Matthew DeBord/Insider
The FGX3 is the best-sounding, best-playing, made-in-China acoustic I've ever laid my hands on. Admittedly, it isn't exactly cheap. But it's much more affordable than its made-in-Japan counterpart, the $2,300 FGX5.
The build-quality on the FGX5 is spectacular. The instrument is effectively flawless, and believe me, with its Red Label roots and design debt to the Martin D-18 — a study in less-is-more perfection — any flaws would stand out.
A lot of players don't think that Yamahas really stand out, relative to the competition: Martin, Gibson, Taylor, and to a lesser degree, Epiphone. That's somewhat true; Yamahas kind of do it all well, rather than doing one or two things in stunning fashion. Yamahas lack the rustic thumb of, say, a Gibson J-45, and the can't match the stirring bass and sweet resonance of a Martin D-18 or D-28. They lack the majestic, piano-like dynamics that Taylor fans adore.
But there's one place where Yamahas absolutely shine, and that's when they're recorded. They occupy the midrange in a way that's endlessly appealing, whereas Martins can take everything over and cause trouble in the bass register, while Gibsons either get lost or sound sort of dry and retiring. Taylors have so much going on that the player has to take it easy, lest the recording become drowned in dynamics.
That's why so many recording studios have a workhorse Yamaha on hand. And a lot of times, it might be a Red-Label vintage model.
For less than $1,500, the FGX3 gives you a spruce-top/mahogany-back-and-sides acoustic with stellar electronics that feels as though it's built like a tank, likes to stay in tune, and can handle everything from pretty delicate fingerstyle playing to heavy strumming with a pick. It's as worthy a successor to the Red Labels as can be had, and like its celebrated predecessors, the FGX3 is an acoustic guitar that you can live with, and perform with, for a long time.