Yamaha SR500 Super RnRoller Natural 1979
Yamaha SR500 Super RnRoller, natural, made in Japan 1979. These were Yamaha's late seventies take on the then-current 70s Strat, so it's got the cool big headstock, ash body and trad SSS pickup setup. Our tech has done some good work on this to get the neck feeling super slick and smooth, so it feels great in the hands. It's a got a slinky feel, with a comfy vintage C style neck shape with vintage style smaller frets. The sound is awesome: open and jangly, bursting with vibrance and detail through the mids and highs, with a tight and rounded low end to balance things out. There's something about these old pickups, truly. The natural finish has plenty of wear and has yellowed to a gorgeous honey colour, which ties in well with the aged board and gnarly headstock. These vintage Yamaha guitars are a bit of a favourite around here, and this is a great example of their many charms.
Model: Yamaha SR500 Super RnRoller
Made: Japan, 1979
Serial: 004127
Finish: natural, gloss poly
Body: sen ash
Neck: maple, maple cap fretboard, 25.5" scale, 12" radius
Weight: 3.720kg
Mods: strap pins replaced, tone capacitor and bridge earth wire replaced, neck sanded back and finished in tung oil, trem cavity cover removed and missing
Pickups: Yamaha R-II single coil x3
Accessories: none
Cosmetic condition notes: moderate finish wear. The headstock has checking lines all over, scuffs and dents on the end and bottom edge, some peeling of the finish on the front around the decals and some dimples on the back. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, plenty of rub wear and dimples on the back/sides/board but it's been recently sanded down, smoothed out and finished in tung oil by our tech. The back has dents around the trem cavity. bottom corner and back edge, dimples on both horns and the elbow area and widespread scuffs, surface scratches and rub wear. The sides have minor scuffs and dimples around the whole body and some dents in the elbow area and near the jack. The front has dimples in the elbow area and back edge, dents behind the bridge and near the jack, scratches and dimples on the top horn and play wear on the guard and horns.
Overall: good condition (6.5/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.
Fret life: 5/10, these came with low frets from the factory, and this has some normal wear too, but has been recently levelled and polished so they're low, but playing pretty smoothly