Yamaha GL1 Guitalele, Natural, Baritone

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!

I've been playing this little gem for a week now as a replacement for my full size acoustic that is in dire need of a neck reset. It sits next to my office chair where I can pick it up and play any time. So far it has done a pretty good job of staying in tune with only the usual nylon string settling in. Tone is interesting with a neat, plucky sound and, being tuned to A, it shares the same finger positions on the 4 treble strings as a ukulele. In fact, it is a good sounding baritone ukulele but could be a little bit challenging for some due to closer string spacing compared to a uke. Action is fine and I am in no hurry to change the setup. factory strings seem OK and i will play on them until they wear out. Yamaha states that low or standard tension classical strings can be used and Savarez, D'Addario and DR are recommended brands. No need for special guilele strings. The finish is very satin and may not be pleasing for those that enjoy glossy guitars though i think it's OK and seems tough enough. My GL1 came with a small blemish in the wood on the back which is an imperfection in the wood itself and not the finish. I would take 1/2 a star for the blemish but quality control is overall pretty good and the fret ends aren't noticeably sharp. I would not recommend this instrument for beginners due to the short fret spacing and slightly more difficult fingering for some chords. A 1/2 or 3/4 scale classical or steel string guitar will be a better choice for learning the fundamentals and will have more volume for performances later on when the player gains confidence. Who is this instrument for? number one, it's for me. I have been playing guitar for decades and have a soft spot for small bodied instruments and recently started playing my wife's ukulele due to my guitar being down for the count. Ukulele players might enjoy this instrument as a way to cross over to six string though the string spacing will take some getting used to. Guitar players who want a sturdy travel guitar will be well served by this instrument but will have to make peace with transposing everything up a fourth. Some players have used high tension strings to allow for standard guitar tuning. I'm not sure I will do so as I like the sound as it is and also play ukulele music. Overall I think the Yamaha GL-1 is a reasonable value for the money and I'm very happy with it so far.

This guitalele is awesome! My son bought the first one in the family and I liked it so much that I ordered one. It has been a big hit on my YouTube channel @chambwp! The quality is through the roof and it is so much fun to play! Although smaller, it plays just like a guitar although it is tuned to a higher pitch (5th string is actually an A above an E), which makes it a very happy sounding instrument. Chord structures are the same as a guitar, but the chord names are different. In other words, a C chord pattern on a guitar is actually a G chord on the guitalele!

I'm a 6-string (steel) acoustic fingerstyle/jazz player who was looking to goof around with something small and inexpensive. Wanted to leave a review for the like-minded, or everyone who actually wants to try digging some arpeggios and modes into one of these little things and playing some standards and fingerstyle tunes on a park bench or lawn chair. I've owned some nice instruments and play for hours a day, so the GL1 isn't my first rodeo. First of all, the build quality is great. Importantly, the tuners are rock solid. Period. Intonation was surprisingly accurate for a $100 instrument - just a tiny, tiny bit sharp at the twelfth fret harmonic, but not noticeable when chording or playing melodies. The frets are perfect - no rough edges (see pictures). The instrument sounds clear and warm and lively. The strings it came with were fine - not rusty or anything - nice and shiny and obviously brand new. The action out of the box (as pictures show) was pretty high. This is not a criticism of Yamaha or the shipper or anything - one usually has to set up one's own instruments. I'm not great at it, but I know the basics. I took the saddle out and sanded it way down and used some small files on the nut and now it's great. No problem. If you get one and want to do more than gripping open chords, plan on an easy half an hour of set up. Seriously - easy. The more serious concern (and reason this is 4/5) is the idiosyncratic nut width and neck. The string spacing on this neck will feel too choked for classical players. And the neck width will feel too wide for steel string players. One of my photos shows the GL1 (bottom, 1 7/8" nut width) with a Martin OMC (top, 1 3/4" nut width). Take a look at that picture and notice how much closer the highest and lowest strings on the Martin (top) are to the fretboard edges than the highest and lowest strings on the GL1 (bottom). The GL1's 1 7/8" nut width is neither the 2" width familiar to classical players, nor the 1 11/16" familiar to steel string players. It's a compromise. At first glance, that compromise makes sense - I mean Yamaha is trying to draw both classical and steel string players to this fun little instrument. However, if you look at my picture closely, you can see that the GL1's neck has big, fat open areas between the highest and lowest strings and the edges of the fretboard. While the internal string spacing is quite narrow, and narrower than strings on, say, a Stratocaster (thus cramped indeed for classical players), the broadness of the fingerboard is hard on us steel string players (see my picture of trying to play a wraparound FM7 chord and running into that broad open channel of wood between the lower neck edge and #6 string). Other than the unusual nut width and string spacing, though, the neck feels fine - as I said the intonation is crisp and accurate, the frets smooth, and everything works as intended. I may be more persnickety about nut width and string spacing than some, but I wish these manufacturers would just say "Guitalele with Classical Neck Spacing" or "Guitalele with Dreadnought Neck Spacing" instead of building a fingerboard that will feel unfamiliar to any guitar player, regardless of their customary instrument. But it's also fair to say that this is just a new instrument, and manufacturers should do what they want! Two other minor things. The gig bag is (predictably) pretty minimalist - it actually doesn't unzip all the way around - just at the very bottom, so you have to slide the instrument in and out like a sword in a scabbard. Anyway, it's an inexpensive gig bag, no padding nor backpack straps - no big surprises, and fine for what it is. The other is that if you're not used to playing Uke/Mando family instruments, I would order a strap button when you get this thing, screw it into the base, and play with a strap from the outset (using a shoestring up at the peghead). Reason being, instruments like this just constantly rotate counterclockwise and it's nice to be able to strap one on, lean back, and play comfortably. Anyway, it's late 2019 and Yamaha has this thing dialed, I think. Nothing intrinsic to the GL1 to stop you from ripping out sixteenth note arpeggios, thumping out some thumbstyle ragtime or laying down some jazz chords - you'll just need to set it up a bit and be ready for an unorthodox neck.

