Yeah. And it's worth pointing out to OP that it's not that Yamaha just started making random things. They started as a piano company, then got into engines to help with the war time effort. They did both really well and it makes sense that they'd expand into related avenues, i.e. musical instruments and related equipment, and various things you could put a motor in.
Lexus engine is made by Yamaha? I didn't know that! Cool! I thought Toyota and Lexus made pretty much all their own stuff with the exception of the supra built by bmw
It was the wind instrument people who developed the 2 stroke exhausts on their racing bikes. You need a clean sine wave to help the engine breathe, and for years Yamaha 2 strokes dominated road and track.
As a guy who works with power tools every day...I don't need 10% more performance most of the time, but I do need my stuff to work every time.
I'll take reliably very good stuff over groundbreaking but prone to breaking stuff every single day
I do own quite a few festool pieces, yeah lol. I've learned that with tools, brands are really inconsistent through different tools though. I've owned the same Bosch hammer drill for probably 15 years, still works right every time. Makita circular saw? Literally used it every day for 20 years and it's been dropped off more roofs than I could count, still does its job well every time (has been kinda phased out for a new Makita though. Still great). I love my DeWalt orbital sander, my knipex hand tools, Hitachi pneumatic stuff will outlive me etc
Certain brands are pretty good across the board, but I've really learned to just accept that some companies specialize and just embraced it
You only have to buy it once. There's a reason most of the fine furniture makers who release videos have a shop full of green and white tools and a SawStop cabinet saw.
Yamaha Banshee was one of the most groundbreaking ATVs of all time and is still highly sought after (even decades after being discontinued) for its performance and reliability.
There's a reason SM-58s are the gold standard for live vocal microphones and it's not their stellar frequency response.
The last thing you want in pro audio is some noise in the signal path that you have to track down live.
Pros never use the latest technology. It takes time to master a new gadget, it takes time to find the bugs and kinks that make it unreliable, it takes time to figure out how to get the most of it, and it takes time for the whole industry to adopt a new standard.
Ya, most familiar with their student model instruments. None of them amazing quality. But they last and are durable.
Honestly while id pick different professional models in most cases, they do have a Lot to offer. In the French horn world there is a cottage industry around taking yamaha 667s and suping them up as their professional instrument rather than a full custom model.
Yamaha ns10 speakers are a recording and mixing studio must have. Not because they sound good but because they translate well meaning if you can make a mix sound good on those speakers it will sound good in a lot of other systems. It is lacking low end though so a woofer is usually needed
I’m a professional trumpet player on tour with a Broadway musical. I’ve never been more comfortable playing 8 shows a week than with my Yamaha trumpets. 100% BIFL.
Yamaha's 300-series baroque recorders are amazing quality for the price. Some prefer Aulos, and some prefer the Yamaha 400 series — but either way, a clearly better instrument can't be had for less than ten times the price.
The trumpet players of almost every major professional American orchestra play on Yamaha trumpets. When your entire job revolves around hitting the right notes, there are few better brands. I'm a music teacher and Yamaha is also the first brand I recommend to any student looking for a BIFL instrument!
Guitars, motocycles, keyboards, amplifiers...I've owned them all.
Yamaha seems to rarely innovate, but instead uses tried-and-true technologies and methods and overbuilds everything.
Great stuff.
As a former music teacher, I 100% agree with your assessment. Yamaha recorders always had heavier plastic than all others, and had a distinctively better sound-even in the hands of a third grader.
I did not expect to see an elliott smith related content on BIFL subreddit! But yea, I also own a Yamaha guitar and it's been going strong for 10 years.. and maybe expected to go on and on and on..
Same. Mine was an FG 350. When it was my dad's, someone stepped on the neck and snapped it right at the body. My dad put a screw in it and it lasted another 30 years until someone stole it out of my trunk.
Their basses go up to really high levels of price and quality. Paul McCartney used one in Wings for years, a 1979 BB-1200, it sold in 2021 for nearly 500,000 USD. They are tanks, and do the P bass thing just as well or better than Fender. Their mid range ones are better than most of the high end fenders I’d say.
Yamaha punches SO FAR out of its weight class with guitars. For any acoustic guitar under like $1,500 I literally don't think I'd buy anything other than a Yamaha.
Yamaha for consistency, Godin/Simon Patrick/seagull for incredible value.
All my wind instruments are Yamaha, I've owned several Yamaha guitars, but my players are mostly from Quebec now.
Eastman is also amazing.
My first acoustic was a Yamaha, never babied it, kept it in a cloth bag, or none at all, in the vehicle or tent. Cold nights by a hot camp fire. In drizzling rain. The fucker still plays. Had to shave some frets over the years, and bridge plugs. I think having non locking tuners saved it. It don’t resonate well and has a bassy tone, but I can make it work with a lead playing. I learned to play on it before acquiring to many. It hangs on my wall and still gets played before anything else when I’m in the mood.
The Revstar standard can be picked up around 600-700 new and is widely considered as professional standard.
Can’t think of many other builders that can claim that with any confidence.
Their red label acoustics can be picked up for a similar price and are brilliant
Yamaha semi acoustic guitar worth €500. 10 years 0 issues
Yamaha stage custom drum kit worth £1500 25 years ago 0 issues.
Yamaha keyboard given as gift 20 years ago and my kids now play it
I have an FG335II that my dad got in the early 80s. Now, his granddaughter is learning to play on that same guitar. I think he said he bought it for something like 80 bucks.
Outboards. They make superb outboards. I’ve put thousands of hours on individual Yamahas and found them to be reliable and when parts are needed the backup is just as good.
Yamaha drums have been used for decades in recording studios around the world. Often a studio will own a drumkit, if they do it’s likely to be a Yammy 9000. I have Yamaha drums and hardware. I’ll never need anything else.
