Yamaha CGS104A Full-Size Classical Guitar - Natural

Edit 12/14/21: After spending some quality time with my new guitar bestie, I believe the "why was this returned" question has been answered, and as usual the answer was under my nose the whole time. Looked in the soundhole, aaand...noticed that this is NOT a CGS103AII, rather it's an Indonesian made CGS103A; hence, older stock. I still stand by the rest of the review - it's a fantastic git even at full price.Oookay...I'd been kicking around the idea of getting a second guitar for quite awhile; due to changes in my living arrangements I wanted to get something smaller, nylon stringed, with good sound quality that didn't cost too much. I'd looked for parlor guitars, but most were steel stringed and still fairly spendy.So...I decided to look into smaller "student" classical guitars, figuring that "hey, they're designed to withstand what an 8 year old can dish out and still sound reasonably good, why not?" Other than the shorter scale length (which isn't a show stopper for me - I'm a fairly small guy anyway) the issue was to find one that was, um, "inexpensive". And...gravitated to Yamaha, since I've been playing (i.e. torturing) their instruments for over half a century now.Looked into the CGS103AII, still a bit pricey at $139, buuuut...they had a factory return in "very good" condition for quite a bit less. Figured it was in the "cheap enough" category, and pulled the Amazonian trigger. The kindly folks even dropped it another $6 & change, so with fear and trepidation I awaited the arrival of "the beast".It arrived with the usual Amazon haste - and, I got a box that hadn't been banged up. Inside...poured foam protecting the contents. The git was in a high density polyethylene bag, taped up securely, inside what appeared to be the lower part of the original box, with the usual Yamaha documentation in a Ziploc bag. Pulled 'er out...out of tune (natch) and spent a good 10 minutes looking for damage. The original blurb said "cosmetic damage to lower body" which turned out to be...tape adhesive. 30 seconds with guitar cleaner and a microfiber cloth, and I had what was effectively a brand-new 3/4 scale classical guitar. Tuned her up...very nice mellow tone, good sustain, a bit of loss on the high & low frequencies but not at all "boxy". Intonation was pretty darn decent ("G" doing what "G"s usually do, everything else stays within 8-10 cents which for a guitar just a shade over $120 is not at all shabby) and it's quiet enough that the neighbors (my roommates) don't complain.Overall - a fantastic little guitar for anyone looking for a nylon stringed instrument. It's a keeper!

I have owned more advanced Yamaha classical guitars in the past and this one is as good if not better. Plays easily sounds wonderful.

My daughter is 13yrs old and she likes the guitar

Good but not that good, but its ok for it’s price

I meant to get the full size but the 3 quarter size is incredible Totally happy.

I love the looks and feel of this guitar in my hands, very easy to play and push them strings down. I have a vintage Ventura acoustic guitar that my Dad bought me as a teen, it's hard for me to play , hard to press steel strings down, and the size is big. I have child size hands, and my fingers are smaller and shorter. This 1/2 size guitar is perfect for me! I spent an hour just playing on it, easy to tune and I love the sound. I tried an Enya carbon guitar and it was not for me, wasn't comfortable at all! This is my first Yamaha and I love it! There were a couple small perfections on finish but I don't care it's beautiful! I believe the model # is CGS102A and I got the 41" acoustic guitar padded gig bag by Faswin that came with a couple extras, it has a ton of pockets and very nice. I love this guitar, after a few decades I'm playing again!

Why I Bought It:I wanted a guitar to play around for small gigs. I bought it specifically for a friend of mine's small party.I didn't have an acoustic or classical style guitar, so I wanted something cheap but also something that wouldpush sound. The gig called for some jazz/bossa-nova feel that is soft but a bit pungent. This guitar worked perfectlyfor that occasion. Alot of people buy this for a beginner guitar for their kid or for practice only. I'd say it's great forsmall performance too. I bet it would hold up in a regular concert too, especially since it has a spruce top and a slickrosewood fret-board.What I Like About It:- Soft and Warm tone, but pushes the sound out with the Spruce Top.- The Neck is extremely soft and smooth, but not glossy.- The body looks gorgeous and the bridge looks tight and fit.What I Don't Like About It:- The tune knobs. The color and plastic is not for me. But they work just fine.- It does have a "cheap" essence to it.- Not gig bag or picks; but did come with strings already on it.Last Remarks & Tips :Get a gig bag for this guitar. It's essential. You won't wanna just lug this thing around getting banged up,it's actually built well. Also, put some new guitar strings on it before you play a show or actually want to soundgood. The guitar strings on it are not bad, but there are markings on them from the frets; being packaged up tightly.

I hope Yamaha will make a professional level of this model, but as it is this is a fine instrument for exploration and learning. I have trouble keeping mine in tune, however, and the stock strings might need to be replaced with higher tension strings.