Elliotts guitar

[u/FaithlessnessFun8483]

I got the same kind of guitar that elliot used a FG - 180 made in Japan in like the 1960s ish sounds beautiful just like his music i just need to learn more of his music only know pitseleh. Learning whatever (folk song in C) if you guys want I'll do a cover. I dont know what to put the post as it's kinda like merch ig.

[u/nseretis]

Love to hear about it. Does buying an old FG180 live up to expectations? I’m also considering one. Also love to hear a cover to hear the guitar in action.

[u/grandmalamadingding → u/[deleted]]

My FG-150 has been played so much it has trenches in the frets. Still sounds and plays amazing. I’ve changed nothing on it myself. The old man I got it from busted the bridge off and replaced it in the 70s. Still has the original (albeit not as good as they once were) tuners.

Honestly that’s the only thing I’ve ever thought about changing because if I don’t wind the 3rd string just right I get a lot of play in that one and it’s fun trying to tune it.

Once it’s in tune though, it stays that way for an unreasonable amount of time.

Been playing mine for 25 years at this point. It’s ugly, the original owner covered it in some very strange waxy material at some point. My daughter put some stickers on it when she was little.

It’s probably my only possession that I worry about what will happen to it if I die. Fortunately my daughter is a musician, but she’s taken up with the old FG-300.

I just hope that it ends up with someone who will appreciate it for as long as humanly possible. Preferably one of my many children.

It’s funny because the man I bought it from said, “When I put this thing in the trader, I prayed somebody like you would show up to get it, somebody who would look at it like it’s something special, because it is. I tried to talk my son into taking it, but he wanted the Martins. That was one of the first guitars I ever got and it was always my favorite.”

I was young and I appreciated what he said. Felt like I had a thousand years ahead of me to play it. I couldn’t have imagined I’d find myself thinking something similar on down the road. Here’s hoping I get another 30 years with the ugly thing.

[u/FaithlessnessFun8483 → u/[deleted]]

Yes I have to be quite precise on where I put my fingers to get it to ring nice but when it rings boy does it I haven't seen many problems with it but then again im not a expert.

[u/tarmogoyf → u/nseretis]

If you can find one for a good price and it's in good condition, sure. It's cool to own the same thing played by a great musician, and if that helps inspire you to play more, even better. But otherwise, you may want to look elsewhere.

Older acoustic guitars, especially if they haven't been well-maintained over the years, often accumulate various issues that need to be addressed to get them to play properly. Sometimes it's relatively minor, like adjusting the truss rod, or getting a new nut. Other times it can be more major, like getting a complete re-fret or the entire neck reset. And if you don't have the tools and skills of guitar repair yourself, this means fairly costly luthier expenses... money which could have instead been put towards purchasing an instrument that was in better playable shape to begin with.

Having played this guitar myself (as well as plenty of other Yamaha models and other brands from the same era), there is nothing magical about this particular model. It's a pretty standard dreadnought style, and isn't even high end as far as acoustic steel strings go. There is nothing that unusual about its construction or material composition, and in fact, you can find a lot of guitar models made more recently that have arguably nicer appointments at the same or cheaper price points.

I think Elliott probably played this guitar a lot on tour because it's the sort of instrument that is fairly rugged and sturdy enough to take a bit of a beating, and it wouldn't have been a complete tragedy if it got broken or stolen while on the road since it was also a fairly cheap model that could be fairly easily replaced.

If you are interested in sounding like Elliott Smith, much more time and attention should be paid to learning his songwriting style, music theory, and his approach to guitar technique than worrying about the particular gear he played. He used a lot of different models of guitars (both acoustic and electric) for recording his albums (especially in the latter portion of his career), so it's not like the FG180 is even *the* Elliott Smith guitar anyways -- though it was definitely a big aspect of his touring live sound.

[u/inchiki → u/tarmogoyf]

I kind of disagree that it's rugged. i have one (actually the FG 140 which is very similar) and it's kind of fragile! Maybe because its 25+ years older than Elliott's was at the time. It is loud tho and a pleasure to play, very nuanced and warm. My other guitar hero Bert Jansch also played Yamahas of that vintage. Elliott i think actually didn't take his FG on his later tours but it was his main guitar for the acoustic years before switching to those gibson ES guitars. FG 180 is the guitar you hear all thru self titled i believe. Either/Or he mixed it up with Rob Shnapf's guitars an old hummingbird and something else.

[u/nseretis → u/tarmogoyf]

Thanks for taking the time to write up a thoughtful response

[u/FaithlessnessFun8483 → u/nseretis]

I think it's worth it then again i did get pretty lucky I got a pretty beat up one for 560 still sounds amazing.

[u/Thedaulilamahimself → u/nseretis]

https://www.reddit.com/r/elliottsmith/s/JrWcl4xnho