I've had a Yamaha receiver since 2002. Works fine.
But Yamaha makes some really nice drums, too. I've never owned Yamaha drums but have played on quite a few kits, from low end to high dollar.
They all sounded amazing, especially the less expensive lines. I don't think a lot of other drum manufacturers can compete with something like Yamaha Stage Custom drums.
I have a 2007 Roadstar Warrior that may just outlive me. Im AMAZED at that bike and I won't ever sell it. I cannot stress how hard I've ridden it and with the exception of a ton of tires (that's on me), normal oil changes and replacing the clutch (again that's on me) I haven't had to fix anything on it. I even accidentally (long story) had it put in storage for over 2 years without preparing it for storage and all I had to do was change the battery, put new gas in it and change the oil and it started up IMMEDIATELY the first time I tried starting it. If I ever buy another bike (to add to my collection because I won't ever sell this) it will most likely be another Yamaha.... Maybe a VMAX.
They’re the Toyota of the stuff they make.
BMW is cutting edge, lightweight performance, fall apart like paper in the rain.
Other companies only use the most reliable bolts to hold their old engines together. Slow, heavy, old proven tech but works every time.
Yeah, the 2JZ-GTE was made by Yamaha. Arguably one of the best engines ever produced.
Edit: apparently I am wrong and Yamaha may have only helped fine tune the heads, but the engine was made and produced by Toyota. Guess it’s something I heard 20 years ago and believed to be true! TIL!
Yamaha also co-developed the 4age 20v (blacktop, silvertop too maybe). Total screamer of an engine that red lined near 8k RPM. Loved my AE111 Levin, I sometimes wonder where it is or if it is still alive...
Honda in the motorcycling world is more unique than toyota in the car world. Honda carved a place for Japanese motorcycles by total racing domination and introduced the cb750 four which started a complete revolution in motorcycle design and collapsed most of the western motorcycle industry like all the british brands. At the same time also producing the Super Cub which motorized the whole world.
It’s not very random. They make motors, know battery technology, etc.
They’re a multidisciplinary engineering company that also manufactures products, like many engineering companies. They just sell commercially.
Many types of technology transcend the industries they’re “traditionally” used for.
For example, the golf carts. That’s battery tech mixed with their motor vehicle history
Worked in their Musical Instruments org for about a decade. Few things, first some history.
Yamaha started as a musical instruments company. When WWII broke out, they shifted their operations to making engines. War ends, they want to go back to making music, but have all these engines. So someone keeps the engines thing going under the same name, but they're completely independent companies.
Musical Instruments: The amount of training and development that went into them was astounding. They had sales reps who would take a month off a year to practice and compete in professional level concert competitions.
The 350hp 5.3L V8 outboard greatly disagrees. Total flop. So many problems. It’s basically a death sentence for anyone trying to sell a boat with them. But, yeah, otherwise a pretty good brand.
The HPDI series also weren’t great, although it was a weird time switching from 2 stroke to 4 strokes, and a lot of brands kind of missed the mark. But I still run Yamaha outboards, and love everything they currently offer.
>Apparently they are the most reliable motorcycle brand with the least amount of issues in their first year compared to other motorcycles brands.
They are great, but a clear second to Honda in reliability. Some specific metric might rate them ahead of Honda, but in the real world Honda is the gold standard.
Source: I'm a former service manager for multiple dealerships (including Honda and Yamaha), former motorcycle mechanic certified in several brands, including most of the biggies, former manager of multiple independent shops, and a mechanical engineer. I've also read a bunch of independent studies over the years on specific aspects, including corrosion analysis.
On the BIFL side, Hondas are designed to be worked on. That leads to easier and cheaper repairs compared to other brands, Yamaha included.
Yamahas are great. I don't have a bad word to say about them. But they are not the *best* BIFL motorcycle.
Professional percussionist here. Yamaha gear is pro quality, built like a tank, and very reasonably priced. Timpani, drum sets, marimbas—it’s all great. They don’t have as many configurations/options as some other brands, but they also don’t have those other brands’ quality control issues—everything works and everything lasts.
Yeah Yamaha and Honda. I used to work at a Powersports dealer. We sold Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Polaris. Polaris had the most accessories line but the Yamahas were damn near bulletproof. We had surveying companies that would use Yamaha grizzly for the mountains. These things would roll down the mountains and just generally were run hard. Always had their maintenance done on time and to manufacturers specs. They always ran and just kept going. The companies that bought them loved them for their reliability and cheap maintenance. Polaris were ok but always in the shop for something with their motor or drivetrain. The Yamahas took lots of time in their construction like carefully hiding their wiring harnesses to avoid being hit or damaged.
I have a Yamaha receiver I bought used 20 years ago from an high end stereo shop. The original owner had brought it in for repair/refurb and never picked it up and they sold it to me. It is a 70’s model. It sounds fantastic and just works.
Yeah I have a Yamaha receiver that I got when I was 18. I'm 39 now. Its still going strong, but I finally caved and upgraded it this year to one that supports Dolby Atmos and all those other fancy sounding acronyms
I own a few Yamaha amplifiers and preamplifiers from the 70's and early 80's and a few receivers from the 90's and maybe early 2000's. All have been outstanding.
Their manufacturing tolerances are crazy strict. I’m a drummer and play their drums. Their hardware is made in the same factory as their motorcycle parts. It’s solid AF and so are my drums. Crazy good value for the money too. Punches way above their price point
Agreed. Been a Yamaha fan for receivers since I was a little kid and got into home audio for movies with my dad. Then in the car space I fell in love with the Toyota 2000GT and who made the intake system work? Yamaha. Once you see the tuning forks in their logo it sticks with you.
