Yamaha CSF3M Folk Acoustic-Electric Guitar Tobacco Brown Sunburst

This guitar is simply fun to play with or without amplification. My 4.5 (not a 5) rating is only because there is no volume control on the guitar but that's only a minor nuisance.

Drop-dead gorgeous, well built, solid wood "parlor" guitar. I was primarily looking at Taylor and Martin but saw lots of great reviews about the Yamaha CSF3M. I normally would have never considered buying a guitar before playing it, but, oddly, I took a leap of faith and ordered the guitar online from GC. It arrived in good shape but when I played it I discovered that the action was not to my liking. I agonized over whether to return it but decided to have a luthier have a go at it…and I'm glad I did! The nut slots were filed, the saddle was shaved and truss rod was tweaked. I have been bonding with the guitar for a little over a month and find it has taken some time to get used to the shorter scale/smaller fingerboard. But the thing is that the CSF3M is so comfortable to hold and play. It has a rich voice that is well balanced…and sounds great whether fingerpicking or using a plectrum. It also sounds fine when playing through an amplifier. If not for the abominable factory setup I would give it a "5 Star" review.

This is a great guitar to keep nearby, to pick up when inspiration hits. I bought this to to have handy when I didn't want to drag out my giant dreadnaut, but found it to be fun in its own right. The sound is thinner than a full size, but more like one than a Baby Taylor. That may be due to the fact that it's real wood, not laminate. That makes it a great deal. The wood and the rosette are beautiful. The passive pickup is weak, so you can't have a long signal chain without a preamp. But there's no battery needed. It is very light. The tuners are geared pretty high, but seem smooth. Comes with a very nice bag. Great for travel/portability.