Review: The Yamaha CG171SF Flamenco Guitar

Author's 2009 Note

Since the time that I have put this review up, it seems to have become the most-read review of the Yamaha CG171SF and it has made it to the top of Google's search. The images have also been used for auctions on eBay without my authorization. I don't want to take down the high-resolution images because these are helpful to readers who want to carefully evaluate this guitar.

Sellers on eBay are free to provide a link to this blog post if they want to provide prospective buyers with an independent third-party review. Nobody however is authorized to use these images of my guitar but myself. Any violations will have their auctions removed under eBay's VeRO program.

For the record, I still have this guitar and am very happy with it. I doubt that I will ever sell it.


As some of you who are visiting from the Harmony Central Acoustic Guitar Forum know, I recently acquired a Yamaha CG171SF flamenco guitar; good karma in compensation for my Yamaha C45MA that I am now without. I really love this guitar so this review might be a tad long.

Images can be enlarged to 1400 x 1040 by clicking on them so you can get all the visual details.

Specifications and Pricing
I took most of these from the Yamaha website. Specs that are in italics pertain to my specific unit or were added for clarification.

• Classification: Student flamenca blanca
  
• Top: Solid European Spruce
• Back & Sides: Laminated Cypress
• Neck: High-grade Nato
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Bridge: Rosewood
• Tuners: Gold-colored
• Finish: Polyurethane Gloss
• Frets: 19
• Body Depth: 3.7" - 3.94"
• Nut Width: 2.05"
• String Length: 25.6"
• Where Built: Hangzhou Yamaha subsidiary in China
• Date Manufactured: December 27th, 2007
• Strings installed from the factory: Unknown, Medium Tension
  
• Strings currently installed: Hannabach Flamenco, Medium Tension
  
• Action on 6th string from the factory: 0.035 on 1st fret, 0.115 on 12th fret
• Action on 1st string: 0.025 on 1st fret, 0.110 on 12th fret
• Height of 6th string from top of soundboard at the bridge: 26.5/64 of an Inch (10.52mm)
  
• Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Warranty: Yamaha's Limited Lifetime Warranty (PDF)
  

• Manufacturer's List Price: $499.95
• Typical Street/Online Price: $349.95
• Discounted Price (during holidays): $299.95
• Price I paid (from a local Mom-and-Pop authorized Yamaha dealer): $267.00
  

External Body Details

This is one attractive guitar. As far as traditional flamenco guitars go, the Yamaha CG171SF is a bit more ornate. In the above photo, you can see the decorative purfling along the edges as well as partial detail of the rosette.

The center back strip that separates the bookmatched cypress woods has the same purfling detail. You can see better by clicking on the photo for the enlargement. As you can see from the woodgrain patterns of the heel, the neck is multi-piece (three-piece, I believe).

Here's a further shot so that you can examine the grain of the cypress back. Lovely!

Here's a photo with the full detail of the rosette. The red treble strings are part of the Hannabach Flamenco string set that I installed.

The bridge too has a bit of detail. My apologies for the somewhat sloppy string ties. I was a bit over-eager to install my Hannabachs.

This shot will allow you to examine the detail of the cypress sides. The side width is 3.75 inches on the upper bout which is the same as a classical guitar. I've noticed that many factory-made student flamencas are built with the same side-widths of classical guitars. A high-grade luthier-made flamenca of solid-woods would have side widths that are smaller by about an inch (2.5 cm).

One more back/side shot. The overall weight of this guitar is 3.5 pounds which is lighter than my La Patrie Presentation classical guitar which weighs-in at 4.5 pounds.

Headstock and Tuning Machines

The headstock face seems to have a decorative rosewood veneer. The tuners are gold-colored and the tuning buttons are pearloid plastic in butterfly-styled shapes. I'm tempted to upgrade the tuners to gold-colored Gotoh's, perhaps with ebony buttons. The current tuners however are very smooth and work just fine. If it ain't broke ...

Here's the back of the headstock and you can see the tuning buttons in more detail. I feel that the buttons are the least-attractive component of the CG171SF and (aside from the label inside the soundhole) immediately give-away the fact that this is a student flamenco.

Looking Inside

The kerfing and braces of my CG171SF were smooth and clean. There seemed to be very little excess glue (if at all). Based on my examinations of the latest Yamahas, I get the impression that the new Hangzhou Yamaha factory has slightly improved the interior work of the Yamaha nylon-stringed guitars.

Here's an interior shot looking down towards the tail-block. Again, the kerfing is clean. You can see the two guide-holes for the bridge and the unscalloped braces. Both of these are typical for factory guitars in the sub-$1000 price range. What surprises me is that the braces and interior surface seem to be nicely sanded.