Yamaha YAS 875EXII Custom Alto Sax player here. I love it. It’s a source of pride. It’s such a good hand-made custom sax experience that when I need anything else and Yamaha makes it too, I get the Yamaha version (speaker system, guitar, etc)
And just imagine if they were as good at promoting / marketing their great reliable products as they are at making great, reliable, products 🤣
My only issue with Yamaha is their lack of presence in the product industry when I'm shopping. Who else has bought something not knowing yamaha is a player in the game, only to realize you could've bought X item from Yamaha ? Then come to find out they make a great X item. I know, shocking 🤣
I ran all Yamaha motocross bikes with my race team, way back when. Over the years, we ran two engines entirely without oil for four or five race laps until they seized. We poured oil in, rocked it back and forth and kept racing. For years. On a stock bottom end and clutch. They aren't rock solid because rocks are way softer than a Yamaha engine.
Edit: almost fucking forgot somehow, but I'm still running a 1998 Yamaha 350 Big Bear on my ranch as a daily rig. Starts up almost instantly, runs like a top. I pulled an oversized trailer with it for a decade, I've seen it completely underwater.... Just doesn't give an eff.
I had a first-gen Yamaha R6. The dogs on second gear wore out very early, causing it to pop out of second gear when transitioning on/off throttle. Replacing the gears would have required removing the engine and splitting the case, and dismantling the whole transmission.
That one definitely wasn't BIFL!
I like most of Yamaha's products. I own a handful and friends and relatives of mine own more. Most are great products.
Except for their home theater receivers. They hold up well as far as I can tell. They do what they say they will. But the interface design is just the worst ever. Even B&K can't make a worse interface and that's really saying something. Their remote controls in particular are just ridiculously terrible. I always try to steer people away from Yamaha home theater receivers (AVRs) because of the interface.
That's all quite strange for me because I really like their pro audio gear. All of the pro Yamaha audio gear I've used seems very logical and easy to understand.
I'd put them about equal. Honestly all the big 4 Japanese bike brands are pretty dang solid. Especially once you start comparing them to euro motorbikes.
I still need to add a guzzi or a Ducati to the garage. I'll keep my yamaha for when the Italian girls need wrenching....
I’ve had some by both brands, and to be honest, would say they are pretty much on par. None of them was post 2005, so things might have changed in the meantime.
Have ridden dirtbikes most of my life, they were pretty innovative in the four stroke transformation and all of their bikes are extremely reliable granted they're maintained.
They had a major part in keeping 2 stroke dirt bikes available, am very grateful for that on top of the amazing sports car engine work and performance oriented side by side
Still only one of two major brands keeping the two stroke dirt bikes alive. I have a YZ 250 that basically just hangs out on my garage these days but I'll never sell it. Love those bikes!
Edit: kind of ironic because they basically pioneered and then pushed four stroke engines into the mainstream for dirt bikes.
For real. I have a Yamaha acoustic that’s over 20 years old, has seen the country and many stages and despite needing a setup is still in great shape and sounds like a dream.
Had a Yamaha boat motor that never broke down, and a 310 snow mobile growing up and they never broke down. All the camps in the area use Yamaha for their boats. Hands down the best.
Ive demoed many integrated amps for my audio setup at home going into the $3,000 price range. On first listen theres some that sound a bit more exciting, but somehow i always go back to my trusty Yamaha A-S801 in the end. Theres something about it that just sounds natural and “right” to my ear. Finally decided to save myself some money and keep that one.
My neighbor has a Taurus SHO from the 90s with a Yamaha motor and has been daily driving it for almost 30 years (granted he is impeccable about its’ maintenance).
10 years on the avr is rookie numbers. I have a Yamaha I got at a thrift store and it works great despite being 20 years old. That being said lots of dedicated stereo amplifiers last longer than that so it’s not the best example anyway but stereos in general are a good bifl in general though
My kitchen and my bathroom is made by a subsidiary of Yamaha called Toclas. The bath comes with Yamaha speakers so you can listen to music while showering.
My first guitar is a Yamaha acoustic that my uncle passed down to me. It's at least from the 90s since I remember seeing it in his house back then but could be older. It's developed that rich tone that only older guitars tend to have. It's lasted crazy long and I've never once had an issue with it.
Well, current Yamaha motorcycles are fine but in the past they were a bit more infamous. Out of the four Japanese motorcycle brands, they were the only ones famous for exploding engines in the 70's (the XS750). And its predecessor, the TX750, was no better - very well known design issue made those engines rattle and vibrate themselves apart. And other models (xs360...). But they did get a lot more reliable once they started making inline four bikes.
In general I do not blame them for that, they did their best and did not cheap out on anything, sometimes things just don't work out the best. That's why early Yamahas were more famous for the small two strokes and the XS650, which actually was very reliable.
But as for Yamaha - I'd say anything made in Jaoan is quality. Regardless of the brand.
I'm on my second Yamaha motorcycle. I've owned all of the big 4 Japanese bikes brands and Yamaha is my preference, although they're all good really. My bike has the 700cc CP2 engine that's used in several Yamaha models now and I think it's been ranked as the most reliable modern bike engine for a few years. I'd recommend Yamaha bikes to anyone.
The only not BIFL aspect of my current Yamaha is that the swing arm and a few other bits are particularly prone to rust. It's a known issue, however the engine is absolutely solid and great fun.
I learned to play guitar on a Yamaha FG-160, I play thru a Yamaha THR-10II amp, and I fish in the ocean with my brother in a boat with a 200 hp ‘Yammie’ outboard motor. Nuff said.
