Yamaha SG-2000 Brown Sunburst 1982
Yamaha SG-2000, Brown Sunburst, made in Japan 1982. As vintage Japanese electric guitars go, there's not many more iconic models than the Yamaha SG-2000. Yamaha intended this model to take the basic form of the Les Paul, and then push it to perfection. They've popped up in the hands of notable players like Carlos Santana, John Frusciante and Al Di Meola, and they're absolutely some of the best production-model guitars ever made. This one dates to 1982, and you get all the good stufff: gold hardware, inlaid headstock, seven-ply binding, ebony fretboard, fancy inlays, a brass tone-block under the bridge, and a push/pull tone control to split the bridge pickup. It's a neck-through build: the middle of the guitar is a five-ply maple/mahogany laminate, running from top to tail. That makes the neck super straight and sturdy, even after all these decades, as well as allowing for easy upper fret access. At 4.5kg it's no lightweight, but many LPs from the same era were a whole kilogram heavier, and you get rewarded for your trouble: the sustain, oh the sustain. It rings for days. The neck is quick and easy to move around on too, so you can play super slick lead lines all over the show and get a remarkably even, singing tone from every note. The pickups are very clear too: complex and breathy through the mids, very fat and piano-like down low and sweet and expressive up top. This one has had a couple of minor mods and a few scrapes and knocks, although it presents nicely overall; it's priced accordingly. SG= so. good.
Model: Yamaha SG-2000
Made: Japan, 1982, Nippon Gakki factory
Serial: 075499
Finish: Brown Sunburst, gloss poly
Body: mahogany with maple/mahogany laminate middle
Neck: mahogany/maple laminate, ebony fretboard, 24.75" scale, 12" radius, medium C shape
Weight: 4.450kg
Mods: pickguard removed and missing, vibrato tailpiece installed and then removed, LED installed but currently wired out, neck pickup tone pot replaced
Pickups: Yamaha OPG-1 humbucker x2, only bridge pickup splits
Accessories: original Yamaha case
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor scuffs all over, dents on the corners and some dimples on the edges. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dents and some some play wear on the back only. The back has dimples along the back edge and elbow area and some minor scuffs all over. The sides have minor dimples around the whole body, and some scratches near the jack. The front has holes from since removed tailpiece and guard behind the bridge and near the knobs, scuffs along the back edge and elbow area and some play wear on the horns.
Overall: very 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 10/52 Moonshiners strings.
Fret Life: 7/10, normal wear inc minor pitting but playing smoothly with no major buzz issues, freshly polished