The Vault - A Treasure Trove of Rare, Unusual & Vintage Guitars & Basses

Here another example of a rare Yamaha SG-1600 in translucent tobacco burst finish, in near good overall condition. The only flaw is some aesthetic clouding of the finish which is a reaction of the paint with the moisture in the wood, a process which is accelerated with UV light such as string sunlight and very common to the 1980s SG range.  The SG-1600 is an upgrade from the SG-1000 and early SG-1500 model and built from maple and mahogany with a mahogany set neck. The fretboard is bound rosewood with mother of pearl/abalone split-wing style inlays. Typical weight of these models was around the 4.2 kgs. The sound of these vintage gems is outstanding, produced by a straight 2 tone/2 vol arrangement with a coil tapping option and a 3-way pick up selector switch. Hardware was gold plated with a gold stop bar. The sound of this model is full, produced from 2 Spinex covered humbuckers, which have a strong presence, ideal for rock and rhythm.  Guitar is all original and lives in its original lined hard case. Weight is about 4.5 Kgs

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 simplified version of SG-175 with great playability. 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 2 high output Yamaha pick ups.  The guitar has aged nicely with its binding nicely faded to a clotted creamy colour.  Yamaha SG-90 guitars were made from 1974 till 1975 in translucent Black, Natural Wood, Walnut and  Red. Notable players of this axe included Barney Kessel and Andy Taylor of Duran Duran.

Yamaha SG-2000 in Flame Tobacco Sunburst finish, in excellent condition. Without doubt one of the most wanted versions of the Yamaha SG-2000. The guitar plays light and fluid, and is set up with nice low action.  The guitar is quite heavy, with a thru body neck, brass sustain plate under the bridge and an ebony fret-board. It is a very pretty guitar with the flame coming out under certain lighting. This model has factory fitted coil taps, giving it an enormous range in tone.

The Yamaha SG-1996 is a special 30th Anniversary Issue SG Model. Yamaha Music Corporation commemorated three decades of electric guitar production by releasing this model. It is part of a limited edition run of only 300 pieces. The guitar is a hybrid of the SG-1000 and SG-3000 models, featuring a stunning maple flame top on a mahogany body. The truss rod cover is embossed with ‘SG-1996’, and the 30th anniversary decal is marked on the fretboard. This particular instrument is serial number 109 out of 300. It boasts an impressive appearance and, with its Spinex pickups, delivers a versatile array of sound. It is housed in its original Yamaha anniversary case.

Here probably one of the rarest of my Yamaha SGs, along with the Yamaha SG-25s and SG-175. The story goes that an iconic Yamaha Custom Shop, in Shibuya Tokyo Japan celebrated its 20 years anniversary and a commissioned Yamaha Music Corp to issue a selected 20-lot Yamaha SG guitar production run. These SGs were made celebrating both Yamaha Electric Guitar production since 1966, an anniversary coinciding with the existence of the Shibuya music shop. This is one of them, a Custom Shop made guitar with elements of the legendary Yamaha SG-175, SG-3000 and SG-1000. The truss-rod cover is embossed with the wording SG-1966 and Shibuya. The guitar itself is quite light compared to the SG-2000/3000 models and plays exceedingly easy. A great looker and with its Spinex pick ups it sounds like killer guitar too.

Lovely guitar, Yamaha SG-2000 Custom in glossy tobacco sunburst finish. The SG-2000 is the best known and probably the most sought after SG models along with the SG-175.
The tobacco sunburst colour makes it one of the most stunning and classy versions of the iconic Yamaha SG-2000. The guitar is heavy, fitted with a thru body neck, brass sustain plate under the bridge and an ebony fret-board with real mother of pearl inlaid fret position markers.  All in all, this is a very pretty guitar, and in great condition.  Comes with a Yamaha case. Weight of guitar approx. 4.5 Kgs, neck width at nut approx. 4.4 cm.