Yamaha GL-1 guitalele review

A short review of the GL-1, six string ukelele by Yamaha.

[@janecroucher]

My 2023 New Year's Resolution has been to learn to guitar, so I have just ordered on of these off Amazon so that I can carry it around with me wherever I go. Great review, thank you very much! I look forward to watching your other videos.

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Good choice Jane.

[@monikaedith]

I just ordered one of these and have been looking at reviews of it since yesterday. Yours is clearly the best! Love the dedication!

[@lukki7ster]

I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS!! YOU ARE FUN TO WATCH!

[@angusmiller574]

John you're a legend! I love that you pulled that face at the end

[@kenmoon2331]

As usual John is very informative and very entertaining at the same time!

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@tandbiscuits8090]

What a nice down to earth guy :)

[@dzigavertov392]

This was fantastic! Not only was this more informative than any of the other reviews I've seen, it was by far the most entertaining too. Thanks.

[@RobbinMed2B]

This was perfect! Thanks for this and keep up the good work!

[@stoutlager6325]

Just bought one of these sort of on a whim. For 100 bucks I'm entirely satisfied. Build quality is quite acceptable. I expected to have to file the fret ends at the very least but they were all fine out of the box. Nice job Yamaha.

[@stevekdickinson]

A very enjoyable and informative review. Thank you.

[@MrDouglasSawyer]

Best ending ever.

[@lau_dhondt]

Thanks John! Helpful review!

[@pozzimusica]

Thanks for this great demo of the Guitalele !! I wondered if I was silly to be so smitten with it, but now I know it's okay to love it. I just ordered one from Elderly Instrument's.

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

My lele seems to have followed my granddaughter home. Oh well..

[@mcgingerson5223]

I bought one of these because of this review. Brilliant little thing.

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Ah if only I was on commission!

[@Alexander-vm2ox]

Loved this video

[@jerryfrancis3117]

Awesome review. Thanks......

[@russellmcilhinny6663]

John I have been wondering whether to get a uke or one of these,after watching this will buy the Yamaha, video really helpful good honest review cheer's mate

[@Petermusic065]

well done sir ! very helpfull

[@luc5798]

Just another little comment to say that the strings I currently have on my Yamaha GL1, the Aquila Sugar 157C Extra (Flamenco), are the best I've used so far. Never had a better sound and so much power with this little instrument, while being able to tune it in G, my favorite key for the guitalele. (These are very high tension strings, I would not tune them higher for fear that they would break…)

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Interesting.

[@ilannknochen]

very nice review

[@kinetoscopes]

Lol. The ending is great. Thanks for the posting, think ill get one now.

[@maria_manias]

Best review :)

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Glad you liked it Maria.

[@erutku]

love it. thanks!

[@josephstreppone9814]

Great video

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Thanks Joseph.

Muito bom.

[@gshargrave2140]

An informative and enjoyable video, sir. I'm using D'Addario EJ45 Pro-Arte Normal Tension Classical Guitar Strings on my own GL-1. I like the tone of your instrument. May I ask what strings you're using?

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Great minds do indeed think alike, these are the very strings that I use. That said my granddaughter ran off with it about 6 months ago so how many strings it still has on it is anyone's guess.

[@31leoceara]

I wonder how it will sound with high tension Pro-Arté strings and tuned one or two semitones lower.

[@gshargrave2140]

@@31leocearaThe GL-1 is sturdy but lightly-constructed to maximize resonance. I'm uncertain how well it would handle the increased tension. The D'Addario EJ45 set are actually a bit heavier than what came with it from the factory. I've dropped the EJ45 set to standard EADGBE before. The instrument loses its singing voice.

[@RodolfoFelici]

Could I ask you what music you started to play on the guitalele? Bach? Some traditional Irish song? Thanks!

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

The first bits of playing are improvised but at 2:30 I play, 'Green Sleeves,' written by none other than King Henry VIII of England.

[@nevis6747]

👍👍👍👍

[@marmac567]

I have one, pretty good.. But in the sales literature it says,,, made from selected tonewoods... spruce top.. Well, if you look close at soundhole you can clearly see the 3 plys... The spruce veneer is paper thin.. Im surprised if they dont have lots of comebacks over this.. But, it does sound ok for the pricepoint

[@clawhammer704]

John if I please ask of you to show the couple of strums you just did on this video. It would be a great lesson for some of us rookies. Thank you.