This little Guitalele is great! Great tone, super fun to play, tunes great, may sound odd but the wood smells so good, looks beautiful, for the money it can’t be beat! Arrived in perfect condition and well packaged.

Mahalo used to make a similar product for less than half the price, so this guy seems a little overpriced to me – but since the Mahalo seems to be discontinued, there's no real competitor, and this hardly breaks the bank. It has entirely acceptable playability, sound, intontation, etc. I especially like to play it like a mandolin, flat-picking single lines, but of course it can play full-chord accompaniments, sounding just like a ukulele but lower. Travels fine, though one thing to note about the classic camp-singalong use is that the nylon strings are suuuuuper sensitive to temperature changes, so it's a bit frustrating playing it outdoors in chilly air next to a hot campfire – you might need to invest in a steel-string alternative if you can't abide that. You *can* tune it to standard guitar tuning (E2, A2, D3, ...), which is useful if you want to use it for, say, composing on the go and not get confused about which key you're in – but down there the strings sound like garbage and don't stay in tune. The recommended tuning is up a 4th, which I find a bit high, since you can't even play G2 (de facto a lot of things you play on guitars tend to be in keys like G, D, C ...). One solution is to use the recommended tuning but with "drop G" (lowest string = G2), which sounds fine. But you also can just tune the whole thing a major 3rd higher than a guitar (major 2nd lower than the recommended tuning), rather than a 4th (so: G2, C3, F3 ....) which IMHO sounds just as good and stays in tune just as well. (I just personally keep getting confused by the mental arithmetic that requires – what you expect to be a G major chord is actually Bb major ... etc.)

