Need advice between two guitars.

[srogue]

I know this is a mandolin forum, and I purchased one recently, but I am new to guitars and wanted some advice. I was able to purchase two guitars at really good prices from amazon and both are in excellent shape. One is a Yamaha FS800 which I got out the door for 165.00 and retails for around 220. The other is a Fender Redondo Player for 250.00 and retails for around 450. Both are in like new condition. Which one would be the smartest one to keep? Honestly, on sound, they both sound very similar and the FS800 sounds slightly louder, which one online review said could be due to the Fender being painted instead of being stained. The Fender has electronic hook-ups where the Yamaha doesn't also, but I don't have an amp or anything so that doesn't really do much for me at the moment. Any guidance would be awesome!

[Bill McCall]

Keep the one you like best.

[Jill McAuley]

From a resale standpoint if you decide to upgrade anytime in the future I suspect that the Yamaha would have more interested parties rather than the Fender, just something to consider. If it was me I'd keep the Yamaha.

[Kevin Winn]

I'm with Jill. I'd keep the Yamaha, but I'm a fan of their acoustic guitars.

[lenf12]

Well, the Redondo does have that iconic Fender headstock with 6 in line tuners but for a good acoustic guitar, I would stick with the Yamaha. Which one sounds better and plays easier? That's the "KEEPER" (for now)

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[TheMandoKit]

Well, they both have solid tops and laminated sides & back. If the specs I saw online are correct, they both are 1 11/16 at the nut, which is pretty standard, although many folks (me included) prefer something wider, and the Yamaha has a slightly shorter scale at 25" versus 25.6" for the Fender, which can make stretches a little easier. Other than the cosmetics (in line versus traditional headstock, and finish), the other big differences seem to be cutaway versus non - cut, and pickup versus none.

<shrugs> ��

I'd say you got some good advice above: which one sounds better, plays better, do you like better? I do agree that the Yamaha will probably be easier to sell later, if you decide to.

[srogue]

From a resale standpoint if you decide to upgrade anytime in the future I suspect that the Yamaha would have more interested parties rather than the Fender, just something to consider. If it was me I'd keep the Yamaha.

Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus. I did indeed keep the Yamaha. It seems to have a better reputation, and many seem to think Fender acoustics aren't that great unless you go for their really higher-end lines. Thanks for all the advice guys, I appreciate it.

[Bill Cameron]

Right choice made. Fender is an iconic name in electric guitars, but their acoustics are nothing special whatsoever-they basically just sell for name recognition. And I wouldn’t go for the higher-priced ones either—you’d just be throwing more money away—as a rule of thumb, you don’t want to buy the high end model of a budget line, the trade-in value will suffer. In short, there’s a reason there was a $200 plus “discount” on the Fender compared to $55 on the Yamaha.

- - - Updated - - -

Fender electric mandos are cool though.

[allenhopkins]

Since you've made your choice, I won't offer a lot of analysis. Fender Redondo has a larger body, and a cutaway to make reaching higher frets somewhat easier. Yamaha is what they term "concert size," slightly smaller, probably a clearer, less bassy sound. I'd speculate that the Yamaha would have superior "fit and finish," more hand-shaping of braces, etc.

You picked the one that suited you better, always a wise decision.