Made by Yamaha at its Custom Shop in Hammamatsu, Japan, the FG5 Red Label is a dreadnought acoustic guitar that features an A.R.E. treated solid Sitka spruce top and scalloped top bracing to help deliver a rich midrange and low-frequency response. Yamaha has paired the FS5 with a solid mahogany for a boost of warmth, more woody tone and to bolster the midrange. The FG5 Red Label's bone nut and saddle provide a more efficient transfer of energy from the strings to the neck and body. Hard case included.
Modern Tradition
Yamaha’s “Red Label” Folk Guitar series was first launched in 1966 as their first production of steel-string acoustics, which is considered by many as the iconic Yamaha acoustic line. Yamaha’s new Red Label series retains the vintage aesthetic of the original ’60s models—with a semi-gloss finish, open-gear tuners, the original V-shaped headstock with the time-honored "tuning fork" logo and, of course, the red label inside—but uses everything Yamaha has refined and developed over their more than half-century of making acoustic guitars.
Scalloped bracing
Yamaha guitars are well known for their balanced sound. However, when defining the voice of Red Label, Yamaha wanted to add more low end for a fuller, warmer tone that would be ideal for solo singer-songwriters and modern folk music. To achieve this, new bracing designs were developed for the natural characteristics of the tonewoods. The new scalloped bracing delivers plenty of volume and enhances low-frequency response without compromising durability.
Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E.)
As tonewoods age, they vibrate more freely and become more resonant, producing a louder, more powerful sound with enhanced high-frequency response and more sustain in the lows and low-mids. Yamaha’s Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E.) process achieves those same characteristics by using heat, humidity and pressure to simulate the effects of time on the soundboards. The A.R.E. process of accelerating the aging of the wood gives Red Label models the same rich, vintage-quality tone and response of a guitar you’ve been playing for years.