I've been playing, and writing music since 1984. I play a myriad of instruments and currently, I write and record commercially licensed music under BMI, Inc. My Wife bought this instrument for me for a holiday gift, but I wanted to check it out before it gets wrapped.. just in case of damage. I am glad that I did. I also know how to setup and do maintenance on both electronic and acoustic instruments. The good things about this instrument: This instrument sounds really good, as it seems to be structurally sound. I do not see any cracks in the body or missing glue around the neck joint. The strings are nice wrapped around to tuning pags. The open faced tuners and gears seem to be of a higher quality than others that I have seen. The bad things about this instrument: The bridge saddle is WAY too high. I have no issues in regards to setting up a bridge saddle, but I expected Yamaha to be a "bit more" on the quality control side of things and at least have the saddle to a more "normal" height. The fretboard and body of this instrument was "very" dry. I used some Music Nomad f-one oil on the fretboard and some of the body as it needed it "badly". The thing that was VERY surprising to me, is there were run-offs / rough spots in the back and sides of the instrument. For a more inexpensive instrument from a no-name company.. I could see that. .but for the price and the Yamaha name.. again.. VERY SURPRISING. I'm also having some issues in regards to getting a partial from Amazon for some reason, but I have amplified that further up the chain on the Amazon side. Other things to think about: I was able to tune this to a standard guitar tuning, that is very possible. The neck is "wide" just like a classical guitar. A lot of people think this is a hybrid instrument of an acoustic guitar and a baritone ukulele. It's really a cross between an Classical Guitar and a baritone ukulele. Conclusion: I am sure that I will have a really awesome time opening this on Christmas day and setting up the saddle on the bridge. And I can probably buff out the rough spots in the finish.. but buying this really changed my mind in regards to Yamaha quality control. UPDATE: I was able to take off a lot of material from the saddle, and lowered the strings, so the playability is better, but I still am a bit suprised in regards to the rough spots in the finish. The instrument should be priced in the $50.00 USD mark. Other than that, it does make a nice portable instrument in regards to classical guitar or baritone ukulele. - Tom

This little guy is so much fun! I love playing the ukulele, but sometimes it can be a little frustrating. With only four strings, uke chords often end up in awkward inversions, having a chord tone other than the tonic as the lowest note. By adding two strings to the bass side, you can always have the inversion you want. For uke players the chords will be a little more complex with two additional strings to deal with. Also, in strumming the "uke sound" you'll need to get the hang of not hitting the bottom two strings. But it's all worth the effort and makes for a more "musically complete" sound. For uke players aspiring to play guitar, this is a great bridge. I think guitarists will find it fun as well. The chords are all familiar but will sound a fourth up. Guitarists who are familiar with using a capo won't have any problem with this. Videos online show how to restring the instrument so it can play down in guitar range, but I think it's more fun as a "super uke!" I like the sunburst style and mahogany back and sides. It has a nice, warm uke-y tone. I'm glad I got it!

Jag är väldigt nöjd!

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.

Excelente producto, lo recomiendo, buen sonido y cómodo.

