Yamaha SA-50, sunburst, made in Japan 1968. These are such cool looking guitars, and they look and feel so good to boot. The body is fully hollow laminate maple, so it's lightweight and sprightly to the touch; the burst finish has aged beautifully to let the subtle maple grain show through nicely. The pickups are lightly wound and offer a spanky, rhythmic attack not dissimilar from a Strat, but with a huge amount of body, warmth and richness owing to the bigger construction. This is a magical sounding guitar, it's like honey to the ears. The sensibly-slim neck makes for a charismatic acquaintance; it instantly feels like an old friend. If you're after a great little hollow that'll happily cover stuff from jazz to punk, this one will surely do it with plenty of grace and style left spare.

Model: Yamaha SA-50
Made: Japan, 1968 (serial 9108)
Finish: sunburst, gloss poly
Body: laminate maple, fully hollow, thinline
Neck: maple, rosewood fretboard, moderately slim profile
Weight: 3.300kg
Mods: re-wired with a volume/volume/tone setup and new pots/wire/switch, guard removed, trem arm removed
Pickups: original Yamaha humbuckers, 'hum-free anisotrophic ferrite magnets
Case: vintage vegan leather gig bag
Note: original trem arm and pickguard included

Overall: minor finish wear. Headstock has some wear on the end and scuffs on the back, no major marks. the neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back. The back has widespread light scuffs and surface scratches; no major marks. The sides have minor dimples around the whole body, no major marks though. The front is pretty clean, just some scuffs and dimples around the edge and some play wear on the horns. Overall: very good condition (8/10)

Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, intonation is good, action is low, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Frets have some normal wear but look pretty good, 7/10. Wearing fresh 11/49 Moonshiners strings.