(SOLD) Yamaha SA-60 Semi Hollow Natural 1974
Yamaha SA-60 semi-hollow, natural gloss, made in Japan 1974. What a lovely thing. Yamaha's SA series came out in 1967, borrowing a little from Gibson's ES line but mashing up the aesthetic with influences from surf inspired guitars like Mosrites and Mustangs. By the mid 70s, the quality on Yamaha's electric guitars was really quite remarkable, and they were still doing these art-deco-come-sci-fi shapes. The SA-60 got a cool leather embossed tailpiece, four-ply binding, cool teardrop inlays and quirky knobs, all atop a glowing natural gloss finish. The neck feels great in the hands, and when it catches the light, features some superb flame grain all the way up the back. Earlier versions of the SA series have these quirky single coil pickups, but this one got a set of warm, rich PAF-ish humbuckers, which are a good addition. The tone is wide, creamy and round, with plenty of detail on the top end and a lovely gooey midrange. The original case has plenty of swagger too, so quirky.
Model: Yamaha SA-60 Semi Hollow
Made: Japan, 1974
Serial: 29751
Finish: natural, gloss poly
Body: laminate maple
Neck: maple, rosewood fretboard, 24.75" scale, slim C shape, 43mm nut
Weight: 3.920kg
Mods: pickguard removed, tuners replaced
Pickups: Yamaha 'New Powerful' humbucker x2
Accessories: vintage Yamaha hard case
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor dimples on the end and front and some light scuffs on the bottom edge. The neck has dimples on the back, it's clean and smooth in the hands. The back has dimples in the middle of the body, around the back edge and on the bottom horn, as well as some scuffs in the middle of the body and elbow area. The sides have checking lines and dimples in the elbow area and along the bottom edge. The front has some dimples near the knobs, on the top horn and in the elbow area, as well as a couple of dents up from the tailpiece and some play wear on the horns. The guard is removed and missing.
Overall: very good condition (8/10)
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: 8/10, minor wear only