# FG 800 or LL16



## Mr Uttley (Mar 24, 2017)

A while back I posted here for opinions on a good beach campfire guitar.
General consensus was lower end Yamaha.
So I picked up an FG 800 Matt finish.
I shaved the saddle and it plays pretty nice. But not as nice as a used LL 16 I stumbled upon.
For about 250 more then I have in the FG I can own the LL16.
What to do?
Why can't I just be satisfied with what I have??
And no I can't keep both. My wife pays no attention but she knows.......


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

Mr Uttley said:


> A while back I posted here for opinions on a good beach campfire guitar.
> General consensus was lower end Yamaha.
> So I picked up an FG 800 Matt finish.
> I shaved the saddle and it plays pretty nice. But not as nice as a used LL 16 I stumbled upon.
> ...


Ll16 keep


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

LL 16


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Agreed with silvertonebetty. The LL16 is a sweet guitar.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

The ll are hard to come by . And if I recall are all solid wood. And fg line normally laminated back and side and sometimes lamented tops . Otherwise yuck 


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

silvertonebetty said:


> The ll are hard to come by . And if I recall are all solid wood. And fg line normally laminated back and side and sometimes lamented tops . Otherwise yuck
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The LL06 has laminate back and sides (still sound good), as do the FGs. The LL16 is where you get all solid woods.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

jdto said:


> The LL06 has laminate back and sides (still sound good), as do the FGs. The LL16 is where you get all solid woods.


Mind you I really liked my fg375s 


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

silvertonebetty said:


> Mind you I really liked my fg375s
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yamaha makes good guitars.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

jdto said:


> Yamaha makes good guitars.


Mind you I hated the fg110 


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Is there an FS sized LL16??


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Robert1950 said:


> Is there an FS sized LL16??


The LS16


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Buy the LL16
And rock the house. 


Oh and show us lots of pics.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Pretty sure the LL series is Yamaha's top of the line


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Get the LL16 ...and live happily ever after.


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## Mr Uttley (Mar 24, 2017)

Mr Uttley said:


> A while back I posted here for opinions on a good beach campfire guitar.
> General consensus was lower end Yamaha.
> So I picked up an FG 800 Matt finish.
> I shaved the saddle and it plays pretty nice. But not as nice as a used LL 16 I stumbled upon.
> ...


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## Mr Uttley (Mar 24, 2017)

Thanks for the advice. Pulled the trigger. Will post pics next week when I pick up the new LL16.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I've played both. I'll take the LL16 any day. The FG800 is quite a decent guitar but it's not in the same league as the LL16. The A.R.E. process seems to add to its impressive tone as do the solid top and solid Rosewood back and sides.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

knight_yyz said:


> Pretty sure the LL series is Yamaha's top of the line


The make them right up to master luthier level guitars that cost thousands, apparently handmade by a single crafter in Japan. Models like the LL56 or LL66 must be amazing guitars if they follow the trajectory of my LL16.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Now @greco is a minister. Do you have a guitar chapel in the garage?


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

fOR a camp fire guitar the Fg will be a better beater & more likely stay in tune better . 
For this reason i have a FG 700 & taking it out on a cool night i don't encounter the tuning problems that i have with my higher end guitars as the adjust to temp change .


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I stand corrected. The LL series is high end, but nowhere near the LS series. LS56 is 6k pounds sterling!


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## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

Is this a discussion about old or new FG's and LL's? I tied a new LL6 and LL16 at L&M in London last week and they were pretty nice, especially for the price of $700-$900.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

knight_yyz said:


> I stand corrected. The LL series is high end, but nowhere near the LS series. LS56 is 6k pounds sterling!


LL and LS are different body sizes from the same series. The LL is the larger body and the LS is smaller. The LL56 is also a high-priced guitar. The difference in price is determined by the second digit. LL06/LS06 is the laminate back and sides entry-level version. The LL16/LS16 is the solid back/side next level. As you go up, you get a higher level of craftsmanship or finishing on the guitar. By the time you get to the 56 or 66 level, it is a top-level instrument on par with other offerings at those prices.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

sambonee said:


> Now @greco is a minister. Do you have a guitar chapel in the garage?


Actually, it was intended to be a quote of a typical ending to a traditional fairy tale.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

I know. I like the low hanging fruit. ;-)


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Just a comment about the FG & FS 800 series. I personally think that the FG/FS 830's are worth the additional expense. However, they are rosewood back and sides and the difference in tone might not appeal to everyone.

FS 830


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## RyedorOntario (Dec 19, 2007)

knight_yyz said:


> Pretty sure the LL series is Yamaha's top of the line


Yamaha has some really high end stuff ... LL56's Old FG1500's CPX15's CPX1200's APX1500's etc etc ... but they are being sold out of Japan on Ebay.
The prices are high , but it's good to know of their existance in the event someone over here happens to be off-loading one. John Denver played high end Yami's.


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## geetaruke (Jan 29, 2017)

I have an FS800 and an LS16 A.R.E and love them both for what they are but the L series is a much better instrument. 

I do think that the FG (or FS) 800 series among the very best you can get in their price range. Yammies in general usually compare favourably with guitars that are double and often times much more than that in price.


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## Mr Uttley (Mar 24, 2017)

geetaruke said:


> I have an FS800 and an LS16 A.R.E and love them both for what they are but the L series is a much better instrument.
> 
> I do think that the FG (or FS) 800 series among the very best you can get in their price range. Yammies in general usually compare favourably with guitars that are double and often times much more than that in price.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

I once got a second hand LS-16 ARE... Great guitar ! Finally let her go because it sounded too cristal clear to my taste. Tought LL would sound less clear... Tried two LL-16 ARE side by side (mahogany back and sides with a clear finish top and rosewood back and sides sunburst) : unfortunately, were not sounding as good as the LS-16. They sounded less cristal clear as expected from the model but I felt some sound imbalance the LS-16 did not suffer. So, my advice, as they are crafted in China, I would definitely try before buying.
"26" serie should be a different beast since crafted in Japan... but the price...


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

silvertonebetty said:


> The ll are hard to come by


They are readily available at L&M.




> And if I recall are all solid wood.



The LL16 is, yes. When I bought my LL6 I was seriously considering the LL16 but thought the LL6 that I bought sounded better than the LL16 that was in stock at my local store.





> And fg line normally laminated back and side



Nothing wrong with that if it is done well.


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