Compare the Yamaha CG171SF interior to this image of a 2007 model La Patrie Presentation that I once had (my current model is a 2008). The La Patrie Presentation is a Canadian-made classical guitar with a solid cedar-top, laminated rosewood backs and sides, and a lacquer finish. In the enlargement, you can that the soundboard and braces are not smoothly sanded, that there is a bit of excess glue on the braces, and that the guideholes for the bridge could have used a bit more cleaning. The Presentation lists for $515 and sells at street/online for $420.

How It Sounds and Plays
This assessment is, of course, subjective but it is based on my experiences of having sampled several other student and high-quality flamencas and classical guitars.

I have set-up the guitar with Hannabach Flamenco medium tension strings which, to my understanding, are not the most preferred flamenco strings. Sound-wise, they don't seem to be much different from the 3-month old factory strings that the CG171SF came with.

Even with this set-up, my CG171SF is clearly a bright-sounding guitar. Although its sustain is shorter than that of my La Patrie Presentation (which is set-up with D'Addario Pro Arte Composite basses and Savarez Alliance trebles), it is a bit longer than what I would have expected from a flamenca blanca (a flamenco guitar with cypress back/sides). In fact, it sounds a bit more to me like a flamenca negra (a flamenco guitar with rosewood back/sides). This might be because of the deeper sides and because the sides and back are laminated. It might also be because of the strings.

I consider these qualities to be a plus. It still has a sound quality that is flamenco (which might become even more flamenco with the right strings) yet it can be adapted for classical. This adds to the CG171SF's versatility.

The action is just right; low enough for fast-fretting without string buzz (see the Specifications section for measurements). I've read that many of today's flamenco guitarists are opting for slightly higher actions in their guitars (almost as high as classicals) for improved volume and less buzz. For comparison, my La Patrie Presentation's action on the 6th string is 0.040 on the first fret and 0.130 on the twelfth.

Versus the Competition
Prior to my purchase, I had made several trips to local guitar stores to compare the CG171SF against the Cordoba flamencas in the $450 to $900 range. I liked the sound (not to mention the build-quality) of the CG171SF much better. Based on discussions that I had read and participated in on Foro Flamenco, the nod for a student flamenca often goes to the CG171SF.

In the $900-$1000 range, it becomes possible to buy an estudio guitar manufactured by a luthier in Paracho, Mexico (consider the guitars made by Francisco Navarro Garcia or the Montalvo guitars from Berkeley Musical Instrument Exchange). Of course, we're now in a price range that is roughly thrice that of the CG171SF.



The CG171SF also gets a recommendation from local artist Jason McGuire (aka El Rubio). The quote below comes from his FAQ section:

Q: What kind of guitar should I buy?
A: Glenn Canin's guitars are the best for me. I own and have played many great and very expensive guitars, but for me Glenn's guitars are magic. His guitars are fairly priced. If you can't afford one now get a cheap Yamaha flamenco from Guitar Center while you are learning. Save up and buy a really nice guitar later. Stay away from mid priced instruments, especially if they are mass produced. That is my advice.

Hmm. Glenn Canin's cheapest flamenca is $4,300. The CG171SF is typically $350 (before a bit of haggling). Stay away from mid-priced instruments.

I can certainly take that advice!


Strings That I'll Be Experimenting With

Based on the advice and readings that I've gotten from Foro Flamenco, these three strings are recommended for flamencas if you prefer medium-tension.

• La Bella 820B - These are the black flamenco strings from La Bella. They are the ones most commonly used. They seem to be preferred over the new 2001 line.
• Luthier Popular Supreme 20 - These are often endorsed by flamenco celebrities. I think Paco de Lucia also endorsed them. Scott Tennant of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet also endorses them.
• Savarez 540R - It's not unusual to see these as being recommended. Carbon strings are typically brighter and louder than nylon strings. I really like the hard-tension versions of these Savarez strings on my La Patrie Presentation.

Summary: I Am Very Happy

If it isn't already obvious from all the data that I had gathered and presented here, this is one great value of a guitar even if it can't claim a Made In Spain pedigree. I'd have been happy to have gotten it at $350 and am absolutely delighted to have paid $267. We should get to know our local retailers more and support them.

The Yamaha CG171SF solid-spruce-topped flamenco guitar perfectly complements my La Patrie Presentation solid-cedar-topped classical guitar. I have a blond and a brunette to suit my studies and neither cost me an arm and a leg. They cover two ends of the spectrum.

I have since deleted all my automated search-bots for nylon-stringed guitars at auction sites and CraigsList. Guitar Acquisition Syndrome for any other nylon-stringed guitars is gone; at least until I become good enough to warrant a $4000+ guitar (if ChiyoMama would ever let me get away with that).