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Yamaha CG122MSH
Fender CC-60S Concert
VS
Playability
73
Sound
79
Build
60
Value
81
Score
71
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Playability
73
Sound
79
Build
65
Value
87
Score
72
FIND IT ON:
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Yamaha CG122MSH vs Fender CC-60S Concert

Reasons to Get
Yamaha CG122MSH over Fender CC-60S Concert

Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Nut Width
2.047'' (52mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Classical vs Concert
Compact body with soft nylon strings
Scale Length
25.6'' (650.2mm) vs 25.3'' (642.6mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
Flat vs 12'' (304.8mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend

Reasons to Get
Fender CC-60S Concert over Yamaha CG122MSH

Country of Manufacturing
Indonesia vs China
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2017 vs 2013
From a more recent year
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 2.047'' (52mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Concert vs Classical
Compact body with balanced tones
Scale Length
25.3'' (642.6mm) vs 25.6'' (650.2mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm) vs Flat
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings
Value Score
87 vs 81
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Yamaha CG122MSH vs Fender CC-60S Concert

Back Material
Nato vs Mahogany
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Nato vs Mahogany
Different Sides Material
Bridge Material
Rosewood vs Walnut
Different Bridge Material
Neck Wood
Nato vs Mahogany
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Walnut
Different Fretboard Wood

Shared Features
Yamaha CG122MSH vs Fender CC-60S Concert

Saddle Material
Plastic
Same Saddle Material
Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Plastic
Same Nut Material
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 vs Vintage
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 Nut
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • 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 Fender CC-60S Concert is probably the better product overall with its final score of 72 compared to the Yamaha CG122MSH's 71 score, although not by a lot.

The Fender CC-60S Concert wins when it comes to build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Yamaha CG122MSH has the upper hand when it comes to.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Fender CC-60S Concert.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Yamaha CG122MSH is the better choice.

The Yamaha CG122MSH meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender CC-60S Concert 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

Yamaha CG122MSH
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Soft Strings
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender CC-60S Concert
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • 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.

Yamaha CG122MSH Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2013 CG & CGX Classical Guitars series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • Flat Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Nato back
  • Nato sides
  • Nato neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Rosewood bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Chrome tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Fender CC-60S Concert Overview

  • From Fender's 2017 Classic Design series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.3"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Mahogany back
  • Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Walnut fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Walnut bridge
  • Acoustic Fender 'Easy-to-Play' shape with rolled fretboard edges Set neck
  • 20 Vintage frets
  • Chrome Die-Cast 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

Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

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 Yamaha CG122MSH

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.

Woods Used in the Fender CC-60S Concert

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Walnut wood pattern used for guitar building
Walnut

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.

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.

Winner: Tie.

Electronics

Neither of them come with electronics that allow you to connect them to an amp. This makes them completely acoustic, so you'll need to use an external mic to record with them or play live.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Yamaha CG122MSH
Sustain 70
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 79
Fender CC-60S Concert
Sustain 70
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 79

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 Yamaha CG122MSH compares to the Fender CC-60S Concert.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Yamaha CG122MSH is built in China while the Fender CC-60S Concert is made in Indonesia.

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.

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.

Winner: Fender CC-60S Concert

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.

In this case, both have Plastic nuts. 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.

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 Yamaha CG122MSH's are Chrome while the Fender CC-60S Concert's are Chrome Die-Cast

Winner: Tie.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha CG122MSH
  • 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
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender CC-60S Concert
  • Expensive Wood
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 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

Yamaha CG122MSH
Quality of materials 61
Features 65
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 60
Fender CC-60S Concert
Quality of materials 66
Features 65
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 65

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

Yamaha CG122MSH Nut Width
Yamaha CG122MSH Nut Width
Fender CC-60S Concert Nut Width
Fender CC-60S Concert Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Yamaha CG122MSH has the wider nut with 52mm (2.047'') vs 43mm (1.693''). This is a 9mm (0.354'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Yamaha CG122MSH, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Yamaha CG122MSH's Scale Length
Yamaha CG122MSH's Scale Length
Fender CC-60S Concert's Scale Length
Fender CC-60S Concert'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 Yamaha CG122MSH has the longest scale: 25.6". The Fender CC-60S Concert is only 25.3" 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

Yamaha CG122MSH Neck Profile
Yamaha CG122MSH's neck profile
Fender CC-60S Concert Neck Profile
Fender CC-60S Concert'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 Yamaha CG122MSH and the Fender CC-60S Concert 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

Yamaha CG122MSH Fingerboard Radius
Yamaha CG122MSH's Fingerboard radius
Fender CC-60S Concert Fingerboard Radius
Fender CC-60S Concert'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 CC-60S Concert's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Yamaha CG122MSH'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 CG122MSH.

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 Yamaha CG122MSH favors large hands more than the Fender CC-60S Concert.

Yamaha CG122MSH:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender CC-60S Concert:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Yamaha CG122MSH Frets Size
Yamaha CG122MSH's Frets Size
Fender CC-60S Concert Frets Size
Fender CC-60S Concert's Frets Size

The Yamaha CG122MSH has Medium frets, which should be taller than the Fender CC-60S Concert's Vintage frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Yamaha CG122MSH
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73
Fender CC-60S Concert
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Yamaha CG122MSH vs Fender CC-60S Concert
General Yamaha CG122MSH Fender CC-60S Concert
Brand: Yamaha Fender
Year: 2013 2017
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China Indonesia
Series: CG & CGX Classical Guitars Classic Design
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Spruce Solid Spruce
Sides Material: Nato Mahogany
Back Material: Nato Mahogany
Bridge: Rosewood Walnut
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Chrome Chrome Die-Cast
Fretboard: Rosewood Walnut
Neck Material: Nato Mahogany
Decoration: 3mm Pearloid Dot
Scale Size: 25.6" 25.3"
Shape: Acoustic C Acoustic Fender 'Easy-to-Play' shape with rolled fretboard edges
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Vintage Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: Flat 12"
Nut: Plastic Plastic
Nut Width: 52mm (2.047'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: