GL-1

At this price level I had low expectations, but having respect for the Yamaha brand I took a chance and ordered the guitar, half expecting to send it back it it proved a disappointment. It didn’t disappoint at all. As an experienced player of various full size acoustic guitars I must admit this little guitar is surprisingly well made and pleasant to play for such an economy price. TBH I didn’t buy it for myself, it was supposed to be an alternative instrument for my Ukelele playing partner to progress to. She didn’t like it, because two extra strings aid a step to far for her. Ah we’ll never mind I tried. Also I hope to use it to teach guitar to my 8 year old grandchild but haven’t introduced it to him yet. The body size is ideal for him, and the classical type nylon strings should be easier for him. However the neck width is about the same as a full size guitar and flat rather than radiused, which is not ideal for small hands. Also due to the necessarily short neck the tuning cannot be standard EADGBE like a full size so that’s an obstacle to learning the fretboard for later progression to a full size guitar when he’s older.

This is the second Yamaha GL1 I have bought. Honestly, there's a lot here for a guitarist or a ukulele player. The tone is great, the treble strings sound as they should and you get a surprising amount of bass on the lower bass strings. The matt finish is also nice, it looks especially good on the sunburst model as you can see the real wood beneath the usual surface and it looks pretty good. Good things: Sounds great has a well-balanced tone and has a fast response to the string. The fretwork is excellent and didn't have any rough edges. Binding on the edge of the guitar is a lovely touch, adds a real feeling of quality The sunburst effect is great too, my good lady commented on how pretty it was. The strings that come supplied are not terrible. Bad Things The action is a little high. But a few minutes with a file and concentration takes care of that. Just don't take too much off! The strings are close together. Bit of a no-brainer, but I have big hands, and its a squeeze. But that's part of the challenge. It's not a loud instrument. To really make it yell you have to pick hard. But, good for conditioning the fingers. All in, worth every penny and I would recommend it to everyone who wants to try something new.

I bought this as a travel guitar as I couldn't afford one of the dedicated travel sized guitars and didn't fancy the limitations of buying a ukelele. And I am very impressed. The sound quality is great for something this sized. It feels well balanced in my hands and the neck, although smaller than a normal guitar, still allows me to play with relative ease. I have big hands so I was doubtful at first but apart from playing the A chord as a single finger barre I am managing fine. Tuning it was easy too - I just used my standard guitar tuner to tune the top string to an A - which is equivalent to the second string on a normal tuner then just tuned the rest from that. There are dedicated guitalele chord charts available but I just play mine with standard chord shapes and the sound is as if I have a capo on the 5th. The higher you go up the fretboard the duller the sound becomes which is standard for most acoustic guitars. But for the majority of players this will not be too great a problem. The only issue I have is with the finish. Obviously for a little over 50 quid I didn't expect the highest quality finish but mine looks like it was painted in a shed. There are lumps of dust all over it, sanding marks still apparent where the neck joins the body and I had to spend quite a while picking off several globs of glue which hasn't been removed and some loose bits of varnish. Despite this though I am left with a great little instrument that is small enough to sit and practise with in an armchair or pop in the back of the car when I go camping. Well worth the money.

I play ukulele (and love it, I have several), and was trying to transition over to guitar, but I have an infuriating disability which makes my muscles fatigue very quickly so I can't hold a guitar for long. I'd been considering a guilele/guitalele for some time but was pretty sure that what I'd get was the tricky fingering of a guitar with the slightly tinny sound of the uke. Well, I was wrong. This is a beautiful instrument. The tuning lets you transition seamlessly from a uke because the highest 4 strings retain the usual soprano uke tuning. So you can immediately play familiar pieces while ignoring your two new strings. You'll need to get used to the mellowness of the low-G, plus you now have a vastly increased range. The tone of the instrument is much, much nicer than the uke. And I love my ukes. It's more guitar-like, although the higher the note you're playing, the more uke-like it sounds. But the two don't sound the same, there's no question the deeper body of the guilele makes for a rounder, sweeter tone. The build quality of the instrument is great, it's well finished, nice tidy fret edges, markers on the side of the neck as well as on the fret board so you know where you are. It feels solid with good quality fittings, is fitted with nice strings (nylon, with the lowest 3 wound, as you'd get with a classical guitar), and it's a very attractive colour. I love this thing. It's £50. Buy one!

This guitar does not disappoint - a Yamaha product, it is very well made and set up. You will need to adjust to the small fretboard but the sound quality is great. I have taken it on many trips and even played it in the car. I would think it is also perfect for a child. Much better than a ukulele as you do not have to learn different chords. As this instrument has 6 strings, you get the full harmony and a much fuller sound. Comes with its own bag. I would highly recommend.

