Yamaha SA700, persimmon red, made in Japan 1979. If you've been following the store for more than a week or two, you'll already know this, but: we love vintage Yamaha guitars around here. These Super Axe models are built approximately in the style of a Gibson ES-335, but with pointier horns, the castle headstock with a volute and a few other little tweaks. The execution is exceptional: it feels lively and responsive in the hands, with a zingy body and a mildly chunky, comfy neck, and the fit and finish work is exceptional. The tone on offer is lush: percussive, snappy attack, with a breathy warm midrange and singing, rich sustain. It'll happily cover jazz and blues and cleans up beautifully, or paired with a generous dose of gain it makes a glorious rock rhythm guitar. The red finish is a classic and appealing look, it'll look great hanging on your wall or hanging around your neck at a show. Yam=yum.

Model: Yamaha SA700 Super Axe
Made: Japan, 1979 (serial appears to be 003755, hard to read)
Finish: persimmon red (PR), gloss poly
Body: laminate maple with centre block, thinline depth
Neck: one piece mahogany, rosewood board, 12" radius, 24.75" scale
Weight: 3.865kg
Mods: headstock repaired
Pickup: Yamaha PAF-style humbucker x2
Case: basic non-original gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: mild finish wear. Headstock has some minor marks on the end, as well as a refinished section on the neck to headstock joint where it's been repaired. The headstock repair job is immaculate, you can't see the original break and if it wasn't finished in a darker hue you wouldn't know it had been repaired. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. The back has a few dimples on both horns, in the middle and along the back edge, as well as widespread light scuffs around the body. The sides have some dimples in the elbow area and near the jack, as well as a bit of binding shrinkage which has created a little gap between the binding and side near the rear strap pin. The front has a few dimples near the knobs, along the back edge and in the elbow area, as well as some standard play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: good condition (7/10).

Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, intonation is good, action is low, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Frets have minor wear, they're in reasonable shape for their age, 7/10 for fret life left. Setup with fresh 11/49 Moonshiners strings.