This guitar is a commission sale - if you have a high end guitar you are interested in selling, please contact us via our easy to find website - search: Sell Us Your Guitar.
Here for sale we have a modified Yamaha FG1000J Black Label acoustic guitar in Gloss Natural finish. The FG1000J is part of Yamaha's high end Black Label series. Whilst no serial number is present in order to date the guitar, most information available online points to these guitars being produced in 1974, and certainly in the early '70s. This series was not intended for export from Japan, making them a very rare find today.
An absolutely exquisite specification is featured on this guitar, with an all-solid construction comprising a Spruce top, and Rosewood back and sides, Mahogany neck and 20 fret Ebony fingerboard. The back is in three pieces and features handsome Abalone back strips. The body is double bound, whilst the top is adorned with Abalone purfling and an attractive rosette design. A Bone saddle and nut are fitted along with a set of Yamaha Nickel sealed tuning machines. The neck and headstock of this guitar have been reshaped at some stage, resulting in an extremely unique look and feel to the instrument.
The Mahogany neck plays very well, with the reshaped profile feeling somewhat like a rounded 'C' shape, on the slimmer side than is typical. This provides a smooth and articulate playing experience across the register, allowing for easy reach in all positions. The oil finish that has been applied to the neck has left an open-pore feel under the thumb which creates a nicely tactile sensation when playing. The reshaping of the neck also extends to the heel, which being considerably slimmed-down enhances access to the upper register. The Ebony of the fingerboard is luxurious under the fingers, whilst the 12" radius and fret wear from years of playing produces a fast and incredibly easy-feeling playing surface.
The acoustic voice of the Yamaha FG1000J is rich and beautiful, with a strong bass response thanks to the large body size. The well-aged tonewood of this instrument yields a soft and mellow sound that cannot be imitated in a new instrument, despite what modern manufacturers may claim. The warmth of the low end works fantastically with the smooth midrange, and the age-mellowed top end adds a soft sparkle to every note played on the instrument. The Spruce top projects beautifully, delivering plenty of dynamic range with plenty of clarity at lower volumes. A beautiful sounding instrument with its very own story to tell.
This guitar is a commission sale - if you have a high end guitar you are interested in selling, please contact us via our easy to find website - search: Sell Us Your Guitar.
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.
Yamaha FG1000J Gloss Natural c.1974 Modified Acoustic Guitar
Brand - Yamaha
Model - FG1000J
Finish - Gloss Natural
Made In - Japan
Top - Solid Spruce
Back/Sides - Solid Rosewood
Neck - Mahogany
Neck Profile - Modified
Fingerboard - Ebony
Fingerboard Radius - 12"
Frets - 14 Clear, 20 Total
Scale Length- 25"
Nut Width - 1.747"
Our ID: 117022579550
Weight: 5.05lbs
Serial:
Aesthetic Condition:
Headstock: Overall good condition. The headstock has been reshaped and re-finished with oil at some point. This has been performed to an acceptable standard. The binding from the headstock has mostly been removed, leaving a small taper left towards the nut. The nut shelf has not been lowered, but the faceplate has, which leaves a small ridge.
Neck: Overall good condition. Similar to the headstock, the neck has been reshaped and re-finished with oil at some point. This has been performed to an acceptable standard. The resulting C shape profile is fairly thin and pleasing in the hand. The binding is distinctly brighter than the body binding due to the lack of finish. Towards the heel there are some spots of binding that have worn through, resulting in the black middle layer becoming visible. On the bass side at the 12th fret, more moderate scratching of the binding is present as a result of the reshaping of the heel.
Body: Overall good condition. At either side of the neck heel sanding marks are present as a result of the reshaping. The front face demonstrates moderate scratching across the body running parallel with the bridge, likely caused during the reduction of the bridge height. Consistent light chipping and indentation is apparent across the front face, causing discoloration in places. The sides of the body demonstrate wearing of the finish, most notably to the bass side lower bout where the finish has reacted from regular contact and demonstrates a textured surface. The rear face demonstrates light scratching and indentation visible only under direct lighting at certain angles. This is most notable at the bass side upper bout.
Condition of Frets:
The frets demonstrate moderate signs of use, with indentation in the early register and flattening of the crowns throughout. There is not enough material remaining for future fret work.
Current Set Up:
Truss Rod: Fully functional. The truss rod nut has been modified to accept a flathead screwdriver.
Hardware: Fully functional with moderate signs of wear. The truss rod cover is not original and has been fashioned from a piece of wood.
Structural: The neck angle of this instrument is not ideal, meaning that in order to reduce the action the guitar would require a neck reset. The bridge height has previously been reduced in lieu of a neck reset, causing the saddle slot to be too low. This means an unusual shape is required for the saddle to fit correctly.
Height of the string from the 12th Fret-3mm - Bass 3mm
Please be aware that the action on a guitar may move slightly in transit and this measurement is the current height.
Strings on Guitar - 11-52
There is no room in the saddle for further adjustments.
Further Notes:
Extensive modification has been performed on this guitar, resulting in a unique instrument with playability remaining very good.
Electrics:
N/A
Case & Accessories
Unbranded hard case
The case is not a great fit and demonstrates moderate signs of use. The case protects the guitar as intended. Truss rod tool not included.