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

My video, 'Strumming Styles,' should help. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWPGiHhrdr2Vjtk

[@luc5798]

Great review! Love your vidéos! 😉 I bought a small Yamaha GL1 again yesterday! Sunburst version, it's superb. It's not my first one, as I gave one away, and I bought another one in a hurry, that was not so good... Yes be careful, these little guitaleles are great, but not always... You have to inspect the instrument and try it first! Some are very well made and sound good, and others have defects and have intonation problems... The one I bought yesterday is just perfect (even the inside is better made than the one I had before...) I’m surprised when you say «the nut is very confortable, no adjustement required», because I think the head nut is too narrow, and I wonder why Yamaha made such a choice with a good 47,5mm neck at the first fret! Are you sure your head nut has not been changed? The distance between the lowest and the highest string is only 38mm, making the instrument quite difficult to play, while there is plenty of space on each side! I replaced the too narrow nut with one I took from a 7/8th guitar, and now the distance between the 2 E strings at the first fret is 41.5mm. Much better! And there is still 2 and 3mm on each side, so no problem. Really I think yamaha should do something about it and provide a better nut… What I also did is to lower the action by 1mm, by sanding the bottom saddle. Of course all these modifications did not affect the intonation of the guitar, still perfect on all strings from the first to the twelfth fret. And frankly, this modifications make a big difference on the playability of the instrument! I played for a while on a Cordoba GP100 which is not bad at all, some would say better made, but the neck a little bit thinner is why I came back to Yamaha… As far as strings are concerned, I am currently using Savarez alliance corum high tension strings. These fluorocarbon strings are thinner than nylons, which makes them very suitable for guitalele. With these high tension strings I tune it in G or G# instead of A, which I prefer. Edit: Today I really like Aquila 96C Nylgut strings on this instrument, and I tune it in G#...

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Hi Luc, Like yourself I have had more than one of these but with 7 grandchildren I seem unable to keep one for myself. Instruments tend to be built in batches and not always by the same factory so paint jobs, parts and workmanship can all vary. Years ago i went into the storeroom to get a replacement for a Yamaha FG I had just sold and discovered that the new one had Yamaha on the head stock but Takamine on the scratch plate!

[@luc5798]

@@JohnCouplandguitar "Like yourself I have had more than one of these butwith 7 grandchildren I seem unable to keep one for myself" You are a lucky man! 😉 And I'm sure they are very happy to have you as a grandfather!

[@IDoNothingOK]

Whats that tune you're playing, it sounds really nice

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

After I say 'Elizabethan pop,' I play Green sleeves, which is thought to have been written by the English king Henry VIII. Anything else in the video was just improvised.

[@IDoNothingOK]

Hmmm. Thanks, I like your improvisation then

[@pietrofrancescobenso474]

superb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@kevinturvey8213]

gruts for tea!

[@pelinyilmaz8101]

good

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Thanks.

[@Pmjs]

I saw the Yamaha GL1 in Red Dog. I didn't like the Satin Finish.

[@bruceanable7739]

Does it have the same tuning as a guitar or ukulele

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

The tuning is like a guitar with a capo on the 5th fret. A D G C E A.

[@jw5945]

hi:) what colour is this? thanks

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

It is persimon brown.

[@TomTomTomTom538]

But how do you tune it with a clip on tuner

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

You still have most of the notes on a standard tuner, they are just in different octaves and places. Tuners respond to their set note on any octave so the only string that cannot be tuned open is the C (2nd string) but if you fret it on the 2nd fret then you can use the tuner's D setting.

[@TomTomTomTom538]

@@JohnCouplandguitar thanks, very helpful

[@vaynonet]

Is this guitar suitable for a 7 year old child?

[@JohnCouplandguitar]

Yes it is a good size for a child. If you are getting guitar lessons, the teacher will need to put a capo on their own guitar at the 5th fret so that the two instruments sound the same. This should not be a problem.

[@vaynonet]

@@JohnCouplandguitar Thanks for the answer