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Fender FA-345CE Auditorium
Yamaha FS5
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Playability
72
Sound
79
Build
72
Value
84
Score
74
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Playability
77
Sound
84
Build
79
Value
80
Score
80
FIND IT ON:
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Fender FA-345CE Auditorium vs Yamaha FS5

Reasons to Get
Fender FA-345CE Auditorium over Yamaha FS5

Decorative Top
Flame Maple vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Pickups Brand
Fishman vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.732'' (44mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Auditorium vs Concert
Narrower and shallower than a Dreadnought with less lower tones
Scale Length
25.3'' (642.6mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
11.81'' (300mm) vs 15.75'' (400.1mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings
Value Score
84 vs 80
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Yamaha FS5 over Fender FA-345CE Auditorium

Country of Manufacturing
Japan vs Indonesia
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2019 vs 2018
From a more recent year
Top Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Sides Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Back Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Nut Width
1.732'' (44mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Concert vs Auditorium
Compact body with balanced tones
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 25.3'' (642.6mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15.75'' (400.1mm) vs 11.81'' (300mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend

Other Key Differences
Fender FA-345CE Auditorium vs Yamaha FS5

Back Material
Lacewood vs Mahogany
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Lacewood vs Mahogany
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Ivory Tusq vs Bone
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Walnut vs Ebony
Different Bridge Material
Body Wood
Flame Maple vs Spruce
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Nato vs Mahogany
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Walnut vs Ebony
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender FA-345CE Auditorium vs Yamaha FS5

Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Yamaha FS5 is probably the better product overall with its final score of 80 compared to the Fender FA-345CE Auditorium's 74 score, although not by a lot.

The Yamaha FS5 wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Fender FA-345CE Auditorium has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Yamaha FS5 is the better choice.

The Yamaha FS5 meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender FA-345CE Auditorium meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha FS5
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium Overview

  • From Fender's 2018 Fender Alternative series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.3"'' scale
  • 11.81" Fretboard Radius
  • Flame Maple top
  • Laminated Flame Maple top
  • Laminated Lacewood back
  • Laminated Lacewood sides
  • Nato neck
  • Walnut fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman CD-1 Preamp (Preamp/Passive)
  • Walnut bridge
  • Acoustic C Shape Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Open-Back Geared tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Yamaha FS5 Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2019 FG/FS Red Label series
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid Mahogany back
  • Solid Mahogany sides
  • African Mahogany neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Open-Gear Chrome (Y1D) tuners
  • Weight between 4.05lbs (1.8kgs) and 4.25lbs (1.9kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in the Fender FA-345CE Auditorium

Nato wood pattern used for guitar building
Nato
Walnut wood pattern used for guitar building
Walnut
Flame Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Flame Maple
Lacewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Lacewood

Nato a hard and dense wood similar to Mahogany, but cheaper and not quite as hard. Tone-wise, it's also similar, but it doesn't have quite the same attack as Mahogany.

It's a hard wood with a chocolate color that is often used to give an elegant finish. Since it's quite expensive and rare, it's mostly used for guitar tops. Find out more about Walnut.

This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.

Lacewood is a very popular tonewood for acoustic guitars because it has a very even and balanced tone. It is also a very hard wood, which makes it durable and resistant to changes in temperature and humidity.

Woods Used in the Yamaha FS5

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Winner: Yamaha FS5.

Electronics

The Fender FA-345CE Auditorium comes with a preamp that allows you to connect it to an amp, unlike its competitor. This allows it to have more versatility and sound quality if you want to record with it or play live.

Winner:Fender FA-345CE Auditorium.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium
Sustain 65
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 79
Yamaha FS5
Sustain 85
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender FA-345CE Auditorium compares to the Yamaha FS5.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender FA-345CE Auditorium is built in Indonesia while the Yamaha FS5 is made in Japan.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.

Winner: Yamaha FS5

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Fender FA-345CE Auditorium has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

On the other hand, the Yamaha FS5 comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

Winner: Tie.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Fender FA-345CE Auditorium's are Open-Back Geared while the Yamaha FS5's are Open-Gear Chrome (Y1D)

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender FA-345CE Auditorium
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Ivory Tusq Saddle
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • Laminated Top Wood
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha FS5
  • Made in Japan
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium
Quality of materials 65
Features 85
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 72
Yamaha FS5
Quality of materials 86
Features 65
Quality Control 85
Build Quality 79

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium Nut Width
Fender FA-345CE Auditorium Nut Width
Yamaha FS5 Nut Width
Yamaha FS5 Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Yamaha FS5 has the wider nut with 44mm (1.732'') vs 43mm (1.693''). This is a 1mm (0.039'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Yamaha FS5, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium's Scale Length
Fender FA-345CE Auditorium's Scale Length
Yamaha FS5's Scale Length
Yamaha FS5's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Fender FA-345CE Auditorium has the longest scale: 25.3". The Yamaha FS5 is only 25" long. This is a 0.3'' (7.6mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium Neck Profile
Fender FA-345CE Auditorium's neck profile
Yamaha FS5 Neck Profile
Yamaha FS5's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Fender FA-345CE Auditorium and the Yamaha FS5 have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium Fingerboard Radius
Fender FA-345CE Auditorium's Fingerboard radius
Yamaha FS5 Fingerboard Radius
Yamaha FS5's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Fender FA-345CE Auditorium's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Yamaha FS5's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Yamaha FS5.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Yamaha FS5:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium and Yamaha FS5 Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 75
Playability 72
Yamaha FS5
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 80
Playability 77

Specs Side-by-Side

Fender FA-345CE Auditorium vs Yamaha FS5
General Fender FA-345CE Auditorium Yamaha FS5
Brand: Fender Yamaha
Year: 2018 2019
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Indonesia Japan
Series: Fender Alternative FG/FS Red Label
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Laminated Flame Maple Solid Sitka Spruce
Sides Material: Lacewood Mahogany
Back Material: Lacewood Mahogany
Bridge: Walnut Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Open-Back Geared Open-Gear Chrome (Y1D)
Fretboard: Walnut Ebony
Neck Material: Nato African Mahogany
Decoration: Pearloid Keystone Dots
Scale Size: 25.3" 25"
Shape: Acoustic C Shape Acoustic C
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 11.81" 15.75"
Nut: Ivory Tusq Bone
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 44mm (1.732'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fishman CD-1 Preamp (Preamp / Passive)