Yamaha CG122MCH Nylon String Classical Acoustic Guitar Review

Why Yamaha CG122MCH Classical Acoustic Guitar.

The Yamaha CG122MCH Classical Guitar represents yet another outstanding and reliable musical instrument that the world has come to associate with the brand Yamaha. Since it was founded in 1887, Yamaha has become synonymous with quality and precision manufacturing in a range of machines, vehicles and instruments. When it comes to musical instruments, Yamaha is famous for its pianos, guitars, violins and even amplifiers. It has come to be a brand that musicians all over world can rely on for a satisfying sound without blowing the budget.

Unlike many other classical guitars in its price range, the Yamaha CG 122-MCH is manufactured with a solid cedar or spruce top, nato sides and neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge. As it is a classical guitar it comes with 6-nylon strings. The use of tonewoods and solid wood top gives it a bright and effortless tone which is quite appealing.

Performance

The Yamaha CG MCH was designed as a classical orchestral guitar and stands proudly among the other Yamaha orchestral instruments. It has been redesigned to maximise projection and playability in a concert hall setting. Yamaha claims that this redesign with a thinner body makes concert playing more effective.

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Features of Yamaha CG122MCH Classical Guitar

  • Shape: Classical guitar
  • Fretboard: Rosewood
  • Neck: Nato
  • Top: Solid American Cedar or Spruce
  • Back & Sides: Nato
  • Bridge: Rosewood
  • Finish: Matte

Construction & appearance:

The Yamaha CG MCH is a well built guitar as you would expect from a leading guitar manufacturer. Taking its design cues from vintage classical guitars, it finished in a natural brown matte finish. The solid cedar top provides resilience and resonance. The darker brown nato sides and neck are a perfect contrast to the paler top. The neck is constructed from 3-ply nato which has been demonstrated to resist warping under the string tension. Finally, the dark solid rosewood fingerboard provides a matching contrast to the top, and complements the sides and neck.

The tuning pegs standard features that you would expect for a budget range and are perfectly adequate. It comes with low action nylon strings which are a perfect choice for novice guitarist. The ability to start playing without hurting your fingertips is especially important for students who may be easily discouraged. We all know how practice will improve this, but the early stages are crucial for students to get to a stage quickly where they can enjoy the process of playing. The Yamaha CG 122-MCH provides this easy playing action.

Shape and size

You will notice that the shape and size of the guitar combined with the thinner body make longer hours of practice more comfortable.

A beginner will find this to be an excellent choice due to the thinner body and wider fretboard which is more spaced out, allowing the student guitarist a chance to properly learn fingering techniques and they can space out their fingers along the frets. Flamenco guitarists will love its design, allowing them to strum with flourish and passion. The wide head-stock also allows the tuning pegs the space they require and not get too close and mistakenly bump them while tuning an adjacent string.

Although it has all the elements that a novice guitarist will need, it could have been improved with the addition of a truss rod which could adjust the action of the guitar. It is likely that these elements may be considered for future models in this line of affordable classical guitars.

How it looks

When you look at the front of the guitar, you will notice, like a true classical guitar there are no inlaid dots along the front of the fingerboard. These clean lines also help to teach the student correct finger placement without distraction.

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In addition, the wide neck allows for the strings at the headstock to be well spaced. You will see as the strings go into their respective tuning pegs a lovely wide ‘Y’ shape which allows for cleaner tuning and detuning without the clutter of closely spaced tuning pegs getting in the way of novice fingers.

Sound Quality

Whether you are strumming, picking playing arpeggios and scales, the beautiful tonal range that you can expect from a leading musical manufacturer is there. You can hear both tones resonate and be sustained due to the tonal qualities of the solid wood and sides. The treble and bass are well balanced, especially over the soundhole.

The low action guitar means there is less distance from the strings to the fingerboard, making it much easier for a beginner to press the finger and deliver a nice sound. As you progress in your playing ability you can adjust the guitar for a higher action (although this is more difficult without the truss) or replace the strings with a better more resonant type.

The headstock and tuning pegs allow for easy tuning and detuning as necessary. As your playing becomes more proficient you may find the way you need to hold the strings against the fretboard will give out cooler tones. Fuller sounds are more likely with mahogany bodies which are in the much more expensive range of classical guitars on the market.

PROS

  • High quality construction and materials.
  • The low action strings allow effortless playing even for learners – no more sore fingertips.
  • 3- ply neck construction prevents warping.
  • Solid wood top gives a beautiful tone.

CONS

  • Sound is good, but limited in depth.
  • Needs a pickup and amplifier if a louder sound needed.

VERDICT

The Yamaha CG 122-MCH is a great choice for an affordable and durable guitar for beginners or anyone who wants a budget guitar that sounds good, especially those who may like to play rough. A quality guitar from a company you can trust.

Conclusion

The Yamaha CG122MCH is the best guitar of its type in this price range. A quality solid timber top and sides, low action and wide neck all together make it a perfect choice for a beginner.

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