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Yamaha FG820-12
Yamaha LL26 ARE
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Playability
80
Sound
80
Build
62
Value
84
Score
74
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Playability
73
Sound
85
Build
82
Value
70
Score
80
FIND IT ON:
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Yamaha FG820-12 vs LL26 ARE

Reasons to Get
Yamaha FG820-12 over LL26 ARE

Release Year
2016 vs 2014
From a more recent year
Strings
12 vs 6
Allows you to play lower notes
Nut Width
1.811'' (46mm) vs 1.732'' (44mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Dreadnought vs Jumbo
Prominent low-end tones in a large body
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 25.6'' (650.2mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Value Score
84 vs 70
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Yamaha LL26 ARE over FG820-12

Country of Manufacturing
Japan vs China
Built with higher quality standards
Nut Material
Bone vs Plastic
Good quality nut with rich tone
Sides Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Back Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Strings
6 vs 12
Narrower neck and fewer strings to change
Nut Width
1.732'' (44mm) vs 1.811'' (46mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Jumbo vs Dreadnought
Large body with a tight waist for more top-end
Scale Length
25.6'' (650.2mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Other Key Differences
Yamaha FG820-12 vs LL26 ARE

Back Material
Mahogany vs Rosewood
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Mahogany vs Rosewood
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Plastic vs Bone
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Rosewood or Walnut vs Ebony
Different Bridge Material
Neck Wood
Nato vs Mahogany
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Ebony
Different Fretboard Wood
Headstock
6-6 vs 3-3
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Plastic vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Yamaha FG820-12 vs LL26 ARE

Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
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
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
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • 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

SET PRICE ALERT

Yamaha LL26 ARE Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Yamaha LL26 ARE is probably the better product overall with its final score of 80 compared to the Yamaha FG820-12's 74 score, although not by a lot.

The Yamaha LL26 ARE 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 Yamaha LL26 ARE 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 FG820-12
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha LL26 ARE
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • 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 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 >

Yamaha LL26 ARE Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2014 L series
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Engelmann Spruce A.R.E. top
  • Solid Rosewood back
  • Solid Rosewood sides
  • Mahogany + Rosewood (5-Ply) neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Open-Gear Gold (SE700X XG) 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

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce
Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
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.

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 FG820-12

Nato wood pattern used for guitar building
Nato

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.

Woods Used in the Yamaha LL26 ARE

Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony

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.

Winner: Yamaha LL26 ARE.

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 FG820-12
Sustain 75
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 80
Yamaha LL26 ARE
Sustain 90
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 85

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 FG820-12 compares to the Yamaha LL26 ARE.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Yamaha FG820-12 is built in China while the Yamaha LL26 ARE is made in Japan.

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.

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 LL26 ARE

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 FG820-12 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 Yamaha LL26 ARE 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: Yamaha LL26 ARE.

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 FG820-12's are Die-Cast Chrome (TMW28) while the Yamaha LL26 ARE's are Open-Gear Gold (SE700X XG)

Winner: Tie.

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

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
Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha LL26 ARE
  • 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

Yamaha FG820-12
Quality of materials 66
Features 65
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 62
Yamaha LL26 ARE
Quality of materials 86
Features 65
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 82

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 FG820-12 Nut Width
Yamaha FG820-12 Nut Width
Yamaha LL26 ARE Nut Width
Yamaha LL26 ARE Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Yamaha FG820-12 has the wider nut with 46mm (1.811'') vs 44mm (1.732''). This is a 2mm (0.079'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Yamaha FG820-12, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Yamaha FG820-12's Scale Length
Yamaha FG820-12's Scale Length
Yamaha LL26 ARE's Scale Length
Yamaha LL26 ARE'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 LL26 ARE has the longest scale: 25.6". The Yamaha FG820-12 is only 25" long. This is a 0.6'' (15.2mm) 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 FG820-12 Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same 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 FG820-12 and the Yamaha LL26 ARE 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 FG820-12 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 FG820-12 and the Yamaha LL26 ARE 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.

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Yamaha LL26 ARE 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.

Yamaha FG820-12:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Yamaha LL26 ARE:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Yamaha FG820-12 and Yamaha LL26 ARE 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 FG820-12
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 80
Playability 80
Yamaha LL26 ARE
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Yamaha FG820-12 vs LL26 ARE
General Yamaha FG820-12 LL26 ARE
Brand: Yamaha Yamaha
Year: 2016 2014
Strings: 12 6
Made in: China Japan
Series: FG / FGX L
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Spruce Solid Engelmann Spruce A.R.E.
Sides Material: Mahogany Rosewood
Back Material: Mahogany Rosewood
Bridge: Rosewood or Walnut Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Die-Cast Chrome (TMW28) Open-Gear Gold (SE700X XG)
Fretboard: Rosewood or Walnut Ebony
Neck Material: Nato Mahogany + Rosewood (5-Ply)
Decoration: Dots Dots
Scale Size: 25" 25.6"
Shape: Acoustic C Acoustic C
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15.75" 15.75"
Nut: Plastic Bone
Nut Width: 46mm (1.811'') 44mm (1.732'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: