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Takamine GD30CE-12
Yamaha FG820-12
VS
Playability
73
Sound
85
Build
74
Value
82
Score
77
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Playability
80
Sound
80
Build
62
Value
84
Score
74
FIND IT ON:
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Takamine GD30CE-12 vs Yamaha FG820-12

Reasons to Get
Takamine GD30CE-12 over Yamaha FG820-12

Release Year
2019 vs 2016
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Acoustic Asymmetrical C vs Acoustic C
Adapts to the natural shape of your hand
Pickups Brand
Takamine vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs Plastic
Good quality nut with rich tone
Nut Width
1.87'' (47.5mm) vs 1.811'' (46mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Scale Length
25.3'' (642.6mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm) vs 15.75'' (400.1mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings

Reasons to Get
Yamaha FG820-12 over Takamine GD30CE-12

Neck Profile
Acoustic C vs Acoustic Asymmetrical C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Nut Width
1.811'' (46mm) vs 1.87'' (47.5mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
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 12'' (304.8mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
84 vs 82
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Takamine GD30CE-12 vs Yamaha FG820-12

Back Material
Okoume vs Mahogany
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Okoume vs Mahogany
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Synthetic Bone vs Plastic
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Fixed vs Rosewood or Walnut
Different Bridge Material
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Nato
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ovangkol vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs Plastic
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Takamine GD30CE-12 vs Yamaha FG820-12

Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Headstock
6-6
Same Headstock
Strings
12
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
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • 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 Takamine GD30CE-12 is probably the better product overall with its final score of 77 compared to the Yamaha FG820-12's 74 score, although not by a lot.

The Takamine GD30CE-12 wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Yamaha FG820-12 has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Yamaha FG820-12 is easier to play.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Yamaha FG820-12 is the better choice.

The Yamaha FG820-12 meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Takamine GD30CE-12 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

Takamine GD30CE-12
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha FG820-12
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • 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.

Takamine GD30CE-12 Overview

  • From Takamine's 2019 G series
  • Made in China
  • 12 strings
  • 25.3"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Okoume back
  • Okoume sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Ovangkol fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: TP4-TD (Preamp/Active)
  • Fixed bridge
  • Acoustic Asymmetrical C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Takamine Die-cast tuners
  • Weight between 5.3lbs (2.4kgs) and 5.85lbs (2.7kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Yamaha FG820-12 Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2016 FG / FGX series
  • Made in China
  • 12 strings
  • 25"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Mahogany back
  • Mahogany sides
  • Nato neck
  • Rosewood or Walnut fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Rosewood or Walnut bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Die-Cast Chrome (TMW28) tuners
  • 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 Both

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
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.

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.

Woods Used in the Takamine GD30CE-12

Ovangkol wood pattern used for guitar building
Ovangkol
Okoume wood pattern used for guitar building
Okoume

Ovangkol is a beautiful wood that's popular for acoustic guitars. Its tone sits somewhere between rosewood and mahogany, meaning it has a punchy low-end and nice mid-range. Find out more about Ovangkol.

Okoume is an affordable wood and one of the first to replace Mahogany when the prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.

Woods Used in the Yamaha FG820-12

Nato wood pattern used for guitar building
Nato
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

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.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Winner: Yamaha FG820-12.

Electronics

The Takamine GD30CE-12 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:Takamine GD30CE-12.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Takamine GD30CE-12
Sustain 85
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 85
Yamaha FG820-12
Sustain 75
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 80

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 Takamine GD30CE-12 compares to the Yamaha FG820-12.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.

China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.

Winner: Tie

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 Takamine GD30CE-12 has a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

On the other hand, the Yamaha FG820-12 comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Winner: Takamine GD30CE-12.

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 Takamine GD30CE-12's are Takamine Die-cast while the Yamaha FG820-12's are Die-Cast Chrome (TMW28)

Winner: Tie.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Takamine GD30CE-12
  • Expensive Wood
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Synthetic Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha FG820-12
  • Expensive Wood
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Takamine GD30CE-12
Quality of materials 76
Features 85
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 74
Yamaha FG820-12
Quality of materials 66
Features 65
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 62

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

Takamine GD30CE-12 Nut Width
Takamine GD30CE-12 Nut Width
Yamaha FG820-12 Nut Width
Yamaha FG820-12 Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Takamine GD30CE-12 has the wider nut with 47.5mm (1.87'') vs 46mm (1.811''). This is a 1.5mm (0.059'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Takamine GD30CE-12, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Takamine GD30CE-12's Scale Length
Takamine GD30CE-12's Scale Length
Yamaha FG820-12's Scale Length
Yamaha FG820-12'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 Takamine GD30CE-12 has the longest scale: 25.3". The Yamaha FG820-12 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

Takamine GD30CE-12 Neck Profile
Takamine GD30CE-12's neck profile
Yamaha FG820-12 Neck Profile
Yamaha FG820-12'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.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Takamine GD30CE-12 has a Asymmetrical type of neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.

The Yamaha FG820-12, on the other hand, has a C 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

Takamine GD30CE-12 Fingerboard Radius
Takamine GD30CE-12's Fingerboard radius
Yamaha FG820-12 Fingerboard Radius
Yamaha FG820-12'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 Takamine GD30CE-12's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Yamaha FG820-12'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 FG820-12.

Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.

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.

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Takamine GD30CE-12 favors large hands more than the Yamaha FG820-12. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.

Takamine GD30CE-12:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Yamaha FG820-12:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Takamine GD30CE-12 and Yamaha FG820-12 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

Takamine GD30CE-12
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73
Yamaha FG820-12
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 80
Playability 80

Specs Side-by-Side

Takamine GD30CE-12 vs Yamaha FG820-12
General Takamine GD30CE-12 Yamaha FG820-12
Brand: Takamine Yamaha
Year: 2019 2016
Strings: 12 12
Made in: China China
Series: G FG / FGX
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Spruce Solid Spruce
Sides Material: Okoume Mahogany
Back Material: Okoume Mahogany
Bridge: Fixed Rosewood or Walnut
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Takamine Die-cast Die-Cast Chrome (TMW28)
Fretboard: Ovangkol Rosewood or Walnut
Neck Material: Mahogany Nato
Decoration: Dots Dots
Scale Size: 25.3" 25"
Shape: Acoustic Asymmetrical C Acoustic C
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 15.75"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Plastic
Nut Width: 47.5mm (1.87'') 46mm (1.811'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: TP4-TD (Preamp / Active)