Recommended Age: from 11 years
Guitar Type: Steel String Acoustic
Yamaha is a well-established brand of musical instruments with a great price-performance ratio. The F310 is the perfect proof of this. The Yamaha F310* was the first acoustic guitar I ever bought, and at the time I was looking for something with a decent sound for a good price to get me started. I really got more than I expected for the price, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve been playing this entry-level model for over 7 years.
Review of the Yamaha F310
It’s a full-size steel-string guitar. Its slim neck makes it incredibly comfortable to play. It also has a slightly shortened scale, which means the frets are a little closer together. This helps especially beginners and teenagers to have a more comfortable playing feel and to develop hand strength. There are a lot of cheaper guitars out there, or even guitars for the same price, that sound pretty awful and can discourage any kid from learning to play. But the Yamaha F310 acoustic guitar has a fantastic sound for a budget guitar, which is rich, clear and with a powerful bass. Sure, you can’t compare the sound of a laminate guitar to a $1000 solid wood guitar, but I’d say it’s much better than you’d ever expect from a beginner’s acoustic guitar. Let’s listen to a sound sample of this guitar.
Sound Sample of the Yamaha F310
The hardware is pretty standard and unfortunately the Yamaha F310 doesn’t come with locking tuners. But to be honest, you can’t expect such extras for this price. The action of the guitar is also quite good, which is an important point especially for younger players like kids, because otherwise they might have problems holding chords. If you’re buying this guitar for your child, I would recommend getting some light gauge strings as well. Personally, I like D’Addario strings because they have a well-balanced and warm tone.
After all these years, I can say that the F310 is pretty solid. My guitar has taken a lot of hits from doors, walls and table edges, but it’s still in good shape. I really like to take this guitar everywhere I go, and I have had several minor accidents with it, but it has always survived. A good quality indicator for a beginner guitar is to see if the guitar can hold the tuning. You need to know that it will take a few days for the strings to settle and stretch. But after a few days, the guitar should stay in tune for quite a long time, and that’s definitely the case with the F310. It stays in tune very well for a long time compared to other cheap and beginner guitars that don’t even stay in tune for a few hours. However, I noticed over time that the finish on the corners, which is quite thick and shiny, chips easily. For the price you probably can’t expect a better finish. It’s not a big deal for me, as it’s still playable. But I would recommend to buy a padded bag for this guitar.
You should also keep in mind that the Yamaha F310 is not the guitar you want to play for a living, because it doesn’t have a built-in pickup. It’s a guitar for playing around the house and in front of small audiences. It’s a great beginner’s guitar. If you want to play on stage regularly, you should consider getting another guitar with a pickup.
I bought it as a beginner guitar and after a while you want to move on to a more advanced guitar. However, I wouldn’t want to be without this guitar and I still play it regularly. If you’re looking for an affordable full-size acoustic guitar and don’t plan on playing live, the F310 is for you. In my opinion, it’s the perfect entry-level choice for adults and teens.
– some already accessories incl.
– good quality and finish
Specifications of the Yamaha F310
Strings: | Steel |
Top: | Spruce |
Back/Sides: | Meranti |
Neck: | Nato |
Fingerboard: | Rosewood |
Bridge: | Rosewood |
Finish: | Gloss |
Tuning Machines: | Opened Chrome |
Scale: | 634mm |
More information on manufacturer’s site: Yamaha F310
Other guitars we have already reviewed:
Squier by Fender Mini Strat
Yamaha JR1