Yamaha CG172SF Nylon String Flamenco Guitar

I've been playing classical guitar and I have a bunch of nylon string classical guitars (Cordoba C3M, Antonio Hermosa AH-10NF, Kremona Soloist S62C Classical, Fender CN-140S). But I am starting to learn Flamenco and I realized that I definitely needed a Flamenco guitar. Although you can play Flamenco on a classical guitar, eventually you realize it's just not the same. So I was hunting around for one and my biggest issue is my small hands and stature. I am only 5'1" and I have small hands so depending on the way the guitar is built, sometimes it's hard for me to play the standard nylon string guitars. I've found classical guitars with narrower fretboards and shorter scales but you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a Flamenco guitar with a narrower fretboard or shorter scale. Anyway I have been to Guitar Center several times and other stores trying out whatever Flamenco guitars they've had and I couldn't find anything that really suited me. And the ones that do are usually in the thousands (I like Antonio Aparicio but I'd have to save up for one of his good guitars - btw, he can make a flamenco guitar with a narrower fretboard/neck and shortened scale if you want and it's not that much more than the price charged for the standard sized). I also tried a couple Rodriguez guitars and they are beautiful and well-made but too big for me, the necks were just really challenging for my small hands. Alas, I am on a budget and desperate to get a Flamenco as I've dented the finish on my classicals with all my golpes and slapping and tapping. And the string tension on the classicals is harder and the action higher so doing all my rasgueados (or 'rasgueos' in Andalusian), my pulgars and picados is much harder than it needs to be when not playing on a true Flamenco guitar. So I decided to try this Yamaha CG172SF Flamenco Guitar w/ tap plates. I read good feedback online about it (although others have stated that the previous model CG171SF was superior) and I watched a bunch of people demo-ing it on YouTube and I wanted to try it. I got it yesterday and boy was I pleasantly surprised. It did not disappoint. Even though it's "standard" sized, the neck is very comfortable. I am able to play barre chords on it with no clicking or buzzing, that's usually the first test I perform to see if my small hands can handle the width of the neck/fretboard. Then I do some slurs, hammers & pull-offs to test the string tension and action. Then I do some rasgueos. This guitar is very playable. I had no issues. Action is definitely low enough (I read some other reviews where others say the action is not low enough but compared to classical guitars, it's really low!). The string tension was just right for me. (Action & string tension of course can be adjusted so shouldn't be a factor/deterrent from trying this guitar). The sound is bright and sharp, just like you want in a Flamenco. You can definitely hear the difference from the spruce top on this vs the cedars on classicals. You don't want too much sustain or resonance in a Flamenco the way you would on a Classical. You don't want the notes to blend and blur into each other and end up sounding muddy. (Another reason why you should really get a Flamenco guitar if you're playing Flamenco music vs playing it on a Classical). The body is thinner (less deep) than a classical and it's very light weight. It's got all the best things you want in a Flamenco guitar. Overall, it was very well built, I didn't see any surface imperfections or defects. The finish was perfect (it's natural though, no lacquer) and comes with tap plates. The tuners were good quality as well. I am happy with this guitar and it should definitely help me progress in my Flamenco playing. If you are just starting out in Flamenco, even though this is a couple hundred dollars more than a beginner student Classical nylon - I really suggest that you spend the extra couple hundred to get a specific Flamenco guitar for your studies. It will really enhance your learning experience and you really do want to start off learning Flamenco the right way. It will make you sound so much better as well. Having a poor instrument or one that is decent but wasn't built specifically for the style you are playing, can be a hindrance- and you end up blaming yourself if you don't sound great- when in reality it might just be the wrong instrument. I sound so much better on this guitar when I'm playing Flamenco, the lower action, the easier string tension, the more comfortable neck, the tap plates, the lighter weight... it makes me play clearer, truer and faster than I did when I tried to play Flamenco on my Classicals. It's such a boost in confidence and makes you more motivated to practice and play. Anyway, I highly recommend the Yamaha CG172SF Flamenco Guitar.

I got this guitar yesterday from Amazon and I am pleased. This may be a budget guitar but it is no way a "cheap" guitar. First off, the solid spruce top is very consistent and straight grained. The layered sycamore back and sides don't have any real figure, but the veneer panels are clean and free of blemishes or knots. The body binding appears to be made from what looks like layers of ebony and maple and is neatly executed. The sound-hole rosette is made of real wood mosaic...not some cheap vinyl sticker. The bridge and fretboard are both solid rosewood. The nato neck is made up of a stack of layers which are not bookmatched. It is not a particularly pretty neck, but for $329 I'm not complaining. The headstock has a nice rosewood veneer and is finished off with the ubiquitous silkscreened Yamaha flower logo. I took a mirror and peeked inside the body. The fan braces and kerfing are all neatly carved and applied, with almost no glue squeeze-out anywhere. Fretwork is above average. All in all this is a very well put-together guitar with superior workmanship. There are a few concessions to cost control: the no-name machine heads are okay, but just okay. They are gritty feeling and one did slip a bit when I was tuning. I can see myself installing some replacement Schallers or Gotohs in the foreseeable future. The nut is a plastic-looking thing and could use some filing to lower the strings just a smidge. I will probably just leave the nut because it really won't make that much, if any, of a tonal difference to replace it and I don't want to mess with the intonation. I am however going to replace the stock bridge saddle with a compensated unit of either TUSQ or bone. That will be my first mod. This saddle appears to be plastic or polycarbonate. I think upgrading to a harder material will vastly improve tone and sustain. I'm going to put some better strings on it tonight, but I have to tell ya: I'm pleased as punch with this guitar. For $329 you simply cannot beat the quality you get, and upgrading it will be easy. UPDATE 11/06/20: The guitar has held up very well and the tone has definitely opened up. You have to use really good strings to drive this guitar and get the most tone out of it you can. I recommend Savarez Tomatito's normal tension strings. They really bring out the brightness and clarity of this guitar and they last a good long time. La Bella 820 Reds work well also. By the way, the nut and saddle are made from Urea, a polymer made from animal urine. Interesting. P.S. : I recently learned that the body binding is not ebony, but rather ABS. That's fine. It doesn't seem to affect the tone.

Nicely made, nice sounding flamenco guitar at a perfect price for students. Fitted with the traditional golpeadora plate, although in transparent plastic, so it's nearly invisible. This did come out of the box ready-to-play, but I did a bit of work to make it more amenable to flamenco-style playing. Lowered the action a tad, sanded the back of the neck smoother, and put a set of good flamenco strings on it. After that, it was rasgueados away!

Nice guitar for the price. The set up is good enough to start playing right away although I will probably adjust it a bit over time. Seems well made inside and out, the Rosette is actually some sort of decal, but I would not expect a real wood Rosette for this price point. I would recommend it as a first flamenco or Spanish guitar for sure.

I've had this for about a week and I couldn't be happier. It arrived damage free which is huge because I've had some losses before and it's the worst. Right out of the box the craftsmanship is apparent. The tuning machines are smooth and steady and the strings are decent to use at first. The neck has a nice satin/un finished feel although there is no truss rod. It feels sturdy enough and with proper care I don't forsee any issues there. The guitar is incredibly light with a bright, top end sound and a sharp attack. The action is low-ish and there is a noticeable difference in overall depth of tone compared to a classical guitar. I'm no expert on flamenco guitar, but this one puts me in the mood for that type of playing and for the price I'm absolutely impressed.