1970'S YAMAHA RED LABEL.. A HIDDEN GEM?
70's Vintage Yamaha FG180 Red Label Acoustic Guitar. An incredible sound and incredible bang for your buck.
The Yamaha FG180 Red Label was first offered in Japan in the 1967 and available until 1981. Just prior to that was a domestic green label version in 1966. In 1968 a few were made available in the USA. We have a 70's one here and it is a pure joy to have in the arsenal.
They typically sell for under $500.00 are are comparable to higher priced instruments.
What does the "FG" stand for? Well believe it or not "FG" means "Folk Guitar". Dreadnoughts are indeed used in Folk music but also in almost every genre of western music.
Vintage Yamaha plywood guitars were made differently than plywood guitars today. The vintage guitar's top is constructed of three layers; a thin top and bottom and a thicker ply in the middle. The grains in the three plies are alternating. The result is a sturdy and well constructed.
The earliest versions really sound similar to solid wood constructed guitars. The back and sides are also 3 plies, with the inner ply being a different wood (filler). But the outer plies are both tone wood. Many earlier solid wood Yamaha guitars cracked in shipping. Plywood pretty much guarantee that won’t happen. Also, the 100 series guitars were very lightly braced. The combination of all tone wood plies and very light bracing gives them the sonic appearance of a solid wood guitar. 
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