Introduction
Yamaha first introduced their FS line of folk style acoustic guitars in 1966, aiming to provide high-quality instruments with smaller concert-style bodies ideal for fingerstyle playing. The FS series has become a popular choice for beginner and intermediate players seeking an affordable, well-made acoustic guitar suited for folk, country, blues, and other mellow genres.
The FS820 carries on the legacy of the FS line, offering players a compact concert-size body with a solid spruce top and laminated mahogany back and sides. This combination provides balanced tone and good projection in a comfortable, easy-to-play package. As an entry-level model in Yamaha’s extensive catalog, the FS820 focuses on delivering excellent playability, sound quality and value in a small, travel-friendly instrument.
Overview of FS820 Model
The Yamaha FS820 is part of Yamaha’s long-running FS series of folk guitars. It’s a concert-sized acoustic, which means it has a small, compact body shape that’s slightly smaller than a full-size dreadnought.
Despite the small body, the FS820 packs some nice features not always found on affordable acoustics. Most notably, it has a solid Sitka spruce top. Having a solid wood top on a budget acoustic like this gives it better resonance and volume than a laminate top model. The back and sides are made of laminated mahogany for durability.
Some other specs include a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, diecast chrome tuners, and Yamaha’s scalloped X-bracing design inside the body. The FS820 is available in three finishes – natural, sunburst, and black. Overall, it’s designed to deliver impressive tone and playability at an accessible price point, making it a great choice for beginners and intermediate players.
Who It’s For
The Yamaha FS820 is an excellent choice for beginner and intermediate acoustic guitar players looking for a quality instrument that is easy to learn on. Its small, comfortable body size and low action make it ideal for smaller hands and younger students just starting out. The FS820’s bright, balanced tone is also well-suited for fingerstyle playing, making it a great option for folk and singer-songwriter guitarists focused on delicate picking patterns.
The solid spruce top gives the FS820 a level of richness and projection not always found on starter acoustics, allowing it to keep up in jam sessions and group playing. However, its small body and lack of cutaway does limit the FS820’s potential for aggressive strumming. Overall, it’s a fantastic value for the money that suits a wide range of playing styles, as long as heavy strumming and rock/blues playing aren’t the main priorities. The Yamaha FS820 hits a sweet spot between price, quality, and accessibility that makes it one of the best entry-level folk guitars on the market.
Yamaha FS820 Specs & Features
The Yamaha FS820 features a concert-size small body shape that measures approximately 20 inches long and 15 inches wide. This makes it noticeably smaller and lighter than a traditional dreadnought acoustic. The compact body size makes the FS820 easy to hold and comfortable to play for long periods of time.
The top of the FS820 is made of solid Sitka spruce, which helps provide excellent resonance and articulation. Solid wood tops are typically found on more expensive acoustic guitars, so this is a great feature to have on a model at this lower price point. The back and sides are made of laminated mahogany, which gives the guitar a balanced and well-rounded tone.
Inside the body, Yamaha uses scalloped X-bracing. This carved bracing pattern helps improve the guitar’s volume and projection while also enhancing the tonal balance across the frequency range. The scalloped braces allow the top more room to vibrate freely.
The fingerboard and bridge are both made of rosewood, which adds crispness and definition to the FS820’s tone. Rosewood’s dense properties also help the guitar stay in tune and maintain intonation.
Overall, the specs and appointments of the FS820 are impressive for an acoustic guitar at this affordable price tier. The compact body shape combined with a solid spruce top and scalloped bracing make this a versatile and great-sounding instrument.
Sound & Playability
The Yamaha FS820 produces a balanced, articulate tone that is well-suited for fingerstyle playing. The solid spruce top provides nice resonance and clarity in the mids and highs, while the mahogany back and sides offer some warmth to the low end. It’s not the loudest small-body acoustic, but has surprising projection and volume for its size.
The slender neck profile and low action on the FS820 make it very comfortable and easy to play right out of the box. It’s an ideal choice for beginners and those with smaller hands who want a guitar that doesn’t require a lot of effort to fret notes up and down the neck. The FS820 is very playable for both picking individual notes and strumming light rhythms. It handles delicate fingerpicking patterns exceptionally well.
While the FS820 can do some light strumming, it really shines when used for fingerstyle playing. The balanced tone and comfortable playability allow you to execute intricate right and left hand techniques cleanly. Overall, the FS820 offers a very enjoyable playing experience whether you’re a beginner or more advanced player looking for a high-quality folk guitar.
Build Quality
The Yamaha FS820 features high-quality tonewoods and components, especially considering its affordable price point. The solid Sitka spruce top helps produce a balanced, articulate tone and allows the guitar to project well for its smaller body size.
The back and sides are made of laminated mahogany, which provides durability and tonal consistency. While solid wood would be ideal, the laminate is a smart choice by Yamaha to control costs while still delivering great sound. The mahogany complements the bright spruce top nicely.
