Yamaha SA-RR Wine Red 1988
Yamaha SA-RR, cherry red, made in Japan 1988. We've only ever had one other example of this strange and impressive model, so I was super stoked to score another one. Let's start with the shape: in 1968-9 approx, Yamaha were making a guitar called the SA15 that was basically this body shape; although the original was a bolt-on fully hollow construction with different hardware. It's absolutely one of the coolest shapes Yamaha ever did, so this little throwback to that is welcome. This one is a different beast though: it's semi-hollow with a centre block, more like a 335, as well as featuring a Tele Deluxe-style bridge and pickup setup. Now: the electronics... you've got a tasty Tele style single coil in the bridge. The neck pickup is a fat, PAF-voiced humbucker, splittable to a single coil via the switch on the lower horn. There's also a piezo pickup attached to the bridge, blendable into the signal via the notched blend knob. On top of all that, the piezo is driven by an active circuit that also offers a huge amount of onboard volume boost and an active two band EQ, all controllable via trim pots in the back cavity. With the boost cranked, this pushed our usually-very-clean Silverface Bassman amp into a very dirty compressed overdrive; there's a crazy amount of output on offer if you want it. Otherwise with the boosts dialed out the output is a sensible untouched passive level. You can dial in a big, thick, juicy electric tone with either conventional pickup, then add a whisker of piezo to add some definition and note separation into the mix for extra sauce... tasty times. It's a terrific sounding guitar with a heap of tonal options. As with all these vintage Yamahas, the build quality is absolutely superb. The neck is a treat: straight as an arrow, moderately slim but with a comfortable round profile, tidy frets... awesome. The finish on this one has been rubbed to a slick satin feel, which is a weird mod, but it feels great to play and lends it a more vintage aesthetic. I really like this, it's super weird and very cool.
Model: Yamaha SA-RR
Made: Japan, 1988, Nippon Gakki factory
Serial: OJ26038
Finish: wine red, gloss poly, rubbed to a matte look
Body: laminate mahogany, semi-hollow with centre block
Neck: one piece mahogany, rosewood board, 15" radius, 24.75" scale, 43mm nut, slim C
Weight: 3.020kg
Mods: finish rubbed to a matte look
Pickups: Yamaha humbucker, TL-style single coil and piezo system
Accessories: original Yamaha case
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. All over the body, headstock and neck, the finish has been rubbed to a matte look and feel. The headstock has dimples on the end, scuffs on the edges and front and a minor chip on the back. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. The back has dimples in the middle of the body, in the elbow area, along the back edge and bottom corner, as well as minor dents on the horns. The sides have minor dimples around the whole body. The front has minor dimples and dents around the knobs, behind the bridge, back edge and elbow area, scuffs around the F-hole, dents on the horns and play wear on the guard and horns. The tarnish on the chrome parts.
Overall: good condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 11/49 Moonshiners strings.
Fret life: 7/10, minor wear only