Would be nice to see you do a side-by-side comparison of a FG-9 and a LL56

I got an FG9r and I am just blown away every time I pick it up and play it. I just want to hug it lol. It sounds and feels so freaking good.

This is the first time that the sound coming out from a guitar recorded on YT impress me for real....

just WOW! Yamaha is really stepping it up! thanks for this info!

Already had an LL16, so I went for the smaller (and less costly) FSX5. Such great value with Yamaha!

that t shirt is very touching, that is basically the situation at the moment for me too. I hear you man, I feel your pain! Hopefully we get better and if we don't I guess we'll die trying!

Yaaaaaaaay! I love that you reviewed this guitar. Im a big yamaha fan and this guitar looks so amazing. I hope I get to try it out some day. Yamaha should know I bought an LL16 because of your review. Gave me the confidence to be ok with paying less for a guitar that sounds better than a $3k Martin.

JP's enthusiasm is so infectious LOL!. I am about to pull the trigger on a Yairi DYM60 because of that cool Honduran mahogany wood storage background story. Now he comes out with this review!

Magnificent instrument, longtime Yamaha fan.

Yamaha are making exceptional guitars ,I love my A3M & my Transacoustic ! ❤🎉

HELLO. PERFECT DESCRIPTION. I HAVE A FG5 BECAUSE I SAW YOUR REVIEW OF THE FGX5. I DON'T NEED A SENSOR. THIS GUITAR IS LIKE A FAIRY TALE. YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH HER INSTANTLY. THANKS FOR THIS REVIEW. GREETINGS FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC. HI.

Thanks for this JP i have been waiting on this video! Got me an FG9M ♥️🇮🇪

One of the best sounding if not THE best sounding acoustic guitar I've ever heard you play on this channel!

Look at JP, smiling like a kid with a new pair of skates ❤, absolutely amazing Yamerhammer!

Had to fight a huge mental block of buying my first Yamaha... but when I played the FG9R in Tokyo, it opened a whole new universe and I couldn't resist. First time watching your videos sir and I couldn't agree more. I've brought this home to play alongside my Goodall Brazilian, Santa Cruz African Blackwood. it stands tall and proud. the FG9 is a beast of a guitar which I will take to the grave. Great content and thank you for giving this dred the spotlight it deserves.

it is ebony binding. amazing guitar. Played the one they had at the Acoustic Shoppe in springfield MO. Was definitely a game changing guitar. I'll just be happy with my FG830 rosewood...

Yes sir. The bindings are in fact ebony. Thank you for posting. 🎸 Rock on 🤘

I just ordered this guitar in Indian Rosewood. It will be here Wednesday. I can't wait. I was actually going to purchase a Martin until I found this guitar. We'll see what happens on Wednesday. Great video.

Even the basic entry 230 USD Yamaha's are pretty damn good.... Yamaha does make great products . their Piano's are top notch too

9:08 .... "the whatever Taylor" ... Coffee nearly came out of my nose! 😂

The fact they are doing nitro finish on these makes me very happy

It is beautiful JP! The guys at all of the best acoustic dealerships are in love with it. Thanks, JP.

Baited Breath is from Shakespeare directly. Like Bedroom and Leapfrog, etc.. look it up, so much of our sayings are from Shakespeare

Stunning playing thank you, sounds amazing

Hi JP I watch your reviews with intent and listen keenly. Makes sense. Guitar Sense!

Yamaha guitars are GREAT! They don't make poor quality instruments. Listen to it!!! Amazing clean, clear and very big sound. Well done J.P!!

You have to review the Yamaha FS9

I had the chance to play both the rosewood and mahogany models at NAMM and they played and felt great. I love the subtle Japanese inspired details. Although, in my opinion, if I was looking for "best" sound in the $4-5k range, a used martin 1937 authentic would be the way to go.

Just found this channel, and OMG, the sound and tone coming out of that Yamaha is absolutely beautiful! You sir ate also a great picker and really get the most out of it. The grain on the top of it is amazing, (so widely spaced) no wonder it sounds as great as it does. Now I want one!

Hey J.P.! Great review...I was lucky enough to get an FG9M here at my store in Clarenville, NL. Wow! It was out-of-this-world good! I had our local songsmith/guitar virtuoso Craig Young, drop by and play it and he said the same as you...nothing from a mass producer is building something like it. Just an awesome piece of Guitarness...I sold it to another local musician and he loves it...wish I could have kept it...woe is me...

As of 2 months ago they had 2 of these beauties at Tony’s Music Box in Fredericton….a rosewood and mahogany…. I had the honour of getting a call from the owner to come in to try them out. Amazing guitars….. thanks for reviewing them JP….

Wow! stunning guitar, brilliantly played. Great review.....

Took you awhile but you're 100% correct. I though I wanted the rosewood version but mahogany with Adirondack just sounds amazing. Especially if you're doing country/bluegrass. And they can be bought for closer to $3000 than $4k if you shop around.

