Amazon.com Product Description Beginners and young learners alike will appreciate the quality found in this Yamaha C series classical guitar. This quality instrument delivers outstanding cost performance with exceptional playability and tone. The C40 is a full-size nylon-string guitar.
Biggest Bang for the Buck (Especially for the beginner)July 17, 2008 I give it a 5 mainly because in this price range, I really don't know of a better sounding or higher quality guitar. I have owned several guitars, steel, nylon, 12-string and electric. While I overall prefer the mellow sound of the nylon string and the melodious sound of the 12, I like them all.
This guitar is not the best sounding guitar, but if you are looking at this price range you should not be expecting it to sound like a professional handmade guitar. It is great for a beginner or for someone who is on a budget and I recommend this one to anyone who asks me. The tone is clear and balanced throughout the fretboard. Many guitars in this price range sound more like a toy than a guitar. This one goes miles beyond that in comparison. I used to buy cheap guitars regular particularly for beginners and I have bought some decent ones made in Mexico in this price range (or slightly cheaper) but even they don't quite come close to the reliable tone and solid feel of this guitar. It has enough tone to play even after you have bought a more expensive and better sounding guitar. I would use it maybe for a different sound or to take somewhere you wouldn't dare tote your 5 or 10k+ (or even 1 or 2k) guitar to!
It's been said that you can go from playing the classical type of guitar to playing steel string and electric, but it's tougher to start on playing steel and electric and then playing this type of guitar. I started on this type and I can say that I can play steel and electric fine, but I can't speak much for the other way around. However, I did notice that some of the mediocre reviews were from primarily steel string guitarists who complained not so much on the sound but primarily of the playability of this guitar so maybe this statement is true. A guitar pick doesn't play as well on this guitar as it would on a typical steel or electric guitar. The strings are spaced farther apart with a slightly higher action than steel/electric for fingerstyle playing.
I've known many beginners who start on steel string quit because of the pain from pressing down on the harder, tighter strings. Some cheap steel string guitars have a high action as well which translates to more pain when you are building your finger strength (and numbness) to play clear notes on the guitar. The nylon strings are much softer and bend easier while under tension making the pain more tolerable for the beginner. This translates to longer play times as well while practicing which may in turn allow faster learning of the basics.
However, with all that said, if your joy is the steel string sound and if you really just don't like the sound of the nylon string, then by all means go for the steel string instead. I believe that for a steel string with comparable tone and quality, you may have to pay slightly more.
But otherwise this is the best bang for your buck in my book!
quality guitar for the priceMarch 20, 2008 I bought this guitar for a friend of mine for her 16th birthday. I went around to several guitar shops around town playing various brands and such of classical guitars. The Yamaha C-40's sound stood out to me and I was amazed when I checked the price tag!
I have an Ibanez GA-3 and I personally like the C-40 better... bummer for me...
My method in trying out guitars is to play it before you look at the brand name tag or the price tag. This gives me an unbiased approach to the guitar. Y'know, if I pick up a guitar and look at the tag that says "C.F. Martin", I'm obviously going to like how it sounds and all. Works the same with the price tag...
Anyway, to sum it all up: quality guitar for beginner up to intermediate level players... don't be fooled into thinking it's a cheap-O guitar b/c of the price tag.
Great sound, with serious problems...December 26, 2006 8 out of 11 found this review helpful
If you can get a "new" or "unused" one of these, and have a hundred to spare, there's probably no better "classical" guitar in this range. I am no expert. I really don't know anymore what about a hundred or so will buy in a decent acoustic nylon string guitar, with good sound above all. I'd be willing to bet however that unless you find a gem at some used/new guitar store at around the same price that sounds this good, pass it by, and buy this one.
I have been playing various guitars for over 40 years (my, how time creeps up on one, ha). I was never much fancy to the nylon string classical variety much, more into steel strings, a much louder, dynamic variety. And better, imho, for "beginners" than this particular model. I moved on to electrics, Gibson, Fender, Carvin (?!), and my prized Guild. But the only thing I ever learned about how to play a guitar (period), was on a steel string acoustic or electric. In other words, if you're a total novice to actual guitar playing and not just some nerdy geeky PS2 Guitar Hero wannabee, NEVER try to learn guitar on this.