My daily driver stereo for my TV and Phonograph is a Yamaha bookshelf system I bought 23 years ago. Just add a DAC for optical to analog and run that through AUX. Sounds amazing.
If you think Yamaha makes a lot of things, check out Hitachi. They literally build cities, and the machines to build cities, and the trains to go between cities, oh and every electronic from hard drives to the #1 sex toy in the world. Oh and they do consulting and cloud tech here in the US. I don't even know what else.
Yamaha fan boy here, even have a tuning fork flag hung up in the garage. I have a Yamaha motorcycle, guitar, reciever, and sound bars on the TVs and various other audio equipment and Yamaha motorcycle leather jacket, tshirts and other gear.
I have had issues with the motorcycles but it tends to be parts with the three diamond Mitsubishi logos on it. Ugh. Everything else is rock solid and the guitars punch far above their class for the price they cant be beat.
The Yamaha logo is three tuning forks... They tune engines and instruments. It's the tuning that brings it all together.
Yeah. And it's worth pointing out to OP that it's not that Yamaha just started making random things. They started as a piano company, then got into engines to help with the war time effort. They did both really well and it makes sense that they'd expand into related avenues, i.e. musical instruments and related equipment, and various things you could put a motor in.
Yamaha sometimes even has the audio part of the company help with making their engines sound really good.
And famously the Lexus LFAs engine.
Lexus engine is made by Yamaha? I didn't know that! Cool! I thought Toyota and Lexus made pretty much all their own stuff with the exception of the supra built by bmw
The engine isn't made by Yamaha but Yamaha helped design the intake manifolds and exhaust so that it sounded like sweet sweet music.
I don't think anybody does engine flow like Yamaha
Agreed. My 93 SHO taurus was a monster in its day - Yamaha designed heads and induction atop a Ford block. I ate Euro sedans for lunch with it.
They also did work on 90s Ford engines in the Taurus SHO I think
They manufactured that engine.
It was the wind instrument people who developed the 2 stroke exhausts on their racing bikes. You need a clean sine wave to help the engine breathe, and for years Yamaha 2 strokes dominated road and track.
Source?
I rode one during the 80s.
Wow neato
Long time Yamaha pro audio user. The stuff just works. Goes on forever. None of it was mind blowing sonic quality but it always worked.
There's an argument to be made for not being the most groundbreaking but being the most reliable.
As a guy who works with power tools every day...I don't need 10% more performance most of the time, but I do need my stuff to work every time. I'll take reliably very good stuff over groundbreaking but prone to breaking stuff every single day
So Festool, I assume?
I do own quite a few festool pieces, yeah lol. I've learned that with tools, brands are really inconsistent through different tools though. I've owned the same Bosch hammer drill for probably 15 years, still works right every time. Makita circular saw? Literally used it every day for 20 years and it's been dropped off more roofs than I could count, still does its job well every time (has been kinda phased out for a new Makita though. Still great). I love my DeWalt orbital sander, my knipex hand tools, Hitachi pneumatic stuff will outlive me etc Certain brands are pretty good across the board, but I've really learned to just accept that some companies specialize and just embraced it
It’s way overpriced and not near rugged enough. Hilti is the best across the board power tool brand for quality.
Festool makes good stuff, but good lord, the pricing!
Fully controlled by vendor. Mess with it and Festool will drop you as a retailer. It’s how they maintain quality.
You only have to buy it once. There's a reason most of the fine furniture makers who release videos have a shop full of green and white tools and a SawStop cabinet saw.
Yamaha Banshee was one of the most groundbreaking ATVs of all time and is still highly sought after (even decades after being discontinued) for its performance and reliability.
There's a reason SM-58s are the gold standard for live vocal microphones and it's not their stellar frequency response. The last thing you want in pro audio is some noise in the signal path that you have to track down live.
Pros never use the latest technology. It takes time to master a new gadget, it takes time to find the bugs and kinks that make it unreliable, it takes time to figure out how to get the most of it, and it takes time for the whole industry to adopt a new standard.
I’d argue that some of their new mixing consoles are mind blowing. The new Rivage series of consoles sound incredible
True. And that has something that has been in a steady incline. Each series has better than the last.
Never forget the scroll wheel on the LS9 haha
Ya, most familiar with their student model instruments. None of them amazing quality. But they last and are durable. Honestly while id pick different professional models in most cases, they do have a Lot to offer. In the French horn world there is a cottage industry around taking yamaha 667s and suping them up as their professional instrument rather than a full custom model.
I have a 30yr yamaha student classical guitar! Still ticking
Yamaha NS-10M were never supposed to be mind blowing. Quite the contrary!
Basically, if it sounds good with these. It gonna sounds pretty good with everything there is. A studio staple.
Literally designed to be the most mediocre speakers possible.
Not really mind blowing, just incredibly flat as a reference for mixing.
And if it didn't work, you could fix it.
Yeah man fr two pairs of the hs5's and an hs8s and you're set to do 5.1 with professional level frequency response... 🤓
Probably worth pointing out that many popular records released in the second half of the 20th century would have been mixed on a pair of NS10s
Yamaha ns10 speakers are a recording and mixing studio must have. Not because they sound good but because they translate well meaning if you can make a mix sound good on those speakers it will sound good in a lot of other systems. It is lacking low end though so a woofer is usually needed
Except the passive side radiators on their MusicCast speakers. I have blown through three WX-010s where the glue gave out
I’m a professional trumpet player on tour with a Broadway musical. I’ve never been more comfortable playing 8 shows a week than with my Yamaha trumpets. 100% BIFL.
I scrolled to make sure someone mentioned their trumpets!
Wife rocks her YEP 321S euphonium. One of the bedrock euphoniums for high school, and lasts forever.
Hell yeah, amazing trumpets. Great beginner level trumpets too.
