Commonly sourced from Canada and Alaska, solid Sitka spruce offers a rich midrange and low-frequency response. The sound is tight and focused, working particularly well for chordal strumming or rhythmic finger-style performance.Mahogany has a slower transient response than many other tonewoods, contributing to a warm and woody tone with strong midrange.Ebony is a stronger and more durable material than rosewood. Our Japanese-made FG5/FGX5 and FS5/FSX5 models also feature ebony bridge pins and a bone nut and saddle. Bone is a harder material than urea, providing a more efficient transfer of energy from the strings to the neck and body. The result is a louder and clearer sound.

ARE: Acoustic Resonance Enhancement

Our proprietary and exclusive Acoustic Resonance Enhancement ('ARE') treatment uses a carefully-controlled environment where heat, humidity and atmospheric pressure are altered to accelerate the natural ageing of the tonewood, removing imperfections and unwanted moisture in a process which would literally take years otherwise. ARE gives an instrument a rich, vintage-quality tone, producing a sound as if you've been playing it for years.

Classic FG Body

We were the first Japanese guitar maker to develop an original body shape instead of simply copying previous designs. The differences are subtle (measured with millimetre precision) but the slightly wider body contributes to the warm FG sound that players have loved for generations. A semi-gloss finish application further evokes a vintage look and feel.

New Bracing Patterns

In defining the sound of FG Red Label, our intention was to offer a warm tone which would be perfect for modern folk music and singer-songwriters. We started with the scalloped bracing design from the FG-180 50th anniversary reissue. With careful measurement and experimentation, we made several refinements that would enhance low-frequency response without compromising durability.

These changes are optimised for the natural characteristics of the tonewoods, and for each body silhouette. The resulting tone is full and powerful, both acoustically and through the Atmosfeel pickup & preamp system.

Atmosfeel Pickup System

The Atmosfeel 3-way pickup & preamp system uses a piezo sensor in the bridge to capture low frequencies, a microphone for low and mid range and our proprietary contact sensor pickup for high frequencies. The result is a full, natural sound with simple controls which make it easy to get a great plugged-in tone.

With the Microphone Blend control fully clockwise, the signal is approximately 50% mic and 50% the combination of the piezo and contact sensor. When fully counterclockwise, the mic is removed from the signal.

The microphone sound particularly compliments solo performers and chordal players, while a lower blend may be preferred by finger-style players and guitarists who need to cut through the sound of a full band.

The Bass knob controls a peaking EQ. The centre frequency raises when boosting and lowers when attenuating, so that low frequencies which could be problematic on stage can be removed but never added.