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Yamaha GC82C
Yamaha GC82S
VS
Playability
73
Sound
84
Build
82
Value
65
Score
80
FIND IT ON:
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Playability
73
Sound
84
Build
82
Value
65
Score
80
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logo
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Yamaha GC82C vs GC82S

Reasons to Get
Yamaha GC82C over GC82S

Reasons to Get
Yamaha GC82S over GC82C

Other Key Differences
Yamaha GC82C vs GC82S

Body Wood
Cedar vs Spruce
Different Body Wood

Shared Features
Yamaha GC82C vs GC82S

Back Material
Rosewood
Same Back Material
Sides Material
Rosewood
Same Sides Material
Saddle Material
Bone
Same Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Madagascar Rosewood
Same Bridge Material
Neck Wood
Cedar
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Bone
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
Nut Width
2.062'' (52.4mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
25.6'' (650.2mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
Flat
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
  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • 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 GC82S Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that both instruments scored 80 out of 100, which makes them similar in terms of quality.

The Yamaha GC82S wins when it comes to. On the other hand, the Yamaha GC82C has the upper hand when it comes to.

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?

Both meet 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. 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. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha GC82C
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Soft Strings
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha GC82S
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Soft Strings
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • 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 GC82C Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2014 GC / GCX series
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • Flat Fretboard Radius
  • Solid American Redcedar top
  • Solid Madagascar Rosewood back
  • Solid Madagascar Rosewood sides
  • Cedro neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Madagascar Rosewood bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Gold (35G510QC-M) tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Yamaha GC82S Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2014 GC / GCX series
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • Flat Fretboard Radius
  • Solid European Spruce top
  • Solid Madagascar Rosewood back
  • Solid Madagascar Rosewood sides
  • Cedro neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Madagascar Rosewood bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Gold (35G510QC-M) 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

Cedar wood pattern used for guitar building
Cedar
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

This is a softwood that is commonly used for acoustic guitars. It's known for its warm tone with strong overtones. However, there are many species so the tone and look can vary a lot.

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.

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 Yamaha GC82S

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.

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 GC82C
Sustain 85
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84
Yamaha GC82S
Sustain 85
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84

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 GC82C compares to the Yamaha GC82S.

Country of Origin

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

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: 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.

In this case, both have Bone nuts. 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.

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. Both come with Gold (35G510QC-M).

Winner: Tie.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha GC82C
  • 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
Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha GC82S
  • 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 GC82C
Quality of materials 81
Features 65
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 82
Yamaha GC82S
Quality of materials 81
Features 65
Quality Control 100
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 GC82C 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 52.4mm (2.062'').

This is considered a wide width for a 6-string guitar. It gives your fingers the extra space you need to play without muting accidentally, but this also makes bar chords harder to perform, especially if you have small hands.

Scale Length

Yamaha GC82C and Yamaha GC82S's Scale Length
Both have the same 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.

In this case, both have a scale length of 25.6".

It's very similar to a typical long 25.5" guitar scale, but with an extra inch probably to compensate the saddle position in acoustic guitars. It should be pretty much the same as a 25.5" scale guitar.

It will allow you to strum hard without hearing so much fret buzz, even with lower tunings.

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 GC82C 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 GC82C and the Yamaha GC82S 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 GC82C 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 GC82C and the Yamaha GC82S have the same fretboard radius of Flat. This is common mostly in classical guitars since the strings are soft and have lower tension, so there's no need for a radius. Also, it's perfect for fingerstyle and more technical play.

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 are balanced for most hand sizes.

Yamaha GC82C:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Yamaha GC82S:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Yamaha GC82C and Yamaha GC82S 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 GC82C
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73
Yamaha GC82S
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Yamaha GC82C vs GC82S
General Yamaha GC82C GC82S
Brand: Yamaha Yamaha
Year: 2014 2014
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Japan Japan
Series: GC / GCX GC / GCX
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid American Redcedar Solid European Spruce
Sides Material: Rosewood Rosewood
Back Material: Rosewood Rosewood
Bridge: Madagascar Rosewood Madagascar Rosewood
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Gold (35G510QC-M) Gold (35G510QC-M)
Fretboard: Ebony Ebony
Neck Material: Cedro Cedro
Decoration:
Scale Size: 25.6" 25.6"
Shape: Acoustic C Acoustic C
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: Flat Flat
Nut: Bone Bone
Nut Width: 52.4mm (2.062'') 52.4mm (2.062'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: