Edit 12/14/21: After spending some quality time with my new guitar bestie, I believe the "why was this returned" question has been answered, and as usual the answer was under my nose the whole time. Looked in the soundhole, aaand...noticed that this is NOT a CGS103AII, rather it's an Indonesian made CGS103A; hence, older stock. I still stand by the rest of the review - it's a fantastic git even at full price.
Oookay...I'd been kicking around the idea of getting a second guitar for quite awhile; due to changes in my living arrangements I wanted to get something smaller, nylon stringed, with good sound quality that didn't cost too much. I'd looked for parlor guitars, but most were steel stringed and still fairly spendy.
So...I decided to look into smaller "student" classical guitars, figuring that "hey, they're designed to withstand what an 8 year old can dish out and still sound reasonably good, why not?" Other than the shorter scale length (which isn't a show stopper for me - I'm a fairly small guy anyway) the issue was to find one that was, um, "inexpensive". And...gravitated to Yamaha, since I've been playing (i.e. torturing) their instruments for over half a century now.
Looked into the CGS103AII, still a bit pricey at $139, buuuut...they had a factory return in "very good" condition for quite a bit less. Figured it was in the "cheap enough" category, and pulled the Amazonian trigger. The kindly folks even dropped it another $6 & change, so with fear and trepidation I awaited the arrival of "the beast".
It arrived with the usual Amazon haste - and, I got a box that hadn't been banged up. Inside...poured foam protecting the contents. The git was in a high density polyethylene bag, taped up securely, inside what appeared to be the lower part of the original box, with the usual Yamaha documentation in a Ziploc bag. Pulled 'er out...out of tune (natch) and spent a good 10 minutes looking for damage. The original blurb said "cosmetic damage to lower body" which turned out to be...tape adhesive. 30 seconds with guitar cleaner and a microfiber cloth, and I had what was effectively a brand-new 3/4 scale classical guitar. Tuned her up...very nice mellow tone, good sustain, a bit of loss on the high & low frequencies but not at all "boxy". Intonation was pretty darn decent ("G" doing what "G"s usually do, everything else stays within 8-10 cents which for a guitar just a shade over $120 is not at all shabby) and it's quiet enough that the neighbors (my roommates) don't complain.
Overall - a fantastic little guitar for anyone looking for a nylon stringed instrument. It's a keeper!
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From the manufacturer
CGS102AII 1/2 Size
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CFS103AII 3/4 Size
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CFS104AII 3/4 Size
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| Customer Reviews |
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| Price | $139.99 | $149.99 | — no data |
| Scale Length | 650 mm (25 9/16") | 580 mm (22 13/16") | 535 mm (21 1/16") |
| Body Length | 490 mm (19 5/16") | 450 mm (17 11/16") | 410 mm (16 1/8") |
| Total Length | 995 mm (39 3/16" | 920 mm (36 1/4") | 858 mm (33 3/4") |
| Body Width | 370 mm (14 9/16") | 340 mm (13 3/8") | 310 mm (12 3/16") |
| Body Depth | 94-100 mm (3 11/16" - 3 15/16") | 84-88 mm (3 5/16" - 3 7/16") | 80-84 mm (3 1/8" - 3 5/16") |
| Nut Width | 52 mm (2 1/16") | 48 mm (1 7/8") | 48 mm (1 7/8") |
| String Spacing | 11.8 mm | 10.6 mm | 10.6 mm |
| Top Material | Spruce | Spruce | Spruce |
From the brand
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We at Yamaha want to inspire peoples' passion and help them take a step forward to express their individuality, emotion and creativity.
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The perfect combination of traditional craftsmanship and leading edge technology.
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This Item  Yamaha CGS102A Half-Size Classical Guitar - Natural | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $139.99 | $557.21 | $104.99 | $399.99 | $74.99 | $139.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 4 | Get it Apr 14 - 28 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 4 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 4 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 4 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 4 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Sweetwater Sound | ECbase | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Instrumentpro |
| hand orientation | Right | Right | Right | Right | Right | Right |
| number of strings | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| fretboard material | Rosewood | Rosewood | Walnut Wood | Rosewood | Dyed wood | Sonokeling |
| back material | Meranti | — | Sapele Wood | Ovangkol | Natural Linden Wood | meranti |
| top material | Spruce | Spruce | Agathis Wood | Spruce | Linden Wood | spruce |
| string material | Nylon | Nylon | Nylon | Nylon | Nylon | Nylon |
| body material | Meranti | Spruce | Sapele | Wood | Basswood | Engineered Wood |
| neck material | Nato | Mahogany | Nato Wood | Nato | Wood | Nato |
| guitar bridge system | Fixed | Adjustable | Fixed | Adjustable | Fixed | Fixed |
| pickup configuration | S | — | S | — | — | Combination |
Perfect for beginners, and super fun for those who aren’t!
(3/4 size) Size is comparable to a Martin L1 back packer, fits perfect in the hands of my 6 year old child. The body width is a hair smaller than a regular playing card, and the neck width is smaller than a standard size classical guitar.I personally like smaller parlor size acoustic guitars, so I was drawn to this guitar for that reason along with the price tag. The playability of this instrument is really enjoyable, and is without any flaws I can see. This is a guitar that would make learning on a classical guitar easier, and will grow with you as you improve.Yamaha is a brand in musical instruments you can trust to make a good quality instrument just as much as squier or epiphone within lower end budget guitars. They also offer higher end models that are even comparable to the high end big dog names out there.This at the end of the day is a beautiful little guitar that will bring you great enjoyment for years to come. You can buy with 100% confidence that you are getting a great instrument.(Over ten years playing experience)
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2022Size: 3/4 SizeVerified Purchase
(3/4 size) Size is comparable to a Martin L1 back packer, fits perfect in the hands of my 6 year old child. The body width is a hair smaller than a regular playing card, and the neck width is smaller than a standard size classical guitar.
Perfect for beginners, and super fun for those who aren’t!
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2022
I personally like smaller parlor size acoustic guitars, so I was drawn to this guitar for that reason along with the price tag. The playability of this instrument is really enjoyable, and is without any flaws I can see. This is a guitar that would make learning on a classical guitar easier, and will grow with you as you improve.
Yamaha is a brand in musical instruments you can trust to make a good quality instrument just as much as squier or epiphone within lower end budget guitars. They also offer higher end models that are even comparable to the high end big dog names out there.
This at the end of the day is a beautiful little guitar that will bring you great enjoyment for years to come. You can buy with 100% confidence that you are getting a great instrument.
(Over ten years playing experience)
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