My Pile of Guitars & Basses

A little chip of rock history, an example of the pre Carlos Santana Yamaha SG, and autographed by the legendary American Jazz guitarist Barney Kessel. (Barney Kessel is refer to on Pete Townsend’s 1983 album “Scoop” where Townshend paid homage to the guitarist with the instrumental song “To Barney Kessel”). Prior to the famous Yamaha SG-175 and Yamaha SG-2000, Yamaha Music Corporation produced a series of  early Yamaha SG double cutaway prototypes. These were the Yamaha SG-30, 35, 50, 70. In 1974 the phenomenal and relatively successful SG-90 and SG-175 were released. Here is a rare example of the SG-90, it is a more simple version of the top of the range, early SG-175 with a phenomenal playability and versatile sound. This is a truly great electric guitar with a good solid feel, playing light and fluid and certainly has lots of mojo and a definite vintage vibe.

The guitar has a solid Honduran mahogany body with a set neck, rosewood fret board with mother of pearl dot position markers and embossed serial number, Chrome Hardware and Tuning pegs. The sound is through Yamaha dual humbuckers pick ups. The guitar is pretty with its binding nicely aged to a clotted creamy colour. Yamaha SG-90 guitars were made from 1974 till 1975 in translucent  Black, Walnut, Natural Wood and Red.

Here ” The Beast” , the work horse Yamaha SG. This is a 1st issue, 40-year plus old Yamaha SG-700, a great electric guitar designed and made in Japan with the famous Yamaha SG-175 and SG-2000 as pedigree. It sports great looks, plays excellently and has enormous tonal range  with a tremendous sound and a good solid feel.  It is set up nice and low, so it plays light and fluid. This guitar has a lot of mojo and a definite vintage vibe. Solid mahogany body with carved top, fitted with a set neck, rosewood fretboard with split mother of pearl position markers, clean chrome hardware and tuning pegs. The sound is through 2 high output pickups with coil tapping options for that little extra.

Here the heaviest guitar in my collection,  a rare all original Yamaha SG-1500, 1976, good condition for its near 40 years….in delicious Shiny Black Finish & Vintage 1976. A true Rock Beast! Not many of these about anymore, as it was produced in far fewer numbers that the notorious Yamaha SG-2000 that was sported by Carlos Santana for his Moonflower recordings and subsequent releases. This is an awesome machine, it may look simpler than the SG-2000, with its dot markers and ebony fretboard. However the SG-2000 is more common than this rock axe.  The guitar is fitted with a set neck with tenon construction and solid chrome sustain plate is fitted under the bridge for maximum sustain.  The axe weighs a ton, you play and work out at the same time

Here the Yamaha SG-1500 in translucent red. The Yamaha SG 1500 guitar is an example of a top quality build guitar. It sports a Mahogany body with thru neck, rosewood fret board, Split wing fret-board position markers. Gold plated Hardware, Twin hum-buckers, coil tapping option. The guitar is quite heavy with lots of sustain, No sustain plate fitted under bridge and no pick-guard as standard. The Yamaha SG-1500 is the in-betweenie for the renowned Yamaha SG-2000 and Yamaha SG-1000 made famous by musicians such as Carlos Santana and Bob Marley. Set up with low action and kitted out with powerful double hum buckers make for a killer guitar.

Another guitar from the 1974, pre Santana Yamaha era. This SG-90 was produced before the famous Yamaha SG-2000, Yamaha Music Corporation produced a series of  early Yamaha SG double cutaway prototypes. These were the Yamaha SG-30, 35, 50, 70. In 1974 the relatively successful SG-90 and SG-175 were released. The SG-90 is a lighter weight early SG with a phenomenal playability and versatile sound. An all-round electric guitar with a good solid feel, playing light and fluid and certainly has lots of mojo and a definite vintage vibe.

The guitar has a solid body with a set neck, rosewood fret board with mother of pearl dot position markers and embossed serial number, Chrome Hardware and Tuning pegs. The sound is through Yamaha’s  humbucker pickups. The guitar is pretty with its binding nicely aged to a clotted creamy colour. Yamaha SG-90 guitars were made from 1974 till 1976 in translucent Red, Walnut, Black, Natural Wood.

Another rare SG-90, 1973 , autographed by Barney Kessel. Prior to the famous Yamaha SG-175 and Yamaha SG-2000, Yamaha Music Corporation produced a series of  early Yamaha SG double cutaway prototypes. These were the Yamaha SG-30, 35, 50, 70. In 1974 the phenomenal and relatively successful SG-90 and SG-175 were released. Like these later  models, the SG-90 is a light weight near top of the range, early SG with a phenomenal playability and versatile sound. This is a truly great electric guitar with a good solid feel, playing light and fluid and certainly has lots of mojo and a definite vintage vibe. The guitar has a solid body with a set neck, rosewood fret board with mother of pearl dot position markers and embossed serial number, Chrome Hardware and Tuning pegs.