MusicYo Yo-100 Folk Rig Reviews 5

Purchased from MusicYo.com for $79.99 (comes with gig-bag and tuner, guitar alone lists for $69.99). I was looking for a starter guitar for my son, and not knowing whether it would be something that he'd take to and stick with, I didn't want to spend $250-$400. Fortunately, I was also in the market for a new electric for myself and stumbled upon MusicYo.com. If you have any doubts whatsoever about MusicYo.com, let me alleviate them now. They are a class-act outfit with great products and service. I'm pleased that they are a sponsor for Music Gear Review.

There's nothing to jump up and down about when you first lay eyes on this guitar. No fancy looks, just a spruce top (not laminate), rosewood fretboard, jumbo nickel frets, etc. The finish is nice, with no anomalies that I've been able to find. Once you pick this guit-fiddle up and start hammering out some chords is when you start getting a twinge of excitement. It's very bright sounding and has a smooth action. Once tuned, this flatbox played very nicely straight out of the box. Barre chords are easily attainable without feeling like you have to crush the neck if that helps speak for the quality of the action.

The only gripe I had with the YO-100 is that it shipped with medium-gauge strings. I see no need for mediums on any acoustic. I tossed some GHS Phosphor Bronze extra-lights on it and wow! The action is super-slick and I gave up nothing in terms of tone, brightness or volume projection.

As noted before, construction of the YO-100 is such that it looks nice, plays great and stays in tune. What more can you ask of a flatbox, especially for only $69.99. I've had $200-$400 Yamaha, Alvarez and Fender acoustics, and while they were a bit more fancy looking, they didn't play a great deal better. The gig-bag and tuner that come as part of the $79.99 package make this a great starter for anyone, or a nice "beater" guitar for campfires and such. Keep in mind, I only use the term "beater" because of the price. The quality of the YO-100 is such that it could easily be fitted with a pickup and taken on stage (and I can't say I condone the beating of any instrument..hehe).

If you're not after fancy looks and just want a functional fiddle that sounds nice and plays nice, this is your guitar. If I had paid $200.00 for the YO-100, I'd be giving it a rating of 4, but the price makes it a 5.

Larry Oster rated this unit 5 on 2001-06-25.

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