Free Guitar Day - Yamaha G245S

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 7:18 pm

Someone I know at work emailed me and asked if I wanted this old Yamaha guitar.

I picked it up from her and it's pretty nice

Yamaha G245S - Classical. I found this description on Facebook:

The G-245S was a Yamaha classical guitar made in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a subsequent model G-245SII running from 1981-1985 with many if not all of the same features. Both had a solid spruce top, laminate rosewood back and sides, 12-fret neck, black-bound 19-fret dark, Indian rosewood fretboard with side dot markers at 5th, 7th and 9th frets, a composite bridge with Indian rosewood, and a neck constructed of nato. One interesting feature of note is the 658 mm scale that the guitar possessed, like much of Yamaha's higher priced models throughout the '70s and mid '80s, making it one of the larger classical guitars Yamaha has produced, a scale length now only offered in their current GC line of classical guitars.

The description says it has laminate rosewood back and sides, but I would have sworn it was solid Rosewoods. I have never seen such a pretty flame in laminate rosewood. The action is good, but needs new strings and maybe some time with a humidifier.

One unique feature on this guitar is the scale length. The scale length is 658mm or 25.9 inches. It longer than a standard scale guitar.

If anyone has any additional info about this guitar please post it.

Pics

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:44 pm

You got that for free? I can't believe anyone would just give away such a nice vintage instrument...good score, congrats! The guitar player in my band has one nearly just like that, I'll have to ask what model it is. Sounds amazing but doesn't stay in tune for shit

Yours seems to be worth around $200-300 just from googling.

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:45 pm

That looks absolutely lovely, I'd echo your comment about needing humidifying as the top looks pretty dry but apart from that it looks like a very nice guitar.

speedfish · Post by **speedfish** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:36 pm

All I can say is Wow!

What a lovely gift!

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 4:37 am

I don't have any extra strings, but I got it home and gave her a "bath" and put in a humidifier. I played it with a Medium pick. It has such a deep unique tone about it. For Classical it's got a nice neck and the extra long scale is nice to play.

I still think the sides and back are solid and not laminate but I hate to argue with the internet.

I wish my dad's old Airline Acoustic was in this good of shape. You can drive a small car under the high action.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 1:20 pm

the 25.9 scale is martins standard scale. every company kinda has thier own "standard" scale.
that is a great find. i got a free yamaha classical a long time ago, but it was nothing like that.

WePlayStrings · Post by **WePlayStrings** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 4:52 pm

I have one of theses Yamaha's as well. It is from 1981. The back and sides look solid in this one as well. It is definitely Rosewood inside. This guitar is mint without any fret wear. It has a compensated saddle which I think was added later on. I lubed the tuners and did a light cleaning. I put new strings on it yesterday and tuned it all day long. It's staying in tune today. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this. I have a vintage solid mohogany classical guitar that needs cleats before I can string it up. But I do love this Yamaha and I am having trouble putting it down to do anything else.

This is pretty much identical to the G-245S. It has a Rosewood bridge and I am nots sure what kind of bridge the G-245S has. The G245S was $265 new. The G245sii was $305 new. Yamaha was so kind to call me when my serial number did not show up in their archive or pdf files. They said this guitar would cost around $1000 today.

I have pictures but I don't have a URL to post them from.

Post by **dots** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 9:32 pm

welcome to the board!

feel free to host the photos at our free uploader service. just give me a shout when you're on so i can activate your user name.

WePlayStrings · Post by **WePlayStrings** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:50 pm

dots wrote:welcome to the board!

feel free to host the photos at our free uploader service. just give me a shout when you're on so i can activate your user name.

Thanks! Just let me know how to do it and I will upload pics.

Post by **dots** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:13 am

Just go to the uploader (the link is in my previous post and the top of the forum) and sign up. When you have that going, let me know the user name and I'll tell you the rest.

Post by **dots** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:45 pm

okay, just saw that you signed up. all you need to do now is login to the uploader, click the upload link, and then select your files to send. after they have been uploaded the screen will show something that looks like this:

Code: Select all

&#91;img&#93;http&#58;//bestnetworx.com/uploader/files/111/yourfile.jpg&#91;/img&#93;

just copy and paste that into a post here on the forum. done!

WePlayStrings · Post by **WePlayStrings** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 4:18 am

Thank you Dots! I won't bore everything with why getting pics off various devices wasn't working...

Falling more and more in love with this every day. Comparing the G245 to the G245sii. They seem identical but maybe b/c this is a 1981 it still has that tightly grained spruce top. Yamaha told me this has a poly finish so perhaps the G245 has lacquer. Usually I prefer lacquer b/c I can do minor repairs to that myself but The poly finish on this is perfect. There is a little bit of lightness in the binding where someone's under arm would have been but other than that it's perfect. The action is a little high but so is the saddle. The action seems spot on at the nut. Mystery to me why it doesn't have a truss rod since it seems every Japanese guitar in the world from that era had one.

I have a No. 180 waiting for me in No. Cal. So I'll see how they compare. I do wish one of them was a 14 fret b/c I play up the neck quite a bit.

I put D'Addario Pro Arte Classical Silver wound strings on it. It's all that was available close by. In the future though I want to punch up the treble with something a little better. And I do think an unbleached bone saddle and nut would be beneficial. I have beautiful MIJ vintage Mahogany baritone uke I've been playing for too long. It just sounded so good - like a tenor guitar and it spoiled me. It was so easy to play - going back to guitar is bit of an adjustment but I really like the deeper voice.

I would love to hear others' experiences with the G-245 and G-245sii. It would be so cool if someone had both and did a youtube video.

George · Post by **George** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 9:53 am

looks pretty top notch. lovely craftsmanship

WePlayStrings · Post by **WePlayStrings** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:43 pm

WePlayStrings · Post by **WePlayStrings** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:43 pm

I played the B harmonic scale at the 12th fret today and the sustain was very good. A couple of strings out of tune that high up. May take it on for a pro set up. Would like a bone nut/saddle and Sloan tuners would be the bomb but not in budget. I have a steel string Hondo with Grover style tuners someone gave me. I have it on CL but am tempted to keep it just bc of the tuners. Never realized before how upgraded tuners affect a guitar. Theres nothing wrong with the Yamaha tuners but the Grover upgrades have spoiled me.

I'd really like up hear others' experience with Yamaha G-245sii, G-245s, G-250s -strings, mods, music you play on it...

Chorlton · Post by **Chorlton** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:27 pm

My first ever guitar was a G240 II so pretty similar to those here I'd assume. My folks bought it me when I was 8 or 9 I guess. Learned how to play classical on it and has been my only acoustic guitar since. Even played it in Spain so it has Flamenco mojo in it

Not in anywhere near as pristine shape as the first one but I love it all the same. Take a butchers....

WePlayStrings · Post by **WePlayStrings** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 2:29 am

Very nice 240. That was $245 back in the day which made it quite an expensive guitar. I wish I had learned the classical style but working on it now and I must say the G245sii sounds a lot better when you play it holding it in the traditional classical position. Who knew!