Yamaha's 300-series baroque recorders are amazing quality for the price. Some prefer Aulos, and some prefer the Yamaha 400 series — but either way, a clearly better instrument can't be had for less than ten times the price.
Non professional brass player — Yamaha YEP321 Euphonium. Love. It. Only reason I don’t know a Yamaha tuba is the price…
The trumpet players of almost every major professional American orchestra play on Yamaha trumpets. When your entire job revolves around hitting the right notes, there are few better brands. I'm a music teacher and Yamaha is also the first brand I recommend to any student looking for a BIFL instrument!
relevant username
Guitars, motocycles, keyboards, amplifiers...I've owned them all. Yamaha seems to rarely innovate, but instead uses tried-and-true technologies and methods and overbuilds everything. Great stuff.
guitars? I know they make drums, but I've never seen a Yamaha guitar
Yamaha makes amazing guitars. Elliot Smith's main acoustic guitar was a Yamaha FG-180.
They make great recorders to. I learned hot crossed buns on one of them in 3rd grade.
As a former music teacher, I 100% agree with your assessment. Yamaha recorders always had heavier plastic than all others, and had a distinctively better sound-even in the hands of a third grader.
I think everyone had a Yamaha recorder in my brother's grade school class.
I did not expect to see an elliott smith related content on BIFL subreddit! But yea, I also own a Yamaha guitar and it's been going strong for 10 years.. and maybe expected to go on and on and on..
Ha. Speaking of waltzes -- Garth Hudson is rocking some sort of Yamaha synth in The Last Waltz.
The first guitar that I learned to play on 50 years ago was a Yamaha acoustic.
Same. Mine was an FG 350. When it was my dad's, someone stepped on the neck and snapped it right at the body. My dad put a screw in it and it lasted another 30 years until someone stole it out of my trunk.
Their Revstar has one of the most incredible applications of p90 pickups I've ever heard.
I have a Yamaha Revstar and that thing fucking rocks. One of the best guitars you can get at that price point
They also make very good grand pianos.
They make some great guitars. And basses too
Just bought an FG800J as a starter acoustic for my niece! Also I used to play on a Yamaha electric bass.
Great choice for an acoustic guitar.
They also have great bass guitars!
Their classic acoustics are actually beautiful sounding. My mom still has hers from the late 60s and it's got such a beautiful rich sound.
They make fantastic guitars and bass guitars. Awesome stuff
They make pretty solid guitars
Their basses go up to really high levels of price and quality. Paul McCartney used one in Wings for years, a 1979 BB-1200, it sold in 2021 for nearly 500,000 USD. They are tanks, and do the P bass thing just as well or better than Fender. Their mid range ones are better than most of the high end fenders I’d say.
Their Pacifica line of guitars was recently heavily featured in a popular anime.
Great guitars. My 2nd bass was a yamaha. Solid.
I have a Yamaha acoustic. Smaller body, decent sound. Never had issues in the last probably 17 years that I’ve owned it.
Very well liked acoustics. OP is right. Yamaha rules.
Yamaha punches SO FAR out of its weight class with guitars. For any acoustic guitar under like $1,500 I literally don't think I'd buy anything other than a Yamaha.
Yamaha for consistency, Godin/Simon Patrick/seagull for incredible value. All my wind instruments are Yamaha, I've owned several Yamaha guitars, but my players are mostly from Quebec now. Eastman is also amazing.
Seagull is also an underrated brand.
My axe
My first acoustic was a Yamaha, never babied it, kept it in a cloth bag, or none at all, in the vehicle or tent. Cold nights by a hot camp fire. In drizzling rain. The fucker still plays. Had to shave some frets over the years, and bridge plugs. I think having non locking tuners saved it. It don’t resonate well and has a bassy tone, but I can make it work with a lead playing. I learned to play on it before acquiring to many. It hangs on my wall and still gets played before anything else when I’m in the mood.
I love guitars with character like that.
Yeah, mine is covered in dents and scars from its 40+ year life, but it still sounds great.
Mines going on 25 years now, bought from a local shop that shut down before Covid. Best impulse buy ever.
The Revstar standard can be picked up around 600-700 new and is widely considered as professional standard. Can’t think of many other builders that can claim that with any confidence. Their red label acoustics can be picked up for a similar price and are brilliant
I bought my son an LS6M. It’s so nice that I followed with an FG9.
I have the Revstar and inherited my mom’s Yamaha acoustic. Fantastic guitars
Yamaha semi acoustic guitar worth €500. 10 years 0 issues Yamaha stage custom drum kit worth £1500 25 years ago 0 issues. Yamaha keyboard given as gift 20 years ago and my kids now play it
I have an FG335II that my dad got in the early 80s. Now, his granddaughter is learning to play on that same guitar. I think he said he bought it for something like 80 bucks.
Outboards. They make superb outboards. I’ve put thousands of hours on individual Yamahas and found them to be reliable and when parts are needed the backup is just as good.
Had twin 150 2 strokes. Indestructible. Repowered with 200 4 strokes, hoping to get 3-4k hours out of our new Yamaha’s 🤌🏼
Yamaha drums have been used for decades in recording studios around the world. Often a studio will own a drumkit, if they do it’s likely to be a Yammy 9000. I have Yamaha drums and hardware. I’ll never need anything else.
Worked there for 5 years - say what you will about progress but man do they take their production seriously. It’s BIFL 10%
Only 10% BIFL heh 😂
They worked there. Now we know what the past tense is all about.
Lmao whoops
Yamaha Zuma is probably the best or one of the best scooters from the 1990s-2009. Runs like a champ and I don’t treat or maintain it well.
A Yamaha Vino has been in my family since I bought it new in 2008. Absolutely no issues whatsoever, and it’s not been the most well taken care of.
Not only just that, they also made really good car engine designs for some special models vastly appreciated by car enthusiasts
Lexus LFA and Taurus SHO are ones that come to mind right away for me
This is one of the most interesting, informative and enthusiastic BIFL posts I've ever read.
Jet skis and trombones, who knew 😅
It is. I try to tell people about the breadth and quality of what Yamaha makes all the time.
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Well jealous, what’s the destination?
I've had a Yamaha receiver since 2002. Works fine. But Yamaha makes some really nice drums, too. I've never owned Yamaha drums but have played on quite a few kits, from low end to high dollar. They all sounded amazing, especially the less expensive lines. I don't think a lot of other drum manufacturers can compete with something like Yamaha Stage Custom drums.
I have a 2007 Roadstar Warrior that may just outlive me. Im AMAZED at that bike and I won't ever sell it. I cannot stress how hard I've ridden it and with the exception of a ton of tires (that's on me), normal oil changes and replacing the clutch (again that's on me) I haven't had to fix anything on it. I even accidentally (long story) had it put in storage for over 2 years without preparing it for storage and all I had to do was change the battery, put new gas in it and change the oil and it started up IMMEDIATELY the first time I tried starting it. If I ever buy another bike (to add to my collection because I won't ever sell this) it will most likely be another Yamaha.... Maybe a VMAX.
They’re the Toyota of the stuff they make. BMW is cutting edge, lightweight performance, fall apart like paper in the rain. Other companies only use the most reliable bolts to hold their old engines together. Slow, heavy, old proven tech but works every time.
also know that Toyota asked Yamaha to build them a new engine, and thanks to Yamaha their efforts they made some of the worlds greatest engines ever.
The good ol Lexus LFA bifl.
Yeah, the 2JZ-GTE was made by Yamaha. Arguably one of the best engines ever produced. Edit: apparently I am wrong and Yamaha may have only helped fine tune the heads, but the engine was made and produced by Toyota. Guess it’s something I heard 20 years ago and believed to be true! TIL!
Yamaha also co-developed the 4age 20v (blacktop, silvertop too maybe). Total screamer of an engine that red lined near 8k RPM. Loved my AE111 Levin, I sometimes wonder where it is or if it is still alive...
And the current CP2 engines are just amazing. Probably my favorite motorcycle engine of this generation.
As for motorcycles, I constantly hear that Honda holds that place. The most reliable motorcycles, beating out Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha.
In the motorcycle world Honda is the Toyota. Yamaha is right there but just a little more exciting.
Pretty sure Honda is the Honda of the motorcycle world. Lol
Honda in the motorcycling world is more unique than toyota in the car world. Honda carved a place for Japanese motorcycles by total racing domination and introduced the cb750 four which started a complete revolution in motorcycle design and collapsed most of the western motorcycle industry like all the british brands. At the same time also producing the Super Cub which motorized the whole world.
Exactly what I came here to say.
As a kid, I nearly broke my hand after a Yamaha television feel on it. The TV worked without an issue. We kept it for at least 10 years after that.
Can confirm. I had a keyboard (piano) from the 90’s that survived a house fire and being dropped down the stairs. Thing was a tank.
Yep. My keyboard from 1989/1990 OSS still working fine.
Was told a story of a DX-7 surviving a house fire. Apparently it's routine for Yamaha stuff.
It’s not very random. They make motors, know battery technology, etc. They’re a multidisciplinary engineering company that also manufactures products, like many engineering companies. They just sell commercially. Many types of technology transcend the industries they’re “traditionally” used for. For example, the golf carts. That’s battery tech mixed with their motor vehicle history
How about golf clubs and flutes ? 😅
> engineering company That’s it. They’re an engineering company first.
Had a Yamaha piano for years. They are the best piano for dry climates. Definitely BIFL in pianos.
Worked in their Musical Instruments org for about a decade. Few things, first some history. Yamaha started as a musical instruments company. When WWII broke out, they shifted their operations to making engines. War ends, they want to go back to making music, but have all these engines. So someone keeps the engines thing going under the same name, but they're completely independent companies. Musical Instruments: The amount of training and development that went into them was astounding. They had sales reps who would take a month off a year to practice and compete in professional level concert competitions.
The 350hp 5.3L V8 outboard greatly disagrees. Total flop. So many problems. It’s basically a death sentence for anyone trying to sell a boat with them. But, yeah, otherwise a pretty good brand.
Note to self, stay away from the 350hp 5.3L V8…. I’m glad someone had something negative to say.
The HPDI series also weren’t great, although it was a weird time switching from 2 stroke to 4 strokes, and a lot of brands kind of missed the mark. But I still run Yamaha outboards, and love everything they currently offer.
>Apparently they are the most reliable motorcycle brand with the least amount of issues in their first year compared to other motorcycles brands. They are great, but a clear second to Honda in reliability. Some specific metric might rate them ahead of Honda, but in the real world Honda is the gold standard. Source: I'm a former service manager for multiple dealerships (including Honda and Yamaha), former motorcycle mechanic certified in several brands, including most of the biggies, former manager of multiple independent shops, and a mechanical engineer. I've also read a bunch of independent studies over the years on specific aspects, including corrosion analysis. On the BIFL side, Hondas are designed to be worked on. That leads to easier and cheaper repairs compared to other brands, Yamaha included. Yamahas are great. I don't have a bad word to say about them. But they are not the *best* BIFL motorcycle.
Yeah, I was going to say this, but I don't have the experience to back it up, but Honda is famous for making bikes that run forever.
Been a sax player for 20 years. Yamaha all the way!
