Drat it. Thought I was free of guitars...

When I started playing mandolin, and then uke, I thought: ha, no more stretching to play an instrument that's too big for my short fingers, and no more dragging huge cases round to pubs and gigs.

"I'm done with guitars", I declared. "I'll never buy another".

I just bought another.

For the last 5 or 6 years I've run a pub acoustic session. The pub is pretty isolated out in the rural wilderness of north Hertfordshire, so I sometimes struggle to get people to support it. That has meant a shortage of singers which , in turn, means I'm having to do some singing myself (uh-oh...). Much as I love 'ukulele, there are some songs that I find work better for me with guitar accompaniment, so I've had to buy guitars again.

Darn it. Thought I was over all that.

A while ago I bought a rock-bottom cheapie. A Vintage V300. It's fine, but it doesn't plug in. It was enough for singing at the pub though.

Then I started thinking about putting another band (or duo, or trio) together. I also started considering doing an amplified open mic night at the pub. Obviously, those plans meant getting an electro acoustic. So, after annoying local guitar stores for a couple of weeks by strolling in and playing all their sub-£500 electro acoustics, I bought a Yamaha CPX500ii in a nice brownish burst.

Acoustically it's a little quiet, which I put down to the laminate top. That's fine, if I want more acoustic volume I'll use the V300. I deliberately went with the laminate top as, in the past, I've found them less prone to feedback. Also, less susceptible to cracking and bellying.

The important thing was that the axe should work well though an amp. Well, through my Marshall acoustic combo it sounds fantastic!

I've always been a fan of Yamaha guitars. IMHO there are few that beat them for value. My last electric was a Pacifica and I loved that too.

Thanks for yet another excellent guitar, Yamaha. Well pleased.

Never say never! Enjoy both!

I also find that ukelele doesn't always sound good on all songs. some acoustic sounds just need a fuller and mellower sound. Well I play soprano so that is even brighter than a tenor or concert.

I recently bought a yamaha cpx900. amazing guitar, highly recommended. Keep on strumming!

Update:

Had to return the CPX500ii. It had a preamp fault. None of the same available for exchange so was offered an FJX720SC BS. Almost identical, but with a solid top.

I thought twice about that, as it is mostly for amplified use. Solid spruce requires more careful treatment, and may feed back a tad more, but the thing sounded so fine unplugged that I decided to take it rather than wait for another CPX.

Just as happy with the FJX, and my local store were great about sorting out the problem.

In fact, this one is probably loud enough that I can pack my other acoustic away and use this for both amplified and unplugged work.

I've not found any mention of other people having the same problem I found with the CPX, so I expect it was a one off. Yamaha may not be Martin or Gibson but they make the most reliable guitars I've ever known.

I've got a 70 71ish yamaha fg-180 made in Japan red label and a 79 fg-335 made in Korea and like them both.

My wife and I play together. She has written some songs that just don't sound as good on uke, they need the full bodied sound of my acoustic guitar. I have been enjoying playing the guitar again as well. It's nice to have options