Yamaha CSF1M TBL Parlor Size Acoustic Guitar with Hard Gig Bag, Translucent Black

This is definitely not a child’s toy. Although it would be a great gift for a child possibly. I have been playing for over 50 years and wanted a small body good sounding electroacoustic. Yamahas’ are generally great and high value per cubic inch.The crimson red csf1m that I purchased a year ago or so is a very great acoustic guitar. Excells at electric without a battery. The passive pickup has lots of gain and I do not need a preamp. I plug it straight into my amp and straight into my active di box UltraG Gi100 and out by xlr to electrovoice zlx12bt and Yamaha Dxr12 stage monitors in my den. I use a sonicake sonic woods processor pedal bar into the di which has a cabinet emulation. The resultant sound is very excellent indeed! Amp or PA, very beautiful and strong. It is very easy to adjust volume gain and eq, plus delay and reverb with the knobs on the Sonic Woods acoustic guitar processor pedal, inexpensive. Even has an optional xlr out.The crimson guitar looks very great and sounds super strong and great plugged straight into the di box or amp, alone. Very excellent quality strong voice of this little guitar. It may seem small to you at first glance but the feel and sound is mega big. This is a big sounding guitar. I’ve played dreads that are less loud and lively. That’s the word: lively. This is a lively acoustic.This is my only acoustic that sounds exactly the same plugged in as acoustic. My amp and PA amplify this sound as mirror images of the unamplified acoustic sound. I like this aspect and believe it indicates the quality of the design and production of this guitar. It is very well done.Look at the bridge plate. It is beautiful. A work of art. This is designed by Japanese designers, it must be noted. I own a Japan made A5M. Everything about the A5M is special and beautiful.This guitar is small light and sporty to play. The guitar exudes high quality snd the crimson finish accentuates this exceptional quality. These really are precious guitars, more precious than gems. It is the kind of guitar that I take good care of because you know that guitars normally receive a lot of vigorous attention. It, however, is not a flimsy guitar. It has very nice bracing inside amd is impecably built, like Yamaha guitars are known for. It has a rosewood fretboard. Very nice rosewood. Little things like that make it great. It feels good in the hands. The fretboard is perfectly shaped and level with no rough places or sharp frets. No bends or waves in it either. Zero string buzz. I have strong hands from playing all the time for many years, so the higher action that you hear people complaining about these days, doesn’t bother me. Partly because for the last few years I have been getting into metal. Some metal players might be using higher action, I don’t know, but I suppose so.I encourage anyone thinking about this guitar to seriously consider purchasing it. My guess is that most players will absolutely love this cool little guitar. I’m talking about adults, in case you think this is a kids toy.I replaced the stock tuners that are very nice indeed, with plain chrome Grover tuners because of personal preference, but I would hace use Gotoh 510’s just as easily. These Grovers are great tuners. 18:1. Accurate. Easy turning and smooth. They can make a big difference, but the gotoh style stock tuners are totally good for sure and don’t need to be replaced.Good luck with a great guitar to those that purchase.

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.

The guitar arrived ahead of schedule and in perfect condition.It’s a very nice instrument and just right for use on a couch or for porch pickin’.Good value for the price.

This review is for the solid wood CSF3M, vintage color. I bought this as used like new. No issues. Was in new condition.Possitives:-Good, clear tone... Nice highs and mids, lows just a little subdued.-Excellent sustain.-Handles hard strumming very well, yielding good clean volume.-Good finger picking tone and resonance.-Nice smaller size. Comfortable for sitting or reclining. Smaller women (my adult daughter) can play comfortably.-Has a good feel to the neck /fretboard.-Tuning pegs are OK. Smooth enough and don't slip. Nothing fancy.-The pickup works well. Very nice sound when amplified. No on board adjustments but good clean sound.Negatives:-Not the best looking guitar in the world, especially for the price point! I realize this is a matter of personal opinion, but the vintage spruce top is just too orange!-The white lines in the edge banding also don't match the color scheme. Doesn't look like it belongs.-Headstock and tuners could have been a little dressier to look like a $650 guitar.-The guitar definitely needed a setup. The strings were way too high at the nut. I did this myself so no big deal. But other buyers might not be able tackle these kind of adjustments.Well those are my observations and opinions. I do like the guitar and enjoy playing it. Maybe should have bought black, but for $450 I am happy with my purchase.On another note, my daughter loves and said she'll take it off my hands!