Made in Taiwan!

Strumit

I have been doing some research on my old bass.  It seems, from the serial number (which took some fathoming out) that it is a 2002, Yamaha RBX 270 J, made in the Kaohsiung Factory, Taiwan on the 23rd May.  I was, at first, a little disappointed to discover that but further reading tells me that this factory made excellent guitars, equal to their Japanese counterparts.  I have done a full stripdown and rebuild and am delighted to say that everything that I have discovered during the process, has delighted me.  Everything fits perfectly, no rough edges anywhere (even under the covers!).  The neck is superb and it plays well.  I was tempted to "mod" it but am just about finished and have kept it fairly stock.  I have stripped back the lacquer to bare wood on the body and have waxed it instead.  The more wax that I apply, the better it gets ( so tactile ). Would love to hear about anyone else's experiences of the Taiwanese Yamahas. Pics to follow.  Mike

Tannin

I've played a made-in-Taiwan Yamaha acoustic a while back from the same era. (Same factory, I daresay.) Just a magic guitar in (almost) all respects, well and truly up to the standards of any top-class dreadnought from the famous makers in Europe, Australia, US, or Japan. And going for less than half what I'd expect to pay for a MIJ or MIA one. Superb. (And forgive me for saying this, electric players,  it is much harder to make a good acoustic than an electric or a bass.)

One thing and one thing only let it down - it had a ridiculously cramped 42mm nut, which made it (for me) unplayable. I very nearly bought it anyway, but only as a present for my brother who, being a 90%-electric player, doesn't mind a squeezy neck. 

fretmeister

I’ve never had a bad Yamaha irrespective of where they were built. I’ve had a couple of Pacifica guitars at different price points, a couple of basses and one acoustic.

2 of the basses were Japanese but the rest were from all over the place. The Japanese basses were annoyingly heavy as it happens.

Bork

All three of my Yammie MSG's were Taiwan made and they are equal to anything else I've played, including PRS SEs.

BillDL

I still have my first "proper" acoustic from 1982 - a "made in Taiwan" Yamaha FG-340 II - and it is still a beautiful big, loud, well balanced dreadnought that was exceptionally well put together and immaculately finished.  Possibly manufactured 26th Nov 1981 as Unit No 0274, but their serial numbers from then are a little unreliable.  It was two steps up from their entry level steel string models, so by no means premium.  Despite not being a more expensive "pro" level model it has a beautiful triangular section 3-piece bookmatched back made from beautifully grained rosewood laminate and very nicely grained dark laminate mahogany sides, a laminate? spruce top almost invisibly bookmatched, multi-ply binding on the body, single up the neck, and 2-ply around the headstock, and lovely dark rosewood fretboard and bridge.  I am not certain if it has a solid spruce top because I can't see a middle layer when looking at the edges of the soundhole, but it would have been unusual for a solid spruce top to have been fitted to a guitar in that price range.

Despite probably being a laminate soundboard it is pretty thin and resonant and has survived all these years without any significant bellying up behind the bridge.  Despite the price the bracing is nicely sculpted and smoothly sanded, the kerfing is expertly fitted as are the braces to the kerfing, and there are no glue runs anywhere inside.  Far better build quality than any other acoustics in the same price bracket.  It cost £145 in 1982.  The nearest equivalent Yamaha with the same level of decor and similarity of construction (fully bound) is the FG-830 for around £400.  That is now quite a few more steps up in price than my FG-340 was in the FG range, and I think the FG-830 sits in the "pro" but not "premium" level.