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Yamaha CSF3M
Fender PS-220E Parlor
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Playability
82
Sound
84
Build
70
Value
84
Score
79
FIND IT ON:
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Playability
73
Sound
86
Build
77
Value
84
Score
79
FIND IT ON:
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Yamaha CSF3M vs Fender PS-220E Parlor

Reasons to Get
Yamaha CSF3M over Fender PS-220E Parlor

Pickup Mods
Multi-Voicing vs None
Changes the voice (tones or gain) of the pickups
Scale Length
23.625'' (600.1mm) vs 25.3'' (642.6mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone

Reasons to Get
Fender PS-220E Parlor over Yamaha CSF3M

Release Year
2022 vs 2018
From a more recent year
Pickups Brand
Fishman vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Material
Bone vs Plastic
Good quality nut with rich tone
Scale Length
25.3'' (642.6mm) vs 23.625'' (600.1mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Other Key Differences
Yamaha CSF3M vs Fender PS-220E Parlor

Saddle Material
Plastic vs Bone
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Rosewood vs Ovangkol
Different Bridge Material
Body Wood
Spruce vs Mahogany
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Nato vs Mahogany
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Ovangkol
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Plastic vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Yamaha CSF3M vs Fender PS-220E Parlor

Back Material
Mahogany
Same Back Material
Sides Material
Mahogany
Same Sides Material
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
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Fretboard Radius
15.75'' (400.1mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
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

  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • 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 both instruments scored 79 out of 100, which makes them similar in terms of quality.

The Fender PS-220E Parlor wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Yamaha CSF3M has the upper hand when it comes to playability.

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 CSF3M is the better choice.

The Yamaha CSF3M meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender PS-220E Parlor meets only 4. 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 CSF3M
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender PS-220E Parlor
  • 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.

Yamaha CSF3M Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2018 CSF series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 23.625"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid Mahogany back
  • Solid Mahogany sides
  • Nato neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Passive System (SRT Piezo) (Preamp/Passive)
  • Rosewood bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Die-Cast Chrome tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Fender PS-220E Parlor Overview

  • From Fender's 2022 Classic Design series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.3"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Mahogany top
  • Solid Mahogany back
  • Solid Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Ovangkol fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fender/Fishman Sonitone Plus Soundhole Pickup System (Preamp/Active)
  • Ovangkol bridge
  • Acoustic C Shape Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Nickel Open-Back tuners
  • Weight between 3.65lbs (1.7kgs) and 3.75lbs (1.7kgs)
  • 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

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.

Woods Used in the Yamaha CSF3M

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

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.

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 Fender PS-220E Parlor

Ovangkol wood pattern used for guitar building
Ovangkol

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.

Winner: Yamaha CSF3M.

Electronics

Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Yamaha CSF3M
Sustain 80
Versatility 90
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 84
Fender PS-220E Parlor
Sustain 90
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 86

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 CSF3M compares to the Fender PS-220E Parlor.

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 Yamaha CSF3M has 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.

On the other hand, the Fender PS-220E Parlor 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: Fender PS-220E Parlor.

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 CSF3M's are Die-Cast Chrome while the Fender PS-220E Parlor's are Nickel Open-Back

Winner: Tie.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha CSF3M
  • Expensive Wood
  • Electronics
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender PS-220E Parlor
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Yamaha CSF3M
Quality of materials 71
Features 80
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 70
Fender PS-220E Parlor
Quality of materials 86
Features 85
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 77

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 CSF3M Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 43mm (1.693'').

This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Scale Length

Yamaha CSF3M's Scale Length
Yamaha CSF3M's Scale Length
Fender PS-220E Parlor's Scale Length
Fender PS-220E Parlor'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 PS-220E Parlor has the longest scale: 25.3". The Yamaha CSF3M is only 23.625" long. This is a 1.675'' (42.5mm) 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 CSF3M Neck Profile
Yamaha CSF3M's neck profile
Fender PS-220E Parlor Neck Profile
Fender PS-220E Parlor'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 CSF3M and the Fender PS-220E Parlor 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 CSF3M Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard 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.

Both the Yamaha CSF3M and the Fender PS-220E Parlor have the same fretboard radius of 15.75". It's a radius that makes playing single notes (and bending, vibrato, sliding, etc) easier than on a classic Les Paul guitar. However, it's still more curved than some baritone and 7+ strings guitars.

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 .

Yamaha CSF3M:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender PS-220E Parlor:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Yamaha CSF3M and Fender PS-220E Parlor 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

Yamaha CSF3M
Bending & Vibrato Ease 90
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 82
Fender PS-220E Parlor
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Yamaha CSF3M vs Fender PS-220E Parlor
General Yamaha CSF3M Fender PS-220E Parlor
Brand: Yamaha Fender
Year: 2018 2022
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China China
Series: CSF Classic Design
Colors: Natural Sunburst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Sitka Spruce Solid Mahogany
Sides Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Back Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Bridge: Rosewood Ovangkol
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Die-Cast Chrome Nickel Open-Back
Fretboard: Rosewood Ovangkol
Neck Material: Nato Mahogany
Decoration: Pearloid Dots Snowflake
Scale Size: 23.625" 25.3"
Shape: Acoustic C Acoustic C Shape
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15.75" 15.75"
Nut: Plastic Bone
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Passive System (SRT Piezo) (Preamp / Passive) Fender/Fishman Sonitone Plus Soundhole Pickup System (Preamp / Active)