5.0 out of 5 stars A quality instrument from Yamaha

J. · March 9, 2023

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } 69 year old guitar hack here. Played electric, and some acoustic guitar in three bands way back in the 1970's. Played acoustic at a wedding. My neighbor bought a Yamaha GL-1 "guitalele" A few years ago, and told me recently that he loves it! A GL-1 is basically a very compact 6 string classical guitar, but, instead of being tuned Eadgbe, it is tuned 5 frets up on each string, so the low and high e's become a's. This means that all the chord shapes I know on a regular guitar can be played in the same positions, but the name of the chord will be different. Example, an e major chord shape on a guitar, will really be an a major on the Yamaha. If I am just playing by myself for myself, there is no problem. If I was to play along with a regular guitar, we would have to work out what key to play in. Also, if I sing and play, then depending on what key I play in, I would have to sing in higher notes.This thing came quicky to me in Hawaii, and it is in perfect condition! Since it had nylon/classical type strings, it is going to take much longer for the strings to settle down and stop sretching. Way longer than my steel stringers. So, don't write a review after a few days complaining about this. All classical style nylon string guitars do this! Pick it up,tune it, play it, and keep tuning it. The tuners on mine seem just fine. It is a total blast for me to play. It sounds great, especially for the small body size. It has very good volume and sustain too. A bit stingy on the fret markers, both on the fingerboard and side of the neck. If you have big fingers, some chording might be a bit crowded. It doesn't have a truss rod. But, many classical guitars and many other guitaleles don't have them either. I have yet to read a review, or watch a video review, where the owner had a neck warp. In short, I should have bought one of these long ago.Update after more than a year now. I still love this little 6 stringer! I have been selling some of my amps and ukes etc. I had considered selling my Yamaha, but cannot do it! It is just such a great insrument. Mine is still perfect. Drawbacks? Few. The 17" scale is a bit tight for me. One string started unravelling after not too much playing. I was able to buy the one string and replaced it. I read a review somewhere where the writer returned his due to various flaws. Looking at mine it's hard to believe. I think Yamaha should make an option of the GL-1 that would come with an under saddle pickup with tuner and volume/tone controls. Great price, great instrument, great FUN!!2/28/2025 update:Just wanted to say my estimation of this instrument has gone up if anything. I am taking super good care of it. It us holding up great. I had one of the wound strings start to unravel early and replaced it. Zero problems. After break in it holds tune as good or better than my other string instruments. That alone is saying a lot. The climate here in the Puna District on the big island plays he'll with stringed instruments. Most go sharp sitting overnight, and flat sitting during the day. This little guy is built very well. I wish it had come with an active pickup with tuned and equalizer, but it's still a keeper!

5.0 out of 5 stars What A Great Instrument!

W.G. · June 10, 2025

I've been playing finger style guitar for 50 years (steel and nylon strings) and I LOVE this instrument. I find the tone is really pretty with decent sustain and harmonics. It's capable of being played with a lot of nuance, the instrument is pretty responsive. Even with large hands I find it easy to play because of the great neck shape. The build quality is flawless, and I think it's an attractive little instrument overall. I originally bought it to take out on my apartment balcony to play, but I've been playing it constantly indoors since I received it. I highly recommend it, especially at this price!

5.0 out of 5 stars A great little instrument

g. · May 16, 2017

I've played for nearly 50 years, and am very fond of Yamaha nylon string guitars. This little guy is no exception. The quality of the materials and the precision of construction are surprisingly good, for so inexpensive an instrument. It performs well, with consistent action and clear intonation up the full length of the fret board. I'm a finger-style player, very much into experimentation and improvisation, and am really enjoying the varied colors and delicate variations of tone that can be coaxed out of a GL1. Somewhere in there is a woody, banjo-y voice, completely unique to a guitalele. You'll know it when you find it. These things are called by various names: guitalele, guitarlele, guilele, and kīkū (kee·koo). I'm going with kīkū. As others have noted, it requires higher tuning than a guitar, and more frequent tuning. A E C G D A does seem optimal.I've got a Guardian CG-020-UT Tenor Ukulele case on order for this. I haven't received it as of this writing, but a number of reviewers say it's a good fit for their GL1. The free carry bag that comes with the instrument doesn't really provide adequate protection.Addendum #1: The case mentioned above arrived today. It is, indeed, a very good fit for the GL1.Addendum #2, regarding replacement strings: The strings that came installed on the instrument wore out in short order. (I do a lot of note bends, hammer-ons, vibratos and the like, which tend to burn through the windings of the lower strings rather quickly, particularly when the fret wires are brand new.) Anyway, strings packaged specifically for the guilele can be a bit hard to find when you need them quickly. I generally use D'Addario EJ45 Pro Arte Normal Tension NYLON strings on my classical guitars, so I put a set on the guilele. They sound great in A E C G D A tuning--better than what came with it out of the box, in my opinion. The diameters are so similar that I can't tell the difference, nor do I notice any significant difference in string tension. Bear in mind that nylon strings ALWAYS take a day or two to stabilize, and frequent tuning even after that goes with the territory.

Good quality and sound

V.V. · April 12, 2022

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Bought this guitalele and my expectations were justified.It very comfortable small guitar for travel and training for me.Sound very good: include all frets and play chords.My variant has few scratches but for me it is not a problem and I think in common quality is good.Also it has good price.When I use it tune it to E (recommended A) and it’s sound good, string tension also normal with it.

Polish those frets!!!

A.A. · April 16, 2022

The media could not be loaded. I wanted a very small and light instrument that I could bring on camping trips and still sounded and played like a guitar. Be aware that the guitalele tuning and strings on this instrument are not standard E out of the box. But, the good news is that several manufacturers sell standard E string sets that will fit the 17" scale of the GL1. I grabbed sets from Aquila and Hannabach to test out. The ones in my video are the Hannabach "kinder" standard E and they allow you to use standard guitar tuning and chords. It sounds good for what I need and it's even light enough to take backpacking. Larger hands will feel a bit cramped between the frets, but the neck width seems a normal size and is a comfortable shape.As my title indicates, please do yourself a favour and lightly/sand polish the frets. They are rough and any bends or pulls will quickly fray your smaller strings. I just used a padded nail file to lightly sand and then buff them to a nice smooth shine when I changed the strings. I finished off the fretboard with a little lemon oil and now it's nice and smooth. Good value and i love the natural finish. I won't feel bad about it getting a few dings or scratches out on the trail.

Excelente producto, lo recomiendo, buen sonido y cómodo.

J.D.l.O. · June 5, 2025

Excelente producto, lo recomiendo, buen sonido y cómodo.

(Casi un año después, insisto 5 estrellas) Para lo que pagas, perfecto si no pides perfección.