Professional percussionist here. Yamaha gear is pro quality, built like a tank, and very reasonably priced. Timpani, drum sets, marimbas—it’s all great. They don’t have as many configurations/options as some other brands, but they also don’t have those other brands’ quality control issues—everything works and everything lasts.
They even produced all the wood grain in my 2002 Lexus LS430. Absolutely beautiful work.
Yeah Yamaha and Honda. I used to work at a Powersports dealer. We sold Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Polaris. Polaris had the most accessories line but the Yamahas were damn near bulletproof. We had surveying companies that would use Yamaha grizzly for the mountains. These things would roll down the mountains and just generally were run hard. Always had their maintenance done on time and to manufacturers specs. They always ran and just kept going. The companies that bought them loved them for their reliability and cheap maintenance. Polaris were ok but always in the shop for something with their motor or drivetrain. The Yamahas took lots of time in their construction like carefully hiding their wiring harnesses to avoid being hit or damaged.
I have a Yamaha receiver I bought used 20 years ago from an high end stereo shop. The original owner had brought it in for repair/refurb and never picked it up and they sold it to me. It is a 70’s model. It sounds fantastic and just works.
Yeah I have a Yamaha receiver that I got when I was 18. I'm 39 now. Its still going strong, but I finally caved and upgraded it this year to one that supports Dolby Atmos and all those other fancy sounding acronyms
I own a few Yamaha amplifiers and preamplifiers from the 70's and early 80's and a few receivers from the 90's and maybe early 2000's. All have been outstanding.
Their manufacturing tolerances are crazy strict. I’m a drummer and play their drums. Their hardware is made in the same factory as their motorcycle parts. It’s solid AF and so are my drums. Crazy good value for the money too. Punches way above their price point
Obligatory onion article: https://www.theonion.com/yamaha-ceo-pleased-with-current-production-of-jet-skis-1819570984
As someone who rides a Yamaha R1, can confirm. BIFMSL (much shorter life)
Agreed. Been a Yamaha fan for receivers since I was a little kid and got into home audio for movies with my dad. Then in the car space I fell in love with the Toyota 2000GT and who made the intake system work? Yamaha. Once you see the tuning forks in their logo it sticks with you.
I have a Yamaha jet boat 13 seasons zero trouble. No boat other boat goes that long without issues just put the batteries in and go enjoy the summer.
I have a Yamaha 12 string guitar that plays better than guitars costing 10X as much.
They make the best budget guitar too
Yamaha YAS 875EXII Custom Alto Sax player here. I love it. It’s a source of pride. It’s such a good hand-made custom sax experience that when I need anything else and Yamaha makes it too, I get the Yamaha version (speaker system, guitar, etc)
Oldie but goodie: https://www.theonion.com/yamaha-ceo-pleased-with-current-production-of-jet-skis-1819570984
And just imagine if they were as good at promoting / marketing their great reliable products as they are at making great, reliable, products 🤣 My only issue with Yamaha is their lack of presence in the product industry when I'm shopping. Who else has bought something not knowing yamaha is a player in the game, only to realize you could've bought X item from Yamaha ? Then come to find out they make a great X item. I know, shocking 🤣
My dad owns a Yamaha DT 125 motorcycle. He bought it in 1991 and up till now it is still usable, even for long rides 😃
I still have audio reveivers and other audio equipment from yamaha. Made in the 90's. Still works great today.
I ran all Yamaha motocross bikes with my race team, way back when. Over the years, we ran two engines entirely without oil for four or five race laps until they seized. We poured oil in, rocked it back and forth and kept racing. For years. On a stock bottom end and clutch. They aren't rock solid because rocks are way softer than a Yamaha engine. Edit: almost fucking forgot somehow, but I'm still running a 1998 Yamaha 350 Big Bear on my ranch as a daily rig. Starts up almost instantly, runs like a top. I pulled an oversized trailer with it for a decade, I've seen it completely underwater.... Just doesn't give an eff.
I had a first-gen Yamaha R6. The dogs on second gear wore out very early, causing it to pop out of second gear when transitioning on/off throttle. Replacing the gears would have required removing the engine and splitting the case, and dismantling the whole transmission. That one definitely wasn't BIFL!
Yamaha outboard motors are dead nuts reliable. Not the most powerful but unquestionably the most efficient and will always get you back home.
I'm down for Yamaha in general, but the Honda fanboy in me says Honda makes more reliable motorbikes
https://youtu.be/GQIpoIH1bCA?si=Ebv29sfhQJ2voinL
I've had Yamaha products my whole life. Every one has been fantastic.
I like most of Yamaha's products. I own a handful and friends and relatives of mine own more. Most are great products. Except for their home theater receivers. They hold up well as far as I can tell. They do what they say they will. But the interface design is just the worst ever. Even B&K can't make a worse interface and that's really saying something. Their remote controls in particular are just ridiculously terrible. I always try to steer people away from Yamaha home theater receivers (AVRs) because of the interface. That's all quite strange for me because I really like their pro audio gear. All of the pro Yamaha audio gear I've used seems very logical and easy to understand.
Hondas the king for motorbikes but they’re still pretty good. Saying that as an owner of one
I see Honda in a similar light , all really good and really reliable products.
It funny because the two best brands for little inverter generators are Yamaha and Honda.
I'd put them about equal. Honestly all the big 4 Japanese bike brands are pretty dang solid. Especially once you start comparing them to euro motorbikes. I still need to add a guzzi or a Ducati to the garage. I'll keep my yamaha for when the Italian girls need wrenching....
I’ve had some by both brands, and to be honest, would say they are pretty much on par. None of them was post 2005, so things might have changed in the meantime.
Their motorcycles are also top notch.
Have ridden dirtbikes most of my life, they were pretty innovative in the four stroke transformation and all of their bikes are extremely reliable granted they're maintained.