I can't remember when I last spent 50 quid and got so much pleasure. This little guitar is so much fun - it just makes you smile when you pick it up to play. It's made really well and feels solid. Up to Yamaha's usual high standards. Now, lets get any potential negatives out the way: Obviously, as it's a 1/4 size guitar, it's NOT going to sound like a dreadnought. If you want it to do that then you'll have to alter physics (or something). But for a small guitar it's surprisingly loud and has a genuinely nice tone. For me, it's a better option than a Uke, as I want to play guitar stuff on it, not Ukulele stuff. There's plenty of online resource to show you how to play the guitar chords with different shapes that work on the Guitalele. Just have a go at playing Marley's "3 Little Birds" and tell me this isn't a fun instrument :)) For £50 it's well worth a spin. If you don't like it, not only are you probably mad, but you can sell it on eBay - there'll be plenty of takers!! No more boring shopping trips with the missus, I can now sit in the car keeping myself amused (legally) :))

**The sheet Yamaha provided with the 'GL1 Standard Tuning' is partially incorrect- they say (correctly) that the top A string is 440Hz, then (incorrectly) show that A on the first ledger line above the treble clef as that A. Yikes! No wonder a few people are breaking strings** I bought the natural pine version - it's very well made and the black bag is great to start with. I think the person who said the paint job was poor had one of the black/dark brown coloured ones? The C string slips a bit but all other strings are holding very well. I'm a ukulele player, so I bought it to have some extra lower notes. Unfortunately I'm not sure if this instrument really offers much to ukulele players, because the bottom strings have to be left out of many chords like Gmaj, and other chords which were so easy on uke, become a handful or end up in unwanted inversions...so I'm not really using the bottom 2 strings very often, plus they just get in the way for many strumming patterns, especially as the bridge is angled. However for fingerpicking it's a lot of fun. BUT as a mini guitar it's such a handy size and so much fun to pick up for a few minutes or noodle on it while watching TV. I love it! I think Yamaha should include a chord chart in the box, but there's a good one on deviantart.

Facing the prospect of travelling for 8 months without a guitar, I decided to purchase this guitalele. I didn't want anything too expensive in case it got damaged as I went. I looked at other models before I bought this one, and you can pay up to and over £300 on these things. I played it for the first time last night and it is excellent. It straps nicely to my rucksack and it is very light! The tone is really nice and it keeps its tuning all the way up the neck. The action is reasonable, and you can make out all the notes even when you bar the chords. The strings are nylon so it can slip out of tune occasionaly but that is to be expected really. As a rule of thumb I try not to buy cheap instruments, because you usually get what you pay for, but I would honestly say this plays like a + £100 instrument. By far the best value for money in the guitalele market.

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Perfect

Bought this guitalele and my expectations were justified. It very comfortable small guitar for travel and training for me. Sound very good: include all frets and play chords. My variant has few scratches but for me it is not a problem and I think in common quality is good. Also it has good price. When I use it tune it to E (recommended A) and it’s sound good, string tension also normal with it.

69 year old guitar hack here. Played electric, and some acoustic guitar in three bands way back in the 1970's. Played acoustic at a wedding. My neighbor bought a Yamaha GL-1 "guitalele" A few years ago, and told me recently that he loves it! A GL-1 is basically a very compact 6 string classical guitar, but, instead of being tuned Eadgbe, it is tuned 5 frets up on each string, so the low and high e's become a's. This means that all the chord shapes I know on a regular guitar can be played in the same positions, but the name of the chord will be different. Example, an e major chord shape on a guitar, will really be an a major on the Yamaha. If I am just playing by myself for myself, there is no problem. If I was to play along with a regular guitar, we would have to work out what key to play in. Also, if I sing and play, then depending on what key I play in, I would have to sing in higher notes. This thing came quicky to me in Hawaii, and it is in perfect condition! Since it had nylon/classical type strings, it is going to take much longer for the strings to settle down and stop sretching. Way longer than my steel stringers. So, don't write a review after a few days complaining about this. All classical style nylon string guitars do this! Pick it up,tune it, play it, and keep tuning it. The tuners on mine seem just fine. It is a total blast for me to play. It sounds great, especially for the small body size. It has very good volume and sustain too. A bit stingy on the fret markers, both on the fingerboard and side of the neck. If you have big fingers, some chording might be a bit crowded. It doesn't have a truss rod. But, many classical guitars and many other guitaleles don't have them either. I have yet to read a review, or watch a video review, where the owner had a neck warp. In short, I should have bought one of these long ago. Update after more than a year now. I still love this little 6 stringer! I have been selling some of my amps and ukes etc. I had considered selling my Yamaha, but cannot do it! It is just such a great insrument. Mine is still perfect. Drawbacks? Few. The 17" scale is a bit tight for me. One string started unravelling after not too much playing. I was able to buy the one string and replaced it. I read a review somewhere where the writer returned his due to various flaws. Looking at mine it's hard to believe. I think Yamaha should make an option of the GL-1 that would come with an under saddle pickup with tuner and volume/tone controls. Great price, great instrument, great FUN!! 2/28/2025 update: Just wanted to say my estimation of this instrument has gone up if anything. I am taking super good care of it. It us holding up great. I had one of the wound strings start to unravel early and replaced it. Zero problems. After break in it holds tune as good or better than my other string instruments. That alone is saying a lot. The climate here in the Puna District on the big island plays he'll with stringed instruments. Most go sharp sitting overnight, and flat sitting during the day. This little guy is built very well. I wish it had come with an active pickup with tuned and equalizer, but it's still a keeper!

Excelente producto, lo recomiendo, buen sonido y cómodo.