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Yamaha GL-1

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Ukulele

Yamaha GL-1

Yamaha · GL-1

Price: 82 EUR – 381 EUR

Price history 05.09.2026 20.10.2026
Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 9/10 (Common)

A quarter-size nylon-string instrument tuned a fourth above standard guitar tuning (ADGCEA), letting guitarists play familiar chord shapes on a ukulele-sized body rather than learning ukulele's re-entrant tuning.

Where available? Go to the best price – 82 EUR About this instrument

About the Yamaha GL-1

The guitalele occupies a specific niche between guitar and ukulele: six single nylon strings like a classical guitar, but tuned ADGCEA - equivalent to a standard guitar with a capo on the fifth fret - rather than the four-string, re-entrant GCEA tuning of a real ukulele. That means a guitarist can pick up the GL-1 and play any chord shape they already know, just transposed up and compressed into a much smaller body, rather than learning an entirely different instrument.

Construction is a laminated spruce top over laminated meranti back and sides, keeping cost down since the instrument competes on portability and price rather than tone quality against premium classical guitars or ukuleles. The nato neck carries a rosewood fretboard at a 17-inch scale and 1 7/8-inch nut, with chrome tuners and a maple bridge, finished in an unadorned matte look. A gig bag is included.

Where to buy

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/39476868-yamaha-guitalele-gl-1-nat-bag

Sound character of the Yamaha GL-1

Laminated spruce over laminated meranti keeps costs down but also dampens resonance compared to solid tonewoods, giving a fairly dry, present tone rather than a lot of ringing sustain. Because the ADGCEA tuning sits a fourth above standard guitar pitch, chords played in familiar guitar shapes come out noticeably brighter and tighter than on a full-scale guitar.

Bright Delicate Mellow

Technical data for the Yamaha GL-1

Top Laminated spruce
Back/Sides Laminated meranti
Neck Nato
Fretboard Rosewood
Scale length 17" (432mm)
Nut width 1 7/8" (47.6mm)
Tuning ADGCEA

Price history for the Yamaha GL-1

Cheapest seen: 82 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 381 EUR

382 EUR61 EUR 05.09.2026 15.09.202619.09.202614.10.2026 20.10.2026
Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Yamaha GL-1

Yamaha's GL-1 popularized the guitalele concept commercially, aimed at guitarists wanting a compact travel instrument or a stepping stone for beginners intimidated by full guitar scale length and string tension, rather than at dedicated ukulele players.

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