P.F. · August 29, 2022

Edición de reseña casi un año después:Sigo encantada con él. Descubrí al poco de empezar a aprender que era zurda para tocar guitarra (soy ambidiestra). Lo llevé a un luthier para que le cambiase la posición de los huesos donde van apoyadas las cuerdas. Casi me costó lo mismo que el guitalele, pero mereció la pena. Cuando le dije que era primeriza y que cuando había cogido antes una guitarra de algún amigo me dolían los dedos, también limó los huesos para que las cuerdas estuvieran más bajas. Si ya era blando de tocar, ahora es que ni me entero. Para empezar a hacer callo sin desanimarse, me parece perfecto. Y gastarme en total (entre cuerdas, funda nueva, servicio de luthier y el guitalele en sí) unos 200€ me parece razonable para un hobby en el que no te quieres dejar una barbaridad de dinero porque sabes que no vas a dedicarle una atención y una devoción inmensa. Cuando pueda, compraré una guitarra de más calidad y mayor tamaño. Pero esperaré a tener (dinero y) un repertorio de canciones que le pueda sacar partido. Para las aspiraciones que tengo ahora, sólo se me queda pequeño si son canciones que usan cejilla en cuarto traste en adelante. Porque la verdad es que está todo tan junto, que cuesta. Pero como hay tantísimas canciones, evito esas y ya está.He aprendido sobre todo canciones de Taylor Swift. Con cuerdas rojas de aquila diseñadas para guitalele que puedes afinar como guitarra en e-a-d-G-B-E, me suena francamente bien. Y los dedos agradecen que las más finas sean de nailon. Me está gustando mucho aprender, aunque no tengo una constancia tremenda. Tan pronto me engancho 3 días seguidos como estoy 2 semanas sin tocarlo. Apenas pierde afinación, a veces nada. Y al ser pequeño, no me da pereza sacarlo de la funda y ponerme. El tenerlo en una esquina de la habitación me recuerda que está ahí.Comprado 19/08/2022, Primera impresión:Para empezar, decir que no tengo ni pajotera idea de instrumentos de cuerda. Con 16 años (tengo 36) iba con amigos al parque, se llevaban la guitarra y me enseñaron algún punteo y algún acorde, pero nada más. Piano sí he tocado varios años, tengo sentido del ritmo y confío en que con paciencia, tiempo, tutoriales de YouTube y muchas ganas, podré sacar algunas canciones que me gustan con el guitalele.Lo primero que quiero sacar de dudas a quien se plantee comprarlo es el color. He visto fotos que van desde marrones tan oscuros que los bordes parecen negros, a rojo que parece la bandera de España con lo de dentro tirando a amarillo. Aclarar que es mucho más rojizo que marrón. Lo más oscuro del degradado diría que un vino burdeos. El borde sí es negro, negro. Y la zona de los trastes sí tira más a un marrón chocolate 90% cacao. En las fotos he intentado que se vea lo más fiel posible.¿Qué me gusta?-Me gusta no, me encanta lo blandito que es. Abandoné la idea de aprender guitarra cuando me machaca los dedos con las cuerdas de la acústica de mis padres. Pero el guitalele tiene una pulsación tremendamente blandita, no pesa nada sujetarlo y lo encuentro súper cómodo. Las posiciones de los dedos también las veo más cómodas porque no hay que alargarlos tanto para conseguir algunos acordes, pero sí veo necesario tenerlos finos.-Ha sido relativamente fácil de afinar (para alguien que es la primera vez que afina un instrumento, 10 minutos) con un vídeo de Youtube y una app con el móvil, aunque se supone que un afinador de pinza que me llega esta tarde lo va a hacer más preciso y fácil.¿Qué no me gusta?-No he tocado la guitarra, pero sí he tenido varias en mis manos. No me gusta la calidad de las terminaciones. Todas las que he cogido han sido con barniz. Ya digo que no soy nada experta, pero supongo que han dejado la madera más al aire para que vibre más, respire más y produzca un sonido más rico y fuerte. Confío en los conocimientos de Yamaha y que si lo han hecho así, es por algo. Pero me dan ganas de coger un spray de barniz y darle un par de manos, porque da una impresión tremendamente frágil por el poco peso que tiene y el acabado mencionado de su superficie. En una foto de la parte de atrás es donde mejor se puede apreciar, parece un contrachapado súper rústico que le han enseñado el barniz, nada de haberle dado una buena capa. No sé la voy a dar, aunque me nace protegerlo, sobre todo si pienso en llevarlo de viaje. Pero no lo voy a hacer, porque temo que pierda calidad en el sonido.Me gustaría saber (lo preguntaré) si es bueno darle algún líquido de restauración que he visto para mantenerlo (nomad?). Se mancha con mirarlo a nada que no te hayas lavado las manos, aunque luego con un trapo se quita, así que eso demuestra que algo de barniz lleva.Lo malo es el poco cuidado que han puesto a la hora de pintarlo. Tiene una mariquita, muy leve, pero que si pasas la mano se nota y si sabes que está ahí, no puedes evitar que se te vaya la vista, de lo típico que has dejado secando y se ha caído una mota de polvo. También un refregón de que debió de salir mal algo de la pintura y se nota que está apañado en vez de vuelto a lijar bien o cambiada la pieza. Por el precio estos errores serían perdonables. Pero sí es verdad que donde termina el traste en la boca hay una zona importante donde no ha llegado la pintura. Eso sí me parece más grave para una marca que se supone garantiza una calidad. No lo devuelvo porque me pueden las ganas de empezar a aprender y que tenga un defecto (o varios) prefiero verlo como algo que le da personalidad, aunque haya sido un fallo del fabricante.-La bolsa, como han dicho muchos más antes que yo, es para meterle una buena modificación si eres manitas o de tente mientras cobro y compro otra. Seguramente me espere al black Friday y coja algo decente.De momento no añado nada más. No me arrepiento de comprarlo, así de primera impresión. A oído poco entrenado me gusta cómo suena. He pedido cuerdas para cambiar la afinación a guitarra, pero voy a intentar tocar como guitalele a ver si me gusta más y ya me decido.Lo recomiendo para alguien que no haya llegado a profundizar en el aprendizaje de guitarra, que haya tirado la toalla.

A nice little guitar for the price

M.R.D. · April 14, 2024

At this price level I had low expectations, but having respect for the Yamaha brand I took a chance and ordered the guitar, half expecting to send it back it it proved a disappointment.It didn’t disappoint at all. As an experienced player of various full size acoustic guitars I must admit this little guitar is surprisingly well made and pleasant to play for such an economy price.TBH I didn’t buy it for myself, it was supposed to be an alternative instrument for my Ukelele playing partner to progress to. She didn’t like it, because two extra strings aid a step to far for her. Ah we’ll never mind I tried.Also I hope to use it to teach guitar to my 8 year old grandchild but haven’t introduced it to him yet. The body size is ideal for him, and the classical type nylon strings should be easier for him. However the neck width is about the same as a full size guitar and flat rather than radiused, which is not ideal for small hands. Also due to the necessarily short neck the tuning cannot be standard EADGBE like a full size so that’s an obstacle to learning the fretboard for later progression to a full size guitar when he’s older.