Attention to detail is evident in the FS820’s construction. The fretwork is clean and precise up the neck, with no sharp edges. The bridge and nut slots are cut accurately, and the guitar has excellent intonation right out of the box.
The tuners are chrome enclosed diecast tuning machines, which feel smooth and keep the guitar in tune well. Overall the fit and finish is very clean, with no visible glue marks or messy binding.
While it’s not a handmade boutique acoustic, the FS820 has excellent build quality that punches above its price range. Between the solid spruce top and quality components, it’s built to last years of playing while sounding great.
Value for Money
The Yamaha FS820 offers excellent value for money. Despite its affordable price tag, it delivers premium features like a solid spruce top and quality craftsmanship.
At around $200-300, the FS820 is very competitively priced for a concert-size acoustic with a solid top. Most similarly sized acoustics with solid tops cost significantly more. The all-laminate models from other brands in this price range simply can’t match the FS820’s impressive tone and projection.
The FS820 gives you professional-grade sound and playability without breaking the bank. It’s an ideal choice for beginners and intermediate players who want great quality without a premium price tag.
Another major value-add is that the FS820 comes complete with a hardshell case. Cases can cost $100+ on their own, so getting one included makes this bundle excellent value for your money.
Overall, the Yamaha FS820 gives you pro-level performance and quality at a price almost anyone can afford. Between its premium solid top, great playability and included hardshell case, it’s easy to see why this model offers such excellent value for your investment.
Yamaha FS820 vs Other Models
The Yamaha FS820 stands up well when compared to other guitars in Yamaha’s FS series and similar models from competitor brands.
Yamaha FS800 vs FS820
The Yamaha FS800 is very similar to the FS820, with the same concert-size body shape and scalloped bracing. The main difference is that the FS800 has a laminated spruce top rather than a solid spruce top. This gives the FS820 improved resonance and projection over the FS800. However, the FS800 costs around $100 less, making it a great budget option.
Yamaha FS830 vs FS820
The Yamaha FS830 features fancier cosmetics like binding and pearl inlays. It also has a rosewood back and sides rather than mahogany. However, it shares the same solid spruce top and body shape as the FS820. The FS830 produces a slightly richer tone thanks to the rosewood, but costs around $150 more.
Fender FA-115 vs Yamaha FS820
The Fender FA-115 is a similarly priced small-body acoustic with laminated spruce top. It offers a slim neck profile but doesn’t quite match the FS820’s build quality or tone. The Fender has a brighter, thinner sound compared to the balanced FS820.
Taylor Big Baby vs Yamaha FS820
The Taylor Big Baby has a larger 15/16 dreadnought body compared to the FS820 concert body. It produces a fuller, louder tone thanks to its bigger size. However, the Taylor costs nearly twice as much as the Yamaha. The FS820 provides better value for those seeking a small-body acoustic.
Martin LX1 vs Yamaha FS820
Like the Taylor, the Martin LX1 is a step up in price range from the FS820. It produces an extremely resonant, rich tone from its solid spruce top and mahogany back/sides. The Martin is better suited for intermediate players, while the Yamaha offers an affordable small-body option.
Conclusion
The Yamaha FS820 is an excellent small body acoustic guitar that punches above its weight class. Here’s a quick recap of its main pros and cons:
Pros
- Great balanced and articulate tone for fingerpicking
- Impressive volume and projection from the solid spruce top
- Comfortable neck and low action make it very playable
- High-quality construction and components
- Outstanding value – solid top guitar at a great price
Cons
- Laminated back and sides don’t resonate as nicely as solid wood
- Not ideal for aggressive strumming styles
- Limited finish options
Overall, the FS820 offers fantastic quality and performance for a very affordable price point. The solid spruce top gives it a rich, balanced acoustic tone that you’d expect from a more expensive instrument. It’s an extremely playable guitar right out of the box, with comfortable action and a great neck profile.
While the laminated back and sides don’t resonate as nicely as solid wood, they do provide great durability and consistency. The only notable downside is that the FS820 isn’t ideal for heavy strumming styles. However, for fingerpicking and light strumming, it’s tough to beat at this price.
Final Verdict:
For fingerstyle players or those looking for an affordable, quality acoustic with solid top construction, the Yamaha FS820 is easy to recommend. It punches well above its weight class in terms of tone, playability and construction quality. An outstanding option for beginners and intermediate players alike.
Video Demo
The Yamaha FS820 sounds fantastic in this demo video from Yamaha’s official YouTube channel. It really shows off the balanced, articulate tone and great projection from the small-bodied FS820. You can hear how crisp it sounds when fingerpicked, with nice separation between the notes. The solid spruce top produces a clear, bright sound. When strummed gently, it has a pleasing rounded tone without getting too boomy. The video gives you a great sense of what this guitar can do in the hands of a skilled player. It’s easy to understand why the FS820 is a popular choice for fingerstyle playing after watching this demo. The guitar’s comfortable neck profile and low action are also on display here. Overall, this is an excellent video for evaluating the FS820’s warm, balanced acoustic tone and playability.