j1mr
Member
- Messages
- 20
I've been on the lookout for my first semi-hollow guitar for the last few months. Being in the midst of a house remodel, my budget was tight. Based largely on what I read on TGP, I eventually narrowed my search down to older Yamaha SAs, Ibanez AS-180/200, or 60s Guild Starfires.
Then one day, a 1980 MIJ Yamaha SA-1000 showed up on eBay for cheap. I prefer the simpler top to the flamey maple and gold hardware that you'll find on the other SA models. After hearing so many great things about yamaha's QC, I figured it was a pretty safe bet and acted quickly.
She arrived from Japan four days later. Action was crazy high, so a cranked it down and tweaked the intonation. Wow! Pretty sweet neck. Very smooth. The curve felt great in my hands. Tiny bit of buzzing up on the bass strings way up near the 17 fret. Other than that, the neck felt great. I'll probably take it in for a pro set up soon.
My plan was always to add a bigsby. So an hour before getting together with some friends for a jam, I slapped on a B-60 and a Towner Tension bar. Look ma, no drilling! The tension bar works like a charm and the whole thing is totally reversible (aside from a couple small holes near the strap button).
Well after plugging this baby into my rig at a good volume, I am happy to report that this thing is a beast! Nice beefy tones, great articulation, and the control able feedback is unreal. Exactly what I was looking for. The bigsby even stays in tune!
I don't have a huge collection. But the guitars I do have are pretty nice (Suhr, Anderson). While I'm still in the honeymoon phase, I can definitely say that these old Yamahas are amazing instruments... And at a fraction of what I paid for my other guitars. The value for the money is incredible.
Then one day, a 1980 MIJ Yamaha SA-1000 showed up on eBay for cheap. I prefer the simpler top to the flamey maple and gold hardware that you'll find on the other SA models. After hearing so many great things about yamaha's QC, I figured it was a pretty safe bet and acted quickly.
She arrived from Japan four days later. Action was crazy high, so a cranked it down and tweaked the intonation. Wow! Pretty sweet neck. Very smooth. The curve felt great in my hands. Tiny bit of buzzing up on the bass strings way up near the 17 fret. Other than that, the neck felt great. I'll probably take it in for a pro set up soon.
My plan was always to add a bigsby. So an hour before getting together with some friends for a jam, I slapped on a B-60 and a Towner Tension bar. Look ma, no drilling! The tension bar works like a charm and the whole thing is totally reversible (aside from a couple small holes near the strap button).
Well after plugging this baby into my rig at a good volume, I am happy to report that this thing is a beast! Nice beefy tones, great articulation, and the control able feedback is unreal. Exactly what I was looking for. The bigsby even stays in tune!
I don't have a huge collection. But the guitars I do have are pretty nice (Suhr, Anderson). While I'm still in the honeymoon phase, I can definitely say that these old Yamahas are amazing instruments... And at a fraction of what I paid for my other guitars. The value for the money is incredible.
