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Yamaha FSC-TA
Martin OMC-X1E
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Playability
77
Sound
81
Build
65
Value
79
Score
74
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Playability
73
Sound
80
Build
66
Value
78
Score
73
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Yamaha FSC-TA vs Martin OMC-X1E

Reasons to Get
Yamaha FSC-TA over Martin OMC-X1E

Top Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.75'' (44.5mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Concert vs Auditorium
Compact body with balanced tones
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 25.4'' (645.2mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15.75'' (400.1mm) vs 16'' (406.4mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings
Value Score
79 vs 78
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Martin OMC-X1E over Yamaha FSC-TA

Country of Manufacturing
Mexico vs China
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2020 vs 2016
From a more recent year
Pickups Brand
Fishman vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Material
Corian vs Plastic
Similar to Bone, but slightly cheaper
Nut Width
1.75'' (44.5mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Auditorium vs Concert
Narrower and shallower than a Dreadnought with less lower tones
Scale Length
25.4'' (645.2mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
16'' (406.4mm) vs 15.75'' (400.1mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend

Other Key Differences
Yamaha FSC-TA vs Martin OMC-X1E

Back Material
Mahogany vs HPL
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Mahogany vs HPL
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Plastic vs Black Tusq XL
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Rosewood vs FSC Certified Richlite
Different Bridge Material
Body Wood
Spruce vs HPL
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Nato vs Birch
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Richlite
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Plastic vs Corian
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Yamaha FSC-TA vs Martin OMC-X1E

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 Weaknesses

  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • 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 FSC-TA is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the Martin OMC-X1E's 73 score, although not by a lot.

The Yamaha FSC-TA wins when it comes to sound, playability, value for the money. On the other hand, the Martin OMC-X1E has the upper hand when it comes to build quality.

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 FSC-TA is the better choice.

The Yamaha FSC-TA meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Martin OMC-X1E 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 FSC-TA
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Martin OMC-X1E
  • 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 FSC-TA Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2016 TransAcoustic Guitars series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Mahogany back
  • Mahogany sides
  • Nato neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: SYSTEM70 TransAcoustic (Preamp/Active)
  • Rosewood bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Die-Cast Chrome tuners
  • Weight between 4.7lbs (2.1kgs) and 4.9lbs (2.2kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Martin OMC-X1E Overview

  • From Martin's 2020 X series
  • Made in Mexico
  • 6 strings
  • 25.4"'' scale
  • 16" Fretboard Radius
  • HPL top
  • HPL back
  • HPL sides
  • Black Birch Laminate neck
  • FSC Certified Richlite fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman MX (Preamp/Active)
  • FSC Certified Richlite bridge
  • Acoustic Performing Artist Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Chrome Enclosed Gear 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 the Yamaha FSC-TA

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

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.

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 Martin OMC-X1E

Birch wood pattern used for guitar building
Birch
Richlite wood pattern used for guitar building
Richlite
HPL wood pattern used for guitar building
HPL

Birch wood is a hardwood with a light color and a fine, even grain. It has good dimensional stability and is resistant to warping. It's used as a cheaper replacement for maple. The tone produced by birch wood is typically described as being warm, clear, and resonant.

It's very similar to Ebony, but it is much cheaper to make. The main reason is that it is made from resin-infused paper. It is very durable and soft, so it's often used for fretboards and tops.

HPL is a high-pressure laminate made from multiple layers of paper or fabric that are impregnated with resin and then fused together under high pressure and heat.

Winner: Yamaha FSC-TA.

Electronics

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

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Yamaha FSC-TA
Sustain 75
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 81
Martin OMC-X1E
Sustain 65
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
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 Yamaha FSC-TA compares to the Martin OMC-X1E.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Yamaha FSC-TA is built in China while the Martin OMC-X1E is made in Mexico.

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.

Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.

Winner: Martin OMC-X1E

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 FSC-TA 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 Martin OMC-X1E comes with a Corian nut. It used to be the go-to nut for Gibson, but it's slowly being replaced by Graph Tech (Tusq). It's a synthetic material made to be similar to Bone, but it doesn't have the same self-lubricating properties, and it's less resistant.

Winner: Martin OMC-X1E.

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 FSC-TA's are Die-Cast Chrome while the Martin OMC-X1E's are Chrome Enclosed Gear

Winner: Tie.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha FSC-TA
  • Expensive Wood
  • Electronics
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Martin OMC-X1E
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Top Wood
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Yamaha FSC-TA
Quality of materials 61
Features 75
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 65
Martin OMC-X1E
Quality of materials 43
Features 85
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 66

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 FSC-TA Nut Width
Yamaha FSC-TA Nut Width
Martin OMC-X1E Nut Width
Martin OMC-X1E Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Martin OMC-X1E has the wider nut with 44.5mm (1.75'') vs 43mm (1.693''). This is a 1.5mm (0.057'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Martin OMC-X1E, 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 FSC-TA's Scale Length
Yamaha FSC-TA's Scale Length
Martin OMC-X1E's Scale Length
Martin OMC-X1E'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 Martin OMC-X1E has the longest scale: 25.4". The Yamaha FSC-TA is only 25" long. This is a 0.4'' (10.2mm) 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 FSC-TA Neck Profile
Yamaha FSC-TA's neck profile
Martin OMC-X1E Neck Profile
Martin OMC-X1E'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 FSC-TA and the Martin OMC-X1E 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 FSC-TA Fingerboard Radius
Yamaha FSC-TA's Fingerboard radius
Martin OMC-X1E Fingerboard Radius
Martin OMC-X1E'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 Yamaha FSC-TA's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Martin OMC-X1E'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 Martin OMC-X1E.

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.

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 FSC-TA:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Martin OMC-X1E:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Yamaha FSC-TA and Martin OMC-X1E 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 FSC-TA
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 80
Playability 77
Martin OMC-X1E
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Yamaha FSC-TA vs Martin OMC-X1E
General Yamaha FSC-TA Martin OMC-X1E
Brand: Yamaha Martin
Year: 2016 2020
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China Mexico
Series: TransAcoustic Guitars X
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Spruce HPL
Sides Material: Mahogany HPL
Back Material: Mahogany HPL
Bridge: Rosewood FSC Certified Richlite
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Die-Cast Chrome Chrome Enclosed Gear
Fretboard: Rosewood FSC Certified Richlite
Neck Material: Nato Black Birch Laminate
Decoration: Dots Mother-of-Pearl Pattern Style 28
Scale Size: 25" 25.4"
Shape: Acoustic C Acoustic Performing Artist
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15.75" 16"
Nut: Plastic Corian
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 44.5mm (1.75'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: SYSTEM70 TransAcoustic (Preamp / Active) Fishman MX (Preamp / Active)