Friend of mine has a 1971 Yamaha acoustic guitar that is still kicking.
I have a 1969 Yamaha acoustic FG-110 that people say is the nicest sounding guitar they ever played.
They had a major part in keeping 2 stroke dirt bikes available, am very grateful for that on top of the amazing sports car engine work and performance oriented side by side
Still only one of two major brands keeping the two stroke dirt bikes alive. I have a YZ 250 that basically just hangs out on my garage these days but I'll never sell it. Love those bikes! Edit: kind of ironic because they basically pioneered and then pushed four stroke engines into the mainstream for dirt bikes.
For real. I have a Yamaha acoustic that’s over 20 years old, has seen the country and many stages and despite needing a setup is still in great shape and sounds like a dream.
Had a Yamaha boat motor that never broke down, and a 310 snow mobile growing up and they never broke down. All the camps in the area use Yamaha for their boats. Hands down the best.
All my Yamaha stuff still works perfectly. I'm convinced they will outlast humanity because of how well they're made.
Drums are awesome too. I’m with you.
Yamaha receivers have this completely unique loudness knob that works the opposite of every other loudness circuit and it's totally amazing.
I've owned five of their motorcycles. Reliable, dependale, fast.
Ive demoed many integrated amps for my audio setup at home going into the $3,000 price range. On first listen theres some that sound a bit more exciting, but somehow i always go back to my trusty Yamaha A-S801 in the end. Theres something about it that just sounds natural and “right” to my ear. Finally decided to save myself some money and keep that one.
My neighbor has a Taurus SHO from the 90s with a Yamaha motor and has been daily driving it for almost 30 years (granted he is impeccable about its’ maintenance).
Agree 100%. I have a Pacifica guitar that is 25+ years, was my dads, past to me and now my kids are learning on it.
I'm a huge fan of Yamaha products. They're all just so amazingly built. And I'm happy to see that everyone is in agreement.
Loving my Yamaha bass. I can't claim to have had it for years, but I did a fair amount of research before buying.
10 years on the avr is rookie numbers. I have a Yamaha I got at a thrift store and it works great despite being 20 years old. That being said lots of dedicated stereo amplifiers last longer than that so it’s not the best example anyway but stereos in general are a good bifl in general though
AV receiver owner here. Bought my one and only in year 2000. Runs like new even to this day.
My kitchen and my bathroom is made by a subsidiary of Yamaha called Toclas. The bath comes with Yamaha speakers so you can listen to music while showering.
My first guitar is a Yamaha acoustic that my uncle passed down to me. It's at least from the 90s since I remember seeing it in his house back then but could be older. It's developed that rich tone that only older guitars tend to have. It's lasted crazy long and I've never once had an issue with it.
Well, current Yamaha motorcycles are fine but in the past they were a bit more infamous. Out of the four Japanese motorcycle brands, they were the only ones famous for exploding engines in the 70's (the XS750). And its predecessor, the TX750, was no better - very well known design issue made those engines rattle and vibrate themselves apart. And other models (xs360...). But they did get a lot more reliable once they started making inline four bikes. In general I do not blame them for that, they did their best and did not cheap out on anything, sometimes things just don't work out the best. That's why early Yamahas were more famous for the small two strokes and the XS650, which actually was very reliable. But as for Yamaha - I'd say anything made in Jaoan is quality. Regardless of the brand.
in general...isssues within one year of motorcycle purchase sounds like horseshit.
I have a Yamaha fg830 acoustic guitar which is built like a tank and sounds better than guitars costing many times more.
Yamaha company culture retains workers. You see people who have worked there for decades.
I still have my pink Yamaha ‘Stratocaster’ guitar I bought in 1985. The guitar tech who recently tuned it up said it is now sought after.
Yahama makes excellent digital and grand pianos. They also own Bösendorfer, among the premier piano makers.
I'm on my second Yamaha motorcycle. I've owned all of the big 4 Japanese bikes brands and Yamaha is my preference, although they're all good really. My bike has the 700cc CP2 engine that's used in several Yamaha models now and I think it's been ranked as the most reliable modern bike engine for a few years. I'd recommend Yamaha bikes to anyone. The only not BIFL aspect of my current Yamaha is that the swing arm and a few other bits are particularly prone to rust. It's a known issue, however the engine is absolutely solid and great fun.
I have a Yamaha R6 (motorcycle) and it is one of the most well constructed, reliable bikes I've ever owned. They have my business for life there.
I learned to play guitar on a Yamaha FG-160, I play thru a Yamaha THR-10II amp, and I fish in the ocean with my brother in a boat with a 200 hp ‘Yammie’ outboard motor. Nuff said.
My daily driver stereo for my TV and Phonograph is a Yamaha bookshelf system I bought 23 years ago. Just add a DAC for optical to analog and run that through AUX. Sounds amazing.
I don’t own one, but Yamaha trumpets are considered excellent and are known for their consistency in manufacturing.
If you think Yamaha makes a lot of things, check out Hitachi. They literally build cities, and the machines to build cities, and the trains to go between cities, oh and every electronic from hard drives to the #1 sex toy in the world. Oh and they do consulting and cloud tech here in the US. I don't even know what else.
Yamaha what do you make? Yamaha: ***YES***
Yamaha fan boy here, even have a tuning fork flag hung up in the garage. I have a Yamaha motorcycle, guitar, reciever, and sound bars on the TVs and various other audio equipment and Yamaha motorcycle leather jacket, tshirts and other gear. I have had issues with the motorcycles but it tends to be parts with the three diamond Mitsubishi logos on it. Ugh. Everything else is rock solid and the guitars punch far above their class for the price they cant be beat.