Yamaha SA1100, made in Taiwan 1988, brown sunburst. This is a lovely thing, it's very convincing indeed. The Super Axe series is a favourite around here, debuting in 1977 and offering models approximately based on the Gibson ES-335. This is a later example and an evolution of the SA700 and SA1000 models, so it gets a laminate birch and beech body with an alder centre block. This one has a slimmer neck than the earlier models, which feels nice and comfy to me: it's not super skinny, but the slim round profile sits nicely in the hand. The finish has some clouding around the body, most notably but not exclusively on the back; it's common on Yamaha stuff from era and is caused by exposure to humidity over a period of time. Having said that, it looks stunning: the subtle grain lines, rich golden colouring and aged cream binding make for a very classy aesthetic. The best thing is the sound: the neck pickup is deep and full with a piano-like clarity, while the bridge pickup is rich and growly with a complex assertive attack through the midrange. This will happily cover dense jazz chords or nasty rock riffs, it's a great sounding guitar. This will make someone very happy.

Model: Yamaha SA1100 Super Axe
Made: Taiwan, 1988 (serial OM23038)
Finish: brown sunburst, gloss poly
Body: laminate birch and beech with centre alder block, thinline depth
Neck: mahogany, rosewood board, 12" radius, 24.75" scale, slim 60s style profile
Weight: 3.770kg
Mods: guard removed and missing
Pickup: Yamaha SAH-SAIC alnico V humbucker x2
Case: basic non original gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some chips and scuffs on the end, as well as a crack in the finish only running vertically down the side of the headstock on the back in line with the treble side tuners and some clouding of the topcoat on the back. The back has some clouding around the edges of the body, some scuffs around the front strap pin, as well as widespread dimples and surface scuffs around the whole body. The sides have light scuffs and clouding around the whole body and some dimples near the jack. The front has some clouding along the back and bottom edge, as well as some dimples in the elbow area and some standard play wear on the horns. There's some extra holes from the removed guard. 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. The frets have some normal wear, they're fairly even with plenty of height left, but there's some minor pitting, 6/10 for life left. Setup with fresh 11/49 Moonshiners strings.