elevated foot position
- Humidifier – regulates humidity to prevent the top from cracking
- Guitar polish cloth – keeps the Yamaha looking shiny and new
Investing in a few key accessories will help keep your Yamaha CG122MS in top playing condition for years to come. Protection, maintenance and convenience accessories are all smart additions for classical guitar owners.
Alternatives
When looking at other classical guitars in the same price range as the Yamaha CG122MS, there are a few comparable options worth considering:
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Cordoba C5 – Another respected brand, the Cordoba C5 has a solid Canadian cedar top with mahogany back and sides. It has a wider nut width than the Yamaha, making it better suited for more advanced players. The tone is balanced and projects well.
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La Patrie Etude – This all-solid-wood guitar from Godin Guitars features solid cedar top, back, and sides. Handcrafted in Canada, it produces a warm, resonant tone perfect for classical repertoire. The wider neck may be less ideal for smaller hands.
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Kremona Sofia – With a solid spruce and flamed maple construction, the Sofia model from Bulgaria’s Kremona has an attractive look and balanced sound. The slimmer neck profile makes it comfortable for beginners.
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Yamaha C40 – For those on a tighter budget, the C40 is Yamaha’s best-selling classical guitar. With laminate woods, it won’t match the CG122MS tone but is still well-made for the low price point.
While the Yamaha CG122MS may not exceed these rivals in every regard, it holds up well as an affordable classical guitar with quality solid woods and excellent playability suitable for a wide range of players. For many, especially beginners, it will be the ideal choice.