YAMAHA CSF3M VN Parlor Acoustic Guitar

I played one at guitar center and was somewhat encouraged so I bought one here. Amazon was great (as usual) but the guitar is a bit frustrating out of the box (consequence of purchasing on-line perhaps). I was looking for a beater that I could drag around with me and not worry about kids or drunk friends damaging my Taylor. I suppose it’s pretty good for a $500-ish guitar but it does need some work. That said, it’s a small body guitar, so don’t expect a full body sound out of this little guy. It does project well with a pronounced midrange and is surprisingly loud for a little guitar. The tuners are very sensitive making precise tuning a bit difficult. When I get a chance, I will take it to my local shop to have it set up. It will definitely benefit from lower action and potentially a bone nut and saddle.

For now, I’m hopeful that this little guy will prove to be a faithful companion for travel and backyard sing-a-longs. It’s very pretty and the fit and finish are very nice for a $500 range guitar. I’ll update after it’s setup and settles in a bit.

I’m retired and wanted to pick up the guitar. I did a lot of research before I chose this one. I could not be happier. It has a full sound and is easy to play especially with my smallish hands.

Bought this as “used” from Amazon.com Services, Inc. and saved about $170. It has a small imperfection where the neck heel attaches to the body which looks like a glue overrun. Other than that, it is flawless. It came with the overstuffed gig bag which is also brand new.

Great sounding parlour guitar. Was delivered just 2 days of ordering.

3 MONTH UPDATE: Okay, here’s an update for any newbies out there looking at this guitar. The action was so high when I bought it that I eventually put it back in it’s wonderful case and put it behind the bedroom door. But it still bugged me that I had this beautiful guitar that I just couldn’t play. (just learning so I really can’t play any guitar, but you know what I mean) Enter the 80 dollar Tele. I bought the cheapo Tele to work on setups and repairs and fret dressing etc…. At any rate… I got to the point I was comfortable tweaking the truss rod and did so. Lowered that action and it’s like a completely different guitar. I am so thrilled. Been plucking at it all day because it makes me so freakin’ happy being able to get actual notes out of this thing. I was very close to just taking it to the pawnshop I was so frustrated. But man oh man am I glad I didn’t. I’d still advise an electric before an acoustic for a beginner, but if you are willing to invest a few minutes (or a few bucks at the local guitar shop) I’d say go for it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I like this Yamaha CSF1M TBS Parlor Size Acoustic Guitar so much now I’m considering a full size.

Delivery Day!!! – Today I received my Yamaha CSF1M TBS Parlor Size Acoustic Guitar. I should mention I know very little about playing music (mess with harmonicas and very basic keyboards) and even less about guitars. I am writing this review over the course of 30 days. I figure that is the only way I can do justice to the guitar. I’m a later in life beginner and picked this Yamaha CSF1M TBS Parlor Size Acoustic Guitar to start on. We shall see.

Since I can’t play, I can’t speak to the performance of the guitar. Yet. I can speak to the appearance. Beautiful. The fade from the edges to the center of the body is stunning. The black edging (binding?) just sets off the gorgeous browns of the sides and back. The inlay around the sound hole is impeccable. It almost looks like an antique right out of the box. Tie an old leather string to it as a strap and you can just imagine that delta blues player from the 30’s placing his hat on the sidewalk for some coins. The neck is a satin finish and feels great to me. Nothing seems sharp or out of place. Not a drip, smudge, run or spot in the gloss finish. Really, really nice. While I have larger than average hands, this parlor size guitar seems a perfect size for me to learn on. Everything is right there. No massive stretches or strains. And it doesn’t seem as if I will be too big for it either. I ain’t Goldilocks, but this parlor size seems just right as a beginner. Certainly folks of a smaller stature would enjoy this size. And it’s more than loud enough for couch playing or front porch strumming. (passive pickup if you need more volume) It might cost a bit more than some guitars you could pick to begin with, but to me, the most important attribute of any instrument is that when you look at it, you want to pick it up and touch it. You kinda imagine yourself actually playing it. Maybe this is cliché, but the thing should sort of speak to you. That’s how I feel about this guitar. Now, does the guitar offer enough to keep me interested? Time will tell.

As time has passed I’ve come to the conclusion that this guitar, while gorgeous in appearance and sound, just isn’t right for me as a beginner’s guitar and I have since purchased a cheap Telecaster style electric guitar for learning and practicing. My two main reasons for this are 1) The Yamaha CSF1M TBS Parlor Size Acoustic Guitar is loud. In my small house with hardwood floors it seems I get concert hall acoustics. In the hands of an experienced player it would sound beautiful. In my hands it makes the dog whine and my daughter put on headphones. 2) The action on the acoustic, while probably typical, is just too difficult at this stage. I really don’t want to spend the money to have the action lowered (is that possible on an acoustic?) at this time and I’m not confident enough in my ability to try adjusting it myself. The electric is far easier to handle and if I were asked which to start off with as a beginner, I’d advise against the acoustic and go with an electric.

Neither of these things are reasons to reject this guitar. These are personal preferences (of a beginner) and should not be taken as a knock on the instrument. I do my scales and lessons on the electric and once a week I work with the Yamaha. I absolutely love the guitar and hope to one day be able to play it comfortably. I plan to eventually pass it on to one of my kids or perhaps a future grandchild. Yes, it is heirloom quality in my very humble (and mostly uninformed) opinion.

In conclusion – Beautiful instrument that in the hands of someone experienced is just a pure pleasure to hear. (I have friends that can play and they really enjoy it) The bag it comes with is very nice and well padded. Seriously, I have no complaints as far as the guitar itself is concerned. And as to my earlier stated belief that an instrument should make you want to pick it up and play, even with knowing that it isn’t right for me at this stage, I dream of being able to play it well enough to do it justice as I progress as a student. I can and do absolutely recommend the Yamaha CSF1M TBS Parlor Size Acoustic Guitar on it’s merits as a true quality instrument while keeping my two personal critiques in mind.

This is a good little guitar with a big sound, but the highs are extremely muted. But the feel and size make it a keeper even if the highs are muted. I actually like a guitar with somewhat muted highs, but this one is a little too much in my opinion. However I love the size. it’s about 3 to 4 inches shorter than my Yamaha FS800. The body of this guitar is almost the same size as my FS800 which is a triple O size. Also the FS800 has more prominent highs, very similar to the Martin sound. This was more than twice the price of the FS800 and from what I can see they are identical guitars with the exception of the 3″ shorter neck. Both high quality build. Yes they are Chinese made, but the Chinese are doing some darn fine work one these Yamaha guitars. If price is an issue, go with the FS800 because it’s one of the best guitars I’ve played in the under $1000 price range, and it’s only $200. Outstanding job Yamaha, & bravo for NOT gouging your customers. Yamaha is my new favorite guitar company. Martins are great, not overrated, but definitely overpriced! This smaller guitar is twice the price of the FS800, but is not overpriced in my opinion, because as a parlor guitar it’s more of a specialty item, and I do want Yamaha to make a decent profit on some of their guitars since they are being so cool to their customers on many other very high quality, yet extremely fairly priced guitars. There are very few companies out there willing to be this fair to their customers these days. So again, Bravo Yamaha!!!