While the sound is totally awesome on this guitar, compared to even one of those overhyped Esteban tinny cheapos, nylon or string, while the sound from this is so beautiful and balanced, and worthy of the Yamaha name, while totally-patient guitar learning folks couldn't learn on a higher level, for the rest of us non-geniuses out there, this instrument is frustrating at best.
Not frustrating in sound. It sounds great. Frustrating in above all else, the action and the neckband width. "Action" refers to how far down you need to press a string down to get a decent sound. Fancy and expensive electrics have almost "touch" action. That means that you hardly need to press down on a string (on the neck/fretboard) to get a decent sound. But acoustic guitars are nothing like electrics. The rare case of an acoustic having a similar action as an electric is rare, and costs many hundreds. Likewise, a great nylon/classical guitar type such as this, with great action, I'm not sure exists. If you find such a rarity, I'd bet it runs in the thousands.
So, the action here is not great. It is a pain to press your fingers so deep with every note on this guitar. To position them so perfectly as to play every note and/or chord without distortion. As a beginner guitar (of any type) then, I'd have to recommend caution as to this purchase, as it can cause early bloody fingers and lack of patience to continue in most people.
My other main gripe with this guitar is the (again, frustrating) lack of neckboard/fret "DOTS" or inlays, which mark the third fret, fifth, seventh, and so forth, up to the "harmonic," but maybe this is just a feature of "classical" guitars. Again though, for beginners, this can be unnecessarily confusing, and for old timers, equally so. This is a solid instrument however.
Overall, I have to admit that I started playing guitar long, long ago, on just such an instrument as this. One handed down to me by my uncle, a World War II vet, through several hands, and several changes of strings, etc. It's a tough guitar for a beginner. If you can semi-master this though, when and if you move on to regular steel-string acoustics and then electric, you will undoubtedly be a better player in the end than most.
I was pretty good in my day, but having received this as a gift recently, after not really touching a guitar for some 15 years, while I could truly admire the beautiful sound of this, I once again felt a frustration. The action and fret space/string space of this is not suitable for a beginner, nor an old but faded whiz.
If you are an accomplished player, with recent and steady practice and performance, this is a real bargain. You're not going to get this quality of sound from anything less expensive.
If you're a beginner or an out of practice aging hipster however, I'd say save up for a $200-300 electric and proceed onward to guitar playing greatness, without the pain, the frustration, or the bloody fingers...
Incredible Price/PerformanceAugust 5, 2006 8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I've been playing steel string and electrics for the past 20 years so I'm not new to this..but I wanted to try a little classical. I wanted something decent but inexpensive incase I don't like the classical style too much so based on reviews I decided to buy the C40 Gigmaker pack. I also played a few other classical guitars in this price range at my local guitar center for comparison.
First thing I noticed was that the build quality was quite superior for a product in this price range. The finish was excellent and the fretboard was absolutely even with no flaws. However, when I first played the thing I was very disappointed because it sounded aweful! Luckily I knew what the problem was... the strings that come with this guitar are absolutely horrendous. Yamaha totally skimped on the strings which is rather odd! I knew this due to feedback from others and had also ordered some D'Addario Pro Arte classical strings. After restringing the guitar with the D'Addarios the difference was night and day. A word of caution: restringing a classical is a pain, unlike steel strings nylon strings need to be "stretched in" so they may lose tuning until they are fully stretched.
I've been playing some simple classical pieces that I knew how to play on my steel string (Romance, Aria etc.) and it sounds pretty damn good. I'm really impressed at the quality of tone from a guitar in this price range. Some people complained about the cheapness of the tuners. I don't see any issues with them, they work just fine.
The bottom line is that if you're looking for an entry level classical guitar you cannot do any better than the C40.
Good job Yamaha!
Good guitarApril 3, 2006 5 out of 22 found this review helpful
It is a very nice looking guitar. Very impressive on first looks. It sounded pretty good and the nylon guitar strings were very good on the fingers. The only problem was that three of the strings were nylon and three were metallic. That means you have spare some time to change all of them to the ones you like.
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