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Yamaha JR1 3/4-size Dreadnought - Natural

6-string Acoustic Guitar with Spruce Top, Meranti Body, Nato Neck, and Rosewood Fingerboard - Natural
$159.99

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Yamaha JR1 3/4-size Dreadnought - Natural
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Small on Size, Big on Tone!

With the Yamaha JR1, now you can enjoy the tone of a full-size acoustic guitar in a size that's easier for new players to manage. The JR1 is a compact folk guitar modeled after Yamaha's famous FG folk guitar series. With a spruce top and a meranti body, the JR1 gives you big acoustic sound, without the big acoustic size. Young players, players with smaller hands, and anyone wanting a more travel-friendly instrument will love this guitar. In fact, you even get a gig bag with the Yamaha JR1.

Big acoustic tone from a smaller-sized acoustic guitar

If you're just starting out on acoustic guitar, you'll love the manageable size of the Yamaha JR1. Its smaller size makes it easier to wrap your hands around and play chords up and down the neck. Young players, players with smaller hands, and traveling musicians will also love the compact size. But while small in size, the JR1 is certainly big on quality and sound. You'll hear a very full, surprisingly big acoustic voice from this Yamaha instrument.

Modeled after Yamaha's famous FG folk guitar series

The JR1 stems from a long lineage of great guitars from Yamaha. In fact, Yamaha designed the JR1 to model their world-famous FG folk guitar series. This is the kind of instrument that's only going to sound richer with age — and it's the perfect first acoustic instrument for any player.

Yamaha JR1 6-string 3/4-size Acoustic Guitar Features:

  • Top: spruce
  • Back and Sides: meranti
  • Neck: nato
  • Fingerboard: rosewood
  • Bridge: rosewood
  • Body depth: 3-1/8 inches, 3-9/16 inches
  • String scale: 21-1/4 inches
  • Tuning machines: Opened Chrome
  • Finish: Natural
  • Includes a gig bag

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Tech Specs

  • String Type: Steel
  • Number of Strings: 6
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Body Shape: Dreadnought
  • Body Style: No Cutaway
  • Back & Sides Wood: Meranti
  • Top Wood: Spruce
  • Finish: Gloss
  • Color: Natural
  • Neck Wood: Nato
  • Fingerboard Material: Rosewood
  • Fingerboard Inlay: Dot
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Scale Length: 21.25"
  • Bridge Material: Rosewood
  • Tuning Machines: Open Chrome
  • Strings: .012-.053
  • Case Included: Gig Bag
  • Manufacturer Part Number: JR1

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Perfect size for my 9 year old

I have a 9 year old who is on the smaller side and he is just learning guitar. His teacher recommended this specific one for him and this store. We are very happy with this guitar. It's much easier for him to handle and makes nice sound. Sweetwater shipped immediately and we received it a couple days. Great customer service. Highly recommend this guitar for a small beginner and from this store.
Music background: Beginner
Rated 4/5

What were your honest expectations?

I got this for my 6 year old daughter for Christmas. First she wanted an electric guitar, but then she saw a singer at a party and wanted a 'Cowgirl Guitar.' For some reason she loves country music.

This was the best thing I found for a guitar of its size. I looked at some small body guitars like an Epiphone OO and a Gretsch Jim Dandy. But those were just smaller full sized adult guitars. This one had a small body and a short scale neck. It is still big for a 6 year old, but she loves it. She loves to hold it and sing and pose and 'play' it in her cowgirl boots and pink paisley strap. I figure this is a part of the learning process - developing an affection for your instrument and understanding that music is fun.

From my perspective as an adult with lots of acoustic guitars at various price points - it is a pretty good little guitar. It is well made for the price, sounds pretty big for the size, and holds tuning pretty well. In fact, it has cool vintage button head tuners (my fav) and not cheapo tuners like you might expect. A small guitar is only ever going to sound so big (I like dreadnoughts and jumbos), but I don't hear a real meaningful difference between this Yamaha and my father in law's old Baby Taylor. And those cost three times the price.

If my daughter doesn't take to it - this can be a little travel guitar for me, and if she does take to it, when she grows out of it, it can be our travel guitar.

Is a nice little guitar at a nice little price, and it comes with a decent soft case. It's a good buy. I have a 19 year old Yamaha Classical I got for a song in college and I always thought it sounded like it cost three times the price. All the major brands have had to up their game lately, but I always thought Yamaha's punched WAY above their weight class.

The pic is her on Christmas morning. She is wearing half Christmas pajamas and weird black bell bottoms her Gi-Gi got her for Christmas. We are a motley crew of old hippies and eccentric weirdos.
Music background: The family that plays music together has bad credit together.
Rated 5/5

Nice sound for a small guitar

This is definitely a small guitar, but for the size I'm impressed with the sound. It sounds fairly bright but the low end is obviously lacking a bit. It stays in tune just fine. Action feels good, too. Everyone is built differently, but I wouldn't recommend this for anyone over 5' tall for regular use (I'm 5'6" and it feels like a toy to me). It's perfect for my 4' tall kid, though.
Rated 5/5

Great little guitar

I wanted a 1st guitar for my 8 year old grandson. I called Sweetwater and got hooked up with Zack. He helped me pick out the perfect guitar. I received the guitar in only a few days. Zack then followed up with a phone call to see if I was happy with my purchase. Wow, what service! I would enthusiastically recommend Sweetwater and Zack for your musical needs.
Rated 5/5

10/10!!

great quality, arrived earlier than expected & they even added free candy :)) very kind and trustworthy company
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