Edición de reseña casi un año después: Sigo encantada con él. Descubrí al poco de empezar a aprender que era zurda para tocar guitarra (soy ambidiestra). Lo llevé a un luthier para que le cambiase la posición de los huesos donde van apoyadas las cuerdas. Casi me costó lo mismo que el guitalele, pero mereció la pena. Cuando le dije que era primeriza y que cuando había cogido antes una guitarra de algún amigo me dolían los dedos, también limó los huesos para que las cuerdas estuvieran más bajas. Si ya era blando de tocar, ahora es que ni me entero. Para empezar a hacer callo sin desanimarse, me parece perfecto. Y gastarme en total (entre cuerdas, funda nueva, servicio de luthier y el guitalele en sí) unos 200€ me parece razonable para un hobby en el que no te quieres dejar una barbaridad de dinero porque sabes que no vas a dedicarle una atención y una devoción inmensa. Cuando pueda, compraré una guitarra de más calidad y mayor tamaño. Pero esperaré a tener (dinero y) un repertorio de canciones que le pueda sacar partido. Para las aspiraciones que tengo ahora, sólo se me queda pequeño si son canciones que usan cejilla en cuarto traste en adelante. Porque la verdad es que está todo tan junto, que cuesta. Pero como hay tantísimas canciones, evito esas y ya está. He aprendido sobre todo canciones de Taylor Swift. Con cuerdas rojas de aquila diseñadas para guitalele que puedes afinar como guitarra en e-a-d-G-B-E, me suena francamente bien. Y los dedos agradecen que las más finas sean de nailon. Me está gustando mucho aprender, aunque no tengo una constancia tremenda. Tan pronto me engancho 3 días seguidos como estoy 2 semanas sin tocarlo. Apenas pierde afinación, a veces nada. Y al ser pequeño, no me da pereza sacarlo de la funda y ponerme. El tenerlo en una esquina de la habitación me recuerda que está ahí. Comprado 19/08/2022, Primera impresión: Para empezar, decir que no tengo ni pajotera idea de instrumentos de cuerda. Con 16 años (tengo 36) iba con amigos al parque, se llevaban la guitarra y me enseñaron algún punteo y algún acorde, pero nada más. Piano sí he tocado varios años, tengo sentido del ritmo y confío en que con paciencia, tiempo, tutoriales de YouTube y muchas ganas, podré sacar algunas canciones que me gustan con el guitalele. Lo primero que quiero sacar de dudas a quien se plantee comprarlo es el color. He visto fotos que van desde marrones tan oscuros que los bordes parecen negros, a rojo que parece la bandera de España con lo de dentro tirando a amarillo. Aclarar que es mucho más rojizo que marrón. Lo más oscuro del degradado diría que un vino burdeos. El borde sí es negro, negro. Y la zona de los trastes sí tira más a un marrón chocolate 90% cacao. En las fotos he intentado que se vea lo más fiel posible. ¿Qué me gusta? -Me gusta no, me encanta lo blandito que es. Abandoné la idea de aprender guitarra cuando me machaca los dedos con las cuerdas de la acústica de mis padres. Pero el guitalele tiene una pulsación tremendamente blandita, no pesa nada sujetarlo y lo encuentro súper cómodo. Las posiciones de los dedos también las veo más cómodas porque no hay que alargarlos tanto para conseguir algunos acordes, pero sí veo necesario tenerlos finos. -Ha sido relativamente fácil de afinar (para alguien que es la primera vez que afina un instrumento, 10 minutos) con un vídeo de Youtube y una app con el móvil, aunque se supone que un afinador de pinza que me llega esta tarde lo va a hacer más preciso y fácil. ¿Qué no me gusta? -No he tocado la guitarra, pero sí he tenido varias en mis manos. No me gusta la calidad de las terminaciones. Todas las que he cogido han sido con barniz. Ya digo que no soy nada experta, pero supongo que han dejado la madera más al aire para que vibre más, respire más y produzca un sonido más rico y fuerte. Confío en los conocimientos de Yamaha y que si lo han hecho así, es por algo. Pero me dan ganas de coger un spray de barniz y darle un par de manos, porque da una impresión tremendamente frágil por el poco peso que tiene y el acabado mencionado de su superficie. En una foto de la parte de atrás es donde mejor se puede apreciar, parece un contrachapado súper rústico que le han enseñado el barniz, nada de haberle dado una buena capa. No sé la voy a dar, aunque me nace protegerlo, sobre todo si pienso en llevarlo de viaje. Pero no lo voy a hacer, porque temo que pierda calidad en el sonido. Me gustaría saber (lo preguntaré) si es bueno darle algún líquido de restauración que he visto para mantenerlo (nomad?). Se mancha con mirarlo a nada que no te hayas lavado las manos, aunque luego con un trapo se quita, así que eso demuestra que algo de barniz lleva. Lo malo es el poco cuidado que han puesto a la hora de pintarlo. Tiene una mariquita, muy leve, pero que si pasas la mano se nota y si sabes que está ahí, no puedes evitar que se te vaya la vista, de lo típico que has dejado secando y se ha caído una mota de polvo. También un refregón de que debió de salir mal algo de la pintura y se nota que está apañado en vez de vuelto a lijar bien o cambiada la pieza. Por el precio estos errores serían perdonables. Pero sí es verdad que donde termina el traste en la boca hay una zona importante donde no ha llegado la pintura. Eso sí me parece más grave para una marca que se supone garantiza una calidad. No lo devuelvo porque me pueden las ganas de empezar a aprender y que tenga un defecto (o varios) prefiero verlo como algo que le da personalidad, aunque haya sido un fallo del fabricante. -La bolsa, como han dicho muchos más antes que yo, es para meterle una buena modificación si eres manitas o de tente mientras cobro y compro otra. Seguramente me espere al black Friday y coja algo decente. De momento no añado nada más. No me arrepiento de comprarlo, así de primera impresión. A oído poco entrenado me gusta cómo suena. He pedido cuerdas para cambiar la afinación a guitarra, pero voy a intentar tocar como guitalele a ver si me gusta más y ya me decido. Lo recomiendo para alguien que no haya llegado a profundizar en el aprendizaje de guitarra, que haya tirado la toalla.

Bereits meine 2. Yamaha - Guitalele, da ich meine alte vor vielen Jahren mal verschenkt habe. Super zum Reisen, sie hat trotz der geringen Größe einen schön warmen Klang. Tasche auch gleich dabei. Meine Tochter (7) beginnt nun auch mit ihr zu spielen.