Love the channel! BTW, it's not "baited" breath, it's "bated" breath, which is a contraction of "abated breath", like when you breathing is affected when something startles you. As you can probably guess, I'm kind of a nerd. Anyway, a guitar as good as the FG9 would definitely cause bated breath.

Love the shirt J.P.❤

Finally it's here. Been waiting for this review.

Yamaha acoustics have been very good, very well made for decades. And many hard core players of others snub their noses at this Japanese company. So be it. Thanks for sharing and enjoy that masterpiece. 😉

It's been a while. Thank you.

I have three Yamaha Guitars, an FG830, An LL6M A.R.E. and an LS6. They are my go-to guitars along with my Alvarez AD66SHB. Yamaha has made the Holy Grail of their line.

Hi there J.P. I went with your advice and put K&K Pure in my D41, I added Fishman Rare Earth Blend to it, to add a bit of magnetic with condeser to mix with K&K. OMG sounds amazing. Thanks

Hey, JP! I bought my FG9-R at L&M June15th, the day after you did your exhibition there! What an amazing machine! I compared the FG9-R with an HD-28 for over an hour, playing both of them back and forth. I finally decided on the FG9-R, even though I had gone there with the intention of buying the HD-28! I will never regret my decision. I have never played such a perfect instrument in my life!

I have an FG5 that sounds amazing. No doubt this is a step above.

Dreadnaughty stuff! K’next… (Only had money for the FG5 besides my D18)

Thank you so much. I actually purchased the FG9R and I just needed someone wiser with more knowledge than me to affirm what an amazing guitar this is and that I wasn't going mad thinking that this guitar, in my opinion and to my ears, just blows everything away.

For somebody’s information, prior to the product launch, Yamaha posted a video here on KZfaq about the design process for the FG9. Yamaha worked closely with a US luthier who was the designer. But Yamaha did acoustic research and made suggestions to facilitate the transition of the one luthier prototype to something that could be scaled up to factory production. One fantastic detail was the design for the soundboard: it is Adirondack which is profiled to be thicker at the edges as the scientific team determined that would give it an acoustic punch, much like a tuned drum head. I’ll search for the link and post it below if I can find it.

I will own one of these one day. And I will own a Boucher.... And I cannot wait! Thanks JP for being such a good guitar steward for us all

The sustain and richness of sound on that is incredible

Unbelievable!! Wow ! I have an FG5, LL16, 180-1 Black Label, FG 331 and FG700S. They all ring but that thing is simply amazing. You are one lucky guy to have that gem ! No doubt you will be using that on the road and studio. Will you put a K and K in it or other?

Beautiful FG9, looks and sounds amazing... :) Well done again Yamaha...:) Great review JP. Thanks :)

You're right John, the binding is Ebony...according to the Yamaha site specs.

Sounds incredible JP!! You are the man!! I think it took folks a minute to accept a Yamaha luthier quality guitar at this level! I know they have been making great guitars for a long time but I think so much of their identity is with the lower price models, FG800 series and the like. Hopefully people are more open to it now that it’s been out there getting consistent rave reviews!!

Sound great . . . wicked volume . . . to each their own . . . bluegrass for sure . . . like to hear some sweet finger picking. Cheers.

It is absolutely insane how good that sounds.

OMG the sound out of that Guitar is phenomenal... A huge Yamaha fan here the best I have is an 1980 FG-350w....

3 colour sunburst with a black ebony fret board would be cool on a FG-9 Yamaha

Love, love that guitar! Great review John👍🏻

I have an LJ-26 and that is about all I can justify stretching my budget to. The sustain is crazy and the five-piece neck is a work of art. I do need to try out an FG9 though, because everyone who plays one seems to be impressed.

Yamaha only puts good playable guitars on the market across models and price range. I have a Yamaha 12 string, FG 412 SB II and a FG 310. A delight to play and listen to. The 12 string I have had for last 42 years and 310 for 13. I am 74 now and have been playing since I was 13. Long live YAMAHA guitars!

According to the Yamaha website, the binding is ebony. -

Shibumi is Japanese for: understated elegance, describes these guitars quite well .

Bated. Not baited. lmao. Luv your channel. Won’t let my kids watch it though because of the occasional F bombs. Keep telling the truth!

It's nice but the Guild D55 is cheaper and in my opinion, a fuller sound. Have you demoed one yet?

Why is it better then a LL56? I'm listening to both your videos.....this one (FG9) and the L56 one...back to back.

I really hope they do an OM in this series

Agreed. A few months ago, I went to the guitar store thinking I would buy a Gibson SJ200 or a Martin D28. I also brought in my Gibson J45 for comparison. My J45 was sounding better than those two so I was thinking I might not bother with a new guitar. The salesperson suggested I try the Yamaha FG9 Mahogany. I bought the Yamaha. I found it to be just a bit richer, a bit clearer, and with a sweeter high end sound than the other three.

