Yamaha FG-401B

The Yamaha FG-401B is an orange-label dreadnought built in Japan by Nippon Gakki from 1978 to 1980, with an Ezo spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, and a nato neck. Produced primarily for the Japanese domestic market, it represents a higher-tier model within Yamaha's FG series. Buyers dating their instrument should know that two label eras overlap the production window: the orange label, used on Japanese-made FGs from 1974 to 1985, and the white oval label, used on Taiwanese-made examples from 1977 to 2001. The FG-401B itself was made in Japan and carries the orange label. The rosewood back and sides give it a clearer, more articulate response than the mahogany-backed orange-label FGs of the same era, with the kind of warmth the late-seventies Japanese FG line is known for. The model saw no US distribution, making surviving examples in North America less common than their domestic-market counterparts. No players have been documented in association with this model.

Years produced

1978–1980

Body type

6 String Jumbo

Top

Spruce, Ezo

Back & sides

Rosewood, Indian

Neck

Nato

Fingerboard

Rosewood, Indian

Colors

natural

Current market

$299–$565 (14 listings)

No US Distribution