The Yamaha Red Label FGX5 recalls the company’s now-legendary 1960s-era Nippon Gakki Red Label acoustic guitars. That said, it’s been retooled to meet the demands of modern guitarists. A solid Sitka spruce top and solid mahogany body yield maximum resonance and tone, which are further enhanced by Yamaha’s A.R.E. wood torrefication process. Updated scalloped bracing ensures a louder, more balanced tone. What’s more, a bone nut and saddle augment the guitar’s tone, giving it a loud, clear voice. You’ll also benefit from stellar plugged-in tone, courtesy of Atmosfeel electronics. A classic V-shaped headstock and eye-catching semi-gloss finish complete the Red Label FGX5.

Yamaha FGX5 Red Label Acoustic-Electric Guitar at a Glance:

• Atmosfeel™ Pickup and Preamp for Natural, Plugged-In Sound
• Scalloped FG Bracing Provides Warm, Powerful Tone with Deep Lows and Rich Harmonics
• Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E.) Treatment Imparts the Sound and Sustain of Aged Wood
• All-Solid Construction with a Sitka Spruce Top, Mahogany Back and Sides
• Ebony Fingerboard, Bridge and Bridge Pins
• Bone Nut and Saddle
• Made in Japan
• Hardshell Case Included

Captures the essence of Yamaha’s iconic Red Label guitars

Inspired by Yamaha’s iconic Nippon Gakki Red Label guitars from the 1960s, FG Red Label instruments call to mind the look and feel of the company’s very first steel-string acoustic guitars. These sought-after instruments are cherished for their one-of-a-kind sound and high-end Japanese craftsmanship. Teeming with beautiful vintage aesthetics, the FG Red Label series enables you to experience the very essence of these legendary instruments, thanks to Yamaha’s state-of-the-art wood conditioning techniques and true-to-life vintage sound. All FG Red Label guitars feature classic V-shaped headstocks with Yamaha’s tuning fork logos, solid tonewoods, updated scalloped bracing, and eye-catching semi-gloss finishes. The guitarists at Music Experience are excited about the FG Red Label series — it more than lives up to the legendary instruments that inspired it.

Innovative construction yields a better guitar

The great tone and smooth playability of the Red Label FGX5 are enhanced by Yamaha's A.R.E. (Acoustic Resonance Enhancement) wood torrefaction, which gives your guitar a broken-in and aged tone. By controlling the atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity, the molecular properties of the wood are manipulated to mirror those of a guitar that has been played for years. Each FG Red Label series guitar also features a modified and updated scalloped bracing pattern that exhibits a louder, more balanced tone.

Solid spruce top for great tone

The choice of top wood can powerfully affect the sound of an acoustic guitar. For the Red Label FGX5, Yamaha chose a premium solid Sitka spruce top. Chosen as much for its look as its tone, the top has a well-rounded, articulate sound with excellent projection — and its tone is only made better by Yamaha's A.R.E. wood torrefaction process. The guitar's solid mahogany back and sides provide exceptional bass and powerful punch, and they simply look great.

Atmosfeel electronics ensure first-rate plugged-in tone

The Red Label FGX5 is equipped with Yamaha’s Atmosfeel pickup and preamp system. This innovative system lends a natural, three-dimensional sound to your guitar via a 3-way sensor setup. A piezo under-saddle sensor picks up sound where the strings meet the bridge, while an internal microphone captures the guitar’s internal resonance and a sheet sensor picks up vibrations from its soundboard. A Mic Blend knob enables you to blend the mic signal with the piezo. A Bass EQ knob controls a peaking EQ — the center frequency raises when boosting and lowers when attenuating. You also get a Master Volume control.

What Yamaha Says...

The original Yamaha FG body delivers a full, punchy low end, well-suited for strumming and flatpicking, and 1960s aesthetics and modern craftsmanship culminate over 50 years of Yamaha guitar development.

Classic V-Shaped Headstock

The guitar retains the original FG headstock shape, adorned with the iconic "tuning fork" logo. The traditional truss rod cover is emblazoned with "Since 1966" to mark the launch of the first FG models.

Solid Sitka Spruce Top

Commonly sourced from Canada and Alaska, solid Sitka spruce offers a rich midrange and low-frequency response. The sound is tight and focused, working particularly well for chordal strumming or rhythmic fingerstyle performance.

Solid Mahogany Back and Sides

Mahogany has a slower transient response than many other tonewoods, contributing to a warm and woody tone with strong midrange

Bone Nut and Saddle

These made-in-Japan, five-tier instruments feature a bone nut and saddle. Bone is a harder material than urea, providing a more efficient transfer of energy from the strings to the neck and body. The result is a louder and clearer sound.

Scalloped Bracing

In defining the sound of FG Red Label, our intention was to offer a warm tone that would be ideal for modern folk music and singer-songwriters. With careful measurement and experimentation, we made several refinements that would enhance low-frequency response without compromising durability. These changes are optimized for the natural characteristics of the tonewoods and each body silhouette.

Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E.)

The exclusive Yamaha A.R.E. process utilizes heat, humidity and atmospheric pressure to accelerate the aging of the wood and gives the instrument a rich, vintage-quality tone as if you've been playing it for years.

Atmosfeel™ 3-Way Pickup and Preamp System

The Atmosfeel™ pickup and preamp system uses a piezo sensor in the bridge to capture low frequencies, a microphone for low and midrange and our proprietary, thin synthetic sheet soundboard transducer for high frequencies. The result is a full, natural sound with simple controls that make it easy to get great plugged-in tone.

Simple and Intuitive Controls for Each Performance Style