Recently started looking seriously at Yamaha, and I am impressed with the quality. Been a Taylor fan for 25 years, but since the company became an employee owned business, it is in free fall IMO. The quality just isn't there any more. When doing these guitar reviews, I would like to see more thoughts on the "playability" - sound is not the only consideration. How easy or difficult is it to make clear, buzz free chords? For some reason, some guitars play like butter, and some you need a pair of vice grips to make a clear chord past the 4th fret....

"This is the best guitar I've ever played in my whoooole LIFE!!!!!! I was sure I would ear it.

Thanks John. Great review. I see my local shop has one in stock. I'll go down and play it. I'm curious if the neck profile is similar to the FG5. My only complaint about my FG5 is the neck is a little too chunky for my old arthritic hands.

Went to buy a Boucher at Fantasie music but they had none in stock so I ended up playing one of those and couldn't put it down, still kicking myself for not taking it Great review nobody plays Keltic tunes like you.

MONTHLTHISTH... Hahaha. I know I been waitin' down here in Alabama. I like my Alvarez guitars, buy I love my Yamahas!!! Cannot wait to watch this!

Really sounds amazing.

JP did you ever hear of Sawtooth guitars i bought one on line left hand jumbo Maple series i am no great guitar player i play to have fun.I love the sound and believe sound comes before price.

I love how you always find the BEST guitar ... "for a given realm".

Would like to hear you compare the FG9 with the LL56. Thanks for everything you do!

I bought a Yamaha LS16M because of your review! The guitar blew me away listening to you playing it. Fell in love with it. I also have a 1995 Taylor 422 Grand Concert that I also love!

Watching your channel is like going to guitar church.

$4k wow! I am impressed with the price and sound

Hey, you said Eastman are high output factory. Are you sure about that? I thought they were still being handmade in smaller numbers and remain the most affordable boutique option? My old E10D has allowed me to enjoy an Adi top mahogany dread for a fraction of the cost of this wonderful Yamaha.

I was a a guitar shop when a guy brought in his $10k classical guitar to be restrung. It was my first swing n hearing it 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🎸🎸🎸

Don't forget that the FG9 is a Boutique grade guitar. To compare to let's say a Martin. You would have to compare with a Custom Shop Martin and not a typical D18.

I have not seen any of these at any of the local Long and McQuade shops. I think one of the guys at the Bedford store said they might be getting one in.

I bought an fg3 earlier this year. It's fantastic. I can't imagine the fg9.

That guitar sounds great!

Oh my goodness. This thing sounds amazing!!!! I have an FGTA and as much as I love it, the FG 9 just sounds even better. Still love my FGTA though

I wondered what you thought of the older takamine like the ef360s and older Yamaha 1970’s fg110’s

Which do you like more, the fg9 rosewood or mahogany?

But can't you just get a Boucher, Bourgois or a Collings for about the same price? Reverb says yes...

Love your reviews. Next time give Sebastians Hvis du tror du er noget a try. Danish trobadour, check him out.

What about the LL86? That's the top tier.

Great review JP. I know that you’re a big fan of Yairi Alvarez but curious how you would compare this against comparable DYM60HD. Retails around $4,800 CDN

If this is made entirely or majority of the wooden parts in Japan omg. I admire them artisans y this is most likely my last ax since I saw the demo a week ago y this.(btw they could have partnered with Chinese workers that we will not know right away; I have been aware of outsourcing since the early seventies)

John! You make EVERY guitar sound great! You could play a banana and sound great... But, yeah. This is a really good one. $4K US, is just too much for me. I played a Yamaha 12 string this Monday and was blown away. It sounded so good! A Yamaha will be in my collection, but it will have to be one of the less expensive ones. Maybe an LL 16?

Looks like it has the ‘Clarence White’-sized soundhole! ;)

Yamaha is an Extraordinary String Company. There is no surprise in my mind that they have decided to enter the Boutique Market.

good news they dropped the price to 4999. in Canada

is it better than a Collings

I have a Yamaha AC3M DLX which is fantastic but haven't tried a higher end Yamaha dreadnought. I have a 1980s Guild d50 to compare all acoustics with in my home. At this point I am afraid to try one of these Yamahas. I just might buy it!!!

Fantastic guitar .... if I could play like that I might consider it 😂

How's the yamaha ll36 compared to this thing Im in the market for a d28 or something better or something cheaper or something better and cheaper Looking at Martin Yamaha Furch Larivee Recording king Im in the uk and certain brands are hard to come by, huss and Dalton are hard to find and boucher is also a bit more rare, i can easier fond larivee or furch But from my research the Yamaha fg9 should eat furch and larivee for breakfast and im just wondering about the ll36 now, i can find those quite easily

I have ordered mine. Someone at Namm 23 said only 75 were going to be released for 2023 and 120 for 2024 and after.